Worst Food Desert In Chicago Strikes Back

The Residents of Altgeld Gardens Have Launched Occupy Altgeld Gardens in Support of Occupy the Hood/Wall Street

Worst Food Desert In Chicago Strikes Back  $5.00 a gallon milk and $30.00 hams too much for public housing community   Update on OCCUPY ALTGELD - Day 4 "We have turned around about 300 cars from shopping with Rosebud Farm and we have stopped about 50 walk-ins from shopping at Rosebud Farm." From Altgeld Gardens in Chicago, Illinois - This is a protest of the Rosebud Farm near the Altgeld Gardens Public Housing Community at about 500 East 130th Street in Chicago, Illinois.  The current merchants in Rosebud Farm take advantage of a community described as the worst food desert in Chicago. The current Rosebud Farm store also services the residents of Golden Gate, Concordia Park, Riverdale, Dolton and Roseland. The current Rosebud Farm merchants lease the building from the Corporate Rosebud Farm who are housed in Indiana. Rosebud Farm products are sold in major food stores such as Jewels, Dominicks, the now closed Moo & Oink, Pete's, Ultra etc. Cheryl Johnson, standing with her mother who passed away this year, Hazel Johnson (sitting right), the "Mother of the Environmental Justice Movement" Cheryl Johnson, President of People for Community Recovery (PCR) is leading the protest, because neither the Corporate Rosebud Farm President or the current Rosebud Farm merchant will meet with Cheryl Johnson to discuss the issues of concern for the residents of Altgeld Gardens.  The Occupy Altgeld Gardens major strategy is to peaceably turn around shoppers from shopping at the store.  This includes providing transportation to people who walked up and had no transportation to go elsewhere. A woman who disregarded the protest and shopped at Rosebud Farm was upset after she saw what she paid to shop at the store and she showed the protesters the receipt for the groceries, which included 1 roll of toilet paper for $1.53, 1 gallon vitamin D milk 4.99, 1 jar salad dressing 7.99, a ham butt $30, 1 small pot roast $15, etc.   What is even more outrageous is that this merchant refuses to accept WIC certificates, which stands for Women, Infants and Children (a government program to ensure proper nutrition for poor mothers and children). How can a merchant refuse to accept this voucher which is paid for by the government? Why? Because the government is not going to refund the prices they charge for food. Again, this is outrageous and unacceptable, because it forces recipients with the voucher to have transportation to go elsewhere. Altgeld Gardens Public Housing Community The nearest major grocery store is Food for Less, 142nd Sibley or Ultra or Aldi's at 127th Ashland both about 3 to 4 miles away.  Any stores in-between are probably price gouging as well. Late Friday evening, the police came and told protesters that Rosebud Farm reported the protesters were threatening their customers. Occupy Altgeld protestors were asked to disband because they had no permit to protest on public property. The protesters moved to the property across from Rosebud and continued until 8 pm. They did not want to risk being arrested without a plan. Cheryl Johnson is adamant that the protest will continue until the owners sit down at the table to discuss the issues at hand. At various times, there were about 13 protesters present but more protesters are needed. Occupy Altgeld needs help. Occupy Altgeld needs legal advice. Occupy Altgeld needs financial support. Occupy Altgeld needs an action plan to solidify their list of demands with acceptable solutions, and most of all, they need support from all communities in and around Chicago.  They plan to march through the holidays. You can help too. Talk to anyone you know who lives in the above areas, participate in the protest, contact Cheryl at PCR, 773.840.4618 (office) to find out how you can help.  You don't have to walk all day, but numbers show power and eventually, someone will sit down and talk to them.