Please tell me this is secretly an Onion piece.

http://benswann.com/black-activitists-and-politicians-force-trader-joes-grocery-out-claim-it-would-attract-too-many-whites/

This can't be real, can it?

If that is the truth, that's berkeleyed up.

It must be. Get a load of this quote:

"The grocery chain is based out of California and regularly makes headlines for their revolutionary business model that brings discount health-foods and products to neighborhoods."

Hahahaha! Discount food at Trader Joe's!? Discounted from what? 300% mark-up?

Can't we all just get along?

t25torx wrote: Can't we all just get along?

Absolutely not. If we all got along and worked together we would be very hard to control.

Sigh, it is. That area has been hit with tons of gentrification over the years at the expense of working class familys (and a bunch of human dingleberry's).

Basically, Portland's Development Commission took over the old industrial area on the west side, made a bunch of sweetheart deals to rebuild them (partly by waving property taxes and making the rest of us pay for the improvements while the million dollar condo's don't pay them for 10 years) as condo's after kicking most of the artists and industrial shops out or simply pricing them out. The artists took up shop on the other side of the river in North Portland, causing the gentrification to follow them. The shops either folded completely or moved further out of town.

PDC is a hugely corrupt organization and the neighborhoods are slowly beginning to wake up to this fact and immediately protest any/all projects put forth by them:

http://oregoncatalyst.com/12387-chosen-developers-fat-pdcs-trough.html

http://bojack.org/2012/02/portland_auditor_finds_rats_ne.html

So the neighbors in NoPo piss, bitch and moan at nearly any new development, etc. TJ's being a decent place to shop, work and have in your neighborhood said, "fine. If that's what you want, we're outta here."

What's odd is that TJ's is a much better option than Whole Foods or Nature's, both of which are stupidly expensive.

Keep in mind, this town singly handly stopped the building of many interstate highways:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mount_Hood_Freeway

I love my town, more often than not. Having been born and raised here I have to say I'm not happy at the changes that have gone on, but this was not a war that needed to be fought. There are so many other issues that should be protested.

Giant Purple Snorklewacker wrote: It must be. Get a load of this quote: "The grocery chain is based out of California and regularly makes headlines for their revolutionary business model that brings discount health-foods and products to neighborhoods." Hahahaha! Discount food at Trader Joe's!? Discounted from what? 300% mark-up?

Compare their prices to Whole Foods (aka Whole Paycheck) or Nature's and tell me if it is same "mark up" also understand that all , I repeat, ALL stores price their products based on location along with many other variables. If you look at prices for products in an urban area compared to a suburban area you may see a noticeable difference.

I don't know if that story is real but gentrification has become a growing "problem" here as people from outside New York move in and do evil things like repair their buildings, open businesses, and expect the police to enforce laws.

They have ruined whole sections of Brooklyn and uptown Manhattan by making them fairly safe and clean, destroying the character that took decades to make. Fortunately for us we've for a new mayor hell bent on bringing us back to the good old days of the 70s and 80s.

In all seriousness it's looking pretty sketchy right now, I can't find a source outside of "bigfoot's alien babies" type publications and conspiracy (or, uh..."political forum") sites.

Edit: But yeah gentrification's great when you're not on the receiving end of it.

Wally wrote: I don't know if that story is real but gentrification has become a growing "problem" here as people from outside New York move in and do evil things like repair their buildings, open businesses, and expect the police to enforce laws. They have ruined whole sections of Brooklyn and uptown Manhattan by making them fairly safe and clean, destroying the character that took decades to make. Fortunately for us we've for a new mayor hell bent on bringing us back to the good old days of the 70s and 80s.

If that was all that was happening in Portland, most people would applaud it. Instead, its a commission that has no over-site with no elected officials, buying and selling land to developers for pennies and waving the property taxes that are required to pay for the infrastructure improvements required and generally ignoring what the people want, which is really just what you wrote above.

Here are articles from the local newspaper about the Trader Joe's deal:

http://www.oregonlive.com/portland/index.ssf/2014/02/trader_joes_portland_developme_2.html

http://www.oregonlive.com/portland/index.ssf/2014/02/trader_joes_decision_to_pull_o.html

http://www.oregonlive.com/portland/index.ssf/2014/01/naacp_blasts_trader_joes_deal.html

http://www.oregonlive.com/portland/index.ssf/2014/02/portland_african_american_lead_1.html

Here's some articles on PDC's failure in my current area of town:

http://www.oregonlive.com/portland/index.ssf/east_portland_tell_us_your_sto.html

The PDC is a joke and should be disbanded. Gentrification can be a very good thing, if it is allowed to happen somewhat organically with input from the community.

novaderrik wrote: put up a KFC/liquor store there with a watermelon stand out front and places out back to play dice and i bet no one would complain..

That is quite possibly the most hateful, ignorant and racist thing I've ever read on this site. If you honestly think that is berkeleying funny, you need to get your head examined.

In reply to novaderrik:

turboswede wrote:

novaderrik wrote: put up a KFC/liquor store there with a watermelon stand out front and places out back to play dice and i bet no one would complain..

That is quite possibly the most hateful, ignorant and racist thing I've ever read on this site. If you honestly think that is berkeleying funny, you need to get your head examined.

I found it funny. But then again I've been told I was a racist dumbass because I didn't vote for the current pres, that I'm an ignorant moron because I don't have a college degree and I pretty much think people (in general) suck.

One of those 3 is true.

What I DO find racist and ignorant is that there is actually a Portland African American Forum that decides what can and cannot happen in their neighborhood. Why did it have to be only AA? Honky not allowed?

I wonder if Thai is also one of those neighborhoods that complain endlessly about living in a "food desert" and can't get quality food easily or some such bullE36 M3.

The worst part of this for me is that my city council and urban planners seem to have an everlasting haron for emulating everything that 'progressive' cities like Portland do.

Bobzilla wrote:

turboswede wrote:

novaderrik wrote: put up a KFC/liquor store there with a watermelon stand out front and places out back to play dice and i bet no one would complain..

That is quite possibly the most hateful, ignorant and racist thing I've ever read on this site. If you honestly think that is berkeleying funny, you need to get your head examined.

I found it funny. But then again I've been told I was a racist dumbass because I didn't vote for the current pres, that I'm an ignorant moron because I don't have a college degree and I pretty much think people (in general) suck. One of those 3 is true. What I DO find racist and ignorant is that there is actually a Portland African American Forum that decides what can and cannot happen in their neighborhood. Why did it have to be only AA? Honky not allowed?

I found it funny and pointing to a larger truth. Beyond gentrification.... There has been a sharp increase in using the whole race card to cover for stupidity, then blaming it on society. Take a look at any of the multi racial crimes. If its whitey he was a horrible human being and deserves to be hung by his toenails. But if its a black guy society is keeping them down and violating black culture.I'm sorry but its not culture to sound like a dumbass, look like a dumbass, or act like a dumbass. You're just a dumbass, and that's the case here. Instead of maybe eating good food for dinner and trying something new, you've got a whole society that would rather eat the proverbial grape drank and Popeye's, then blame whitey for the health issues. Same goes for so many other things. I've seen it personally and dealt with it from PhD level psych people. Sometimes you just gotta do E36 M3 the right way instead of.blaming the man.

mndsm wrote:

Bobzilla wrote:

turboswede wrote:

novaderrik wrote: put up a KFC/liquor store there with a watermelon stand out front and places out back to play dice and i bet no one would complain..

That is quite possibly the most hateful, ignorant and racist thing I've ever read on this site. If you honestly think that is berkeleying funny, you need to get your head examined.

I found it funny. But then again I've been told I was a racist dumbass because I didn't vote for the current pres, that I'm an ignorant moron because I don't have a college degree and I pretty much think people (in general) suck. One of those 3 is true. What I DO find racist and ignorant is that there is actually a Portland African American Forum that decides what can and cannot happen in their neighborhood. Why did it have to be only AA? Honky not allowed?

I found it funny and pointing to a larger truth. Beyond gentrification.... There has been a sharp increase in using the whole race card to cover for stupidity, then blaming it on society. Take a look at any of the multi racial crimes. If its whitey he was a horrible human being and deserves to be hung by his toenails. But if its a black guy society is keeping them down and violating black culture.I'm sorry but its not culture to sound like a dumbass, look like a dumbass, or act like a dumbass. You're just a dumbass, and that's the case here. Instead of maybe eating good food for dinner and trying something new, you've got a whole society that would rather eat the proverbial grape drank and Popeye's, then blame whitey for the health issues. Same goes for so many other things. I've seen it personally and dealt with it from PhD level psych people. Sometimes you just gotta do E36 M3 the right way instead of.blaming the man.

Well, it's obvious that you're just an ignorant, racist hater. SHAME on you.... but that makes two of us because I agree 100%.

Okay then. Consider me out of here then.

turboswede wrote: Okay then. Consider me out of here then.

It's pretty berkeleyed up when I'm the least offensive remark in a thread, eh? I mean... you still managed to get up in arms about it... but that was before the big hammers came out.

I'm totally going to have to up my game.

ROTFL That made my day.

Will they build an Aldi instead? Same company.

Giant Purple Snorklewacker wrote:

turboswede wrote: Okay then. Consider me out of here then.

It's pretty berkeleyed up when I'm the least offensive remark in a thread, eh? I mean... you still managed to get up in arms about it... but that was before the big hammers came out. I'm totally going to have to up my game.

Yeah, you're gonna have to work harder next time. I barely glossed over it before I moved on to add my (apparently) racist 2 cents.

I've only been in Portland for fourteen years, as opposed to my whole life, but I'm with turboswede end to end.

At least I came in late and didn't have to live the whole thread.

Kenny_McCormic wrote: ROTFL That made my day. Will they build an Aldi instead? Same company.

Aldi DOES sell grape drank and cheez puffs of questionable origin so...maybe? (Disclaimer- Aldi grape soda is actually really good... the more generic the better.)

In reply to mndsm:

Trader Joes is basically Aldi, by Aldi, for suburban white people. Also, if you want to pull something from nothing, TJs is operated by the division of Aldi that runs Aldi in North Germany, and Aldi is operated by Aldi South.

mndsm wrote: you've got a whole society that would rather eat the proverbial grape drank and Popeye's,

Leave the Popeye's out of this!