Save Our Safeway: Hearing between the chants
On last Monday’s rally in protest of Safeway’s upcoming closure on March 6, I heard much besides the volume of aggravated voices.
Amid shouts of “Save our Safeway!” I heard the cry to “make it better!” In between the chanting refrains were speeches about upcoming actions by local leaders and stories from local residents. The crowd standing outside on this cold President’s Day included some faithful patrons of the store who had fought hard to get it there in the first place, and kept fighting to keep it open when a Safeway closed ten years ago at Rhode Island and Florida Ave NE. Among the signs and banner were familiar faces, neighbors, hugs.
This neighborhood deserves better and knows it. Tambra Stevenson noted on this blog that the silver lining of this loss is an opportunity for something better. She visions a “true community center for wellness.” That sounds like a vision I can share – but I do not want to jump ahead so quickly that I miss what my neighbors are saying right now.
