DC Accused of "Cheerleading" for Walmart

(Metropolitan Washington Council, AFL-CIO)Calling it “unfortunate” that DC elected officials “have turned into either silent or loud cheerleaders for Walmart,” Respect DC organizer Mike Wilson says that “There’s just no real willingness to look at [Walmart’s] track record.” Wilson spoke to The Fight Back’s Pete Tucker last Saturday, when a community meeting organized by Advisory Neighborhood Commission 6C on the Ward 6 Walmart was abruptly cancelled. “Once Walmart and [developer] JBG found out that we had invited community members and residents to attend what they had wanted to be a closed meeting, it was cancelled by the Advisory Neighborhood Commission,” said Wilson. “It’s concerning to say the least that our elected officials, who are bringing these stores into D.C., aren’t willing to do the basic amount of research on what it’s going to mean long term for the city,” Wilson added, noting that unlike D.C., which has yet to hold a single Council hearing on Walmart’s arrival, New York City has been more proactive in dealing with the advances of the world’s largest retailer. “It would be shortsighted to allow this destructive monopolist to enter the New York City market via the Trojan Horse of ‘job creation,’” concluded a joint 2010 report by Hunter College and New York City Public Advocate Bill de Blasio. And a recent study by the Office of Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer concluded that “Walmart’s entrance into the New York City market could severely undermine – if not reverse – the progress made by [existing fresh produce initiatives].” “We don’t feel like D.C. should trust Walmart’s track record to build the future of this city,” Wilson said. - excerpted from Pete Tucker’s report -- If Walmart Sells Cheerleading Outfits, D.C. Officials Won’t Have To Go Far in the 2/28 "The Fight Back"