Opus 2026-258: Inner City Solutions

I recently experimented with a podcast by Anton Daniels called the “Morning Millionaire”.   He was commenting on the decision of Walgreen’s to close one of their stores in Chicago and the response of the community.

Daniels was showing and commenting on a press conference in front of the store that was closing.  It had a bunch of respectable looking, middle class type people holding professionally printed signs and a local city alderman was at the microphone.  He was going on with typical socialist talking points.  At one place he declared closing the store was a “first degree commercial crime.”  Daniels asked what that was.  It was obvious that none of the people in the choir were the kind who would be stealing and attacking.  They did represent though, the kind of people who raised the ones who were stealing and attacking and seemed to not be willing to do anything about the crime.  The solution was attack the rich.  I am not sure you can force someone to keep a business open.

There a a lot of ways to solve the problem.

First, get serious about the culture of the neighborhood.  Here was a large store, part of a nation wide chain that probably had a full time security presence and locks on much of the merchandise.  In spite of that the store could not keep its employees safe nor stop the pilfering.  They probably had a hard time getting qualified people willing to work in those conditions and found it impossible to make a profit because the residents of the community, who were protesting the closing, were stealing so much.  If the parents and grandparents in the area did not look the other way when their offspring went on a theft spree then the problem could be solved.  

It didn’t happen and it is not going to happen.

So the store closes.  What do we do about the loss of a pharmacy?  Daniels suggested that the people of the area get together and open their own store.  If it is so simple, do it yourselves.  He did not seem to expect that to happen.

I think one of the ways to deal with the needs of the shut-in and elderly is for the churches of the community to step up to the plate and begin being the church.  If this is like many urban areas there are churches of all sizes located everywhere.  Some are just houses with a sign.  Some are old mainline congregations.  What a marvelous opportunity to reach out to others.  It would not take a lot of organization or money to get people in the pews to stop by a shut-in’s house, pick up the prescription and have it filled.  In fact, in this internet age, the doctor calls in the perscription and just about anyone who know the birthday of the patient can pick it up for them.  I know because I have done it.

Are you part of a denomination wanting to reach the inner city?  Here is an open door to both meet real needs and present physical evidence of the love that you proclaim you have for people.  Let the cure begin.

homo unius libri