Chicago pol says Walgreens should be charged with ‘first-degree corporate abandonment’ over closure over theft

A Chicago alderman, incensed by the upcoming closure of a Walgreens store amid safety concerns, stated that the corporate retailer should be charged with “first-degree corporate abandonment.”

Ald. William Hall, along with several community members, held a news conference Monday to voice their anger over the company’s decision to close the location in Chicago’s 6th Ward in the Chatham neighborhood.

“Walgreens should be charged with first-degree corporate abandonment,” Hall said. “It should be a crime, the way they’re treating our elders. It should be a crime, the way they’re treating our families.”

The store is slated to close on June 4. Fox News Digital has reached out to both Hall’s office and Walgreens for further comment.

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In a statement to the Chicago Sun-Times, the Chicago-area-based pharmacy store chain cited theft and violent incidents as the primary factors behind its decision to close the store on S. Cottage Grove Ave.

“Despite a range of efforts, including previous operating adjustments, these ongoing safety challenges have made it increasingly difficult to maintain a secure environment for our team members and customers,” the company said. “While this was not an easy decision, safety must remain our top priority.”

Walgreens confirmed that employees at the location will be eligible to transfer to other stores.

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Hall emphasized that the community isn’t “begging” Walgreens to stay, but argued the company is in the wrong for leaving residents without a place to fill medical prescriptions. He warned that the closure would create a “medicine drought” for seniors and residents managing chronic health conditions.

“We’re not here to beg Walgreens to stay. We are saying that their decision is the wrong decision,” Hall said. “In my opinion, it should be considered a first-degree corporate crime… the number of elders who will not have access to healthcare is evil.”

He further noted that Walgreens “ran out” all the small, local businesses in the area when it originally opened.

Ald. Raymond Lopez, a Democrat, said he understands the community’s frustration but questioned the timing of the outrage.

“Where was that anger when the stores in our communities were under years and years of assault by criminals allowed to shoplift, vandalize, and destroy neighborhood institutions?” Lopez asked. “Many leaders say it is simply an insurance matter. They are wrong. There are real-world consequences for crime running rampant. This closure is the perfect example of that effect.”

Walgreens has closed stores in other cities because of rampant theft.

In 2021, the chain closed several stores in the San Francisco area, citing organized retail crime.