Dear Whole Foods: We demand you sign nothing except for the paychecks of our 100 friends and neighbors that you will be employing. Best, Almost Everyone Else in JP.

When are these nuts going to go away?

"a real commitment to keeping JP affordable and diverse" ---- and how, in heaven's name, could anyone guarantee that, let alone a store.
I think Whose Foods is doing damage in antagonizing the store (which will be here regardless of what anyone says)

By the way - $20 coupon for Whole Foods for just $10: https://livingsocial.com/deals/123805?ref=conf-jp&rpi=27434185

:-)

It's 20 people, out of tens of thousands that live in JP. Everyone is entitled to an opinion. But is this actually newsworthy at this point? Will JP Patch give a loud voice to every small pocket of the population?

This is great news; the statement is truly inspiring. Thanks for the report.

Well, there are eight people who have commented on this story, already. I say we create a "neighborhood advisory group" and put out our own press release along with demands. Like, they need to stock Little Debbies snacks!

Whole foods is now really to blame for encouraging this . They have never said what they should have long ago. In a super nice, sugar coated press release, they simply should have said " it is our corporate policy to donate to charities in the communities that we serve. We are proud to have done so in JP and are looking forward to continuing. It is not our policy to sign community benefits agreements and we will not be considering anything of the sort in Jamaica Plain nor in any other community." If they would just say it clearly and unequivocally, we would all be done. But at this point they are being spineless squids. No other company would have let this go on as long as WFM has. So now I really blame them for enabling these kooks. I am rather quickly losing my sympathy for WFM for not saying what needs to be said. They should not be returning phone calls nor meeting with anyone. They have a business to run and on occasion a charitable contribution to make accompanied by a nice warm and fuzzy press release, that's it. WFM is quickly looking like fools for letting this go on and it is now no surprise that every cuckoo in the nest is flocking to them for a crack at their pot of gold - until they put their foot down - they will have no peace. WFM needs to take a firm stand once and for all.

I agree Jack. They're busy enough working. No need to go out of their way to make statements about things they already know they will or won't do.

On that note, I've been really surprised at how terrible Whole Foods has been in their community relations here. Not that I haven't shopped there (I buy tons of healthy food and I'm cutting out animal products). But man, it took them months to even make a meeting here. I might be alright with their being here (still considering that), but it'd be a beautiful thing for the latin quarter if this huge company contributed to housing access. Nice statement fellow neighbors, hats off.

I think there was nothing WFM could have done to "win over" this community. This "community" started the dialogue by saying "go away, you don't belong here. we don't want you." Makes sense to me that WFM would then just go about their business.

Well for once I agree with JP Pragmatist: Whole Foods is doing a terrible job. This reminds me of the first time Whole Foods had to actually confront their impact on Jamaica Plain: http://whosefoods.org/2011/03/delivering-1000-petition-signatures-to-whole-foods/. I'm glad we saved that one for posterity.

So why hasn't Whole Foods put out that warm-and-fuzzy press release that just says no? It's because the community pressure to date has been unprecedented. They don't know what to do.

Public, visible community outcry of the sort we're seeing in JP is Whole Foods worst PR nightmare. It exposes the hypocrisy of their "company pillar" of community. There's no warm-and-fuzzies that can cover up the fact that Whole Foods doesn't give a damn about Jamaica Plain as a community, and won't, unless we stand up and make them give a damn.

I'm making a special exception to comment on the Patch today. I prefer these days to comment on the Gazette, which, for all its warts, isn't owned by AOL like the Patch.

I anxiously await the torrent of right wing Ayn Rand selfish-gene Tea Party do-nothing froth to spill forth about how Whose Foods? is somehow standing in the way of the natural rights of Whole Foods to extract all the wealth it can out of our neighborhood in exchange for the single quality that we hold most dear for our community: its diversity.

And guess what, we are standing in the way, because it's nobody's natural right to exploit others for their own gain, no matter how much money is talking behind them.

So, in case you missed the link in the article, if you agree with me, sign the statement: http://whosefoods.org/cba-today/. Don't worry pranksters, maybe we'll publish a separate list of all the great playground taunts that make it to the sign-up list.

If you're new to JP or this controversy, make sure to check out JP For All on Facebook.

Oh so tired. So very tired. Of all this nonsense.

It seems from the meeting last week between Whole Foods reps. and members of JPNC that Whole Foods is somewhat willing to listen and consider suggestions and requests put forth by the community...

“We feel today’s meeting with the Jamaica Plain Neighborhood Council resulted in much thoughtful and productive discussion,” Whole Foods spokesperson Heather McCready said in a written statement provided to the Gazette. “We appreciate the opportunity to discuss, in greater detail, the extensive community involvement that Whole Foods Market has in every community we serve.”

I thank those JPNC members and Whole Foods reps. for sitting down at the table to at least discuss ways that the arrival of this new grocery store could work in partnership with the community and become a vibrant addition to Jamaica Plain.

Heather W. McCready, Whole Foods spokeswoman, said months back, “Whole Foods Market [WFMI] is excited to be coming to the Jamaica Plain neighborhood. We have been productive and responsible community partners since our first store opened 30 years ago. We look forward to continuing that tradition in JP.”

I hope Heather W. McCready is speaking accurately to the community interests of Whole Foods and it's business practices. If so, I think it would behoove Whole Foods to seriously engage with the community (when I say community I mean ALL people/voices of Jamaica Plain, pro against and everybody in between) on what residents would like to see and would not like to see, what folks are excited about and concerned about. To me, this would reflect a business that is excited to become a part of Jamaica Plain and one that could pride itself of being a “responsible community partner”.

Yes, if you are new to jp check out "JP for all/ JP para todos" the most diverse group of white people representing the ENTIRE community.

oh Cheryl. It's just humor.

Oh, c'mom Pedro, why did you have to play that card? Don't you know how sensitive us liberals are to talking 'bout race.

Haven't these people realized that JP was gentrified many , many years ago., long before any of these Whose Fooders lived here. My mom and grnadmother were both booted out of their apartments when their buildings converted to condos. Where was the indignation when my then blind 77 year old grandmother had nowhere to live? Please make this go away and if Whole Foods is not for you then don't shop there. Why arn't you patronizing the bodegas who need to make a living as well? Stop your extortion efforts . I believe there are RICO laws against extortion.

Right on Patty! As soon as rent control was abolished people got the boot and developers developed and the world as we knew it changed. And can someone explain to me the power of the JPNDC - where do they get their power to speak for all the residents of JP? When is this organization going to pay attention to the Forest Hills area where the sidewalks are crumbling and crossing the street means taking your life into your own hands? Let's get real!

I think that Whose Foods should be investigated for attempted extortion - who exactly would be getting the 1% kickback.

I'm starting to think Patch is fomenting the fight between Whose Foods and Whole Foods to generate page views and clicks! ;-) This controversy is a wonderful engine for readership and involvement, even if the debate is one giant circular headache with no end in sight. I'm still worried about the fact that WF has not pulled any serious building permits for the site yet. Is it possible they're not 100% committed? I hope that's not the case. My family needed that market yesterday.

a whole 20 people DEMAND that 1% of WF revenue to be given back to the community .... I bet that 20 people will be about 1% of the people who walk through the door on the first day .. 100% of all fellow JP neighbors I have spoken with about this are in favor of WF moving into the neighborhood. Including one who literally lives next door to it. WHO are these 20 people who make such demands to stop progress ? better yet, how many people do these 20 people actually represent ? WF is not unscrupulous. WALMART is . Should Walmart attempt to come into JP.... THAT would be a different story indeed

oh man. If you're "ok" or "meh" about a healthy grocery story opening in your neighborhood, you're an Ayn Rand loving tea bagger.That is rich! awesome stuff. It didn't really seem to be tongue in cheek, either. I applaud you, sir.

Haha, did anyone else see this in their inbox from Jamaica Plainer?
"Sorry "JP"; pretty darn positive Ben's a resident of Jamaica Plain."

Is there anyone opposing Whole Foods who doesn't just delude themselves into what they feel is true? You guys are hilarious! Like a quality SNL skit.

First of all JP para todos allows you to comment on the page, but it does not allow everyone to see it, unless of course you are white, and ignorant at that. You have a bunch of courageous people on JP for all standing up for what they believe, being racist, selfish and ignorant online, but in public you play victims that feel intimidated by what you call a small group of people. If you have the "courage" to say all of that online have to say it in public too, if in reality you people are so righteous and correct.

"It does not allow everyone to see it, unless of course you are white, and ignorant at that."
Got to focus on my work...reading Pedro is too fun...got to focus on work...reading Pedro is too fun...augh! I'm going to get nothing done today I'll just be refreshing this page looking for latest Pedro-ism.

Well I guess I need to take a shower right now, I feel dirty and violates cause I see I have been googled already.

Pedro, & other Whose Rooders, who are just out to grab headlines for their arrested developmental teen age rebellion trips; have any of you even considered for a moment making a real difference in the lives of those less fortunate by becoming a big sister, brother - or little sister, brother to the elderly. THAT would make a world of difference - TODAY. In all honesty, you know it is true,not imagined, you know it is not about elaborate sociology, there's no self satisfied finger pointing, no divisive politics - none of it. YOU, personally and all 20 of the signatories to the demand letter who claim to care about social change can make a difference immediately if you are who you say you are - people who care selflessly about others. Here are the numbers: Little brothers, friends of the elderly 617-524-8882 Big brother & sisters 617-542-9090. If you really care about OTHERS & the issues you claim to, you will call now, because you want to, it is part of your nature, it is who you are. If you are just antagonists, with nothing but angst for anything good that others create , you will not call, nor will any of the others who claim to care about those less fortunate. Call if you are a kind , caring, selfless, sincere good hearted person who really does think everyday about those in desperate need. Do not call if you are a hypocrite on a cheap adrenaline rush jumping from headline grabbing cause du jour from month to month. let us know how you make out after you call.

Ben Mauer is no longer a resident of Roxbury. Even though he claimed here http://jamaicaplain.patch.com/articles/anti-whole-foods-banners-appear-again-in-jamaica-plains-hyde-square#photo-5440402 to be a "Former resident displaced by rising rents," Ben has recently moved back to Jamaica Plain!! So with the impending arrival of Whole Foods, apprently rents have now gotten low enough that you can afford to live here again? I'm confused. Welcome back to the neighborhood Ben.

First of all you morons, what makes you think that some of us are aren't already helping the community? Doing things that actually matter. I wonder how many of you do things that matter and help others? And for the ones that actually do it, I wonder how many of you do it because you actually care about others, and not just to pretend you are good people.

Okay, who is the Whole Foods supporter posting as "Pedro rivera"? His/her comments may be the most effective undermining of Whose Foods/Whose Community yet!

That's it. This site needs to stop feeding the fire and giving these people a forum to lay out their selfish insanity. Now you also want to take money from other local businesses?? You want money from your fellow JP neighbors that badly?? Open your own business then and earn the money, and stop trying to steal it. You now want to send "soldiers" door-to-door to collect money.... so you want to intimidate money from your neighbors "by force" as well? What the heck is wrong with you people? You are just making yourselves look crazy, greedy and immoral. Is this group run by angsty, rich, white high school kids? Based on that last comment, it really seems that way. You would get more respect from your neighbors if you were more rational, calm, and MATURE. We all want to help our neighbors out, and make sure no one is forced out of their homes. But the rest of us will be finding more productive and peaceful ways of doing so.

it had to be a joke, that's how I read it also, had a good chuckle!

Just to help knit together some of wondering thoughts of Mauer and Maglia I provide the following quotes:

"The history of all hitherto existing society is the history of class struggles."
"No sooner is the exploitation of the labourer by the manufacturer, so far, at an end, that he receives his wages in cash, than he is set upon by the other portions of the bourgeoisie, the landlord, the shopkeeper, the pawnbroker, etc." “The extraction of surplus value is the special form in which the exploitation takes place in capitalism.”
“[T] he capitalist private property … is based on the exploitation of the nominally free labor of others, in other words, wage labor.”

Whole Food is a corporation, not a person, and it is focused on profiting from our community. It will do so by selling high-priced good food, but all our money spent there will be vacuumed out of our neighborhood to line the pockets of shareholders on Wall Street with only a superficial amount being reinvested. Is this fair? Is this how it should be?
Even Whole Foods appears to recognize that this state of affairs is unpopular as they embrace a language of being a good neighbor and contributing to the communities of which they are a part. However, they do this in a corporate cookie-cutter approach with little consideration for the unique qualities of the neighborhoods they are in, and so far have been unwilling to collaborate or even talk with JP residents.
So holding them accountable to their own state values seems like the best thing JP can do. Whole Foods does not need to be defended, they do quite alright on their own. If we care about each other and this neighborhood, we should listen to the stories of our neighbors and think about the real impact that Whole Foods has on their lives. Even if only one in three letters written to Councilor O'Malley was against Whole Foods that is still 1/3 of our community. Should these people be ignored and marginalized? Do we care about all the members of our community or only the wealthy ones?

Hipsters of the World, Unite! You have nothing to lose but your Sally Jessy Raphael glasses!

I wonder if anyone at Whose Foods has taken the time to think about what it is they are requesting. (Well, actually, nevermind, I think we all know the answer to that.)

But here is something hilariously absurd: WFM has profit margins of about 3% the last time I checked..... so when these actitwits ask for 1% of revenue to be donated, they are telling WF that they want 1/3 of their profits at the store. 1/3 !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

If you have ever run a business, just think about that for a second.

Dear Poster WhoseFood, Will you marry me? You make my day.

Orion, You clearly know something that no one else does and I am intrigued! Can you publish the list of JP businesses that are not in business to profit from our community, please? Also, point of additional clarification, 'wall street' = main street, that is, if you invest in a stock, personally. Anyone in JP may choose, in a free market economy, to invest in a stock. So, again so just to clarify, there are very few actual investors ON wall street. The investors are literally on main street... or well Centre street in our case. So if you like, you can choose to invest in WFM and then be part of your own solution. Take those profits from your WFM stocks and put them right back into JP exactly how you would like to. Literally - it is a phone call to a stock broker away - very seriously. I am not being flippant - you really CAN do exactly what it is you say you want to do. Take the WFM profits from stocks you will buy and put more of the profits right back into JP. If you truly mean what you say, call a stock broker, and buy WFM stock today. If they pay a dividend, put those dividends into whatever JP charity you like. it will be your WFM profits to control as you like. If they do not pay a dividend, then, when the stocks go up in value, take the capital gain and donate that gain to a JP organization of your choice.

@Gretchen, you are absolutely right that Rent-a-Center and Bank of America are little better than parasites in our community, and that Whole Foods comes to the table promising to be something different. We should take Whole Foods at its word and ask it to live up to its values of being a good community partner. That there are activists in our community challenging Whole Foods to move past rhetoric into action is something to be proud of -- they are doing their part. Others of us contribute to the vitality and beauty of JP too, fighting to keep schools and libraries open, creating community gardens, working to improve the T, supporting local businesses that create the fabric of commercial life in JP, etc. This is not a zero-sum game, all the good work of all the people of JP needs to be supported. The true "fringe group" in our community are the anonymous poster in JP Patch. The majority of JP does not enjoy conflict and controversy, while these poster stoke its flames. The majority of JP does not believe arguments should be based on personal insults, while these poster relish in it. The majority of JP believes neighbors can respectfully disagree and talk with each other at community meetings, while these poster hide their true identities. Why are they so invested in defending a multi-national corporation and deriding the real concerns of real people who live in JP?

Worth noting that keeping schools and libraries open, creating community gardens, working to improve the T, and supporting local businesses all add to gentrification. That what the activists in your community are really fighting.

Thank you, Orion, but you haven't answered my questions. Your comment does raise another question, however. Are you saying that Rent-A-Center and Bank of America are off the hook because they never promised to be a good neighbor, while Whole Foods should be held to a different and higher standard because they did?

@ t, when thinking about Bank of America, here is something to keep in mind:
"Bank of America is the #1 largest bank and the 5th largest corporation in our country, holding over $2.2 trillion in assets, and yet it pays less in taxes than the average American household. In fact, the federal government gave Bank of America $2.3 billion in 2009 while it made $4.4 billion in profits.

Bank of America is Bad for America. Despite ruining the economy with their reckless greed, Bank of America consistently avoids any form of accountability to the American taxpayer. Bank of America pockets billions in profits and bailouts, but then pays $0 in American taxes and even gets tax refunds." Source: http://usuncut.org/targets/bankofamerica

@Wocket, you are right that it is hard to invest in and improve a neighborhood without that also leading to economic displacement of the very neighbors who worked hard to improve their communities. Gentrification is not a force of nature, it is the result of human-made institutions and we can work to mitigate its harmful effects. This is exactly what many in JP have been doing for decades, by promoting affordable housing and tenants rights -- and by asking that good community partners join in the effort to help keep JP as affordable and diverse as possible. Many of us are drawn to the vibrancy of JP, the funky character of its community is a big part of this, we need to work hard to keep JP resilient as we enter a future of economic and ecological disruption.

@Gretchen, I am saying we should work with Whole Foods to help it meet the standards and values it purports to hold - being a good community partner means showing up to community meetings, listening to the diverse concerns of a diverse neighborhood, tailoring programs and adapting them to fit the unique needs of the community, thinking creatively about how to mitigate harmful effects. Increased congestion on Centre St., never mind the more controversial harms WFs might bring, is a big concern. WFs ought to sit down with neighborhood groups and try to think of proactive solutions to the disruption it will cause Hyde Square.

Orion, You have answered several questions, but not mine. Please list the JP businesses that are not "focused on profiting from our community .... and will not ' vacuum' out of our neighborhood to line the pockets of shareholders" with only a superficial amount being reinvested in JP." I have not seen any list that shows what JP business, large, small ... locally or nationally owned, by shareholders or a few local partners who do not operate their business here in JP with profit as their primary motive for opening the doors each and every day. I also have not seen a list of how they 'reinvest' in JP - if they do. I'm sure several do, I'd like to hope they do anyway , but I have never seen a list to know.... but of course WFM is held to a unique standard that no other JP business is being held to - THAT is everyone's issue - the 2 standards - 1 for WFM by itself, alone on an island and another totally separate and unique standard for ALL the other 100's of business here - no matter what their size description, history, record, type of ownership etc etc etc. So Orion, again, where's the list of JP businesses that are NOT " focused on profiting from our community .... "

Orion, the overwhelming causes of gentrification in JP are: 1) it's location 3 miles from the center of the 6th largest urban economy in the US and 1 mile from the nation's largest medical/research complex; 2) the Orange Line, which enables residents to get downtown in 15 minutes; 3) the natural beauty of its many parks. There are other factors, to be sure, but I think those are the big ones. As long as those conditions remain, there will be inexorable pressure on local housing prices, Whole Foods or not. How can 1% of Whole Foods' profits -- which average just $550,000 per store -- have any measurable affect in offsetting the rising value of JP's awesome location. It won't, it can't, and the struggle against Whole Foods is a horrible distraction from more meaningful solutions. One prove solution, for example, is to advocate for more affordable housing, something which many residents and local organizations, including its 2 CDC's have been doing for years, and which have brought millions of dollars in housing funds and hundreds of affordable housing units to JP over the past 20 years. Such advocacy requires effective cross-class alliances, which are being damaged, if anything, by the Whose Food struggle. It's time for JP's infantile socialists to get out of the sandbox and start playing in the real world.

Hmm...if $5,500 is 1% of the average profit of a Whole Foods store, and if Whole Foods has already donated $8,500 to the Hyde Square Task Force, then this means they've already passed the 1% test. Comrades, we have won! Lay down your arms.

Never forget that housing prices do not rise ( or fall for that matter ) mysteriously. Rented or owned, they are very simply bid up or down by the consumers themselves. Literally. Clearly with for sale homes, 1 buyer out bids another - so who is to 'blame' there - Whole Foods - huh, what??? Should we outlaw bidding on homes ... blame Whole Foods for what someone bid on a house - huh??? Same is true with rentals, the actual renters out bid each other in a free market, people are free to outbid another person. Unless of course we restrict people's freedoms and end free enterprise. As they do in so many countries, along with putting limits on free speech that doesn't "fit" with the ' central committee's idea of appropriate speech. Then should we curtail the free use of the internet as they do in China ?? Careful what freedoms you ask to curtail. The law of unintended consequences is engraved in stone.

@Gretchen, the main reason folks are impatient with your "double standards" argument is that Whole Foods is being held to its own standards. In addition, JP has a long history of opposing chain stores that are a bad fit (pizza hut, dangelos, etc.), and of local business owners actively engaging community concerns before opening, and of activists attempting to hold multinational corporations accountable. While this history is imperfect, Whole Foods is not being treated unfairly. WFs did not offer to meet with the JPNC in January, that is a strange rumor. The JPNC invited WF to the two community meetings it held, but no one from WFs showed up. WF waited months before meeting with the community, and when it finally did, it presented its standard power point without any reference to the long and heated ongoing community conversation about its potential impacts -- why didn't it try to respond to the concerns raised? Why didn't it look at the petition that was signed by over 1000 people? And then it had its hired cops arrest silent protesters. While I was not at this meeting, I have heard that there were many more disruptive folks than those standing silently in the back with a banner that asked what Whole Foods was going to do about rising costs -- hardly an offensive thing to have at a community meeting in a country that supposedly believes in freedom of speech. If Whole Foods is serious about wanting to partner with the community, it has not done much to demonstrate this.

Actually Whose Foods was clear they "demand" 1% of revenues, which depending on the size of the store would run around $200K per year. Your point stands--a group that has been confrontational from the start and so divisive that JP residents are going out of their way on Boston.com message boards to point out the group doesn't represent JP singles out Whole Foods for a "demand" of $200K, which in the scheme of affordable housing in JP is pocket change compared to the millions and extensive organizational networks involved.

Chris - Where on Boston.com?

Orion,

I’m not going to describe you with the kinds of insults Pedro, Ben Mauer and other Whose Foods supporters have written about people who don’t agree with them.

But here’s some feedback on four of your comments:

1) “I am saying we should work with Whole Foods to help it meet the standards and values it purports to hold.”
Let’s get this straight: Without first taking the opportunity it had to meet with WFM, JPNC voted that WFM wasn’t a good fit. Finally JPNC met with WFM. Now Whose Foods, hearing WFM wasn’t going to sign the CBA proposed, is demanding 1% of revenues for a cause it’s already identified. That’s working with Whole Foods?

2) “Being a good community partner means showing up to community meetings.”
Okay, check, as Gretchen pointed out, they’ve done that. What did Whose Foods do? Disrupt a meeting.

3) “WFs ought to sit down with neighborhood groups and try to think of proactive solutions”
Okay, check. They’ve met with politicians, local businesses, the JPNC and now have a marketing liaison who’s a JP native. Whose Foods is simply demanding one exorbitant solution.

4) “Many of us are drawn to the vibrancy of JP, the funky character of its community is a big part of this.”
How is this saying anything other than: Because you like JP a certain way, WFM shouldn’t have replaced a Hi-Lo that apparently didn’t care to be part of the community.

The average gross revenue per store is about $30 million (source: Whole Foods 2010 Q4 earnings report), 1% of which is $300,000. That would represent 54% of the average store's profits, which would be an absurd amount to request (demand!), thus I assumed they must have meant 1% of profits. As scientific socialists, I would hope that my Whose Food comrades would not have taken a position so at odds with economic reality.

and another thing .. can at least 1 whose rooder acknowledge that the Hi Lo's chose to retire after 40 years .., chose, that's of their own free will - it's in a newspaper article somewhere. Retire, that is, then boot all their loyal staff to the curb with about as much care and respect as they gave to the feral cats who foraged through the rat, snake, skunk and cockroach infested dumpsters daily.

@Gretchen, I think you got it backwards. The JPNC approached Whole Foods to meet with them, but Whole Foods declined (saying something about their rep being out of town or some such). Despite numerous attempts to reach out to WFs to discuss with them, they indicated that they were not ready to discuss until they finalized their plans. Then they called 1 meeting which their hired cops closed down and ended early. I've never heard of that happening in any other JP community meeting.

Thanks Chris! 105 comments @ boston.com and they seem like they are unique from 105 different people - amazing.
Here's my favorite:
User Image
pancookery wrote:
" [ Count me in as a liberal JP resident.
Count me in as a reasonable person.
Do not count me in as someone who has one ounce of support for this severely misaligned cause.
It's no easy task to make a $12 Billion/year international company look like a victim, but it sure looks like these Whose Foods people have accomplished just that. ] "

Orion, though I truly appreciate your attempt to clarify historical facts, it is really besides the point to nail down who extended to first invitation to meet. This issue is not mainly about social etiquette or the quality of Whole Foods' public relations effort. That's just grasping for straws now that the principle issues have been settled.

Message to the Whose Food 20: You catch more flies with honey than vinegar...

Orion, you continue to lend an air of reasonableness and legitimacy to a process that has been anything but. Just because Whose Foods and the JPNC have made a few reasonable requests within their overall unreasonable approach does not mean we or you need to support their efforts. There are other fair-minded progressives within our community who support Whole Foods and will work with them and the City to address concerns such as traffic in a reasonable and appropriate manner. At the moment, there is plenty of excess traffic-carrying capacity in the Hyde Square area (i.e. you don't see traffic around there anything like that between Pond Street and the monument), so its not like we have a truly urgent problem here. The addition of Stop and Shop and a plaza further down the road has surely not created any major traffic issues. So why don't we see what actually happens and then if there is a real issue we'll all get together and work things out. Just like people in our community normally do. But the fewer theatrics, the better. Peace.

V Lenin-I agree with your thoughts about dealing with the traffic issue afterward if it does in fact create a problem. And because traffic hasn't been mentioned all that much it seems like WF supporters would be supportive of this idea. I just hope residents take the same reasoned approach when other projects are considered such as affordable housing and stores that may not cater to the same type of clientele as WF.

Heath, I hope so too. I am a bit concerned, however, that this Whole Foods debate debacle may have inflamed and empowered the small number of reactionaries in our community and indirectly tarnished more responsible progressive initiatives. We sorely need more affordable housing in our community and the sooner we can quiet the irresponsible voices on the left the better. We need more practical solutions with a bit less ideology. This is what I was trying to get across when I wrote Left-Wing Communism: An Infantile Disorder back in 1920, and the same holds true today.

CTP - compare the elderly population of Brookline to that of JP and you quickly realize that elderly drivers are never going to be an issue here. The demographics are totally different.

I won't be shopping at Whole Paycheck (whoops, I mean Whole Foods) unless they sign the community benefits agreement and I'll encourage my friends to join me.

One less car in the parking lot, Gabriell! Yay for me. Seriously, this is what folks should do. If you don't agree with WFM being here, don't shop there. If you like them being here then do your shopping there. Simple.

@Gretchen, you are spreading a really slanderous rumor, I am shocked you would not be more responsible. I was at the JPNC meeting, and the **joke** made about carrying arms might have been in bad taste, but it came after a long tedious meeting and was obviously an attempt to lighten the mode. Your report of the meeting reads like a sensationalist JP Patch article, perhaps you should consider writing for them?

I believe that the JPNC approach to WFs has been entirely reasonable, thoughtful and dedicated community service. The JPNC reached out to WFs directly to find out more information, and continued to do so, and is talking with WFs as much as WFs is willing. The JPNC hosted two community forums to allow residents to air their concerns and feelings, solicited letters and emails from the community on its website, and debated the topic at several of its meetings. After months of all of this, with WFs still refusing to meet with the community, or talk with the JPNC, it narrowly passed a narrow resolution stating that based on what it knew and had heard, it was concerned that WFs was not a good fit for Hyde Square, and it set up an ad hoc committee to continue to look into the issue. Rather then shy away from controversy, the JPNC strove to listen to the ENTIRE community and identify their real concerns -- after many weeks of intensive work, the ad hoc committee produced a lengthy and detailed report that is well considered and worth a look. The report left room for many possible solutions to the challenges identified and proposed negotiating a Community Benefits Agreement with a wealthy corporation that stands to profit from the community. These discussions are ongoing, and I think we should be grateful for the efforts made to look out for JPs diverse needs. This work has not been fairly characterized in JP Patch, nor among the rumor spreading anonymous (paid?) commentariat.

Hey Orion, it's all fun and games until someone losses a life!

Do you count yourself among the (paid? really--paid?) commentariat that's spreading rumors? I ask because, after getting some basic facts wrong (detailed above) you're slamming both JP Patch reporting and other commenters on this board who have, face it, been dealing with you largely in good faith. I'd love to hear, in particular, how the JP Patch hasn't been fairly characterizing the JPNC. Skim the archives for letters and statements from the JPNC printed verbatim.
And aren't people, for the most part, saying two things? 1) Whose Foods is drunk on its own demands and 2) they didn't want the JPNC trying to negotiate a CBA, whatever the process the JPNC used to get there.

Fellow WhoseFooders:

Anyone know how we can increase the diversity of the signatures on our Declaration of Demand? I did a little run down and the number of white kids in art school on there is really high. Like, staggeringly high. This could really discredit us, or worse, people might start to make fun of our jeans or of the excessive number of pictures of me holding a can of Pabst!

Have you talked to the folks out protesting hummus in front of the co-op? I'm guessing they're simpatico...

Orion, this is where I get my information. As reported in the JP Patch on September 2: "...Bender said the following community organizations are among those who have been contacted for input and asked to support the proposed community benefits agreement: Community Servings, the Bromley-Heath Tenant Management Corporation, Urban Edge, City Life/Vida Urbana, the Martha Eliot Health Center, Egleston Square Main Streets, the Southern Jamaica Plain Health Center, and Whose Foods." Most of these are great organizations whose input can be quite valuable, but they don't include any churches, block or neighborhood associations, arts organizations, educational institutions, etc. In fact, only a couple of them are membership organization that can truly claim to represent a local constituency. I have lived in JP for a very long time and have been to my share of meetings.

I'm seeing Orion in a new light...

Kriegman asserts, “The upsurge of civil society activity, in the form of NGOs and social movements, over the past few decades can be understood as an early manifestation of the latency in the global system, and at the same time this transnational activity helps deepen the latency. However, existing social movements have not found a way to effectively balance the creative tension between pluralism and coherence to provide a collective framework for theory and action. Without a shared framework, it is hard to imagine how the latent potential would coalesce into a global systemic movement. The development of a shared framework will depend on new forms of leadership to facilitate engaged dialogue inclusive of diverse voices.”

At this point, y'all are just enabling the ramblings of a loon tooner. Same advice to y'all as to WFM, ignore him. You gave him great info. We all gave WFM good info. Repetition makes the sane, look foolish. He can go back through all the info, no need to repeat any of it. No need to coddle any more of these people for whom published facts are inconvenient truths.

If 6 months of rancor has resulted in 60 ish signatories to a profoundly unreasonable demand letter. I think we all have our answer to the strength of this "movement." Does a calculator even go low enough to show what % 60 is of the 37,400 residents of JP?

That said, I'd like the JPNC to square that .0000001% with the 50% vote it took that concluded WFM does not " fit " here. How does that % disparity square with the JPNC claiming to represent the 37,400 people of JP ?

Ya, I'm outta' here.

See y'all !
8-]

I love the juicy conversation! Frankly I can't WAIT for them to open so I can do ALL of my shopping there and save gas driving to Cambridge and Legacy. The suggestion for a business to give up 1% of it's revenue is ludicrous and could only be made by someone who has never owned and operated a business. I can't believe anyone is even listening. In fact great advice, let's STOP giving these ridiculous people any attention. BYE BYE

Peeps, Don't feed the trolls.

Orion-please, man, put away your keyboard and stop posting & reading these comments. Continue your solid work in the Egg (love that garden/park you & others created) and the rest of JP. Your time & energy is much needed (and appreciated) in the community.

Pave community gardens - pave them I say! Pave the rain forest. Club seals. Drown all Pongo and Perdita's dalmation puppies, make long luxurious coats out of their pelts. Long live Cruella DeVille our tea baggin' spokes model!

JP Pragmatist-you should team up with Rich Parritz and run for the JPNC on that JP for All slate. You both have a knack for negative messages and fondness for tearing people down. This sense of community spirit is exactly what JP needs.

Hey Chris Helms,
I think we're due for a new topic. Something creative, like the constitutionality of this demand letter. Seriously. "Requesting" a Community benefits agreement is one thing, but a demand from a group that has no formal certification, not legal authority of any kind and has as part of it's history civil disobedience resulting in arrests is quite another. I think it certainly would be very interesting to see what your spotlight as an investigative journalist could bring to the table.

"I think it certainly would be very interesting to see what your spotlight as an investigative journalist could bring to the table."
_____________________

Or, Chris could simply tag such posts under "humor" and it would still be accurate.

"What is a committee? A group of the unwilling, picked from the unfit, to do the unnecessary."

Well, Mr. Harkness got 2 out of 3 right in case of JPNC, so it ain't that bad.