Caroling for an Agreement Dec. 21 6pm, Rain date: Dec. 22 6pm

Caroling for an Agreement Dec. 21 6pm, Rain date: Dec. 22 6pm

Join us on Wednesday December 21st at 6pm on the sidewalk of the JP Whole Foods store to send a message: “Tis the season for a boycott!” We’ll be singing special carols and holding signs saying that we will boycott JP Whole Foods until they sign an agreement. An agreement would provide specific funds for anti-displacement work, local business assistance, youth programs, and provide a living wage. Sing such classics as “Oh Little Town of Jamaica Plain,” “It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like the South End,” “Whole Foods the No-Good Neighbor,” and “12 Months of Protest.”

Download Song Book (PDF)

Wednesday December 21st, 6-8pm, Rain date: Dec. 22 6pm.
on the sidewalk of 415 Centre St, Jamaica Plain MA 02130
Sign up on Facebook here

Note: If there’s rain at 6pm on Wednesday, we’ll be caroling on Thursday December 22 instead.

Boycott Whole Foods, beginning this Thanksgiving.

Boycott Whole Foods, beginning this Thanksgiving.

This Thanksgiving, Jamaica Plain residents are launching a BOYCOTT on Whole Foods Market.

TAKE 3 STEPS TO PARTICIPATE:

1) “JOIN” THE EVENT ON FACEBOOK here: http://www.facebook.com/events/255331314515491/

Click the image below to join the event on Facebook.

Join the event on Facebook by clicking on this image!

2) SIGN UP TO SHOW YOUR COMMITMENT ON CHANGE.ORGhttp://www.change.org/petitions/beginning-this-thanksgiving-boycott-whole-foods-market

Click the image below to sign up on Change.org.

Sign up to boycott on Change.org

Boycott Whole Foods Market until They Sign an Community Benefits Agreement for Jamaica Plain, MA.

3) With the webcam on your computer, TAKE A QUICK VIDEO explaining why you’re boycotting, and post it to the Facebook event.

The following people have committed VIA PAPER signatures to boycott Whole Foods until an agreement is signed:

Casey Townsend, Jamaica Plain, MA
Julie Roberts, Jamaica Plain, MA
Regina Peterson, Jamaica Plain, MA
Dora A., Jamaica Plain, MA
Amy Baron, Jamaica Plain, MA
Marvin Pimentel, Jamaica Plain, MA
Ronald Singleton, Jamaica Plain, MA
Angela Robins, Jamaica Plain, MA
Bryan McCormack, Jamaica Plain, MA
Christina Campbell, Jamaica Plain, MA
Coleman Riordan, Jamaica Plain, MA
Monica Ortiz, Jamaica Plain, MA
Flavia Moretz, Jamaica Plain, MA
Christina Brown, Jamaica Plain, MA
Mark Tang, Jamaica Plain, MA
Rosa DeJesus, Jamaica Plain, MA
Reyna R., Jamaica Plain, MA
Sarita Soares, Jamaica Plain, MA
Cecilia Duran, Jamaica Plain, MA
Karen Chaffee, Jamaica Plain, MA
Zoe Peters, Jamaica Plain, MA
Johan Ondhensden, Jamaica Plain, MA
Stephanie Edwards, Jamaica Plain, MA
Katrine Burkitt, Jamaica Plain, MA
Frank Perez, Jamaica Plain, MA
George Perez, Jamaica Plain, MA
Jaycob Perez, Jamaica Plain, MA
Sheila Holguin, Jamaica Plain, MA
J. Torres, Jamaica Plain, MA
Breyana Ellis, Jamaica Plain, MA
Robin Halperin, Jamaica Plain, MA
Kenya Jones, Jamaica Plain, MA
Ceila Perez, Jamaica Plain, MA
Amanda Fish, Jamaica Plain, MA
Sibyl Salisbury, Jamaica Plain, MA
H. Sutherford, Jamaica Plain, MA
Riana Good, Jamaica Plain, MA
Sebastian DeGre, Jamaica Plain, MA
Darwin Matos, Roxbury, MA
Kathy Kaycira, Roxbury, MA
Julie Gonzalez, Roxbury, MA
Chase Carter, Roxbury, MA
Jordan Freandlich, Roxbury, MA
Diana C., Roxbury, MA
Daniel Cahill, Roxbury, MA
Victoria Porell, Roxbury, MA
Akimi Garden, Roxbury, MA
Sage Radachowsky, Roslindale, MA
Yanci Guevara, Roslindale, MA
John Alloca, Dorchester, MA
Rose Alloca, Dorchester, MA
Mayra Cordona, Boston, MA
S. Mookim, Boston, MA
Kathleen Cancio, Boston, MA

Sign the statement online (scroll down!)

Photo Petition for an Agreement with Whole Foods Market

Jamaica Plain Neighbors Demand Community Benefits Agreement with Whole Foods, but not without Meaningful and Effective Contributions

JP Neighbors Demand Community Benefits Agreement, Including 1% of JP’s Store’s Annual Revenue for the Duration of its Lease

Take action: Sign on to this statement

The Whose Foods? Coalition is deeply disappointed in Whole Foods’ dismissal of the Good Neighbor Agreement put forward by the Jamaica Plain Neighborhood Council (and written with the input of several other organizations) last Wednesday. We were hopeful that a Good Neighbor Agreement would enable Whole Foods to benefit all of JP, the residents who want to shop there and the residents who cannot, those who would benefit from having their property values rise and those who would be pushed out by rent increases.

Whole Foods says it’s unwilling to enter into a Good Neighbor Agreement. The Whose Foods? Coalition is unwilling to let Whole Foods walk into our neighborhood without a real commitment to keeping JP affordable and diverse. Demanding that Whole Foods enter an agreement to counteract the negative effects of its opening is common sense. It’s asking for a fair shake from a good neighbor who is willing to pull their own weight.

“Good Neighbor” or “Community Benefits” Agreements are not new, or crazy, or outlandish. The Stop & Shop development in Jackson Square involved a Community Benefits Agreement, as did the IKEA in Somerville. A Community Benefits Agreement is based on the principle that companies benefit substantially from the resources built by neighbors in a community. Companies, therefore, should share a part of the wealth they gain from the community.

Even 1% of the annual revenue from Whole Foods’ Jamaica Plain store would help prevent the displacement of our neighbors. It would help organizers work towards better policies and against destructive rent-hikes. It would help ensure that there are affordable housing options in our neighborhood. It would help low-income people, many of whom are Latino or African American, be able to stay and enjoy the neighborhood that is home.

We demand this 1% for the funding of local anti-displacement organizing, especially in Hyde Square, and the creation and/or preservation of local affordable housing, annually for the duration of the store’s 20-year lease. We demand a small slice of the pie that our neighborhood makes possible. Being a good neighbor means mutuality.

The Whose Foods? Coalition also supports other demands that came out of JP’s Neighborhood Council’s months-long research on the corporation:

1) a living wage (at minimum) for all employees in JP
2) a published traffic study prior to opening
3) funding for youth programs, food assistance and local business assistance.

Whole Foods told Boston.com that “Definitely a large percentage of the items are things Whole Foods already does.” (“Whole Foods Meets with Jamaica Plain to Discuss ‘Good Neighbor’ Pact”) Where’s the concrete evidence of the corporation’s commitment to a living wage, its published traffic study, and funding for youth, food access, and local business?

More urgently, where’s evidence that Whole Foods is taking seriously the outcry over its impact on property values and displacement, its undeniable role in the negative aspects of urban gentrification, and demands for contributions toward housing accessibility in JP? The corporation came secretly into Hyde Square, the “Latin Quarter”, of our neighborhood last winter, and leased a grocery space that was a staple of Latino community. Refusing to offer meaningful contributions that will reduce the threat of displacement, it simply runs local ads in Spanish. Whole Foods, face the issues of gentrification and displacement — enter a formal community benefits agreement and give 1%.

Whole Foods can absolutely afford to pay its fair share. Whole Foods paid a corporate tax rate of under 10% last year, and generated a windfall profit for its shareholders. It amassed over 9 billion dollars last year via its 300+ stores (touting itself as the “world’s largest retailer of natural and organic foods.”). The bottom line is this: Whole Foods makes additional profit by passing off the cost of their impact on neighborhoods. This impact includes losing money that would have circulated in local businesses; losing families who get pushed out by rent increases; and losing economic and cultural diversity.

As progressives, as neighbors, and as a community we must demand loudly a binding agreement and 1% for affordable housing in our neighborhood. We must demand a living wage, a public traffic study, and funding for youth, food access and local business. A binding agreement can set an important national precedent for urban communities struggling to maintain affordability and diversity in the face of large corporations shifting their sights from suburbs to cities. We must claim our power as a community, because the future of this story is in our hands.

The following organizations have expressed their solidarity by signing on to this statement:

Interfaith Worker Justice Boston
La Piñata
Somali Development Center
Massachusetts Jobs with Justice
Somali Community and Cultural Center
Haymarket People’s Fund

The following people have expressed their solidarity by signing on to this statement:

Benjamin Day
Santiago Cárdenas
Travis Reed Miller
Martha Rodriguez
Brian Squadrille
Giovanna Tapia
Helen Matthews
akunna eneh
Erin Dwyer
Michelle Sedaca
Maia Laperle
Robbie Samuels
Alison Brill
Tiffany Dumont
Ben Mauer
Stephanie Bird
Aisha Shillingford
Terrence Wells
Monica Rey
Benjamin Rey
Andrew Murray
Marta Perrupato
Claire Passey
Matt Garber
Stephen Swift
Cecilia Duran
Joseph Wight
Mel Larsen
Nathan DeGroot
Libby Collins
Igor Yanovich
Ben Allen
Jess Liborio
Yasmin Pereyra
Tali Ruskin
Natalia Ferrer
Jenny Jacobs
Cheryl DeSanctis
Briana Scorpio
Julie Thayer
Sandy Bailey
Matt Osborn
Renee Payot
Diana Mai
Gabriell Paye
Sarah Eley
Karen Chaffee
Andrew McFarland
Eli Latto
Thomas Chen
Branden Paillant
Katrina Neumann
nicholas scjaffet
Kate Bonner-Jackson
Darcy Alcantara
Samantha Moberg
Lucas Orwig
Shelley Irvin-Kent
Mike Hauckslong
Keith Foster
Doyle Bley
David Levin
Sebastian De Gre
Stefanie Archer
Shalanda H. Baker
Nash Glynn
Mike Connolly
Monica de Vitry
Daniella Tudela
Elisabeth Eckman
Sefira Bell-Masterson
Emmanuel Jonathan Tellez
Susan Winning
Anni Irish
Bonnie Fitzgerald
Samantha Nam-Krane
Hannah Schoenwald
Riana Good
Hayley Morgenstern
Stanislav Marmysh
Coorain Devin
Susan Cammer
Rebecca Willett
Edwin Melencaino
Katherine Glickler
Allyssa Prutzman
Daleiny Peña
Mazher Ali
Jackson Ravenscroft
Weeah al’Zozhilii
Rylee Hollett
Kate Moss
Warren Salley
Sean Werkheiser
Ari Lev Fornari
Ian Trefethen
Rage Hezekiah
Humphrey Lena
Jesse White
Lila Bucklin
Su Cousineau
Ivonne Cruzado
Amalia Sepulveda
Paola Sepulveda
Pat Feeley
Karen Kieffer
Tina Cincotti
Stephanie Yesner
Ximena Izquierdo
Caitlin Chan
Monica A. Briggs
Carolyn Nikkal
Aparna Lakshmi
Eric Foss
Abigail Ortiz
Rachel Ingraham
Alley Stoughton
Katrina Grigg-Saito
Mónica Gomery
Sibyl Salisbury
Cam Wilson
Danielle Ledward
Eddie Garcia
Menchie Caliboso
Juliana Morris
Ilana Lerman
Melanie Singer
Seth Kirshenbaum
Laura Foner
Leah Frey
Sara Sussman
Martha Matlaw
Celeste Atallah-Gutierrez
David J. Weinstein
Maria Christina Blanco
Eliza Parad
Christina “Cricket” Barretti-Sigal
Maria Pinto
Juanita Sosa
Elena Rivas
Veronica switzer
Banjineh Browne
Cecilia duran
Seth Leibson
Sara Driscoll
Alisha Sarang-Sieminski
Sarah Keenan
Anne Erde
Chloe Frankel
Robin Halperin
Max Kennedy
Risa Horn
Susana Stringer-Velez
Alex Papali
Hope Haff
Daniel Lesser
Melina O’Grady
Courtney Snegroff
Julia Van Dyke
Marilyn Salgado
Jen Douglas
Oliver De Leon
Andrew Murray
Trevor Schroedes
Sandra B.
John Yellen
Amber Sermebeikien
Eric Roe
Teresa M.
Mahendran R.
Julia Koehler
H. Walen
Elizabeth A.
Manuel O.
Sandy Foley
Liz Munsell
Katie S.
Khari Nelson Moran
Julia Finkelstein
Matt Giuffre
Jack Turnbull
Nicole Nordeste
Jen Kiok
Lauren Ziegelman
Emily Rackleft
Adele Hill
Becky Drew
Arielle Rosenberg
Andrew Hallal
Solomon Travis
Vincent McPhilip
Elizabeth Davis
Molly Allis
Juliet Olivier
Ruby Fox
Christy Pardew
Elizabeth Miller
Shayn Smulyan
Elizabeth Richard
Jacquie Milligan
Jennifer Fucile
Meg C.
Susan Winning
Arik Grier
Marie Binkley
Ziba Cranmer
Char Skidmore
Richard Hakala
David Branigan
Sara Driscoll
Jennifer Dowdell
Evan Greer
Kasey Hariman
Eugene S.
Laura Plummer
Darya Mattes
Sharlyn Grace
J. Fernandez
Eduardo Siqueira
Kyle Anderson
Ramon P.
Shirley Lloyd
Breyana Ellis
Kenya Jones
Nathaniel Vasallo
Aaron Sarracino
Angela Robins
Bryan MacCormack
Christina Campbell
Lauren Ockene
Aaron B.
Kai Quinlan
Julia Silvia
Jenny Valdez
Ceila Perez
Sophy Bishop
Alfonso Nevarez
Luis Rodriguez
Shiani Glover
Cindy Rodriguez
Amanda Fish
H.S.
Zelma M.
Ivis M.
Kenny Melendez
Riana Good
Eileen Costelin
Casey Townsend
Julie Roberts
Craig Harris
Lara Jirmanus
B. Ortiz
Jesus Torres
Althea Berry
Chris Rice
Zenaida Rodriguez
Edwin Gonzalez
Regina Peterson
Dora A.
Ashley Peterson
Chandra Harris
Carrie Harris
Tawa Gonzalez
Dennis Murray
Mikel Murray
Carmen
Matt Lovet
Shannon Duncan
Amy Baron
Marvin Pimentel
Jordan Freandlich
Coleman Riordan
Ashton Harris
Nicole Alsterio
Joseph Flores
Mark Tang
Joshua Murray
Monica Ortiz
Flavia Moretz
Ken Sazama
Christina Brown
Rosa DeJesus
Reyna R.
David
Ross Seibert
Tara Tarpley
Sarita Soares
David LeBlanc
Evelyn T.
Arvin B.
B. Morles
Karen Chaffee
Craig G.
Nairibi Mateo
Dally Reyes
John Mark
Zoe Peters
Maria Arteaga
Carmen Gomez
Kitcia Sema
Johan Ondhensden
Stephanie Edwards
Katrine Burkitt
Frank Perez
George Perez
Jaycob Perez
Sheila Holguin
J. Torres
Alex Pena
Jen Willsea
Steve Backman
Thomas Morf
Frank Hart
Myriam Ortiz
Eulalia Veras
Ronald Singleton
Andrew Kirtley
Darcy Alcantara
Dawn Belkin Martinez
Mary Ann Kopydlowski
Rosalba Solis

The following people do not live or work in JP (many are in Roslindale, Roxbury or other neighborhoods), but they express their support:

Igor Yanovich
Jessica goldberg
Jason Kotoch
Jeremy Cimafonte
Kathryn DiBattista
Victor Bishop
Kelly Clifford
Audra Conant
Chase Carter
Dylan Hurwitz
Erin Diaz
Julie Gonzalez
John Prance
Jasmine Hamada
Bailey Quinlan
Missie Jacob
Sarah Estelle Davis
Jack Devereux
Lindsay Ryan
Susan Gerstein
Katherine Stevens
Ruth Squadrille
Natalie Gaimari
Carla Wilso
Karen Kraut
Christina Hernandez
Claire Lewis
Mary Joy Patchett
John Aylward
Michele O’Brien
Priscilla Lee
Jane Cogger
Francisco Valentin
joe previtera
Lauren Morse
Elisabeth L. Daley
Michael Marston
Heather Holster
Susan Skoog
Amelia Mitter-Burke
Sarang Khalsa
Lauren Olean
Anneke Reich
Val Healy
Ari Pomerantz
Alicia Dudziak
Serena Putterman
Erik Leupp
Jen C.
C. Peters
T. Drayton
Robert Lightboley
Adrienne Naylor
Christina Evans
Ethan Alexander
Michael Tyler
Matt Peairs
Gregory Corbino
Jennifer Doe
Katherine Fisher
John MacLeod
Mike Heichman
Latoya Chandler
Jamaul Nichols
Celida Rodriguez
Victoria Porell
Kathleen Cancio
Ovelis M.
Evelin G.
Sade Portis
Francisco Corporan
Diana C.
Daniel Cahill
Christine Poff
Michael Davis
Dalis Sostre
Wilbur Washington
Chad Chisk
Andrea Gordillo
Sheena Farmer
Aida Medina
Maria Silva
Julia Gonzalez
Chase Carter
Yanci Guevara
John Allocca
Rose Allocca
Audra Knapp
Loren V.
Lara D.
Mayra Cordona
Malcia Ogardo
Miledy R.
Martin Ventura
Dylan Clark
Jessica Lopez
Katherine Arello
Morgan Knight
Akimi Garden
Arlene Baer
Claudia R.
S. MooKim
Oneida Burch
Darwin Matos
Crisdalis Matos
Darwin Matos, Jr.
Kathy Kaycira
Sage Radachowsky
Eileen Evans
 

An Eclectic Crowd Says “No!” to Whole Foods and “Yes!” to an Affordable and Diverse Jamaica Plain.

Jamaica Plain Neighborhood Council Declares: “Whole Foods is not a good fit for Hyde Square”

On Tuesday, March 9, thanks to all of our hard work together, we achieved an important victory: the Jamaica Plain Neighborhood Council voted to support an affordable and diverse JP by asking Whole Foods to reconsider moving into Jamaica Plain! The “Jamaica Plain Effect” — the impact of a powerful, loving, grassroots community taking ownership of itself — is growing in its strength to counteract the Whole Foods Effect. This is an important moment to celebrate, to stay involved, and to reach out to more people!

Continue reading

Special Delivery: JP Residents Deliver Over 1,000 Petition Signatures to Whole Foods’ Regional Headquarters

Special Delivery: JP Residents Deliver Over 1,000 Petition Signatures to Whole Foods’ Regional Headquarters

Whole Foods has yet to come to JP, so JP is going to Whole Foods

Yesterday, residents presented a petition with over 1,000 signatures calling for Whole Foods to retract plans for a store in Jamaica Plain

Developing coverage:


Photo courtesy Diana Mai. © Diana Mai. All Rights Reserved.

Whole Foods has yet to come to the JP community, so the JP community went to Whole Foods. Yesterday morning a diverse group of Jamaica Plain residents hand delivered over 1,000 petition signatures to the Whole Foods regional office in Cambridge (125 Cambridgepark Drive, near the Alewife T Station. Map here).

In the last month, over 1,000 people have signed petitions stating that they “strongly urge Whole Foods to retract plans for a store in Jamaica Plain” based on concerns over Whole Foods’ affordability, the impact an upscale grocery store will have on real estate and commercial prices and the ability of low- and moderate-income families to be able to continue living in the surrounding area, and how a multinational corporation’s profits will not sufficiently feed back into the local economy and community.

“There have been several community meetings since the news broke in January and we haven’t seen or heard from one Whole Foods representative at any of them,” said Norma Rey-Alicea, a homeowner who grew up in Jamaica Plain.

This statement of a community united for an equitable neighborhood comes on the heels of an unprecedented resolution passed on March 8 by the Jamaica Plain Neighborhood Council asking Whole Foods to reconsider its upcoming move to the Hyde Square neighborhood.

The Neighborhood Council, an elected body, stated that Whole Foods is not a good fit for Hyde Square and continued, “We hope that our community can work together to find an alternative to Whole Foods that will strengthen Jamaica Plain’s culture of diversity, locally owned businesses, and welcome to people of all economic status.”

Many residents have expressed intense fears over Whole Foods’ imminent effect on surrounding real estate prices. Real estate agents and economists nationwide have dubbed this the “Whole Foods Effect,” noting that surrounding real estate jumps in value up to 20% following the introduction of an upscale grocery store like Whole Foods. The store will sit in one of Jamaica Plain’s largest real estate tracts, in one of the last areas of Boston where a thriving multicultural and mixed-income community is hanging on.

Greg Badishkanian, an analyst with Citigroup who tracks Whole Foods, said in a 2006 NPR story, “When Whole Foods opens up a store in a particular market, all of the real estate in the area gets a nice uplift. It could be a few percent to 10, 15, 20 percent in terms of the real estate value.”

“We’re working to stop the displacement of low-income families from this neighborhood,” said Jen Kiok, age 35 and a JP homeowner. “And Whole Foods will drive real estate prices up, pricing more low-income families out of JP.”

Residents have called instead for a locally-owned business that would serve low- and moderate-income families to move into the currently vacant storefront at 415 Centre Street.

Residents from the Whose Foods coalition are planning a major community event in JP for Saturday, April 2.

Rally & March: Celebrate JP’s Diversity, Protect It Now!

Saturday, April 2, 3:00-5:30pm
Mozart Park in JP
Food · DJ · Activities for Kids

Rain date: Sunday, April 3, 3:00-5:30pm

Jamaica Plain is stronger without Whole Foods.

Create a vision for the future of our community and 415 Centre St.

RSVP on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=113481105398621

Download & print rally flyer: http://cl.ly/5aw7/Rally_April_2_Flyer_Complex.pdf

Download & print rally handbills: http://cl.ly/5b6h/Rally_April_2_Handbill_Complex.pdf

Hundreds of Neighbors March and Rally to Celebrate and Protect JP’s Diversity: April 2nd, 2011