Selling Out to the Wall
Downtown Grocery Store Closes, and the Redevelopment of San Jose Rolls On
Story and Photo by Troy Curtis

On February 2nd, 2006 the Albertson's on Santa Clara Street will close. You could see it coming. For many elderly and families in downtown, this supermarket was the only one in walking distance. There are also many in the community who rely on the discarded food from the grocery store and the bottle collection center located in the parking lot. Albertson's stood in the shadow of the new civic center – a monstrous building that seems more suited as an evil villain's layer than a workspace for public servants. Part Mount Doom part Death Star, it represents the city's skewed views on redevelopment. The Civic Center stands with its back to Albertson's, it's customers and the East Side.

For anyone who has had the experience of shopping at the downtown Albertson's as well as an Albertson's in the suburbs of Campbell or Willow Glen, you have seen the discrepancy in the quality of the food and overall environment. It seems that a run down Albertson's is good enough for a community abandoned by city and society, but once city government moves in to make way for those with deeper pockets, the Albertsons is no longer good enough. The same thing has been going on with housing in the downtown. The downtown Redevelopment Agency has had their eye on the Albertson's property for a while and their lack of support in fixing up Albertson's has facilitated the closing of the store. Now that the store is gone, the redevelopment agency will work to put an upscale, high-priced, supermarket for the new residents of the over-priced, lofts-infesting downtown.

There are lots of current downtown residents that will be left in need of a supermarket -- students, seniors, and families. With Albertson's gone, the pickin's are slim. You are in between the high gourmet prices of Zanotto's and the poor quality of Supermercado Mexico. So where will the people get what they need -- healthy, fresh, affordable food? Food, you remember food? The fuel of life, the stuff that gives kids the energy to jump and run and learn, that stuff that silences those noises in your stomach. And what will come in Albertson's place? Whole Foods, Trader Joe's, Super Zanotto's? The 23 bus will be full with seniors and mothers trekking out to Safeway on San Carlos, spending money on a bus ride instead of food.

The city of San Jose's development philosophy reminds me of an old folk story involving a toad and a scorpion. The scorpion asks the toad for a ride on his back across the river to the other side. The toad says, “No you will sting me,” and the scorpion says, “No I won't, I promise.” So with that, the toad agrees and the scorpion climbs aboard. Halfway across, the scorpion begins to sting the toad repeatedly. The toad in much pain, says, “What are you doing? You will kill me and we will both drown.” The scorpion replies, “I am a scorpion, it is my nature.”

We the community need the shake the city government and their plans for gentrification off of our backs. There has been people outside Albertson's asking for some change for a long time now, it's time we come together and give them some.

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