San Francisco's Fillmore outraged over word of Safeway closure

SAN FRANCISCO - The upcoming closure of a Safeway supermarket in San Francisco's Fillmore District is creating an uproar in the community.

Safeway has now made its plans official to close the supermarket near the intersection of Webster Street and Geary Boulevard in the city's Fillmore District. The chain sent a letter to Mayor London Breed on Tuesday saying that it would be closing the location on or around February 7th after 40 years of operation.

In a statement, the chain said the decision came about following ongoing concerns about associate and customer safety and persistent issues with theft.

Customers said the closure will devastate a community that needs a place to buy groceries. 

"We can't lose something like this without people suffering," said Richard Rodriguez. "A lot of elderly people can't just go wherever the new Safeway is."

Safeway said in a statement that workers have been notified of the closure and will be transferred to other locations.  

Regular customers say they will miss the staff who have become a part of the community, and they say they worry about the closure of a pharmacy that serves the community. 

"Where are the elders going to go for their medicine?" said Tamara Williams. "You've got Queen Adah Hall, you've got different elder and senior buildings around for the community. What are you going to shop at? Safeway is reasonable for us."

Now the local branch of the NAACP is stepping in, saying the closure will cause irreparable harm to one of the city's last remaining Black communities. 

Reverend Amos Brown is calling on city leaders to block the sale of the property if it will bring harm to the Black community. "This is a slap at Black people and we are saying we see it, we feel it, and the world needs to understand," said Rev. Brown.

Outgoing District 5 Supervisor Dean Preston was among those who fought to keep the Safeway open when it first announced plans to close last year. He said the city needs to fight to purchase the site to build affordable housing and meet the shopping needs of the community. "I've also urged that if they won't voluntarily sell it, that we consider using eminent domain to acquire it," said Supervisor Preston. "Pay market rate value and acquire the site. Eminent domain has been used to harm this community. Why not finally use it to help?"

The NAACP is saying the closure of the Safeway in February, Black history month, is offensive. The organization stopped short of calling for a boycott, but did say there will be actions to raise awareness about the injustice they see with the potential sale of this site. Those actions are set to get underway next month.