Greens say eviction of Asian-owned businesses at Alameda Square is economic injustice, unfair corporate welfare
DENVER, CO (September 30, 2003)– The Green Party of Colorado today denounced the proposed eviction of Asian-owned businesses at Alameda Square in west Denverintended to make way for a Wal-Mart ‘Supercenter’. “Wal-Mart has evidently been operating behind the scenes to have the site condemned in order to have the current tenants evicted, and is demanding a $10 million tax subsidy from the city to develop the site,” said Bruce Meyer, Denver Greens co-chair. “Apparently Mayor Hickenlooper has been sold a bill of goods by his economic advisory team. Wal-Mart is infamous for its poverty-level wages, its harassment and discrimination of women, its virulent anti-union stance and its connection with sweatshop labor overseas.”
The largest class-action suit in history was recently filed against Wal-Mart on behalf of 1.6 million women employees, and Wal-Mart is now fighting a billion dollar suit charging the world’s largest corporation with using forced labor in offshore garment-producing facilities. “This is not a good neighbor,” said Alison Maynard, Colorado Green party co-chair and Denverresident. “We need to preserve our cultural diversity, which includes small businesses. One of the Green Party’s key values is community-based economics. We want mom and pop to own their own grocery store or hardware store again, instead of having to go to work for Wal-Mart for minimum wage and no benefits.”
Greens urge Mayor Hickenlooper and the Denver City Council to take a hard look at Wal-Mart’s well-documented history in other towns and cities across the country before supporting any plan that would dismantle a commercial and cultural hub for the growing Asian community in metro Denver, and cost Denvertaxpayers at least $10 million in the bargain. “How can the people of Denverafford this corporate welfare in these tough economic times?” asked McNaughton.
