This is the seventh in a series on the attempted theft of an entire community co-op grocery story by groups of elite local developers and politicians. To begin with Part 1... To read the entire RCC story mistakes and all.
The Fund 4 Democratic Communities, the folks behind the Renaissance Community Co-op, helped arrange part of the funding for moving the Deep Roots Co-op to Downtown Greensboro where many of Greensboro's elites happily shop for fresh healthy foods. Deep Roots received interest free forgivable loans from the City of Greensboro.
But when the Renaissance Community Co-op wanted to invest well over $1 Million Dollars in private money and borrow money from the City of Greensboro on a 10 year note, non forgivable plus interest, Greensboro's elites rushed in to get a piece of the action with plans to take private ownership of the City owned Bessemer Shopping Center and rent the space to the Renaissance Community Co-op.
Funny, how the rich elites set a low bar for themselves and a much higher bar for the poor, don't you think?
Of course, this is no fault of the Deep Roots Co-op or its management. They had no idea what was going on behind closed doors at City Hall. They were busy moving into their new location. As a matter of fact: while the elites were busy screwing Greensboro's poor, Deep Roots management was working with members of the Renaissance Community Co-op on a joint buying program that would allow the two stores to buy in larger volumes so that both co-ops could offer lower prices and better products to their co-op members. Co-ops understand strength in numbers, they live by it.
No one from the media or the City ever bothered to mention the "Self-Help Credit Union has given the RCC a Term Sheet offering to lend $700,000 at low interest rates and realistic loan conditions" even though everyone involved was clearly informed.
Council members wanted to talk about private investment but they didn't talk about the fact that co-ops are private investors or the fact that the Renaissance Community Co-op was offering more money in private investment than were the rich elite developers.
At the same time, North Carolina A&T University was working with the co-ops to bring us urban farms that would grow the produce sold in the same neighborhoods where it is sold. A plan they hope to begin on Phillips Avenue and eventually spread all over Greensboro. And seriously folks, as one who grows most of his own produce and has done so most of my life: that crap they sell you at Harris Teeter ain't fit to eat. When I drove a tractor-trailer for a living we loaded green tomatoes in fields in California, closed the doors, gassed the load with some sort of chemical and hauled them to the east coast where they were red when we opened the doors. And on every box was printed, "Vine Ripened."
Get the entire RCC story my mistakes and all by clicking the RCC link.
I'm betting that when the Renaissance Community Co-op is finally built on Phillips Ave and Greensboro's elitist developers finally lose, people will start coming from all over Greensboro to shop there. And when that happens those people will start looking at empty buildings in their neighborhoods to build co-ops of their own. And I'm betting the folks from the Renaissance Community Co-op and from Deep Roots Market will be happy to help them in any way they can.
You see, that's what co-ops do-- they help one another through the most democratic means possible-- something the Fascist elite will never understand or comprehend.
Continue reading What The Media And The City Aren't Telling You About The Renaissance Community Co-op Part 8
