Father Pfleger Challenges Parish On Black Spending

Mark S. Allen
Chairman/Acting Executive Director
Black Wall Street Chicago Organization
Chief of Staff To National Chairman Rev. Michael Carter
National Black Wall Street USA
4655 South King Drive, Suite 203
Chicago, Illinois 60653
773-392-0165
markallen@blackwallstreet.org marksallen2800@yahoo.com

Mark S. Allen recently included in the 2012 Edition of Who's Who In Black Chicago as "one of Chicago's Most Influential Voices In The Black Community

Pfleger tells parish not to patronize stores that refuse to hire blacks

‘You give them your money, but they can’t hire you’?

By Chinta Strausberg

Saying he is serious, Father Michael L. Pfleger Sunday told his congregation not to patronize certain stores in the Auburn-Gresham community including a Phillip’s 66 gas station because the owners allegedly refuse to hire blacks from the community, they sell loose cigarettes and one stocks expired food and drug paraphernalia.

Referring to the gas station at 79th and Ashland, Pfleger said the owner allegedly sells loose cigarettes to minors, which is against the law, and the owner has not hired an African American from the community. “Don’t you ever buy gas” at that station, he told the church. Pfleger also asked them not to patronize the store at 79th and Marshfield for the same reasons.

Pfleger was particular upset with the owners of the newly opened “Express Food Mart” located at 77th and Racine. Last Friday, he and 200 supporters visited the store. Pfleger told the manager that the owner had promised to hire an African American. Pfleger and Sal, the nephew of the owner, went toe-to-toe over the hiring of a black with Sal saying he couldn’t find one who wanted to work.

Pfleger had Lisa Ramsey, his director of Employment Resources, with him. He promised to have at least five African American applicants for the owner to choose from otherwise he promised to shut down the store. While he was talking to Sal and to the owner on the cell phone, supporters found three jars of mayonnaise and sandwich spread that were outdated along with some products dating back to 2011 and hotdogs that said “sell before June 12, 2012.”

“I do not know why we go and put our money in stores that disrespect” the community. Pfleger said the gangbangers hang out in these stores giving them their money but while they want a job the owners of these stores will not hire them “so they can take care of their families, but we give them our money so they can take care of their families.”

Pfleger will be going back to the “Express Food Mart” Monday, June 25, 2012, armed with applications of blacks wanting to work.

Pfleger said something is wrong with a store taking your money but refusing to hire people from the community and that something is wrong with the picture of African Americans patronizing stores “so they can take care of their families but they can’t hire you so you can take care of your family.” Pfleger vowed to shut them down.

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BLACK WALL STREET NEWS from The new Rev. Willie T. Barrow Consumer Education and Consumer Action Project of Black Wall Street Chicago

Stop The Economic Violence in Chatham ! Target Store Refuse To Stock Reggios Pizza

The Target store located at 8560 S. Cottage Grove in Chgo, IL. sells pizza but will not stock and sell Reggio’s pizza which is produced by Blacks and is the only wholesale Black owned Pizza Company in the world. Many people are organizing to not shop there until they stock Reggio’s pizza. We are asking for everyone’s cooperation. Let the owner know that we will not do any more shopping there until they stock Reggio’s pizza.

Mr. John Clark owner of Reggio’s Pizza has gotten many honors for having one of the best Pizzas on the market.

We feel it is wrong for outsiders to come into our community and not stock the goods that we produce. We are asking all those who live in the Black community to not shop at any target stores until they stock Reggios Pizza. We must stop spending our money with any business that refuse to stock goods that are produced by the business owners who live in the community. For more information Call Dr. Webb Evans 773-343-7677 or Min. Rahim 773-846-3091

To learn more about Reggios Pizza go online at www.reggios.com

In Chicago's Chatham community a legendary Black owned business like Reggio's Pizza could employ hundreds of community youth from the profits that could come from a major corporate store like Target who refuses to put Reggio's Pizza on their store shelves which blatantly violates the very essence of Dr. Martin Luther King's community economic program "Operation Breadbasket" (later a PUSH Economic Covenant Program) that says a major corporation should NOT be supported by community consumer spending dollars if that corporation like Target refuses to engage in a financial benefits agreements with the local businesses in that core community. And so millions of urban radio listeners tonight could deal with this economic violence and challenge Target and others that is economically violence to sit in the heart of a Black community with double digit unemployment and make profits while blatantly contributing to the violence when hundreds of our youth could be working legal jobs when successful Black products like Reggio's are not on the shelves versus these youth and others forced back into battling over illegal street economies.

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