A flagship Whole Foods store in San Francisco has been shut down after safety and crime concerns.
Key Details
- The flagship San Francisco Whole Foods Market location at 1185 Market Street, which opened on March 10, 2022, has been temporarily closed as of Monday.
- The 64,737-square-foot store is reportedly one of the largest stores in the city.
- A spokesman for the company released a written statement that all team members will be shifted to nearby locations for their safety.
- High crime and low police staffing are cited as key concerns, as the city reports thousands of annual violent crimes and property crimes per year, with the California Department of Justice noting 4,966 violent crimes in 2021.
Why It’s Important
The issue marks another notable spark in the city of San Francisco’s internal debates about crime prevention, policing, and homelessness—as the city struggles with high rates of unpunished criminality, shoplifting, and public backlash.
Whole Foods did not clarify what specific safety concerns were resulting in the store’s location. However, District 6 Supervisor Matt Dorsey says the concerns include regular retail theft and store workers being harassed by mentally ill or substance-abuse-using individuals. Dorsey says he is disappointed in the closure but is not surprised by the decision and does not blame them for taking prudent measures.
Partisan Reactions
The closure is set to spark a political battle in the upcoming 2024 city elections. Dorsey is pushing a proposal to the progressive city council to increase policing in vital areas of San Francisco. The council has been weary of increasing the size and power of the city’s police department in the aftermath of anti-police movements becoming popular in the past few years, the San Francisco Gate notes
Fox News’ The Five discussed the issue on Tuesday, arguing that the shutdown reflects poorly on the Democratic leadership of the city, who are prepared to allow civilizational breakdown to run rampant in the streets and harm local businesses.
“The store, plagued by rampant drug use, thieves are looting all the shopping baskets. Sadly, it comes as no shock—San Francisco [is] spiraling out of control. I think that one of the things we’re talking generational today, it seems one of the things that’s changed is that the old social contract has been broken now,” says show participant Geraldo Rivera.