Hypocrite

Last night I went to the new-ish "Gourment Giant" grocery store in Columbia Heights for the first time.

Columbia Heights is a D.C. neighborhood squished between Adams Morgan and Mount Pleasant, north of the "new U Street Corridor." For the past couple of decades, it has been home to mostly latino, minimum-wage families. We never went there ten years ago, because it wasn't a safe neighborhood back then, and there wasn't any reason to go there, really, that we knew of.

The Giant store is enormous and reflects the changing nature of the neighborhood. There are hot and cold prepared food bars and salad bars at about $10/pound. There are seven different brands of organic soy milk, and there's gourmet rice galore: Basmati Rice, Thai Rice, Jasmine Rice, rice in teeny little boxes that cost $3.89 each. In contrast, straight down the center of the store are two wide aisles labeled "International Section," filled with canned beans, syrupy "fruit drinks," row after row of Goya products, and giant sacks of rice at the more reasonable price of about a $1/pound.

A Target store is coming to Columbia Heights, in a building complex being constructed adjacent to the Columbia Heights Metro Station. Three big condo buildings with one-bedroom units "starting in the mid $300,000's" are being built around the Target like a Mayan temple, ensconscing everyone in Target-y goodness. Every time I walk by the construction, another Mass Marketer has pasted its placard to the front of the Target complex: Marshalls, FedEx Kinkos, Washington Sports Club, Ruby Tuesday's, Subway.

On my street now, there are five spanish grocery markets, a Dollar Store, five laundromats, four liquor stores, and a community center. There's also decades-old Heller's Bakery, which makes cookies with smiley faces on them and fancy cupcakes for whatever holiday is around the corner. (Marzipan bunnies?!!! On a cupcake??) Is it "progress" if all of these businesses are eased out by a Whole Foods?

Part of the community--a pretty vocal part--thinks so. They are literally begging Whole Foods to move into the Target complex. The Columbia Height online message board is FILLED with comments about Whole Foods. http://www.columbiaheightsnews.org/Home/Whole-Foods.html.

For now, it looks like a "Ross Dress for Less" is set to move into the spot folks have been eyeing for the Whole Foods. Hipster condo buyers and homeowners are very upset. Take a look at the comment board! One commenter, Justin, is ready to organize and FIGHT:

"It seems to me that what is in order here is to have some highly motivated community folks [hit] the ground and immediatley start a door to door petition. The emails are helpful, but not as convincing as 5,000 plus names," Justin posts. "I would volunteer for my block. It would be well worth the trouble for the chance to get some quality fish and other seafood options to compliment the Giant products. . . "

Get on the Freedom Bus, Justin!

I bet he could get that petition signed. WF seems to be what's on everyone's mind. On the Columbia Heights message board, the topic "Teen Murdered in Columbia Heights" got 9 nine comments; "Ross Dress for Less or Whole Foods"? Thirty-nine.

Is it wrong for me to feel that it's wrong to organize a small militia in the name of Whole Foods in a neighborhood filled with people working for $7.00/hour? People who are rapidly being priced out of their homes? Is it wrong to feel mad at Justin, to think: "maybe Justin could put some of that [what is almost certainly Red Bull-fueled] organizing energy into helping the homeless people sleeping in the three white trailers next to the new condo complexes."

For me, maybe.

I'm all sanctimonious and not doing anything about any of it.

The thing is, when I look deep down and am honest with myself, I realize: I want the Target.
I really, really want the Target and its Target-y goodness.

I'm paying the high rent that's booting the minmum wage workers out of the neighborhoods.

I'm conflicted:

I want to preserve the neighborhood's diversity.
I want the people who live here to continue living here.
I want to continue living here.
I want my Heller's bunny cupcakes.
I want the Target.

I guess I want the Whole Foods.
(But I still don't like Justin.)

So, I don't like the situation. But just by being here, I'm part of what creates the situation. I am the gentrifying gentrifier, the samey-same same-er, the reason Starbucks replaces the ever-rarer "Whole Bean Coffee Cooperative"-type places throughout the world.

Who am I to complain?