Planned Chicago store closures by Target spark protest

Protesters angry at Target’s decision to close two stores in the south side of Chicago demonstrated at one of the stores on Black Friday, responding to a call by Rep. Bobby Rush, D-Ill, to peacefully protest the company’s planned closures of the two stores.

Target said it plans to close the stores in Chicago’s south side in February 2019, saying the stores, both of which are in Rush’s district, were underperforming, according to the Chicago Tribune.

The decision to close led Rush, who held talks with Target aimed at convincing it to keep the stores open, to call for a Black Friday protest and boycott at one of the stores.

““I remain outraged at Target following their refusal to reconsider their disappointing and bone-headed decision to close two stores on Chicago’s South Side and abandon the Morgan Park and Chatham neighborhoods. , he said in a statement.

Mayor Rahm Emmanuel has offered Target millions in assistance to keep the stores open, CBS reported. He signed an executive order that will prevent companies from receiving financial assistance from the city if they have plans on closing stores in certain parts of Chicago.

Rush said, “Target wants the Christmas money from the very community it’s turning its back on. That’s adding insult to injury,” according to the Tribune.

Target’s Chicago-area expansion nearly three decades ago after the company acquired iconic Chicago retailer Marshall Field for $1.04 billion, according to the Chicago Sun-Times. By 1993 the company had 11 stores operating in the suburbs. Its first city store opened in 1994.