Save Our South End Rite Aid

To Walgreen Company

We the undersigned wish to strongly protest the planned closing of the Rite Aid store at 310 South Pearl Street and urge its new owner, the Walgreen Company, to reconsider their action.

Walgreens Company, a subsidiary of Walgreens Boots Alliance, which purchased many of the Rite Aid stores last year, has announced that it will be closing our Rite Aid at 310 South Pearl Street on September 19th.

With very limited pharmacy and grocery options in the South End of Albany, this is going to have devastating repercussions on our community. If this location closes, it will not only affect our residents’ health and wellbeing, but it will create a vacant and abandoned building – and so many of us are working so hard to beautify our community, generate economic growth and create opportunities. The closure of this store will cause more damage to our community than you can imagine.  

This action by Walgreens is in direct opposition to your stated corporate purpose to ‘champion the health and well-being of every community in America'. The closure of the South Pearl pharmacy would mean those living in the community, who may rely on public transportation, biking, or walking to get to places, would have to travel to the pharmacy where their prescriptions will be transferred, which is nearly a mile away uphill. In fact their only options are across town or up at the top of a very large hill. 

We demand you re-evaluate your decision to harm this low income community made up primarily of seniors and people of color.