San Francisco Fillmore District Safeway closing after 11-month reprieve over safety, thefts
Following a nearly one-year reprieve amid outcry from nearby residents, the Safeway store in San Francisco's Fillmore District is set to permanently close in early 2025 after four decades in business.
A Safeway spokesperson confirmed to CBS News Bay Area Wednesday that the Webster Street location will close on or around Feb. 7.
"The store had initially been set to close earlier this year, but Safeway extended its operations for an additional 11 months to provide a greater transition period for the community," the spokesperson said. "We are proud of our 40-year history serving the Fillmore district and are thankful to the residents, customers, and community partners who have supported us over the years."
Safeway said it would continue to serve San Francisco residents at 15 other locations in the city.
The retailer said the decision to close the store was due to "ongoing concerns" about safety involving customers and employees, along with "persistent" issues involving thefts at the location.
In January, the city and Safeway reached an agreement to keep the store open through 2024, after residents expressed dismay about the closure and the sale of the site to Align Real Estate. The new owner is planning to build a new mixed-use development with housing and commercial space at the location.
President of the San Francisco branch of the NAACP Dr. Rev. Amos Brown told CBS News Bay Area following the Jan. 4 announcement that the closure was a case of history repeating itself in the Fillmore and would create a food desert.
"This community has been economically deprived for 50 years, and its time we stopped this kind of exclusionary and gentrifying activity," Brown said at the time.
In a statement Wednesday, Brown criticized the closure and again urged city officials to get involved.
"It is a decision that will be devastating to the Black residents of the Fillmore. At the same time, Safeway plans to sell the very valuable property it bought at below-market price 40 years ago, reaping an enormous profit for itself while leaving the Black community with nothing," Brown said. "It's time for the city to step in and prevent the closure and sale and bring Safeway to the table to give the community a voice in what happens next."
Brown also said that Safeway did not work with the local community in helping resolve issues with the location.
"The community has tried repeatedly to engage with the company to come up with workable solutions to these issues, with both the NAACP and faith leaders imploring them to do so. Safeway has never done so or even had the courtesy to meet with us to elaborate on their issues or begin a dialogue," he said.
Speaking to CBS News Bay Area Wednesday afternoon, Brown called out Safeway, saying the company's decision is just another example of systemic racism.
"This is a slap at black people. And we are saying, we see it, we feel it and the world needs to understand," said Brown.
The Fillmore has long been the heart of the African American community in San Francisco. It was once the epicenter of the West Coast's jazz scene.
But Brown says decades of racist policies and discrimination have severely hindered the neighborhood's growth. With Safeway leaving, the area will have less access to fresh foods.
"It's a total bust. I mean where are we going to go. We feel like we're kind of being abandoned, we're not sure why Safeway is closing so many stores," said Safeway customer Sean Casamento.
"Market and Fillmore they have one Safeway and Potrero have one Safeway. It's very far over there, yeah. So I don't know where I'll go now," said another customer.
As far as the company saying it chose to shut down the location due to ongoing concerns over safety and persistent issues with theft, Brown said that reasoning doesn't make a lot of sense to him.
"There's been crime out there in Castro at that store of shoplifting. There's been crime in the Marina where there's been theft, but they didn't close those stores." explained Brown.
The reverend is calling on the Board of Supervisors to block Safeway from selling the building to whoever they please.
"We want this Board of Supervisors to do what it said it was going to do under the lead of Supervisor Preston. See this as a first measure of a form of reparations," said Reverend Brown.
Supervisor Dean Preston has pushed for the city to acquire the property through eminent domain with the hope of getting another grocery store in there and adding affordable housing.
Brown says the most important thing to him is that the local community has a say in whatever ends up replacing the Safeway.
"The Board of Supervisors has the moral obligation to not approve any transfers of that property particularly if it excludes African Americans," said Reverend Brown.
The company said plans to reassign all employees at the Webster Street location to other stores in San Francisco. Pharmacy customers who have prescriptions at the location will be able to transfer them to another Safeway or a location of their choice.