Shocker of the century: a Publix supermarket built in the ghetto is having crime problems
I used to pass by this place on a routine basis, but when it was still under construction. However, the signs were up, lauding the future arrival of a brand-new Publix supermarket, and I remember thinking “they’re building a Publix, here??”
“Here” was basically in the epicenter of a very ghetto area. The corner of Marietta and Moores Mill is an area where one cross street is a pretty substantial truck route, on a road with lots of industrial companies, flanked by several buildings enshrouded in razor wire. I get that the side opposite Marietta from the Publix is the notorious west side that is predominantly African-American but also unfortunately mired with the most substantial crime rates, but it doesn’t absolve everything east of Marietta Blvd. from being squeaky clean and safe.
I get that the some of the backbones of gentrification are strong and prominent anchor entities like major grocery stores like Publix, but there’s always a tremendous amount of risk when it comes to being the first ones to the party, because they’re almost always the sacrificial lambs when it comes to the process of trying to improve a rough area.
The linked article touches on the misnomer of customers thinking their cars would be safe because the parking lot and the establishment itself is all shiny, clean and neat, but the fact of the matter is that this Publix is still smack dab in the middle of a ghetto. I’m actually surprised Publix would agree to even developing here in the first place, but I guess I could also assume that they got a killer price on the land, pay peanuts for their lease in comparison to other locations, and probably privy to some sweet tax breaks like everyone else in Atlanta pressured to be pioneers.
But it’s definitely something like a Trader Joe’s wouldn’t do, and I can’t imagine it’s going to be anytime soon when the Publix can boast being the brave explorers who conquered the rough land after the area has been successfully gentrified and people are clamoring at leasing offices trying to get their foot in the door.
So surprising nobody, there are plenty of problems at this Publix, the most frequent of them being car break-ins. Such seems to be particularly bad throughout the entire metropolitan area lately, but it can’t be any bit of a surprise in an area like this one. Unfortunately, this is the kind of shit that’s going to happen to all maiden investors to the area, until the wave of gentrification crashes onto the area and actually gets police and safety to give a shit about the area to where some prevention might actually happen.
