Whole Foods in Downtown San Francisco Closes Due to Spiraling Crime
Source: Yahoo! Finance
Whole Foods in Downtown San Francisco Closes Due to Spiraling Crime
Jeff Zymeri
Tue, April 11, 2023 at 8:28 AM EDT · 2 min read
One of the largest supermarkets in downtown San Francisco closed its doors this week due to deteriorating street conditions nearby. ... Increased drug use and crime near the Whole Foods on Eighth and Market, which opened just one year ago, contributed to the store’s closing, a city hall source told the San Francisco Standard. (1)
“We are closing our Trinity location only for the time being,” a Whole Foods spokesperson said in a statement. “If we feel we can ensure the safety of our team members in the store, we will evaluate a reopening of our Trinity location.”
The news comes after a recent spate of violent attacks upon prominent San Franciscans. CashApp founder Bob Lee was fatally stabbed last week, cycling champion Ethan Boyes died after being struck by a car, and former fire commissioner Don Carmignani was brutally beat over the head with a pipe by a homeless man, surviving. (2), (3), (4)
When a team from CNN traveled to San Francisco’s city hall to report on the crime issue, members of the crew had their bags stolen out of their rental car nearby. (5)
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(1) https://sfstandard.com/business/downtown-san-francisco-whole-foods-market-closing/
(2) https://www.foxnews.com/us/cash-apps-bob-lee-san-francisco-street-begging-help-moments-after-fatal-stabbing-report
(3) https://www.cnn.com/2023/04/08/sport/ethan-boyes-death-cycling/index.html
(4) https://sfstandard.com/criminal-justice/san-francisco-fire-commissioner-assault-marina/
(5) https://www.nationalreview.com/news/this-is-ridiculous-cnn-crew-in-san-fran-targeted-by-thieves-while-doing-story-on-rampant-crime/
Read more: https://news.yahoo.com/whole-foods-downtown-san-francisco-122832031.html
= new reply since forum marked as read
the GOP response is always to blame Dems in big cities. 
But it's everywhere. Shootings, stabbings, brutal assaults, etc. are not from systemic poverty. This isn't stealing food because a hungry person can't afford to buy it.
Go ahead; take your time.
https://news.google.com/search?for=whole+foods+san+francisco&hl=en-US&gl=US&ceid=US%3Aen
First hit:
By Jordan Valinsky, CNN
Updated 4:23 PM EDT, Tue April 11, 2023
New York (CNN) — An enormous Whole Foods in downtown San Francisco that opened just last year is temporarily closing. The company said concerns about worker safety forced it to shut down. Incidents of theft in San Francisco have gained national attention, though crime has generally fallen over the past six years.
The nearly 65,000-square foot location at Trinity Place in the city’s Mid-Market neighborhood shut its doors Monday to “ensure the safety” of its employees, a Whole Foods spokesperson said. Although Whole Foods did not share any additional information on the conditions that led to the store closing, the spokesperson added that it was a “difficult decision to close the Trinity store for the time being.” Affected employees will be transferred to nearby stores.
The store at 8th and Market streets will not open Tuesday, the spokesperson said. The store’s website has also disappeared.
Heralded as a “flagship store” following its March 2022 opening, the Whole Foods was one of the largest supermarkets in downtown San Francisco. The store sold 3,700 local products and was designed with “nods to classic San Francisco,” according to a news release.
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Farther down:
Jena Greene Apr 11, 2023 Updated 7 hrs ago
The location only just opened in 2022.
Whole Foods' San Francisco flagship store is closing after just one year of operation.
The Amazon-owned grocery retailer, popular for its organic produce and healthy snack alternatives, announced it would be closing due to a dramatic uptick in crime and theft both in its store and in the surrounding area. No reopening date has been given.
"To ensure the safety of our Team Members, we have made the difficult decision to close the Trinity store for the time being," a Whole Foods Market spokesperson said in an email. "All Team Members will be transferred to one of our nearby locations."
"If we feel we can ensure the safety of our team members in the store, we will evaluate a reopening of our Trinity location."
According to a City Hall source familiar with the matter, Whole Foods blames unsafe neighborhood conditions, drug use, and crime for the closure.
In October 2022, the brand-new location cut its operating hours because of "high theft" and escalating hostility in the area. In November 2022, it changed its bathroom policy after finding syringes and other drug-related materials inside the public areas.
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Whole Foods has a legal obligation to provide a safe workplace for its employees.
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Section 5 of the Act contains the "general duty clause." The "general duty clause" requires employers to 1) Maintain conditions or adopt practices reasonably necessary and appropriate to protect workers on the job; 2) Be familiar with and comply with standards applicable to their establishments; and 3) Ensure that employees have and use personal protective equipment when required for safety and health.[25] OSHA has established regulations for when it may act under the "general duty clause." The four criteria are 1) There must be a hazard; 2) The hazard must be a recognized hazard (e.g., the employer knew or should have known about the hazard, the hazard is obvious, or the hazard is a recognized one within the industry); 3) The hazard could cause or is likely to cause serious harm or death; and 4) The hazard must be correctable (OSHA recognizes not all hazards are correctable).
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The General Duty Clause of the United States Occupational Safety and Health Act (Federal OSHA) states:
29 U.S.C. § 654, 5(a)1: Each employer shall furnish to each of his employees employment and a place of employment which are free from recognized hazards that are causing or are likely to cause death or serious physical harm to his employees."
29 U.S.C. § 654, 5(a)2: Each employer shall comply with occupational safety and health standards promulgated under this act.
29 U.S.C. § 654, 5(b): Each employee shall comply with occupational safety and health standards and all rules, regulations, and orders issued pursuant to this Act which are applicable to his own actions and conduct.
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Whole Foods is doing what is required of it by Section 5(a)1 of the OSH Act.
Well, you say, this is California, and California, as a state plan state, has its own occupational safety agency. Yes, but also by the OSH Act, California's occupational safety and health standards are required to be at least as effective as federal standards.
Whole Foods is acting to protect its employees, as it is required to do by federal and state regulations.
If a Cal/SOHA compliance officer shows up at the Whole Foods and finds needles and syringes all over the bathroom floor, that officer will cite Whole Foods for a violation of the California occupational safety and health standards. If workers are being threatened on the job, and Whole Foods is not protecting its employees, that's a violation too.
You can look it up.
