Wake up people! Gentrification has already arrived in JP. Whole Foods won’t be delivering it. Where was everyone when voters abolished rent control in the ’90s and rents skyrocketed, forcing people of all ethnicities out of JP? Were people so passionate about the arrival of Stop & Shop in Jackson Square? Are people so passionate about the proposed Harvest Co-op at Forest Hills?
If Whole Foods really brings higher property values to the area, let’s ask our neighbors who own property to charge a fair rent. Shouldn’t we hold the landlords accountable and demand they offer affordable housing? (And I am pretty sure there are landlords of all ethnicities in JP, including Hyde Square.)
Shame on those claiming a battle against a possible rise in property values or availability of Latino foods, as well as those who think it is hip to revolt against fresh veggies, for causing such an uproar in an elementary school whose entryway is decorated with a painting of the peace dove (“Three arrested at Whole Foods meeting,” JPGazette.com, June 3).
Nia Lewis, Roslindale