Walgreens closing Chatham store at 86th and Cottage Grove due to violence, theft

People living in the Chatham neighborhood on the South Side of Chicago are criticizing Walgreens' decision to close its pharmacy near 86th Street and Cottage Grove Avenue, saying they're losing a vital resource.

The store that is closing has been in the Chatham neighborhood for decades, providing a place where people could walk to pick up their prescriptions. That will change in next month, as Walgreens said the store will be closing for good.

In a statement, a spokesperson for Walgreens confirmed the store will close on June 4. They said the store has experienced "significantly higher levels of theft and violent incidents than our other locations."

They said they've made adjustments to their operations and taken other steps to mitigate the issue, but "ongoing safety challenges" made it hard to keep staff and customers safe, and so they have chosen to close the store.

"Safety must remain our top priority," the company said in a statement.

Elected leaders joined Chatham residents Monday morning to talk about the effect the s tore closure will have on the neighborhood. The group said it served as a critical access point for prescriptions and essential goods.

Holding signs with clear bold statements such as "Senior Lives Matter" and "Healthcare Matters," their message was direct.

"This isn't just about a store closing, it's about a lifetime being taken away," said Terrill Gardner.

He and his wife, Denitra, have been married for 41 years. Gardner has had two kidney transplants, and depends on getting his medication from the Walgreens in Chatham.

"Walgreens has been a staple in our lives, where we come for medication. Being a transplant recipient, that means he's on life-long medication – something we don't have time to search for," Denitra said.

Darryl Smith said his 76-year-old mother relies on medication from Walgreens after having a lung transplant. She takes 54 pills a day, and during his lunch break, he goes to the Walgreens in Chatham to pick up her medication.

"They don't care about the well-being. It's not their family that's on these meds," he said. "If they close this Walgreens, the next one is not within a distance for me to do on my lunch break. So it's a real inconvenience."

Ald. William Hall (6th) wants Walgreens to do what they've done in other neighborhoods by making modifications to the store rather than shutting it down.

"What we're witnessing is, again, a tale of two cities. Downtown, on 12th street, they figured it out. On 87th Street, they just give up? They've been giving up in the 4th ward, the 5th ward, now the 6th ward,"  Hall said.

Last year, Walgreens announced it was closing five Chicago locations, including a significant store in the Bronzeville neighborhood at 35th Street and King Drive. Walgreens also abandoned stores at 71st and Jeffrey in South Shore and 79th and Jeffrey in South Chicago.

"This isn't an accident. This is corporate extraction," said Ald. Desmon Yancy (5th).

The nearest Walgreens to the one closing in Chatham is more than a mile away, at 87th and Stony Island Avenue, but if you don't have transportation, it's a real hike. On the CTA, it's a 10-minute bus ride. Walking, it takes about 25 minutes each way.

Walgreens has deep roots in the South Side of Chicago.

"In 1901, Walgreens started on Bowen and Cottage Grove on the South Side of Chicago," said Ald. Lamont Robinson (4th). 
"To turn its back on the South Side of Chicago is absolutely inhumane. Walgreens, shame on you."

Small pharmacy owners said they'll have to pick up the slack.

"We just step in wherever we can. We offer medical supplies, nutritional supplements, and we also offer some cash-based items that patients can use as alternatives to certain traditional therapies that they have," said Eryn White, a business consultant at Uptima Entrepreneur Cooperative.

Walgreens said customers can keep filling prescriptions at the Chatham location until the store closes, and after June 4 prescriptions will be automatically transferred to nearby stores for uninterrupted service. The company said patients using the Cottage Grove store for prescriptions are eligible for 90 days of free prescription delivery to help ease the transition. 

Hall said he'd like to have a conversation with CVS about possibly replacing the closing Walgreens store.