Dem lawmaker calls to 'charge' Walgreens for 'crime' of shutting down Chicago store over rampant theft

A Chicago alderman is calling for pharmacy chain Walgreens to face charges after the company announced that it would be closing a Chatham location due to a high number of thefts and violent incidents.

Alderman William Hall said at a recent event, "Walgreens should be charged with first-degree corporate abandonment. It should be a crime the way they’re treating our elders. It should be a crime the way they’re treating our families."

Speaking with Fox 32’s The Chicago Report, Hall said the company, instead of closing down the location, should shift to a different store model. Hall said, "Let me tell you how bad and disingenuous and disrespectful Walgreens was. They left me a message. They didn't even give us a ramp-up time, enough time for the community and just, it's less than 30 days that this place will be gone. So that means all the prescriptions will either go a mile east or a mile west, which is completely unacceptable."

"Secondly, no one's talking about the jobs. They will say that they will get people placed in other locations. But again, when you have employees that depend on public transportation to go to work, you're making it harder for them to go around. And last but not least, the innovation from corporations is there. They hire all of this talent. Again, why couldn't they redesign, repurpose the store to fit the other models that we see in other parts of the city?"

In a statement to WGN, Walgreens said the decision to close the location came in the wake of high levels of theft and violent incidents, making it hard for the company to maintain a secure environment. The shutdown of the location is set for June 4, and prescriptions will be transferred to nearby pharmacies, with affected customers being offered 90 days of delivery service.