Looming closure of Dollar General in New Orleans East sparks protest
NEW ORLEANS (WGNO) — Another dollar store in New Orleans East is slated to close, and some believe it’s because of a lack of security.
On Tuesday, about a dozen people gathered outside the Dollar General on Morrison Avenue to protest the soon-to-be closure of the store.
“These stores are strategically placed in food deserts,” said Kenya Slaughter, a protest organizer with Step Up Louisiana. “There’s nowhere else for anyone to get any necessities as far as the eye can see, and a lot of these people don’t have vehicles, so that’s going to make things worse and harder on the community.”
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Some who live in the area say grocery store options in New Orleans East are becoming increasingly scarce.
“Every time you want something good, you have to go all the way to Metairie, you have to go all the way to Kenner or Gentilly,” said Kenny Arbuthont, who lives in New Orleans East. “So, it’s like, yeah, there are no options down here except for Dollar Tree, except for Dollar General and Walmart.”
The store’s closure comes after Dollar General agreed to pay more than $10 million in penalties and implement corporate-wide changes that prioritize employee safety.
“We always have to look behind our shoulders and just hope and pray that we work at the productivity that we do, and the customers go home safely with whatever they purchase,” said David Williams, a Dollar General employee. “We all feel unsafe.”
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Protest organizers say that by investing in the stores, the companies are also investing in the communities.
“So, we’re hoping to get someone, some compassion, some heartstrings to be pulled to have them realize that it would probably be simpler to just get security than to shut down all of the stores,” said Slaughter.
WGNO reached out to Dollar General on the corporate level, but we have not received a response.
The store on Morrison Avenue will close on Aug. 14.
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