A nutty Chicago alderman is demanding that Walgreens be charged with a crime for shuttering a store in a high-crime neighborhood.
According to Ald. William Hall, Walgreens closing down a store in the 6th Ward, where locals have been robbing it blind, amounts to what he calls “corporate abandonment.”
“Walgreens should be charged with first-degree corporate abandonment,” he confidently asserted during a press conference held Monday outside the closing Walgreens store. “It should be a crime the way they’re treating our elders [and] our families.”
Chicago Alderman William Hall wants to see Walgreens face charges for closing (over a shoplifting crisis) pic.twitter.com/lZgZRvBdJ7
— End Wokeness (@EndWokeness) May 4, 2026
Not once in his diatribe did Hall talk about the way locals have been treating Walgreens.
In a statement to Block Club Chicago, a Walgreens spokesperson said the decision to shutter the store was due to “significantly higher levels of theft and violent incidents than our other locations.”
“Despite a range of efforts, including previous operating adjustments, these ongoing safety challenges have made it increasingly difficult to maintain a secure environment for our team members and customers,” the spokesperson added. “While this was not an easy decision, safety must remain our top priority.”
Hall didn’t seem to care about this fact.
“We’re not here to beg Walgreens to stay,” he continued whining on Monday. “We are saying that their decision is the wrong decision.”
Sometimes, people just like to hear themselves belch out words, even though they are ridiculous and stupid. William Hall is just such a man. Notice he doesn’t say anything about the robbers and thugs that forced the Walgreens to close. Not only is he a moron, but he’s a liar too.
— John Bulkeley (@bulkeley_john) May 4, 2026
Hall was backed by Ald. Lamont Robinson, who revealed he’s drafting a “big box ordinance” to prevent large companies like Walgreens from leaving certain communities, even if those communities are abusing them.
“If corporations like Walgreens and Walmart receive [tax-increment finance] money or any other city money, they owe it to the city of Chicago and the residents to pay that money back,” Robinson said.
“You cannot take resources out of our community and do not put them back. If you have taken city resources that is our taxpayer money, then you need to give it back,” he added.
Jeremiah Hinton, a local resident and founder of the Be The Proof Foundation nonprofit, showed up at the press conference on Monday with his children to teach them a point.
“Today was a moment for us to show that we can stand together and push through anything to overcome any circumstance that comes against us,” he told Block Club Chicago. “I hope [Walgreens] sees the power that can be had by supporting the community. They need to move differently so they’re not just abandoning people who supported them.”
It’s not clear how locals were supporting Walgreens by robbing them blind.
The arrogance of these people is mind boggling! You won’t prosecute shoplifters and then you whine about businesses closing due to the cost of people stealing. Start treating theft as a felony regardless of the amount and we won’t have these problems
— Louis Kosa (@LCDR72) May 4, 2026
Speaking with Fox News, Ald. Raymond Lopez, a Democrat (surprisingly enough), had very little patience for Hall and his compatriots.
“Where was that anger when the stores in our communities were under years and years of assault by criminals allowed to shoplift, vandalize, and destroy neighborhood institutions?” Lopez asked in annoyance.
“Many leaders say it is simply an insurance matter. They are wrong. There are real-world consequences for crime running rampant. This closure is the perfect example of that effect,” he added.
Renice Mays, the manager of a women’s apparel store across the street from the shuttering Walgreens, told local station WLS that she frequently sees police outside.
“Walgreens is a different world. You see the people come out with things. Even if you go over there, you can see people just taking things out of the store,” Mays said.
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V. Saxena is a staff writer with a decade of experience as a professional writer, and a lifetime of experience as an avid news junkie. He holds a degree in computer technology from Purdue University. Saxena also contributes to BizPac Review.
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