UPDATED: Jamaica Plain Residents Deliver Petition to Whole Foods Regional Headquarters

[Editor's note: Bashier Kayou, a Jamaica Plain resident who delivered the petition, was identified in the original post as director of youth programs at . That is what he told Patch editor Chris Helms . In a March 26 interview, Kayou said he left that position in the fall and is a consultant with Beantown Society, a youth program that uses space at Spontaneous Celebrations. Kayou said his delivery of the petition was as a resident of JP, not in any connection with Spontaneous Celebrations. I have also added a paragraph in which Spontaneous Celebrations reports never having received a direct donation from Whole Foods.]

Tuesday morning a dozen JP residents and supporters delivered a petition with over 1,000 signatures to Whole Foods headquarters in Cambridge calling for Whole Foods to withdraw plans for a store in Jamaica Plain.

In the last month, more than 1,000 people have signed a petition stating that they “strongly urge Whole Foods to retract plans for a store in Jamaica Plain” based on concerns about Whole Foods’ high prices, increased real estate appreciation and rents as a result of an upscale grocery store moving into the community, and the ability of low- and moderate-income families to be able to afford continue living in the neighborhood, and the limited amount that a multinational corporation’s profits are recycled into the local economy.

A Whose Foods' release from yesterday quotes Norma Rey-Alicea, who grew up in Jamaica Plain and owns a home here, saying "There have been several community meetings since the news broke in January and we haven't seen or heard from one Whole Foods representative at any of them. Tomorrow the community is taking the initiative and delivering these petitions to Whole Foods.”

Earlier this month the in a 9-8 vote, asked the Texas-based food store to reconsider moving into Hyde Square, stating that Whole Foods is not a good fit for the area and that it hopes “that our community can work together to find an alternative to Whole Foods that will strengthen Jamaica Plain's culture of diversity, locally owned businesses, and welcome to people of all economic status.”

that they are "eager to prove themselves as positive community partners."

that prices of property immediately go up as much as 20 percent after a Whole Foods store moves into a community and consequently so do rents. In 2007 Whole Foods CEO John Mackey said to CNNmoney.com that "The joke is that we could have made a lot more money just buying up real estate around our stores and developing it than we could make selling groceries."

The petitioners expressed fears that Jamaica Plain would lose its diversity if the multinational food retailer moves in, and that low- and moderate-income residents would not longer be able to afford to live here. They advocate that an affordable store comparable to Hi-Lo should occupy the space at 415 Centre St. Whole Foods has signed a with the property owner, Knapp Foods.

JP resident Bashier Kayou hand-delivered the petition to Whole Foods representatives and said, pointing to a baby held by another petitioner “We want to keep our community affordable not only for us but also for the future generations, and you are not helping to do that.”

Spontaneous Celebrations is among the JP nonprofit organizations that have previously received donations from Whole Foods, according to a at a community forum three weeks ago.

According to Spontaneous Celebrations' Maaak Pelletier, however, that supposed donation was actually a gift card for David Snieckus,  a chef who gave a talk at Spontaneous Celebrations.

"Many community groups use Spontaneous Celebrations for events, and to our knowledge Spontaneous Celebrations itself has not received any formal donations from Whole Foods," Pelletier wrote.

Robin Rehfield, a Whole Foods public relations coordinator, met the petitioners, and said that she is in charge of the store's communications with Jamaica Plain and is going to address the petitioners' concerns.

The petition reads:

“We, the undersigned, as residents of Jamaica Plain and surrounding neighborhoods, strongly urge Whole Foods to retract plans for a store in Jamaica Plain for the following reasons:

1.) Whole Foods is too expensive for many individuals and families in Jamaica Plain.

2.) Whole Foods will lead to increased real estate and commercial prices in Jamaica Plain that will displace low- and moderate-income families.

3.)Whole Foods is a multi-national corporation whose profits will not sufficiently feed back into our diverse, local community."

Whose Foods is planning a major event in JP Saturday, April 2. Meanwhile, at 415 Centre St., a construction fence has been erected.

[Editor's note: The attached video was shot and produced by Whose Foods.]