Former Atlanta mayor, Keisha Lance Bottoms took to Twitter to voice her complaint about racial discrimination by Publix.
Keisha, who declined to run for a second term in office, compared empty Publix stores in the Black community to fully stocked stores in affluent northern Atlanta neighborhoods.
She tweeted:
“I’ve received 8 messages & counting from my very polite @Instacart shopper over the last 10 minutes about missing items in the Cascade Rd @Publix. I shopped in Buckhead & Vinings last week and no one else seems to have the supply chain issues.”
I’ve received 8 messages & counting from my very polite @Instacart shopper over the last 10 minutes about missing items in the Cascade Rd @Publix. I shopped in Buckhead & Vinings last week and no one else seems to have the supply chain issues we’re experiencing in SW Atlanta. pic.twitter.com/aDsTgwvljD
— Keisha Lance Bottoms (@KeishaBottoms) January 5, 2022
Keisha lives on the southwest side where she was raised. That side of town is slowly gentrifying but is still majority Black.
The mom-of-four shared a screenshot of photos in text messages from her Instacart shopper showing empty store shelves at Publix in the hood.
Keisha wrote:
“Shelves in SW Atlanta have consistently looked like this for months. I’ve not seen anything like this when shopping in @Publix stores in other areas.”
Shelves in SW Atlanta have consistently looked like this for months. I’ve not seen anything like this when shopping in @Publix stores in other areas. https://t.co/G0NvENOUqb pic.twitter.com/o6RYfTuGkR
— Keisha Lance Bottoms (@KeishaBottoms) January 6, 2022
She hinted that Publix prioritizes stores in affluent neighborhoods north of Atlanta, where groceries are plentiful.
An embarrassed spokesperson for Publix responded to Keisha’s complaints by assuring her that the “supply chain” was at fault.
“Hi Keisha. The supermarket supply chain is under a lot of stress, impacted by product and labor shortages, demand, record exports, shipping constraints, and inflation. We appreciate your understanding as we work to obtain as much product as possible for our customers.”
Hi Keisha. The supermarket supply chain is under a lot of stress, impacted by product and labor shortages, demand, record exports, shipping constraints, and inflation. We appreciate your understanding as we work to obtain as much product as possible for our customers.
— PublixHelps (@PublixHelps) January 6, 2022
Keisha replied by reiterating her suspicions that the grocery store giant is discriminating in Black neighborhoods:
“Thank you for the prompt response. I understand the global challenges, but it is difficult to understand why some stores, within a few miles of each other, are consistently stocked and others are not.”
Thank you for the prompt response. I understand the global challenges, but it is difficult to understand why some stores, within a few miles of each other, are consistently stocked and others are not. https://t.co/me0BU3OFNg
— Keisha Lance Bottoms (@KeishaBottoms) January 6, 2022