'Squad' Democrat accuses Walgreens of racism for leaving Boston neighborhood: 'Shame on you'

Walgreens was accused of "racial discrimination" by a Democratic lawmaker in Massachusetts after the pharmacy giant closed another location in Boston.

Rep. Ayanna Pressley, D-Mass., railed against the "multi-billion dollar corporation" for their decision to pull out of the predominantly Black and Hispanic neighborhood of Roxbury during a speech on the House floor on Wednesday. It is the fourth Walgreens store to close in Boston in a little over a year.

"Mr. Speaker, Walgreens is planning to close yet another pharmacy in the Massachusetts 7th. This time on Warren Street in Roxbury, a community that is 85 percent Black and Latino. This closure is a part of a larger trend of abandoning low income communities like the previous closures in Mattapan and Hyde Park, both in the Massachusetts 7th," Pressley began.

"When a Walgreens leaves a neighborhood they disrupt the entire community and they take with them baby formula, diapers, asthma inhalers, life-saving medications, and, of course, jobs. These closures are not arbitrary and they are not innocent. They are life-threatening acts of racial and economic discrimination," she stated.

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Rep. Ayanna Pressley,, D-Mass., slammed Walgreens for closing another location in a Black and Hispanic neighborhood in Boston. Locals protested outside the Roxbury store last month. (Getty Images)

Pressley noted how she, along with fellow Massachusetts Democrats Senator Ed Markey and Senator Elizabeth Warren, had demanded answers from Walgreens CEO Tim Wentworth.

Last month, the Democratic lawmakers protested the store's closure with locals in the neighborhood, arguing that vulnerable seniors in the low-income neighborhood would not be able to fill critical prescriptions, Boston25 News reported.

Pressley slammed the pharmaceutical company for not giving customers in the neighborhood enough notice. She accused Walgreens of being hypocritical in their commitment to health equity. 

"Why was there no community input? No adequate notice to customers? And no transition resources to prevent gaps in health care? Shame on you, Walgreens. Having a website with talking points about health equity and underserved communities is not enough. Walgreens is a multi-billion-dollar corporation that needs to put their money where their mouth is and stop divesting from Black and brown communities," she said.

BOSTON OFFICIALS ACCUSE WALGREENS OF ‘RACISM’ FOR CLOSING SOME STORES

Boston, MA - January 6: Walgreens is closing one of its locations at 416 Warren St. in Roxbury. (Getty Images)

Walgreens sent Fox News Digital a statement, defending the store closure due to several factors. 

"We appreciate the concerns regarding the closing of our store in Roxbury. As a result of the current operating environment and our financial performance, we have had to make difficult decisions across our business including corporate headcount reductions, as well as store closures like Roxbury. Roxbury’s closure was due to several factors including the cost of operating, low prescription volume and low reimbursement rates."

Walgreens will transfer patient files and prescriptions to the nearest Walgreens a mile away, and is offering free same-day delivery of prescriptions for 90 days, Boston25 reported.

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In 2022, Walgreens was accused of racism by Boston officials after it closed three other stores in mostly Black and Hispanic neighborhoods.

At the time, the company said "several factors are taken into account" when choosing to close a location, such as "the dynamics of the local market and changes in the buying habits of our patients and customers."

The article was updated to include a statement from Walgreens.