On Friday’s broadcast of the Fox News Channel’s “The Story,” New York City DSA Co-Chair Gustavo Gordillo said that if a private store in New York City is put out of business by one of the government-run grocery stores in the city, “then maybe they shouldn’t have been in that business in the first place.”
Host Martha MacCallum asked, “I guess the question is, how does the government become more democratized if the government takes over more of the power? So, for example, here in New York, if you have government-owned grocery stores, right? And that was what Mamdani promised, I know you were supportive of his election, and I interviewed him here. So, they’re up — like, breaking ground on one grocery store so far, it’s going to cost $30 million to build a grocery store. In what world does it make sense to build a $30 million grocery store and put competitive pressure on the bodegas that are in the neighborhood?”
Gordillo answered, “I think that what we saw in the mayoral campaign is the mayor was able to build a movement that inspired people to believe that we could have a government that works for ordinary people, that is actually responsive to the working class.”
MacCallum then cut in to ask, “Inspiration is great. But if you’re the bodega owner, how would you feel if the government opened a big grocery store right next to your bodega?”
Gordillo answered, “If one publicly-owned grocery store that brings prices down in the neighborhood is enough to put someone out of business, then maybe they shouldn’t have been in that business in the first place.”
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