Civil Rights Struggle of 60′s
Returns

Last night at the Milwaukee St. Vincent de Paul Society (SVDP) board meeting, the property committee chair for St. Vincent de Paul Board claimed his committee has been working on the new thrift store in Greenfield for 46 weeks. Most membersdid not even know about this effort until an offer to purchase a building in Greenfield was publicly announced in February.

Attempts since February to have a dialog about the location in the suburbs where the SVDP thrift store is not needed rather than in North Central Milwaukee, where it is needed, have failed since the Board has consistently refused to dialog. They have been open to listen to dissent but not to dialog. Some of us have listened to them when they speak but not have been able to dialog. There has been only one presentation to 33 of 55 Presidents of conference but not a real dialog, although some presidents later have called for it.

If we could have a dialog, the two reasons, given by staff and board for the new store could have been discussed. One reason was “sustainable store” and the other was for “revenue stream”.

At the SVDP board meeting last night one argument, a self sustainable store, was given at the door by a board member, the treasurer, as he was trying to keep out non-SVDP members, like a 86 year old civil rights leader who had been picketing with us. When we mentioned that SVDP was using “money belonging to the poor” for the new store he counteracted that the 3.4 million dollars borrowed for purchase and renovation of building as well as the operating cost and employee compensation would all be paid back over the years by the store itself. He said money was used from the trust fund of SVDP as collateral for the loans but store would make enough sales to be self sufficient or sustainable. This is along the lines of what the executive director of SVDP has said that we were “investing in Greenfield”,a suburb 85%, white and with a high household income.

The other argument we have heard came from a board member on the TV news last night about the protest at the meeting. He mentioned, as others have before, we needed to invest millions in the Greenfield to create a revenue stream for the Society to invest more money in serving the poor like in North Central Milwaukee, 85% African-American and with low household income. This second argument says not only will the new thrift store pay back the millions he takes to construct and operate but that it will create a profit.

A member at our local conference meeting today mentioned that a store in North Central Milwaukee could have met both reasons. Stores like Wal-Mart and Target have invested millions into store in North Central Milwaukee not only to be self sufficient to create a revenue stream or profit.

If there could be a dialog during the last 46 weeks I would have argued that either of the two reasons, store being self-sustainable or creating a “revenue stream” have little or nothing to do with the , the or the way of the Gospel. The mission of the Society is simply to do works of mercy, person to person, home visits with people in need. Thrift stores simply exist to aide this mission by offering low income persons an inexpensive place to shop that is supplied by donations and for persons who could not even afford items a place where they could redeem vouchers given to them at home visits. It is to be a friendly place where all kinds of persons can work, local person in need finding employment and volunteers can work together.

A store in Greenfield, self sufficient or creating a “revenue stream” does not fill the main mission of the Society or the mission of the Thrift Stores “to serve Christ’s needy.“

“Serving Christ’s needy is the primary goal of all St. Vincent De Paul Thrift Stores”.

Mission Statement of SVDP Thrift Stores

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