Brooklyn Park Leaders To Target: ‘We Just Want To Be Partners’
Target continues to face backlash after scaling down its diversity, equity and inclusion programs.
In Brooklyn Park, Mayor Hollies Winston says that if the Minneapolis-based company authentically cares about diversity, it should consider investing in communities close to its home.
One of Target’s corporate campuses is in northern Brooklyn Park.
“We have a number of the issues that Target is saying they want to address,” Winston said. “A city that is 64 percent people-of-color — we’ve got areas where people have $700,000 homes [and] we’ve got folks who live in Section 8. And I think in terms of addressing those issues in their back yard, we have a number of opportunities.”
Winston questioned why Target hasn’t invested in local programs such as BrookLynk, a workforce development program that serves children and young adults in Brooklyn Center and Brooklyn Park.
“There’s ways that they can support that, and I think that’s a good look for Target to have their name all over the work that we’re doing,” he said.
Target’s Northern Campus is located in Brooklyn Park.
According to Winston, the city’s elected officials have sent two letters to Target on the issue.
“We initially sent out a letter in February — I think that was ignored,” he said. “We heard about their meeting with Al Sharpton, who would seek to address this at a national level. And I think we kind of said, ‘let’s get another letter out to Target to help them understand that people will question your authenticity and integrity if you don’t address this in your back yard.'”
City officials hope to meet with Target management in the near future to discuss the matter.
Investments in the local community could help create loyal Target customers, Winston added.
“We want to shop somewhere that invests in the community as well, right?” Winston said. “So I think that’s important for them to stand behind, get behind. And we just want to be partners on that.”
Target has seen reduced foot traffic for the past 11 weeks, according to Newsweek.
See also: Brooklyn Park Artist Adds Flair to Target Tech Products
