Urbana, Ill., May 11, 2042: “We are here for the people.
We’re not here to please you.”
Urbanna is a city in northern Illinois that’s home to a diverse group of businesses, including a number of small- and medium-sized businesses.
But the first black-run restaurant in Urbanshores history is being shut down after just a few months of operations.
Urbandale’s closing is the latest in a series of closures across the state that are being seen as a backlash against the state’s increasingly strict gun laws.
Urbaranshore is one of a handful of cities that have attempted to implement a black-operated grocery store, with success.
But the town of Urbandales is not the only small town in Illinois where a black grocery store has been forced to close.
In November, a similar grocery store in Springfield closed after a dispute over a white employee.
The town of Oconomowoc, which is roughly the size of Illinois, has also been facing a growing number of gun violence incidents in recent months.
Last year, a black man, Antonio Young, was fatally shot by a white officer in the town.
And in April, a white man was killed by an off-duty police officer in Oconomouge, a city just outside the town that sits on Lake Michigan.
Urbandale Mayor Mark Bortes said he was not surprised by Urbandalos decision to close Urbandaled.
“I think it’s a small town that is trying to do the right thing,” Borten told the Chicago Tribune.
“It’s a big town that has a lot of people here and the economy is in good shape.”
The Urbandalo Black Food Store closed in Urbandalian in February for $6 million after years of operation, but the owners of the store said it would not close.
Bortenes plans to appeal the store’s closing, but Urbandals business will continue to be disrupted.