WASHINGTON — There’s a battle brewing east of the Anacostia over a popular fast-food chain. Church’s Chicken is under construction in Ward 7, but community leaders say the people living there deserve better.
According to America’s Health Rankings, about 26 percent of people have been diagnosed with high blood pressure in Washington, D.C. If you break those numbers down by race—17 percent of white Americans have the disease, just over 9 percent of Hispanics and nearly 41 percent of African Americans have the disease. That’s more than the national average and it’s why leaders in Ward 7 want healthier food options.
Tyrell Holcomb, Advisory Neighborhood Commission 7 F Chair very simply said, “No, we don't want it.”
When Holcomb walks down Minnesota Avenue, he sees fast-food chains, liquor stores and another fast-food restaurant under construction, a Church’s Chicken.
“We want food options, but it's when it's those that contribute to chronic diseases, we don't want them,” Holcomb added.
Fast-food chains often serve quick, tasty, and relatively inexpensive meals. Tiffany Johnson, a Ward 7 resident, said it’s an issue that’s been raised at recent community meetings when another fast-food chain attempted to build on the same property.
“The ANC voted down the Checkers there because of the ingress and egress with cars. So to put a Church's chicken they are not listening to us,” said Johnson.
Holcomb believes a fast-food diet is one of the causes for what he said is a health crisis in Ward 7. He said he’s read up on the issues and cites these statistics.
“30 percent of individuals have hypertension, 23 percent of them have diabetes. Residents who live in Ward 7 are likely to live 15 years less than their counterparts in Ward 3, where there are a substantial amount of grocery stores. This location could have been so much more, other than a fried chicken establishment,” said Holcomb.
Johnson, a native of California, said the neighborhood is lacking in the essentials to live a comfortable life.
“We just don't have access to the most basic things,” said Johnson.
The American Heart Association recommends about 13 grams of saturated fat per day based on a 2000 calorie a day diet. Holcomb worries fast food filled with more fat will lead to more chronic diseases and he wants to see people ditch the quick meals.
“There's also a misunderstanding or miscommunicated belief that eating healthy is expensive. Eating healthy is not expensive. There are ways where you can go to the grocery store and find healthier healthy options in the grocery store without having to blow through a budget,” said Holcomb.
According to the Census Reporter, Ward 7 is 92 percent African American. The Census Tracker reports disparities in life expectancy all across the metro area based on which Ward you live in. It’s why this fight for Holcomb is much bigger than a fast-food restaurant.
We reached out to Church’s Chicken and Douglas Development for an interview about their property and the concerns neighbors have about the restaurant and have not heard back.