Nike Does “The Old Soft Shoe” Out Of Town, Closes Flagship Store

Perhaps Nike Should Change its slogan from “Just Do It” to “Just Say Nope To Woke.” The company that fell in love with the likes of Colin Kaepernick, BLM, and Antifa, has joined the ever-growing list of retailers forced out of blue cities due to crime and theft.

Nike’s Portland store was their flagship store. Located in Northeast Portland, in a predominately black community, the store suffered 276 incidents of shoplifting last year. The store originally closed in November of last year and had intentions of reopening if security measures could have been worked out with the city. That didn’t happen, so the company announced last week that in the best interest of employee safety and Nike’s business, the store will remain permanently closed.

Nike, who had petitioned the city for extra security, waited for an official response before making the decision. Radical leftist mayor, Ted Wheeler, the guy who handed over the keys to the city to thugs and terrorists in 2020, denied the request.

Wheeler released this statement:

“My team and city staff have worked tirelessly and in good faith with Nike for almost a year to offer creative solutions to their safety challenges. Ultimately, the City cannot offer Nike, or any other private business, with dedicated off-duty PPB officers due to PPB’s staffing shortage. I remain committed to supporting Nike’s future success in Portland and look forward to their future investments in our community.”

For its part, Nike released this statement:

“Nike’s commitment to supporting and uplifting Portland’s North and Northeast community is unwavering. We are reimagining Nike’s retail space, permanently closing our current location at 2650 NE Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard and considering future locations as part of this community’s long-term revitalization plan.”

Nike’s second quarter earnings, which were reported in August, cited theft as a major issue. Last year in Los Angeles, Nike reported seven million dollars in lost cargo for the month of June alone. KGW-TV did an analysis last year and discovered that since 2019, the Portland store had the second highest rate of shoplifting incidents behind only Target.

In an interview with KGW-TV, Portland community leader Ron Herndon lamented the loss: “It’s very disappointing. I wish we could have had a different outcome.”

Nike is not the only one to fall victim to the leftist politics that it has supported. In March, Wal-Mart announced that it would be closing its remaining two stores and in April, REI stated that they would be closing their store in the Pearl District next year. In an email to its members, REI explained:

“Last year, REI Portland had its highest number of break-ins and thefts in two decades, despite actions to provide extra security. In recent years, Portland has been dealing with increased crime in our neighborhood and beyond.”

There are two sayings that I would like to share with the people of Portland and all of the other cities in America that are crumbling under liberal, leftist leaders. I’m sure that you have heard them both before, but maybe you should actually do something when the next election time rolls around.

“Insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results.”

“Stop beating your head against the wall because it feels good when you stop.”

Or you can keep traveling down the “Get Woke, Blow Smoke, Go Broke” road you’re on now.”  It’s your choice.