In Washington D.C., Walmart has really shafted two poor communities.

To get approval to build three stores in wealthier parts of the city, Walmart promised to build two in underserved neighborhoods. So they built the three they wanted. Then, last week, Walmart told city officials that it had made “fresh assumptions” about the profitability of stores slated for black working-class neighborhoods and decided not to build them.

The Washington Post notes that this was a promise, rather than a legally-binding deal. Officials ought to be smart enough to get something in writing before they tear down a neighborhood.

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