Redlining: It's not just for banks anymore!

Tonight, Michael and I tried to get a pizza delivered, since Michael is painting our kitchen today and thus it's temporarily out of commission. Michael was tired from a day of painting, and I was tired from work and the Forest Park Southeast Community Council meeting I'd just participated in. We were both very, very hungry. We figured pizza delivery was pretty much our only option, since Michael was absolutely covered in paint and I can't drive.

I called Vito's Pizza, located at 3515 Lindell (Lindell and Grand). I asked, "Do you deliver to 4462 Swan?" They said that we are outside of their delivery area. When I told Michael, he said that Vito's had advertised that they'd deliver anywhere in the city when they opened.

I called the Domino's located at 4583 Laclede. I asked, "Do you deliver to 4462 Swan?" They said that they do not deliver here after dark.

I called the Imo's located at 4479 Forest Park. I asked, "Do you deliver to 4462 Swan?" They said no.

I called the Cecil Whitaker's Pizza located at 226 N. Euclid. I asked, "Do you deliver to 4462 Swan?" They said no.

I would have liked to have called more places, partially in hopes of actually getting that pizza delivered, and partially just to find out which places won't serve my neighborhood, but I was too tired and hungry to go on with that. Thankfully, our downstairs neighbor Kim kindly drove me to go pick up a pizza from Imo's. Kim also told me a couple of interesting things. She said that a pizza delivery man was beat up very badly and had $65 stolen from him a couple of years ago on Norfolk, which is the next street south from Swan. She also said that years ago, she'd tried to get a pizza delivered here when her car was broken and she was very hungry, but she called and called and nowhere would deliver here. She told her son DJ, and he asked her with concern and sadness, "If no pizza places will deliver here, will Santa deliver here?"

The story of the pizza delivery man getting beat up is very sad and does partially explain why no one will deliver here, but still, I can't help feeling rather hurt to discover that pizza places won't send their delivery people onto my block. After I hung up from talking with Domino's and being told that they don't come here after dark, I found myself shouting "Some of us have to live here after dark!" And, of course, that's my reaction as an adult. DJ's reaction--wondering if even Santa would come to his block--is more telling. These companies ought to think about the hurtful message they're sending to the people who live in a neighborhood when they refuse that neighborhood service. We have feelings just the same as anybody else, and just like anybody else, we have to eat.