Nearly five months after the Aug, 26 shooting, memorials dedicated to victims
At the store's entrance, the company installed a permanent plaque that says “#JacksonvilleStrong,” the
“It was important to take the necessary time to listen to and evaluate feedback from employees and the community, which informed not only the store’s upgrades but also our efforts to reopen the store in a respectful and thoughtful manner,”
The store sported a new look, which was the result of consultations with community members and local officials. The store now offers customers a wider variety of fresh fruits, vegetables, pre-made salads, frozen vegetables, cold cuts and milk.
The reopening has put the victims' family “through their own individual emotional torment,” said
"This was the site of a horrible mass shooting that should have never happened,” Finkel told The Associated Press.
“If the store was going to be open, and a lot of people including the families and those in the community don't want it to reopen, then it should at least reopen in a safe manner,” Finkel said.
He said the lack of security at the store was a reason behind the tragedy, and he questions whether appropriate security measures will be in place at the newly opened store. The lawsuit filed in December cites a rash of shootings, assaults, burglaries, robberies and drug dealing in the neighborhood around the store.
The AP inquired about security measures at the newly opened store, but that was not addressed in the news release
On
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