The real problem at the Farmer's Market
Our cowardly and incompetent mayor refused to do the basic job of ensuring public safety, for political reasons.
I sent this to the New York Times in response to this article.
Imagine an alternate timeline: Schooner Creek Farms was never accused of holding white supremacist beliefs. They would have continued to peacefully sell vegetables at the Bloomington, Indiana farmer's market and no one would have been bothered at all. The market would not have been closed for two weeks and the community would not have been roiled by controversy.
The people causing the trouble were not the owners of Schooner Creek Farms. They have never discriminated against anyone at the market or used their booth to spread white supremacist ideology. They deny they are white supremacists. All they have done is sell vegetables to consenting adults.
No, the troublemakers are "Antifa" activists who want an economy divided on ideological grounds, denying space to those they disagree with. (If you think this will end with alleged "white supremacists" you are fooling yourself. This is only the first step of a larger purge.) It was "Antifa" activists screaming and making obscene gestures at public meetings, and it was "Antifa" thugs that were dressed in all black, wearing masks and intimidating people at the market.
Our cowardly and incompetent mayor, John Hamilton, could have immediately sent in the police to restore order. He did not do his basic job of ensuring public safety, for political reasons.
I live in Bloomington Indiana and I have been going to the Farmer's Market for twenty years. I do not feel the least bit unsafe there from any of the vendors, and I never have. This is because the vendors are not a threat. The only threat to my safety are "Antifa" thugs.