WFHB Bloomington Community Radio
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Bloomington community members continued to call for the ouster of the proprietors of Schooner Creek Farm, from the Bloomington Farmers’ Market, during last night’s Board of Park Commissioners meeting.
Schooner Creek Farm proprietors Sarah Dye and Douglas Mackey are alleged to be members of the white supremacist group, Identity Evropa. Neither has incited violence at the market, or distributed threatening materials there, according to city officials. Still, many community members of color told the Bloomington Board of Park Commissioners last night, that they do not feel safe at the Farmers’ Market.
In a statement at last week’s Farmers’ Market Advisory Council meeting, Bloomington Mayor John Hamilton condemned the “odious doctrine of white supremacy.” Hamilton said the city would, “vigorously protect against any behaviors that threaten those values,” but also cited Constitutional protections, under the First Amendment.
Park Board Chairman Les Coyne told last night’s attendees that board members are sensitive to the pain in the community over the perceived threat posed by alleged white supremacists. In a prepared statement read before public comment began, Coyne said city officials are examining their options and looking at similar cases faced by other municipalities. However, Coyne said any reasonable conclusion to the problem is beyond the Park Board’s purview.
H said the city is planning to hold a community conversation, on the topic. Bloomington Community and Family Resources Department Director Beverly Calendar-Anderson, is coordinating the event.
