Activists and patrons of the Bloomington Community Farmers’ Market are calling for members of the market’s Broadening Inclusion Subcommittee to resign after it released a statement that many on social media have deemed racist.
During the “Enough is Enough” protest in Bloomington on Friday, the subcommittee posted a statement to its Facebook page that discussed police brutality and racism and included the line, “Our hearts break for every lost, angry and aimless young black man and woman who commit violent crimes and claim the lives of other black men, women, and black children - their lives matter.”
Social media users flooded the post with over 700 comments, with some saying they would join the ranks of people who have been boycotting the beleaguered market.
Controversy erupted last year after one vendor’s alleged ties to a white supremacist group surfaced. Many activists said the market’s updated rules for 2020 seemed to favor the vendor - Sarah Dye of Schooner Creek Farm - and her freedom of speech over that of protesters and other vendors.
No Space For Hate Bloomington (NSFH) is encouraging people to email city officials about the controversial statements made over the weekend and hold the subcommittee responsible.
"This was so flagrantly out there," NSFH Bloomington founder Abby Ang says. "It was a very clear sign that the committee has failed and that it should be disbanded."
The Broadening Inclusion Subcommittee apologized for the post a day later, saying the language “was offensive and clearly compromised the main issues our community is working to address” and that the members were so eager to post the statement they did not fully vet it.
"The city tried to form this Broadening Inclusion group with good intentions to make people feel more welcomed in the market, but I don't think they've actually accomplished that," Ang says.
The subcommittee is holding a meeting this Thursday evening, and Ang says several people will be there whether the meeting is in-person or held virtually.
Farmers’ Market officials did not respond in time for comment.
