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Part I: Reactions to the Mayor

The announcement came yesterday from Mayor John Hamilton: the city will not privatize the farmers market in 2020. The Board of Parks Commissioners voted to remain under city leadership by a unanimous vote on Thursday.

Parks Commissioner Lisa Thatcher said at the meeting that the city had greater concerns of protesters at the market than Schooner Creek Farm.

Mayor Hamilton said he will work to improve the environment of the market.

Yael Ksander is the communications director for the City of Bloomington. She agrees saying every constituent has the right to freedom of thought, including Schooner Creek Farm.

Black Lives Matter Bloomington said society is built around cities where mayors wield power that is often unchallenged by state-level authorities. The group said the mayor failed to take any bold measures, prolonging progress.

Both Ashley Pirani and Sean Milligan of the Purple Shirt Brigade agree that the citys handling of Schooner Creek Farms presence at the market has been ineffective.

The Indiana Daily Student reported that Robert Hall of the Grassroots Conservatives said he wants the city to keep protesters in Info Alley, a neutral space for protest, to bring stability to the market.

He said in a Herald Times opinion column that he condemns the mayors acknowledgement of SCF as white supremacists.

He said, It has not helped heal the community when the mayor continues to advance a false narrative.

After the most contentious season the farmers market has seen to date, the future remains unclear.

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Part II: Outside Input

Sarah Dye said shes a member but not a spokesperson for the American Identity Movement. Again, she denies the group is a white supremacy group. When pressed on this question, Dye asked for a definition of white supremacy.

According to the Anti-Defamation League, white supremacy falls under the blanket of four qualifying tenets, 1) whites should have dominance over people of other backgrounds, especially where they may co-exist; 2) whites should live by themselves in a whites-only society; 3) white people have their own culture that is superior to other cultures; 4) white people are genetically superior to other people.

Yael Ksander said the city thinks it is important to understand the threats tied to white supremacy ideology, however, the farmers market is not the place to solve these issues. This is why Ksander said the city turned to outside help.

Mayor Hamilton contacted representatives of The Divided Community Projects Bridge Initiative at Ohio State Universitys Moritz College of Law In August of 2019. The Bridge Initiative is a conflict consolation project that focuses on hate crimes and incidents.

The project researches local issues and then suggests solutions to local agencies and government. Hamilton asked the Bridge Initiative to help the community understand underlying issues that arose at the farmers market and to provide a structure for leaders to begin a plan for action, according to the report. The full report can be found on the City of Bloomingtons website.

Black Lives Matter Bloomington and the Purple Shirt Brigade criticized the Bridge Initiative.

BLM B-Town and Sean Milligan of the Purple Shirt Brigade said they agree the city needs to listen to members of the community, rather than bringing in outside sources who tell the city what they want to hear.

Milligan said this creates a communication gap between city officials and the community. He said its causing everyone in the community to suffer, including people of color.

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Part III: People of Color

The city said it met with many community groups to seek solutions.

At the end of the two week period, the market reopened with a larger comfort zone created by two public streets being closed to traffic during market hours, an increase in security cameras, an increased presence of police, market ambassadors to create a welcoming environment, and signage indicating areas for protest and market rules.

Ksander said not everyone was satisfied with their new changes.

The idea of increased police was not met with open arms by Black Lives Matter. The group said an increase of police patrol does not mean a reduction in crime. They said it only increases tensions between marginalized communities and the city.

Black Lives Matter B-Town is a non-hierarchical organization. 3 of the 6-person core council spoke with WFHB. The group prefers to be referred to as a unit, rather than on an individual basis.

BLM B-Town said they criticize not only white nationalists but white liberals in city government who they believe enable white nationalists through inaction.

The group said Mayor Hamilton needs to take action through an anti-racist lens. They said there is a level of white fragility on behalf of city officials.

BLM said the Hamilton administration adopts a message of what they refer to as incrementalism, which means gradual change. The problem with this approach, they said, is that it impedes progress.

Three of the six core-council members agree that they feel abandoned by the city throughout its handling of the farmers market.

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Part IV: The Contract

In the last episode we heard from vendor Susan Welsand, the Chili Lady, who vended next to Schooner Creek Farms booth in the past outdoor season. Welsand recalled a specific interaction with Doug Mackey which makes her think the issue is not only about freedom of speech.

Ksander responded to allegations of Mackey making such an offer.

Welsand mentioned a day when Patrick Casey visited the market and recorded footage that was later uploaded to the Schooner Creek Farms website entailing white- nationalism propaganda. The issue was that the video included the Citys Farmer Market Logo. Ksander said guidelines have been drafted to ensure this wont be a future problem of the farmers market.

According to the 2020 Vendor Handbook preliminary working draft, Behavior outside of the Market that relates to the Market must not reflect poorly on the Market or the reputation of the City and must be consistent with the mission and goals of the Market.

However, as Ksander addressed, according to the 2019 market season handbook, by posting the video Schooner Creek Farm didnt violate their contract.

Welsand also addressed another incident which we heard in the last episode. Yael Ksander talked about the Schooner Creek Farms stand assistants filing under false names.

Once again, the accused farm was in no violation. The 2020 Vendor Hand book preliminary working draft states, the City does not tolerate vendors or their stand assistants engaging in harassing or discriminatory conduct towards fellow vendors, members of the public or City employees at the Market on the basis of sex, race, religion, color, national origin, ancestry, disability, gender identity, sexual orientation, housing status or veteran status.

The Purple Shirt Brigade challenges this narrative. Ashley Pirani said she knows of at least two cases of harassment on behalf of two SCF stand assistants.

Pirani said she knows of a number of complaints filed against SCF, and she said the city failed to address them.

***Part V: American Identity Movement

The Purple Shirt Brigade said last year Casey mocked one of their protesters with a disability on social media. We checked his Twitter account, which was suspended in late summer 2019.

Executive Director Patrick Casey transformed the image and brand of Identity Europa with a suit-and-tie approach to his white nationalist ideology. He is the founder of the American Identity Movement. In a Facebook post, Casey defended Sarah Dye. He said the left considers Dye a threat, and he quoted an American Greatness article, which read Sarah Dye is a victim of a left-wing witch hunt involving Antifa terrorists and the mayor of Bloomington.

Patrick Casey showed up at the farmers market last season. Dye said she didnt invite Casey to the market. She defends Casey, saying hes a law-abiding citizen who rejects violence.

Nolan Brewer

In a 200-page document compiled by the FBI, Brewer said he briefly met with Sarah Dye and Doug Mackey.

In the interview, Nolan Brewer who spray-painted swastikas on a Carmel synagogue, said Sarah Dye and Doug Mackey werent aware of the vandalism before it happened.

Sarah Dye said she believes there were false reports about her connection with Brewer.In late 2018, a mutual friend of Sarah Dye and Doug Mackey arranged for the couple to meet Nolan Brewer and his partner over dinner.

The dinner was after the Brewers spray-painted swastikas at the synagogue. However, Dye said she didnt have any knowledge of the crime committed. She said it was only a week later when she discovered the news.

Nolan Brewer, a 21-year-old from Eminence, Indiana, was sentenced to three years in federal prison for violating federal civil rights laws.

The Transformation

Sarah Dye said it was a slow process for her transitioning from a left-wing activist to a conservative member of AIM. She said she was tired of the hate created by the left. She said she used to embrace the ideas of Karl Marx. She said the left follows political fads without extensive research. Sarah said she was embarrassed to admit her political past.

However, Dye said since her transformation to a member of Identity Evropa and then, she still claims to look at politics objectively.

Sarah Dye cited the U.S. Census Bureaus report that White Americans are projected to fall below half the population by 2044.

While this may be true, the U.S. Census Bureau says today the Bloomington is 83 percent white. The bureau said black residents make up about 4.5 percent of the population.

Dye said people should acknowledge the European history of America.

When asked about colonialism, Dye said she doesnt deny atrocities done to Native Americans during European colonization. However, she said there were atrocities during war in all parts of the world.

All forms of decimation cannot be underplayed. In todays society, protection of marginalized groups is up to the government. In this case, its in the hands of city officials.

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VI. The Future

Mayor Hamilton announced that the city will continue its 46th year in owning the farmers market. After vandalism, threats, protesters, and arrests, more than 80 vendors sent a letter to city officials requesting them to continue control of the market. The city said it looks forward to improving the market community. Only time will tell the future of the market.

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What the Farmer's Market Part II - WFHB News