To the Editor:
I had heard of The Villages, America’s Friendliest Hometown. With wonderful homes and great facilities and activities. Surely a place to make new friends, to smile, laugh and enjoy. A retirement I always dreamed of. So I checked it out and moved here four years ago.
As a single woman of color, I felt safe. I have made friends, joined in activities, volunteered and indeed I felt safe in America’s Friendliest Hometown. Then it happened, one group against the other. Videos going viral, a man yelling “white power,” faces and voices full of hate. I began to question …. Has this incident invited white supremacists to The Villages? People seek out to live where there are like minded people.
The country is frantic now and I am afraid. All it takes is a single fuse to light a fire. I urge you to think before you speak.
Please do not destroy “America’s Friendliest Hometown.” Please help me feel safe again.
Charleen Darlington
Village of Sanibel