'Inappropriate and appalling:' Downtown West Bend Association bans all political organizations from renting stalls at farmers market
WEST BEND, Wis. (CBS 58) -- All political organizations, affiliates and entities will have their applications for booth and stall rentals at the West Bend Farmers Market (WBFM) denied effective immediately, according to the Downtown West Bend Association's (DWBA) board of directors.
This comes after a swastika was seemingly taped to a sign at the Washington County Republicans booth on Saturday, Sept. 24.
West Bend Mayor Christophe Jenkins said the graphic image was "appalling."
“I’m all about political discourse and having good debates in the public square, but to shroud one side or another and tie them to hate groups is just not appropriate and it’s not representative of who we are as West Benders," Mayor Jenkins said.
Washington County Republican Party Chair Randy Marquardt put out the following statement on Facebook:
"In regard to social media posts about a sign displayed in our booth at the West Bend Farmers Market on Sept 23: it was the idea of an over-zealous volunteer staffing our booth that morning. It was an ill-conceived attempt to associate the Democrat Party with extremism and totalitarian regimes. It was done without approval of myself, or our Executive Board. That imagery and implied rhetoric is unacceptable in political discourse. The Republican Party of Washington County condemns its use and apologizes to our community."
Washington County Democratic Party Chair Stephen Roberts said there was definitely "a lot of fear and anger" felt by witnesses.
“It’s extremely distressing that this was displayed in any way in our community," Roberts said.
On Wednesday, the DWBA's board decided to ban any political discourse from entering the family-friendly event.
While the DWBA declined to comment after a request from CBS 58, the WBFM's Facebook page released this statement:
"For thirty years the West Bend Farmers Market has thrived to the point where it was just voted the best farmers market in Wisconsin. Each Saturday, thousands of visitors enjoy the vendors, their produce, the company of their friends and neighbors, the setting, and the friendliness of it all. The imagery and rhetoric displayed last Saturday at the market was completely unacceptable and does not reflect the mission and values of the Downtown West Bend Association who organize the market.
After careful consideration, reinforced by overwhelming feedback from our community, the Downtown West Bend Association’s Board of Directors has come to a final decision, stating, “effective immediately, the West Bend Farmers Market will not accept applications from political organizations, affiliations, and/or politically motivated entities to rent stalls at the West Bend Farmers Market.”
The Mission of the West Bend Farmers Market is to aid in securing the future of locally grown sustainable foods, increasing support for sustainable farmers, educating our community, and providing direct access to nutritious fresh foods. We also strongly believe in community, providing our community and guests with an amazing Downtown West Bend experience, promoting local shops, restaurants, and business. The market is here for the local farmers, shops, artisans, and the West Bend and wider communities."
"Well, I would’ve loved to see some sort of compromise so that this one isolated event didn’t ruin it for everybody, but I absolutely understand and respect the wills of their board and the decision to pull kind of everybody out," Mayor Jenkins said.