I think we need to really take a deep breath right now and talk it down a notch with the shaming of people in town that you may perceive to be “outsiders.” My place of business employs a large amount of seasonal staff, the people who keep this place going a good portion of the year. This week, my staff who have come from out of state have been repeated victims of vandalism, verbal assault, and harassment because our “locals” believe themselves to be all-knowing and think my employees don’t belong here.
License plates only tell part of someone’s story, not the whole thing. We ought to be used to that here, where the backbone of our economy comes from all over the country to fill the jobs we have and need to be filled. Have you not realized yet that a huge portion of those “Californians” you chide so much are driving rental cars? You don’t really know where they’re from. As the saying goes, you cannot judge a book simply on the cover.
No one is asking you to become a vigilante in enforcing our wise and appropriate efforts to suspend tourism. These are tough times, but xenophobia and intimidation are not the answer to getting us through this. Please put down your torches and pitchforks and remember the golden rule. Compassion is what we need right now, not frantic, poorly informed overreactions.
H. Adams
Grand County
