The Black Lives Matter contingent is at it again. This time they are planning a protest outside the Minnesota State Fairgrounds. Their beef? They claim that minority vendors are being discriminated against and not enough of them are being awarded space to sell their wares during the fair.
The Minnesota State Fair Board is responsible for taking applications and awarding vendor space. Being able to sell at the State Fair is a highly prized outlet for vendors. There are a limited number of spaces available each year and it can take years of applying every year to finally win that space. Some have applied for 10 years or longer before being accepted.
I found the downloadable application at the State Fair website. It is a standard form. Photos of the products and booth set-up are required. So is proof of having previously sold at other fair venues, such as county fairs. In other words, vendors need credentials to qualify.
Nowhere on the form is the question of race addressed. This has nothing to do with race and everything to do with the quality of the product being sold and the appropriateness and curb appeal of the booth design and the previous experience of each vendor.
Our governor weighed in saying that tomorrows protest was inappropriate. If this group had complaints, they should have taken them to the Fair Board months ago.
In my opinion these protests are not about racial inequality, but are all about causing trouble. I don't know about anywhere else, but here the citizens are getting a little tired of it all. I think that about 11 AM tomorrow when this protest is due to begin, I will turn on the scanner and set it for Ramsey County. Should be interesting to see what happens when these fools try to shut down the State Fair, which has a long tradition in Minnesota of being a place to spend an enjoyable day with family and friends.
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Getting a vendor space at a county fair is tedious. Usually, it takes years and new vendors wait for one of the long time vendors to leave.
ReplyDeleteThey can protest, but if they ruin the mood, they'll find they've lost followers and gained enemies.
Jess...For many here the State Fair has become a yearly family tradition. Kids involved in 4-H or other farm related programs compete to win trips to the Fair to show livestock they have raised or to show other projects they have done. It is a big deal for them. I doubt any of them will be pleased with those out to wreck their day.
ReplyDeleteThis protest has nothing to do with vendor space and everything to do with causing as much hate and discontent as possible. Minnesotans are, for the most part, a fairly reserved and tolerant group. But when pushed over the line, the will, without a doubt, push back.
But you don't understand they are so use to whining and throwing a tantrum to get what they want....its just not fair....throwing myself to the floor in a tantrum...I don't think i have ever even seen a black employee at any stand ever. If I'm wrong?? who cares.......It doesn't matter.
ReplyDeleteRob...I saw an interview today with a young black man who has a booth at the Fair. He is selling Black Lives Matter t-shirts. He was well dressed, articulate and polite. He said that his group was not associated with those who will protest tomorrow. He said that talking with people was the best way to get his message out there.
ReplyDeleteSo tomorrow there will be, according to reports, a thousand people in the streets, yelling, carrying their signs and doing their best to make the day a miserable one by blocking traffic and forcing people to hear them and succeeding in ticking people off who just want a day at the Fair.
And there will be a well-spoken young man inside the Fair, selling his shirts and talking with those who wish to talk with him. Who do you suppose will have the better results.
Those clowns are just about getting their faces on television, and prancing around annoying everyone else. If they had to have a job, they wouldn't have enough time for this stupidity but since they batten on the very people they disparage, they can devote themselves to being a royal pain in the posterior. Which they do very well.
ReplyDeleteHarry...These people had the opportunity to meet with the mayor to address some of their imagined grievances and they turned it down. You are spot on in your assessment. They want to make a lot of noise and cause as much trouble as possible and see their faces on the 10 o'clock news. My gosh, if they got what they claim to want and all was peaceful between the races, what would they do with themselves. Considering this group will be breaking several laws today, it will be interesting to see if the same rules apply to them that apply to us.
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