There is a war currently raging in both the literal and figurative heart of Warwick for the soul of the town. After the horrifying events of January 6th in D.C, which I simply cannot summarize in a polite way, the hate came home.
The owners of Caffe A La Mode, Misters Torres and Elfant, showed their true colors on both video and in social media posts. Those colors include calling for the murder of Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, the exaltation of Adolf Hitler as “having been good to all people,” giving reference to the “Satanic Jews” and not quarantining for the required 10-14 days after having crossed state lines and been part of a super spreader event.
The cherry on the top of this hate-filled hot fudge sundae of horror is what can ostensibly be best described as a Klan rally (because the groups who organized it fall in line as White Supremacists and anti-Semites) on Jan. 10, when 37 people packed into the cafe and wasted space on the sidewalk with no permit to do so.
Evil cannot be allowed to roost in our town’s heart and prosper. Fascism should not be allowed to sully the good name of this place we call home, the town where my paternal grandmother sold War Bonds and the town from which my paternal grandfather enlisted, left for Germany and came home a hero for having done so.
They, and those like them, who fought and died to stop the spread of the fascists, would not only be ashamed of the 45th president, they would be ashamed of the people who backed him and defended him.
Emboldened by Trumps rhetoric, these people marched through the streets of Charlottesville chanting “The Jews Will Not Replace Us.” They murdered a woman with a car, and then Trump spoke of them. He described there being “good people’’ on both the side of the heroes (Antifa) and the side of the White Supremacists. “Good people’’ on both sides.
The downhill slide we have been on as a nation picked up speed here.
There are no shades of grey here. This is a black and white issue. Either you are against Fascism, against Racism, against hate - or you are outing yourself as someone who is fascist/racist and that’s bad.
Warwick, you have a voice to speak and a place to make a stand. The time is here and how. There is a darkness wreaking havoc on the soul of this town.
Rise up. Stand up. Fight.
We cannot coddle the villains. We cannot sing Kumbaya. And we cannot handle this with compassion for those who have no compassion.
We only get one chance to save the soul of our home.
Luke Ferdon
Warwick