BRATTLEBORO — Recently, the downtown shop where I am employed received an email from Main Street Alliance, Vermont, with links to posters saying “Hate Has No Business Here” for businesses to display in their windows.
We already had them, as some thoughtful person had dropped some off at least a month before the current election made this message even more urgent.
I spend most of my weekends in the downtown area, and it's pretty noticeable that we are one of the few shops displaying this message. Surely, every Main Street business in Brattleboro received the same email and links.
So it begs the question: Does hate have business here?
The poster has a simple, clear message: All are welcome. The thought that a business owner could somehow think this message will harm their business to the point that they daren't post it is a worrying one. Surely, we can all agree that hate has no business in our community, and that all are, indeed, welcome.
Time to step up, business owners. If you didn't receive the link, you can find the posters at www.mainstreetalliance.org.