In our efforts to to develop Wisdom Farm into a permaculture farm for our youth, we have been met with hostility from several neighbors. At a recent hearing for a special use permit, lies and rumors dominated the proceeding. We are asking the town of Baroda to treat us fairly.

While we recognize that neighbors have the right to be heard, we call on the town of Baroda to give Wisdom Farm a fair hearing in which lies and race-baiting are not given equal weight to honest dialogue, and in which the age-old, racist fear that "the presence of inner city youth will bring down property values" will not be considered credible.

Wisdom Farm can be a place for tranformation for farming, for youth, and for society at large. The year we have spent taking youth from Chicago there has been tranformative for everyone involved. Sadly, it could have also be tranformative for those in the community who are so afraid of these kids. We cannot allow a few racists to deny our youth the right to come to this space.