Am I Safe in The Villages?

[oranginauk]

I had heard of The Villages, America’s Friendliest Hometown. With wonderful homes and great facilities and activities. Surely a place to make new friends, to smile, laugh and enjoy. A retirement I always dreamed of. So I checked it out and moved here four years ago.

As a single woman of color, I felt safe. I have made friends, joined in activities, volunteered and indeed I felt safe in America’s Friendliest Hometown. Then it happened, one group against the other. Videos going viral, a man yelling “white power”, faces and voices full of hate. I began to question .... Has this incident invited white supremacists to The Villages? People seek out to live where there are like minded people.

The country is frantic now and I am afraid. All it takes is a single fuse to light a fire. I urge you to think before you speak.

Please do not destroy “ America’s Friendliest Hometown”. Please help me feel safe again.

[Stu from NYC]

We are only here for 5 months and feel very safe and comfortable or as safe as one can be with the virus out there.

The situation you are speaking about I believe was distorted by the media from what I heard on here.

She was being incredibly nasty and yellow obscenities and he snapped yelling something back and the media decided to show something else and just played his part.

We do find this to be a very well behaved community and very friendly.

[billethkid]

Yes you are as safe as when you first decided to move here.

Do not succumb to the less than one percent or the isolated case made to sound like a general condition.

The 99% plus do not see different colors.....just other people like us.

[GoodLife]

I had heard of The Villages, America’s Friendliest Hometown. With wonderful homes and great facilities and activities. Surely a place to make new friends, to smile, laugh and enjoy. A retirement I always dreamed of. So I checked it out and moved here four years ago.

As a single woman of color, I felt safe. I have made friends, joined in activities, volunteered and indeed I felt safe in America’s Friendliest Hometown. Then it happened, one group against the other. Videos going viral, a man yelling “white power”, faces and voices full of hate. I began to question .... Has this incident invited white supremacists to The Villages? People seek out to live where there are like minded people.

The country is frantic now and I am afraid. All it takes is a single fuse to light a fire. I urge you to think before you speak.

Please do not destroy “ America’s Friendliest Hometown”. Please help me feel safe again.

First post in 4 years? What took you so long? Welcome!

You are much much safer here than you would be in a big city. There are over 3000 clubs in the Villages, not a single one for "white supremacists" What you saw if you watched the whole video was a few deranged and rude protesters yelling obscenities and calling a peaceful cart parade Nazis and KKKers simply because of who they voted for. The guy who said white power was just being sarcastic. The people you need to be afraid of are the deranged protesters.

I would think you would know all this being here four years.

[Kenswing]

As my father always told me.. "Show respect, get respect".

My experience with The Villages is very limited but the short time we did visit, we found everyone to be very welcoming. People of all flavors. We spoke to A LOT of people and there wasn't a single one we wouldn't have sat down to a meal with. Actually we did have a couple of meals with a few Villagers..

[Nucky]

If you moved to The Villages from an area similar to the ones many of us came from then you should feel like your in your mother’s arms. I think you will be ok.

[manaboutown]

It is big news here if a bike gets stolen from in front of a store, somebody puts artificial turf in their front yard, someone gets a DUI or if an adult child who can't make it on their own and lives with mom and dad gets busted for possessing illicit drugs. I know of no other community anywhere where any of this would be newsworthy. In many cities today, murders, rapes, robberies, burglaries, rioting and looting don't even make the news.

[VApeople]

Has this incident invited white supremacists to The Villages?

Yes.

Everyone is invited to live in the villages, including white or any other supremacists.

America is not a good place to live if you expect everyone to think like you do. We love our diversity and our right to express ourselves freely.

[Velvet]

OP, I feel safe in The Villages when it comes to people, not so much when it comes to monster garages or drummers or fake grass.

[bumpygreens]

You're absolutely safe here. If television news is causing you to feel less safe, turn to a different channel. Or better yet, turn it off and go out and enjoy being with your friends and neighbors. Only a loser would think the color of their skin somehow makes them superior to anyone else.

[karostay]

I had heard of The Villages, America’s Friendliest Hometown. With wonderful homes and great facilities and activities. Surely a place to make new friends, to smile, laugh and enjoy. A retirement I always dreamed of. So I checked it out and moved here four years ago.

As a single woman of color, I felt safe. I have made friends, joined in activities, volunteered and indeed I felt safe in America’s Friendliest Hometown. Then it happened, one group against the other. Videos going viral, a man yelling “white power”, faces and voices full of hate. I began to question .... Has this incident invited white supremacists to The Villages? People seek out to live where there are like minded people.

The country is frantic now and I am afraid. All it takes is a single fuse to light a fire. I urge you to think before you speak.

Please do not destroy “ America’s Friendliest Hometown”. Please help me feel safe again.


Once upon a time a Friendly Village was developed..then they sold houses and rest is evolution

[Stu from NYC]

Look at the crime type articles in the Sun. Big news is someone caught shoplifteng at Walmart.

Many people will leave for a few hours and not lock their doors

[manaboutown]

Our incredibly low crime rate impresses me! The Villages Crime Rates and Statistics - NeighborhoodScout (https://www.neighborhoodscout.com/fl/the-villages/crime)

[mamamia54]

In your four years did you ever have a problem? Why would you now. Everyone just wants to enjoy their lives. Live and let live. Don’t go by what you see on the news. I always told my children believe none of what you hear and half of want you see, lol!

[dewilson58]

Not touching.

[FishnFool]

I had heard of The Villages, America’s Friendliest Hometown. With wonderful homes and great facilities and activities. Surely a place to make new friends, to smile, laugh and enjoy. A retirement I always dreamed of. So I checked it out and moved here four years ago.

As a single woman of color, I felt safe. I have made friends, joined in activities, volunteered and indeed I felt safe in America’s Friendliest Hometown. Then it happened, one group against the other. Videos going viral, a man yelling “white power”, faces and voices full of hate. I began to question .... Has this incident invited white supremacists to The Villages? People seek out to live where there are like minded people.

The country is frantic now and I am afraid. All it takes is a single fuse to light a fire. I urge you to think before you speak.

Please do not destroy “ America’s Friendliest Hometown”. Please help me feel safe again.

I hope you feel comfortable enough to express your concerns to the friends you have made here. I have no doubt that if your friends know how you feel, they would show their support and have your back. I believe that 99.999% of people are against White Supremacy, this includes folks here in The Villages too.

As a single woman of color, you are a minority in The Villages on several levels, and its understandable why you might have concerns. But please rest assured the only minority most of us want to feel uncomfortable living here or anywhere are White Supremacists.

Unfortunately the Coronavirus has amplified peoples feelings of being vulnerable and isolated, and has most of us all feeling afraid for various reasons. I am with you regarding your statement "The country is frantic now and I am afraid" as I don't do chaos well. Unfortunately there seem to be a lot of people, with various points of views (on sooo many subjects right now) that are having difficulty expressing those views in a civil way. Seeing it happen in our "Bubble" is disappointing and feels just too close to home. We can do better than this and we all have to try.

I am glad you chose The Villages as a place live, it truly is a wonderful place to be! It is one of the safer places to live during our senior years and we are a community where folks can count on each other for support, especially in times of need.
If some reason you continue to experience these concerns please don't be afraid to let us, your friends, your neighbors know since it is important that in addition to being safe that we need to also feel safe.

[camaguey48]

I had heard of The Villages, America’s Friendliest Hometown. With wonderful homes and great facilities and activities. Surely a place to make new friends, to smile, laugh and enjoy. A retirement I always dreamed of. So I checked it out and moved here four years ago.

As a single woman of color, I felt safe. I have made friends, joined in activities, volunteered and indeed I felt safe in America’s Friendliest Hometown. Then it happened, one group against the other. Videos going viral, a man yelling “white power”, faces and voices full of hate. I began to question .... Has this incident invited white supremacists to The Villages? People seek out to live where there are like minded people.

The country is frantic now and I am afraid. All it takes is a single fuse to light a fire. I urge you to think before you speak.

Please do not destroy “ America’s Friendliest Hometown”. Please help me feel safe again.
You are safer here. How about the woman screaming the F word at the golf car parade? Did you conveniently forget her? I know who she is and I avoid her; she is toxic as well as the White power guy. A friend stated that she doesn't see color. I say that is the dumbest and most condescending thing I have heard. The color is there, accept it and accept the person for who they are in terms of character and decency.

[DrBrutyle109]

You need to watch the whole video. There are people who are idiots no matter where you live. I’d like to think there are less here. It’s the old saying, don’t let one bad apple ruin the whole bunch.

[Miguel 1952]

You are safer here. How about the woman screaming the F word at the golf car parade? Did you conveniently forget her? I know who she is and I avoid her; she is toxic as well as the White power guy. A friend stated that she doesn't see color. I say that is the dumbest and most condescending thing I have heard. The color is there, accept it and accept the person for who they are in terms of character and decency.

😀😀😀

[LG999]

I do not think you are alone in this feeling. I am a white woman. My husband is a white man. We certainly do not feel safe with rioting mobs of violent people destroying property, beating & even killing others who have done them no harm, looting, starting fires, painting blm everywhere, so on. This is a dangerous time and no one can help you or me feel safe except our politicians. Some allow people to break the law and this is the result. If we vote for law & order we may have calm again. I do believe we are safer here in the Villages than anywhere else I know unless you want to go off grid. At least people have guns here & may be able to defend against anarchy.

[jacksonbrown]

I do not think you are alone in this feeling. I am a white woman. At least people have guns here & may be able to defend against anarchy.

Thank you LG999, you are a voice of reason.

[terenceanne]

You are perfectly safe as are the rest of us. Don't let a few obnoxious political idiots put you off. With a population of 140k plus there are always going to be a very small percentage who want to ruin it for all.

[Windguy]

Racism came back out of the closet about four years ago and the incidence of violence towards minorities has been on the rise ever since. This is true all over the country and things have gotten really ugly. I’m sorry that it has increased the stress on people of color and I hope you never experience any “Karen” incidents.

TV is no different than the rest of the country. I’ve read MANY racist remarks right here on this forum and it makes me very sad. I am shocked that people would utter such hateful things—especially in public.

Some of the responses to your question tell you not to worry and that TV is safe. Yet many of these people feel the need to own guns to “protect” themselves. If TV is so safe, why do they need guns? I’ve read here how some won’t go to Wildwood or Leesburg without one. It makes me think they don’t feel comfortable around minorities, which I believe is an indicator of racist thinking. The idea of nervous people walking around with guns terrifies me. But, that‘s another subject.

Despite what I’ve said, I don’t think you should move. Much, but not all, of the increase in publicized incidents is due to increased reporting and the fact that more people record and share videos of racist attacks. Also, I hope that this wave of overt racism will pass. Many people who had stayed quiet when witnessing racist acts in the past are now standing up for people being harassed by the ugly Karens. I hope that these racists will be shamed into going back into the closet. In the longer term, I hope our youth, who seem more tolerant of people with different backgrounds, will eventually save the day.

I wish you the best of luck and that you have a safe and happy retirement.

I’ve put on my asbestos underwear, so I’m ready for people to flame me for speaking from my heart. Flame away!

[geobet]

I had heard of The Villages, America’s Friendliest Hometown. With wonderful homes and great facilities and activities. Surely a place to make new friends, to smile, laugh and enjoy. A retirement I always dreamed of. So I checked it out and moved here four years ago.

As a single woman of color, I felt safe. I have made friends, joined in activities, volunteered and indeed I felt safe in America’s Friendliest Hometown. Then it happened, one group against the other. Videos going viral, a man yelling “white power”, faces and voices full of hate. I began to question .... Has this incident invited white supremacists to The Villages? People seek out to live where there are like minded people.

The country is frantic now and I am afraid. All it takes is a single fuse to light a fire. I urge you to think before you speak.

Please do not destroy “ America’s Friendliest Hometown”. Please help me feel safe again.
Please don’t judge all of us by the actions of a few. We have been here 16 yrs and are just as safe today as back then. Think of us as a city of 120,000 plus residents. We are far safer than most cities 1/2 our size. I, a woman pushing 80, can still ride my golf cart or take a walk at 10 PM and not worry about being mugged. There will always be people who behave like adolescents and those who think they are entitled, but the majority of us, like you, are normal everyday people who respect one another.

[roob1]

///


As my father always told me.. "Show respect, get respect".

My experience with The Villages is very limited but the short time we did visit, we found everyone to be very welcoming. People of all flavors. We spoke to A LOT of people and there wasn't a single one we wouldn't have sat down to a meal with. Actually we did have a couple of meals with a few Villagers..

[martynpat]

I had heard of The Villages, America’s Friendliest Hometown. With wonderful homes and great facilities and activities. Surely a place to make new friends, to smile, laugh and enjoy. A retirement I always dreamed of. So I checked it out and moved here four years ago.

As a single woman of color, I felt safe. I have made friends, joined in activities, volunteered and indeed I felt safe in America’s Friendliest Hometown. Then it happened, one group against the other. Videos going viral, a man yelling “white power”, faces and voices full of hate. I began to question .... Has this incident invited white supremacists to The Villages? People seek out to live where there are like minded people.

The country is frantic now and I am afraid. All it takes is a single fuse to light a fire. I urge you to think before you speak.

Please do not destroy “ America’s Friendliest Hometown”. Please help me feel safe again.

Don't get worried by a few idiots. They exist everywhere and usually are just mouthy. Yes, we are friendly and safe. But even more, most Villagers are ready to help any time you need it....don't be afraid to ask. Lots of good folks here.

[Dilligas]

I had heard of The Villages, America’s Friendliest Hometown. With wonderful homes and great facilities and activities. Surely a place to make new friends, to smile, laugh and enjoy. A retirement I always dreamed of. So I checked it out and moved here four years ago.

As a single woman of color, I felt safe. I have made friends, joined in activities, volunteered and indeed I felt safe in America’s Friendliest Hometown. Then it happened, one group against the other. Videos going viral, a man yelling “white power”, faces and voices full of hate. I began to question .... Has this incident invited white supremacists to The Villages? People seek out to live where there are like minded people.

The country is frantic now and I am afraid. All it takes is a single fuse to light a fire. I urge you to think before you speak.

Please do not destroy “ America’s Friendliest Hometown”. Please help me feel safe again.
Nothing has changed in the time you have been here. The mass media remains the biggest problem for America. Media must sell viewership, so instead of “reporting the news” Media reports their own opinions, which they have to sensationalize to keep viewers (so they think). Turn off the tv and continue with your enjoyable life in retirement. The Villages is probably the safest 130,000 populated community you could live in.

[Girlcopper]

Not touching.
Dont blame you. Lol......:1rotfl::1rotfl:

[Marykschulz]

The Sun does not report crime issues. It is the “happy paper” of the developer that sells “Florida’s Friendliest Hometown”.

[GaryKoca]

As others have said, while there are certainly a few white supremacists here in a population of 130,000 - the White Power guy - most everyone here is very nice. And it is very safe. Let's face it, however, there is not a lot of diversity in The Villages.

[maryl]

Been here 4 years Villages has changed getting ready to move It has gotten to big to many people

[jacksonbrown]

Right now people are yelling Black Lives Matter, White Lives Matter, Defund the Police, No Justice-No Peace and on and on. Its racism being exhibited by blacks, whites, browns etc. Whites in certain areas are fearing blacks and vice versa and the media chooses to blast every negative word over every social outlet. Look into the facts or background of any incident reported before even repeating it. The repeating of false facts is where the issue is

Exactly

[graciegirl]

I had heard of The Villages, America’s Friendliest Hometown. With wonderful homes and great facilities and activities. Surely a place to make new friends, to smile, laugh and enjoy. A retirement I always dreamed of. So I checked it out and moved here four years ago.

As a single woman of color, I felt safe. I have made friends, joined in activities, volunteered and indeed I felt safe in America’s Friendliest Hometown. Then it happened, one group against the other. Videos going viral, a man yelling “white power”, faces and voices full of hate. I began to question .... Has this incident invited white supremacists to The Villages? People seek out to live where there are like minded people.

The country is frantic now and I am afraid. All it takes is a single fuse to light a fire. I urge you to think before you speak.

Please do not destroy “ America’s Friendliest Hometown”. Please help me feel safe again.

According to a recent assessment, The Villages is the safest place in Florida. We have fewer felonies and misdemeanor crimes here.

There are no race restrictions here. The snippet showing a man shouting "white power" failed to show the goading behavior of a person who was very offensive. It is very possible that he shouted back the first thing that came to his mind. I didn't know until I read this thread that people think it is wrong to use the term "white power". I am not sure who determined that.

I don't know why my last post was removed from this thread but I hope this time I haven't broken any rules.

[bobdelange]

So sorry that you are affected by that person. Please try to accept the fact that we are over 100 thousand people her in TV.The antics of one lunatic cannot be used to judge the rest of us.I have lived here over 25 years and I am originally from NYC.Believe me when I say you are more secure here than any other place I can think of. No matter where you are in this sorry old world, there will be the rare individual who is mentally unbalanced like our "white power" person.Best reaction is to completly ignore him, or her.

[Windguy]

Windguy, people need guns bcs the government can not be relied on to do its primary job which is to protect its citizens.

So, they are afraid the cops won’t protect them from the many minorities found in Leesburg and Wildwood? I see.

[graciegirl]

[QUOTE=Ndomines;1799591]If any single person you know has ever said to you that they have a white friend, a black friend, an Asian friend, a Native American friend, a Jewish friend, a Muslim friend then the hairs on the back of your neck should be standing up. These statements at the onset draw a distinction. Your friend, just your friend, your neighbor, just your neighbor, your mayor, just your mayor. If a person expresses a racial description followed by the word friend then what they are unwittingly saying is that the are prejudiced.
Parrots come in a variety of colors
but in they end we just call them birds.

What if, the person saying that is not in any way filled with hate or a prejudgment? What if that person due to where they lived had little interaction with people of other cultures and races? I didn't meet anyone who was Asian until I was in my twenties. There were nine black graduates in our class of 360 in High School. They were folks like the rest of us but I am not sure where they lived.

What is it that is bad about saying anything from someone who do not mean to harm and want everyone to have equal chances at success in life?

What have people done to attempt to say the right thing and do the right thing and who determines what IS the right thing?

[stan the man]

Not touching.

surprised

[rjgnj321]

My heart goes out to you. The Villages is a Microcosm of America...Racism exists on its own here as does Anti-Semitism, Homophobia etc. Will it invite others to come here with their similar views....it could......but I hope cooler heads prevail and the negative images shown worldwide of a negative day in our Lives here will provide a way for everyone to calm down and co-exist and be more excepting of each other’s views and beliefs.



I had heard of The Villages, America’s Friendliest Hometown. With wonderful homes and great facilities and activities. Surely a place to make new friends, to smile, laugh and enjoy. A retirement I always dreamed of. So I checked it out and moved here four years ago.

As a single woman of color, I felt safe. I have made friends, joined in activities, volunteered and indeed I felt safe in America’s Friendliest Hometown. Then it happened, one group against the other. Videos going viral, a man yelling “white power”, faces and voices full of hate. I began to question .... Has this incident invited white supremacists to The Villages? People seek out to live where there are like minded people.

The country is frantic now and I am afraid. All it takes is a single fuse to light a fire. I urge you to think before you speak.

Please do not destroy “ America’s Friendliest Hometown”. Please help me feel safe again.

[Topspinmo]

No single woman is totally safe anywhere. Especially here at squares. It’s just the way it is. You must be aware of you’re surroundings and DON’T trust strangers. Especially don’t get inebriate and loose all common sense.

[MandoMan]

The Villages is one of the safest towns of its size in the world. If you follow the daily crime reports, you may note that there is virtually no crime in The Villages. The closest we come to crime is mostly shoplifting, and most of that is done by people who don’t live here but use the stores on the outskirts. I don’t know why people bother to put in alarm systems or carry concealed weapons. Completely unnecessary here.

Yes, The Villages is 70% red and 30% blue. Yes, plenty of people are very upset about the looting and arson and destruction of public and private property they see on television. Plenty of them associate the BLM excesses with most African-Americans, which is unfair. However, in my experience, even the most rabid red fans would NEVER harm a polite older woman or man of any color and would go out of their way to help and protect her or him if she or he were in need. If she or he is a neighbor, even more so. I’ve noticed over and over that in America, bias against a group does not usually extend to people we know and like and don’t fear.

I had heard of The Villages, America’s Friendliest Hometown. With wonderful homes and great facilities and activities. Surely a place to make new friends, to smile, laugh and enjoy. A retirement I always dreamed of. So I checked it out and moved here four years ago.

As a single woman of color, I felt safe. I have made friends, joined in activities, volunteered and indeed I felt safe in America’s Friendliest Hometown. Then it happened, one group against the other. Videos going viral, a man yelling “white power”, faces and voices full of hate. I began to question .... Has this incident invited white supremacists to The Villages? People seek out to live where there are like minded people.

The country is frantic now and I am afraid. All it takes is a single fuse to light a fire. I urge you to think before you speak.

Please do not destroy “ America’s Friendliest Hometown”. Please help me feel safe again.

[meboyle]

I had heard of The Villages, America’s Friendliest Hometown. With wonderful homes and great facilities and activities. Surely a place to make new friends, to smile, laugh and enjoy. A retirement I always dreamed of. So I checked it out and moved here four years ago.

As a single woman of color, I felt safe. I have made friends, joined in activities, volunteered and indeed I felt safe in America’s Friendliest Hometown. Then it happened, one group against the other. Videos going viral, a man yelling “white power”, faces and voices full of hate. I began to question .... Has this incident invited white supremacists to The Villages? People seek out to live where there are like minded people.

The country is frantic now and I am afraid. All it takes is a single fuse to light a fire. I urge you to think before you speak.

Please do not destroy “ America’s Friendliest Hometown”. Please help me feel safe again.
I hope and pray you are always safe. One person at a political parade went rogue and it made national news. We don’t know who he was, but the people on the parade did not know him, nor is he a member of the group.
This is what I know, we are blessed to live here. There are no guarantees in life, but I live one day at a time. I know God walks with me. May He always walk with you.

[Guitarman1951]

I had heard of The Villages, America’s Friendliest Hometown. With wonderful homes and great facilities and activities. Surely a place to make new friends, to smile, laugh and enjoy. A retirement I always dreamed of. So I checked it out and moved here four years ago.

As a single woman of color, I felt safe. I have made friends, joined in activities, volunteered and indeed I felt safe in America’s Friendliest Hometown. Then it happened, one group against the other. Videos going viral, a man yelling “white power”, faces and voices full of hate. I began to question .... Has this incident invited white supremacists to The Villages? People seek out to live where there are like minded people.

The country is frantic now and I am afraid. All it takes is a single fuse to light a fire. I urge you to think before you speak.

Please do not destroy “ America’s Friendliest Hometown”. Please help me feel safe again.
You are safer here than anywhere. You are right in that it is a highly charged political climate these days. But it is a small fraction of extremists on both sides that make antagonistic signs, have rallys and yell out names and insults at each other. However. I don't believe anyone here will be rioting or physically threatening other residents other than in isolated situations.

[Bikeracer2009]

The racist that I've come across here seem to be the nonviolent kind.

I read an article about 5 years ago that talked about how the kkk membership had fallen over the decades. I vaguely remember the statistics given. At it's peak the article said 90% of white American was racist and spoke openly about it and over the decades this had dropped to 5%.

I have no facts to provide or care to do any research for you as I'm sure you're familiar with Google. It's just my opinion that the violent racist are not prevalent in the villages. The type I see are secretive and use statistics and logical reasoning to justify their racism. My grandmother, father and a childhood friend were openly racist around me but became overtly nice to black people. I've seen this overly nice approach to blacks from seemingly racist whites many times and has been the topic of conversations with my black friends throughout my life.

The overly polite but secretly racist are probably the most prevalent racist here in the villages. I would only be guessing if I shared my thought that 5% of the population here are racist.

This is just my view and I don't care to debate it. Take it with a grain of salt and move on.

[sandybeachgal]

It isn't always racism. All humans are naturally inclined to be afraid of anyone who is different from them. It's a primal self-defense mode. And we all have our prejudices, which often come to us as we experience unfortunate negative people and/or situations in life. As a woman, I have been discriminated against all my life by people who have inherent biases towards women. I try to behave in a way that shows my respect for others, and hope for that in return, but I don't always receive it. Humans aren't perfect. Life isn't always fair. We all do the best we can.

Instead of believing what the politicians and media are telling us about how badly America is racially divided, check out these distinguished black Americans' take on all this hoopla:

Thomas Sowell, Walter Williams, and Glen Loury. There are many great videos on youtube.

I understand being somewhat afraid as a woman living alone. If you're overcome with fear, get a gun and get some training. Level the playing field in your own home. That should help alleviate some of your fear. (PM me and I will give you contact information for a wonderful instructor right here in the Villages.) Get to know your neighbors and find out who you could call if you had an emergency in the middle of the night. And put your faith back in humanity. Most folks are good people.

[VApeople]

Been here 4 years Villages has changed getting ready to move It has gotten to big to many people

Your comment reminds me of the great philosopher Yogi Berra, who I believe said, "That place is so crowded that no one goes there anymore."

[newgirl]

Your even having to think this way is so sad. I would love to have you be my neighbor!

[BossLady]

Dear OP,

Hello. I’m glad to *meet* you neighbor. I hope you feel safe here. I believe you are safe. You certainly deserve to enjoy the community. I hope we run into each other at some activity and have a laugh and enjoy some live music that’s what this place is about. Hopefully soon.

NOW I’m a little worried that Villagers state [here] they are walking around with concealed guns that they’ve named, to “protect” themselves. Shaking my head... Covid has cooped us up making us all a little stir-crazy certainly we are all amped-up. An old confused person perceiving some threat and pulling out “Gertrude”. Now I’m scared too friend.

My personal experience, When I arrived as a visitor evaluating TV, I met a lovely, very cheerful and happy African American lady on the Trolley who was already a resident. Maybe it was you. Later I ran into her on square and we had a fun chat and she showed me around a bit which was really helpful. I liked the lady! What a fun spirit she has. Meeting that Lady reiterated TV is a friendly communal atmosphere. She was a great Ambassador for our community. I wish I’d gotten her name and number.

About that guy on the golf cart... he is probably not an active white supremacist. Shaking my head... He’s an amped-up old guy, challenged, he got disoriented, confused and spouted the opposing words that came to his brain in retaliation and anger at a lady who was also acting act like an aggressive foul-mouthed provocateur. Old people behaving badly. Covid has added a level of stress and anxiety that isn’t helping anyone behave any better I’ve noticed. That was an unfortunate incident all Villagers are suffering the embarrassment. That golfcart guy and the lady from NH that was so horrid at the event, both of them should be feeling shame for themselves. If our children acted that way, we would discipline them knowing that behavior is unacceptable. Both parties at that incident should discipline themselves like they’d discipline their own kids. Shameful behavior on both sides of that one.

Let’s all be More aware of the comforts of our neighbors in TV. We chose this happy place for a reason. Let’s live up to it.

Happy days friend. Hope to make new friends soon when square opens up and we can jam with a cocktail. Love neighbor. Stay safe.

[theruizs]

Been here 8 years. Had security and cameras installed right at the start, old habit from previous experiences. I now feel much safer here than anywhere else I’ve lived, but can’t quite resolve to remove the security system. The cameras are now more useful for watching wildlife, seeing when we have a delivery van pull up, or when the lawn care people are here. I am hispanic, but I look white and my wife is white so I cannot identify with the issues you have likely faced nor completely understand why the incident you refer to concerns you, but I do believe you are still safe here.

[fdpaq0580]

Dear Oranginauk,
No worries. Your post has brought a lot of responses. As you must see the great majority are showing support for you or are trying to put things in perspective. Others are trying to calm any fears you have. Let me be one more voice of support and reassurance that you are most welcome here and among friends. You are as safe or more safe than any place I can think of.
You have made friends and enjoyed many activities and should be enjoying your life here exactly like the rest of us. Thank You for choosing to become part of our Villages family.

[DonnaNi4os]

How sad that one man’s inexcusable rant made you feel unsafe. The Villagers that I know would welcome you into our circle. I think the media has made many people feel insecure about their personal safety. COVID-19 has certainly added to the stressors we all live with every single day. I believe that you are just as safe today as you were before the outrageous ranting of one individual. I pray that you can feel that way again very soon.

[Henryfrakl]

This was a terrible comment brought on intentionally by one filming to get this kind of response to the comment they did. I have never heard any racial comments of others. I only hope it continues to be an inclusive community.

[kendi]

Yes you are as safe as when you first decided to move here.

Do not succumb to the less than one percent or the isolated case made to sound like a general condition.

The 99% plus do not see different colors.....just other people like us.

Yes, we see different colors, but love them all. To say we don’t see a persons color is an insult IMO.

[LG999]

Windguy, apparently you do not see.

[marcandcali]

[QUOTE=oranginauk;1799204]I had heard of The Villages, America’s Friendliest Hometown. With wonderful homes and great facilities and activities. Surely a place to make new friends, to smile, laugh and enjoy. A retirement I always dreamed of. So I checked it out and moved here four years ago.

As a single woman of color, I felt safe. I have made friends, joined in activities, volunteered and indeed I felt safe in America’s Friendliest Hometown. Then it happened, one group against the other. Videos going viral, a man yelling “white power”, faces and voices full of hate. I began to question .... Has this incident invited white supremacists to The Villages? People seek out to live where there are like minded people.

The country is frantic now and I am afraid. All it takes is a single fuse to light a fire. I urge you to think before you speak.

A couple bad apples dont spoil the whole bunch. Keep on laughing and smiling please have fun. Dont let the boo birds turn your smile up side down.

[donfey]

I had heard of The Villages, America’s Friendliest Hometown. With wonderful homes and great facilities and activities. Surely a place to make new friends, to smile, laugh and enjoy. A retirement I always dreamed of. So I checked it out and moved here four years ago.

As a single woman of color, I felt safe. I have made friends, joined in activities, volunteered and indeed I felt safe in America’s Friendliest Hometown. Then it happened, one group against the other. Videos going viral, a man yelling “white power”, faces and voices full of hate. I began to question .... Has this incident invited white supremacists to The Villages? People seek out to live where there are like minded people.

The country is frantic now and I am afraid. All it takes is a single fuse to light a fire. I urge you to think before you speak.

Please do not destroy “ America’s Friendliest Hometown”. Please help me feel safe again.

IMO, the "man yelling “white power”" was likely an agitator or a kook - not your average conservative. Sadly, there are such people everywhere. Try to ignore them, and remember the kind of person YOU are instead. Of course it's possible that he actually WAS a "white supremacist." In that case I'd still ignore him, and pray for him.

[La lamy]

I'm SO SORRY people who aren't white may still feel unfairly judged or harassed. I was quite shocked to see the lack of diversity when I arrived in TV, but please, please stay. Like many have said, the vast majority of us are tolerant and welcoming of all people.

[bennete2]

I had heard of The Villages, America’s Friendliest Hometown. With wonderful homes and great facilities and activities. Surely a place to make new friends, to smile, laugh and enjoy. A retirement I always dreamed of. So I checked it out and moved here four years ago.

As a single woman of color, I felt safe. I have made friends, joined in activities, volunteered and indeed I felt safe in America’s Friendliest Hometown. Then it happened, one group against the other. Videos going viral, a man yelling “white power”, faces and voices full of hate. I began to question .... Has this incident invited white supremacists to The Villages? People seek out to live where there are like minded people.

The country is frantic now and I am afraid. All it takes is a single fuse to light a fire. I urge you to think before you speak.

Please do not destroy “ America’s Friendliest Hometown”. Please help me feel safe again.

We feel very safe here, we have some wonderful friends, great things to do and people to help! The news media distorted what happened with that event. Think positive smile and people will smile at you!

[PugMom]

you've lived here longer than i, but i welcome you with open arms. we are VERY safe here, no need too worry. :welcome:

[Marshaw]

Fear not my friend. The white power guy bus one crazy guy and is not a movement. The others merely hate trump regardless of what he does. You are just fine. 5. Bad people out of 125000 are pretty safe odds.

[Scorpyo]

I learned a long time ago to avoid making assumptions. Of course just because I learned it doesn’t mean I always do it. The sad thing is because of the situation that is currently going on it’s easy to make assumptions. Let me tell you a little story. My wife, who is Hispanic, wanted to learn to play water volleyball (WVB) when we came to TV. She went to the pool and was pretty much ignored. She came home and was pretty upset. “I guess they don’t like Hispanics”, she said. Anyway, a neighbor who played WVB heard about it an insisted she come and play with her. My wife played a few times and got much better. She now plays intermediate and is one of the first picked when she goes to the pool. So, what about the Hispanic part? That was not why she was ignored in the first place. My wife is 5’0”. So, they didn’t know if she could play and she was short. What they didn’t know is she’s extremely athletic. She’s into Crossfit, 9 Rounds and Pilates. For some reason WVB is a competitive sport here – why? I have no idea. But it is and they’re not going to take a chance on a short person who they have no idea whether or she can play. It was never about color. In the Bubble there are lots of people who may ignore you for any number of reasons but color is probably one of the lowest on the list. There will always be some that are morons. So, if you find yourself questioning someone’s motives try not to jump to worst possible assumption. They might just be cranky old people – believe it or not there are a couple of those in TV.

[Byte1]

The Sun does not report crime issues. It is the “happy paper” of the developer that sells “Florida’s Friendliest Hometown”.

Perhaps those that are living out their twilight years prefer "Happy" news. On the other hand, you have that unmentionable online rag that caters to the left side, and highlights every mention of negative when it comes to the Villages. Makes one wonder why anyone would live in the Villages and read such trash. News at that website is headlines of anything bad happening in the Villages, and comments by hate mongers that move to the Villages and then disparage it every chance they get. They sound like closet anarchists.

When I came to The Villages to check it out, I was shocked at first by the folks that would stop and chat with me. Friendly almost like the Stepford movie, but real. Folks are still that way here. Most neighbors are friendly and willing to lend a hand to those in need. The only time I have seen a change in the attitude of Villagers is at the mention of something political. Then you either see some thoughtful discussions or to some, the mention of anything political results in an instant change into a demon possessed, Mr.Hyde that get vulgar, foaming at the mouth and spittle flying in their venomous cursing. And I will let you guess at which way those folks lean. They are the ones that usually produce vulgar political signs and curse at anyone that tries to have a mature discussion with them.
Otherwise, if a Villager sees you pulled over in your golf cart, they will generally stop to see if you need assistance. And dare I say it but if females are out and about by themselves, I doubt you will find a safer place to be. About the only concern anyone should have here is the possibility to run across a 'gator during mating season. Even the coyotes are likely to run in the opposite direction, unless you are walking a little TV diner around sundown in an area of their hunting grounds.
Avoid politics and you will never see a Villager transform into something nasty and negative. I challenge anyone to find another community this large that is "Friendlier."