[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]

Originally Posted by 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.

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]

Originally Posted by oranginauk

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]

Originally Posted by 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.

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

[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.