Beltrami County, which recently became the first county in Minnesota (and either the first or second in the nation) to say “Nope” to refugee resettlement finds itself in the cross-hairs of those who just might decide to spend their tourism dollars elsewhere. [Shameless plug — You can read my previous blog on the topic here.]
The county has lakes, rivers, fishing, hiking, biking, snowmobiling, skiing, and all sorts of recreational opportunities that has made it a tourism destination for generations. And now thanks to the short-sighted vote on refugee resettlement — driven in part by an utter b.s. campaign of disinformation, see below — folks who might have spent their tourism $$ there are rethinking their plans.
Comments from thousands of people across the country poured in on Twitter and Facebook with many expressing that they would no longer vacation or spend money in Beltrami County because of their disapproval of the vote.
One Twitter user posted: “My family has vacationed in the Bemidji area for years. Time to make reservations somewhere else.”
Another tweeted: “You have the right to vote this way. I have the right to not spend a dime in your county until this decision is overturned.”
It bears noting that many of the tourism related jobs in the area do not pay the best, and are seasonal in many cases. It bothers me that those folks who had nothing to do with the actual vote might be penalized; but for an economy so dependent on tourism, I hope Beltrami county residents and business owners take note, and speak accordingly.
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The other part of this story comes from the vile disinformation campaign that preceded the vote on the issue. Did I say it was vile? One county resident, speaking with Minnesota Public Radio, described what happened:
“Prayer @ Action needed,” the message read, adding, “Possibly 100s of Muslims!!”
The message also called on people to come out to the Beltrami County board vote on Jan. 7 to voice opposition to refugee resettlement.
Bemidji resident Esther Covert got the message from her neighbor.
"The minute I got the text, I thought, 'Oh, this is not good, because there was a lot of race baiting and fear mongering,” Covert said in an interview.
The campaign had a long reach, and it was not exactly easy to counter-act. Rita Albrecht, mayor of Bemidji, largest city in the county, noted how:
...she heard from a couple of confused residents who asked if refugees were coming to Bemidji. One woman told her she heard that city officials were meeting about the matter.
Albrecht said she had asked people for evidence on the information they’d heard. None was provided. She reiterated at this month’s city council meeting that the rumors were false, but she said some people weren’t willing to hear her explanation.
“It's so out there, I can’t believe people would actually believe that stuff,” she said. “I'm just dumbfounded by the inaccuracy of information people will take as the truth.”
Of course, not all those in the community were upset by the action:
Pastor Gus Booth of Warroad Community Church, who has been outspoken on political issues in the past, was on a local Christian radio station the day after the vote praising the board for opting out of refugee resettlement.
“Praise the Lord you’re not going to import some naughtiness into your community at least for now,” he said.
I honestly do not know what the next stage of this story for the county will be. I hope the commissioners re-think their action, but I won’t hold my breath either.