Xenophobes Get Their Way in Forest Area

Are racism and xenophobia still alive in the Forest area of Bedford County? It sure looks that way.
When David St. John, president of May Brothers Inc., a construction firm, brought his proposal to build five town houses on Hooper Road for his seasonal Mexican workers to the county Planning Commission, he stirred up a mild hornet’s nest. Residents opposed the town houses at a meeting to express their concerns. And some of those concerns were more than a little embarrassing. They said the town homes could endanger the safety of students attending nearby Jefferson Forest High School. One went so far as to say, “We will not be safe any more.”
Another critic went even further in his denigration of the Mexican workers by declaring that the town house project would depreciate the land value of the area by creating a “shanty town.” That’s absurd and overlooks the fact that St. John would not allow his workers to degrade their housing on his property.
The workers are employed under a federal H2B program, which handles the paperwork for seasonal workers with 10-month visas. They are living and working here legally, so this is not a question of illegal immigration.
The program has provided him reliable labor for four years. Much of that labor involves heavy lifting and other tasks that natives of Bedford and the surrounding area are not interested in doing.
St. John needed a permit from Bedford County because town homes are a special use under the current zoning — planned commercial development. The proposed special use he was asking for is compatible with the county’s comprehensive plan.
The Mexican workers have obviously done a good job for St. John’s company or he would not bring them back year after year. The record shows they have not been a problem at their previous apartments.
The planning commission took all that under consideration and wisely recommended approval of the town houses to the county Board of Supervisors.
The xenophobes were out again at the supervisors’ hearing this week. Opponents said the housing was too much like a dormitory and said that “race has nothing to do with it.”
But this time around, the opponents got their way.
The supervisors rejected the town houses on a 5-2 vote. Forest District Supervisor John Sharp said he didn’t think the project “would be an asset to the community.”
Supervisor Gary Lowry, who along with Chuck Neudorfer voted for St. John’s plan, said he believed many sentiments expressed at the hearing did border on racism.
“I really take offense to it,” said Lowry. “I live in a neighborhood and I can’t tell you who’s white, who’s black, who’s Mexican ... I just don’t care.”
JoAnn Stinnette, a Hispanic resident who lives in Forest, said after the meeting she was disturbed that several school officials, particularly at Jefferson Forest High School, had spoken out against the proposal. “They’re supposed to be teaching diversity,” she said. She’s right.
The planning commission rose above the racism and fear of foreigners that seems to be alive in Forest and recommended approval of St. John’s housing project to the supervisors.
It’s too bad the supervisors couldn’t have taken a similarly enlightened approach to the same proposal.