I am a long-term Malibu resident, a mother of six-year-old twins and a stay at home mom. This Sunday, I was at the Malibu Farmer’s Market with my children and experienced a terrifying incident.
There were two young men, approximately mid to late 20s — both tall and wearing very dirty clothing, and appeared to be homeless and intoxicated. One was yelling at the other, “Give me my phone back,” while chasing (walking fast, not running) and the other was walking backwards, daring the other to hit him.
They almost trampled my kids, but I was able to grab both of my little ones, go behind a vendor’s tent with several other scared customers, and we waited until the yelling and chasing stopped, and the men left the market.
My kids were very upset. Several vendors told me that this kind of thing has been happening at the farmer’s market often, and they have lost a lot of business from the locals.
I don’t have the answers for the homeless problem in Malibu, and I know as a community, perhaps, we could do more to help these people improve the quality of their lives. I just wanted to share my experience and why I will no longer be shopping at my beloved Malibu Farmer’s Market.
Rosa Ferro