TENTH OPEN FORUM — THURSDAY, AUGUST 13TH, 2020
Topic: Defusing Hostile Situations at Your Market
We have seen, and more often now experienced ourselves, recent incidents of disruptive behavior by customers in retail settings across the country - some resulting in violent threats leading to actual physical harm. Farmers Markets are no exception. We are all feeling the stresses and frustrations as this pandemic continues to disrupt our lives. Even for the best of us, reason can give way to agitation and anger. This forum focuses on what we can do when confronted with combative customers and how we can help defuse contentious situations at our markets. We invited Marla Velky-Reger, LCSW-R Clinical Social Worker to speak about methods and tips we can use to de-escalate these types of encounters, while keeping ourselves safe and sane.