Was It Really a Planned Takeover at the Cambridge Farmers Market?

Cambridge, MD - Late last week, I started seeing Facebook posts from Cambridge Mayor Lajan Cephas Bey about a gathering planned at the Cambridge Farmers Market. The gathering did not have city approval. The mayor referred to these kinds of gatherings as "pop-up events" and also called them "takeover events."

Those words grabbed my attention. When most of us hear about a pop-up or takeover event, we picture the large crowds we have seen in Ocean City, Baltimore, and Washington, D.C. Those gatherings can draw hundreds of people and often lead to problems and crime.

That is not what happened here. This gathering was organized by a group of people described as "tree mourners" and were called on some sites and in comments as "tree huggers".

From what we understand, the group planned to gather at the farmers market during an event the City had approved. That event is hosted by Cambridge Main Street. The organizers of the tree mourning gathering did not let Cambridge Main Street know about their plans and did not fill out an event application.

That is when the mayor began posting that event applications must be followed for any event. The City stepped in to make it clear that the gathering was not approved by the City. That helped protect Cambridge Main Street from possible legal trouble tied to an event it never authorized.

In the end, the group chose to stand on the public sidewalk. They did not get in the way of any of the vendors at the market.

When I first read the posts, and when several messages came in to us about it, I expected a group of protesters. I understood where the mayor was coming from and I thought it was necessary.

Now that the event is over and playing Monday morning quarterback, I think definitions need to be laid out.

There were photos posted on the mayor's Facebook page and from what I could see, most of the people there looked to be in their 50s and 60s, possibly even older. That is not the crowd I picture when I hear the words "takeover" or "pop-up".

So I asked myself a simple question. What is a takeover event, really? I looked it up on Google and here is what I found.

Google describes a takeover event in one of two ways, depending on the setting. The first is a large, sudden gathering where teens or young adults use social media or messaging apps to show up in big numbers at one place and time, like a mall, beach, boardwalk or park. The second is an illegal gathering where drivers use cars to do reckless moves, drift, or race in public spaces.

I mean no disrespect to anyone who took part in this tree mourning gathering but I just don't think it fits either one of those definitions.

With all that said, I believe this comes down to the City of Cambridge making a point about equality. The message seems to be that what is good for one is good for all, regardless of age.

If one group has to fill out an event application, then every group has to do the same for any event held in the city. I think that is the real message the City was trying to send.