You may have seen the signs as you drive through Florence. The signs hang in store windows, on the sides of buildings, blaring in big block letters: Resist.
The one-word message comes from a grassroots movement growing in Florence that was started by Todd Sienkiewicz, owner of Florence Hardware. After a legal battle with the city of Northampton over alleged illegal fire inspection fees, Sienkiewicz decided to take a stand. "It started with our fight with the city, but it's to resist all of these things that are being done to us by people that we've elected and who don't listen to the people," says Sienkiewicz.
Among a host of issues that has people in Florence agitated, Sienkiewicz cited the proposal to add another Northampton exit from Interstate 91, the proposed expansion of the Northampton landfill and a variety of disagreements over zoning and development. "All these things sort of had a theme of things being shoved down our throats," says Sienkiewicz.
So far Sienkiewicz estimates that thousands of people have inquired what "Resist" means- banners, T-shirts and bumper stickers are available–and every day, according to Sienkiewicz, roughly 30 or 35 more people stop by or call Florence Hardware with the same question.
