INTRO (NPR Version):

Today… a rift that started during COVID lockdown …

Meagan Hillman [MAY-gun HILL-mun] works as the local public health director in the small town of Lamar, Colorado.

Bryan Herrera [BR-EYE-un  hair-RARE-uh] owns a hardware store there. 

The two were friends for years… their kids went to the same school, played on the same sports teams. 

Then the pandemic hit… and suddenly Meagan and Bryan were on opposing sides.

At StoryCorps… they sat down for their first conversation in 5 years…

Bryan Herrera (BH) and Meagan Hillman (MH)

BH: Business for me ramped up like crazy because people are trying to enjoy their outdoor space and they’re interested in fire pits and planting gardens. 

And then we were all nervous that you might come in and shut us down. 

When it came out that we were essential, it was like, I’m gonna be able to pay my bills. We can stay open.  

MH: I imagine it felt scary when you get told you can’t have your business open. 

BH: Yeah. 

MH: I came at it out of fear for so many people passing away, which was really devastating. 

But my job complicated things between us. 

My nurse, who was a really tough cookie – she called your business and said, ‘Hey, we’ve gotten a lot of complaints.’

BH: When the call came through, I remember it saying, ‘We’ve got some reports that you guys are not social distancing.’ And I said, ‘No, no we’re not.’ ‘You guys aren’t wearing masks.’ ‘No we’re not.’

We were at least 10 deep at the register and we were shorthanded. And I said, ‘I’ve got a store full of customers right now.’ And hung up the phone. 

MH: That shook my nurse, which of course shook me ’cause it was kind of like a screw you, and I was like, are you sure you were talking to Bryan?

BH: Mm-hmm. That probably came across a little harsh. And that does bother me, you know, because it’s, it’s not who I want to be. 

MH: That isn’t you. You’re a really nice person. 

But since that day I haven’t been shopping at your store.

BH: Yeah.

MH: When all this came down it put the spotlight on me. And every time there was different restrictions, I just dreaded releasing them because it would come with a flurry of hate.

BH: Mmhmm. 

MH: It just got very personal. People on Facebook saying why am I shutting this town down, I should have my brain bashed in, and people were threatening to come out to my house. 

So we thought about leaving Lamar several times. 

BH: It hurts my heart to know how nasty the community was to you. You had a responsibility, you had a duty to see that people are healthy.

MH: We still are a community. 

BH: Yeah. We don’t always agree 100 percent with each other, but we don’t just write each other off.  

MH: Thank you for being willing to talk it out. I wasn’t sure that you would be. 

BH: Well, you’re a good person that I have a lot of respect for.

MH: Same. You know, maybe we’ll make a move to say hello more than we would before.

BACK ANNOUNCE (NPR Version):

Meagan Hillman and Bryan Herrera in Lamar, Colorado.

This conversation was recorded as part of StoryCorps’ One Small Step Initiative… bringing people together for conversations across divides…. 

Learn more at TakeOneSmallStep dot org.