Martha’s EyeCare, an optometry center operating in Cinniapolis since 2003, is leaving town after nearly 20 years. Martha Granderson, owner and founder, decided to make the move after the recent re-election of Mayor Gondola. Over the past few years, Ms. Granderson has been harassed while her office has been vandalized and robbed multiple times.

“It’s a tragedy that’s unfolding in real time. Thugs roam the streets at night and destroy and steal from local businesses. Rather than law enforcement patrolling the streets to deter these criminals, this administration (Mayor Gondola) pats them on the back, gives them a blanket, tells them it’s not their fault and lets them sleep it off in a holding cell. The next day, the criminals are released to continue to wreak havoc throughout the city,” said Ms. Granderson.

The perpetual targeting of Martha’s EyeCare began when her office started selling luxury frames to cater to a higher-end clientele. According to Ms. Granderson, that’s when her center became a target for theft. “Within a month after displaying a new line of frames, the break-ins started. Each time I filed a police report, then a safety report after the police were disbanded, and now I’d rather just leave town than have to clean up this mess every few months and deal with the paperwork.”

However, the last straw was the constant harassment from the Private Citizens activists. “They are true menaces,” said Ms. Granderson. “Day and night, in-person, over the phone, over social media, it’s non-stop. All because of a bad joke,” she said, referring to her coy responses surrounding Mayor Gondola’s glasses which made her office a target of local conspiracy theorists. “Again, these incidents were reported and quote, un-quote, investigated but no arrests were ever made.”

Ms. Granderson is relocating just one town over so she hopes to maintain her current customer base. “We’ve built healthy, trusting relationships with Cinniapolitans over the years. We hope to continue our journey together, even though it may take a few extra minutes to get to us.”

Cinniapolitans may not have a choice, considering Thick Pickins Eyecare Clinic employs the only other optometrists within a 50 mile radius.

Cinniapolis will miss Martha’s EyeCare. But, the city can take solace that she won’t be too far away at her new location, providing the same warm, honest healthcare which her patients have been accustomed to over the past two decades.