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About the Story: Life & Times explains the controversy over this community garden in South Central Los Angeles. (TRT: 8:13)

: View the Segment Transcript; American Public Gardens Association; American Community Garden Association; CommUnity Advocates, Inc.; BlogHer’s “Largest Urban Community Garden May Be Lost” Blog; Community Food Security Coalition; Grist Magazine’s “Why the Nation’s Largest Community Garden Must Become a Wal-Mart Warehouse” Blog; The Huffington Post’s “Save the South Central Farm” Blog; Save the Garden Blog; South Central Farmers; World Hunger Year’s Food Security Learning Center Website

South Central Farm

Publish date: June 13, 2006
Last updated: May 14, 2009

Reporter's NOTES

Val Zavala
Tuesday, June 13th, was the day that supporters of the urban farm had been waiting for. The L.A. County Sheriff and LAPD finally evicted the remaining tenants and celebrities that were sitting in a tree 24/7 waiting for eviction day. There was hope that the $16 million raised to buy the farm would save it. But the long-time owner, Ralph Horowitz, turned down the offer. Apparently too much bad blood and anti-Semitic inferences had soured him on the idea of selling to the South Central Farmers. Lesson to be learned? Don’t let emotions and political ideology trump rationality, civility and constructive solutions. The 14-acre urban farm will now give way to development, and the farmers will move to other community gardens.

Insider Viewpoints

The actress Daryl Hannah has declared the issue at the South Central Community Farm to be “a situation of the needy versus the greedy.” Oh really, Ms. Hannah?

Well, call me foolish, but I’d say the situation is more aptly one of property rights versus an assumption of squatter’s rights. This is yet another leftist cause celeb - this time, based on garden-variety hostility to capitalism and private property.

The farm’s website reads as if its principles of unity were lifted from Mao’s Little Red Book. Nevertheless, Hannah is joined by a host of condescending limousine liberals and wannabe revolutionaries, all eliciting sympathy among the city’s liberal political and media elites.

Let’s hope that good sense prevails when Mr. Horowitz pulls the plug on this circus and asks that it leave town. And let’s hope that the city’s elected leaders have the guts to back him up.

Joe R. Hicks
Vice President
CommUnity Advocates, Inc.

While on the surface this may seem a simple struggle of poor people battling a greedy developer, it is actually much more. It is about urban-planning policies that rubber-stamp developers desire.

It is about communities being left out of the due process of law. It is about challenging the status quo on land-use policies.

It is about grassroots communities desiring a more livable city that does not make them pay for the burden of developers' profits. It is about taking a principle position.

Livable cities are made by saving spaces like the South Central Farm. The farm will create a better city, which in turn, will attract jobs and people who are willing to live in these cities.

Tezozomoc
Elected Representative
South Central Farmers

COMMUNITY VIEWPOINTS

04.01.2007 | 12:41 am
The people of South Central have been discriminated against for far too long. People hear the words South Central and think of gangs, crime and poverty.

The people who live there are proud, dependent and giving. The media have been stereotyping the community of South Central ever since the riots.

If the farm were in the valley, it would still be there today. We organize a yearly Hip Hop festival in the tradition of Rock the Bells.

However, unlike Rock the Bells, our festival was in Watts in Los Angeles. Everyone told us that no one would show up because people are afraid of Watts.

And if people do show up, there will be race wars. Over 4,000 true hip-hop fans came out to prove to the world that L.A. can and will hold a peaceful event in what was once known as the riot-ravaged streets of South Central.

Blacks, Whites, Asians, Mexicans and every other combination of ethnicity showed up and not one fight! We proved EVERYONE wrong.

“We the People” festival is an annual event, and unlike those other festivals, we are not going to the valley to cater to white America. We have and will continue to keep our festival in Watts.

It hasn’t come easy. Sponsors and the media aren’t interested in a festival that is held in South Central, but by word of mouth and unity, we have been building up a solid following.

Peace

www.wethepeoplefestival.com

Linda Gomez - Los Angeles, California

07.03.2006 | 2:40 pm
The South Central Farm presents hope, security and safety for a large portion of the outlying community in South Central L.A., one of the five poorest regions in the city. The presence of the farm and the movement for its protection makes the statement that something more than urban big-box building development matters; that quality of life for the nation’s urban poor matters; that providing area children with somewhere to go to “get their hands dirty,” learn about domestic agriculture, independence and hang out with their grandparents rather than get sucked into gangs and trouble matters.

With the majority of the purchase price raised and a promise for continued land tax costs to be paid by the contributors in perpetuity, not selling this plot to the farmers is questionable and, some may say, unpardonable. Why?

Doesn’t progress also mean taking care of all city residents in new and more just ways? Because this part of town needs some options, and it needs them now.

There is violence here, aggravated by a lack of options that Mr. Horowitz and more privileged residents, including myself, do not have to know or deal with until we open our eyes. For example, three days ago on June 30, three youths were killed and one others seriously injured in cold blood in a drive-by shooting less than one mile from South Central Farm.

I have heard, firsthand, from several teens and young adults that the farm enabled them to get off the streets of South Central and away from the gangs. I am all for private land rights and an owner’s right to sell his or her land to whomever they choose.

However, for the city to not step up and protect this oasis of over 14 years in the making, which is literally enhancing and saving lives in the community, seems irresponsible. And can we talk about jail overcrowding and taxpayers’ costs to care for violent and petty offenders, many of whom grow up in these neighborhoods with few options for their young lives?

No warehouse or factory will be doing what South Central Farm has done for this community. Crime has actually gone down in the region since the farm’s inception.

Coincidence? I think not.

It makes me sad to think we may let another opportunity for a better life for those who have less advantages slip through our fingers. If the money is raised to buy the farm, sell it to the farmers and their sponsors.

The farm has plans for further serving the community with a job-training center. Many area elders and handicapped people get to work on the farm and raise food for their families and local farmer’s markets, giving them better quality food and less dependence on the government.

Let the people of South Central keep the farm, Mr. Horowitz. Back the safety of your people, Councilmember Jan Perry.

Stick to your promises, Mayor Villaraigosa. You said these very members of Los Angeles were the ones you would protect if you were elected to office.

You also continuously announce to the press at any opportunity that you are the “Green Mayor” and want to oversee the “Greening of L.A.” Quit abusing the urgent and deeply relevant rhetoric of our times and put your money, heart and action where your mouth is.

It is in your power, all three of you, to do the right thing. Save South Central Farm for the people of South Central and do something that will make your city proud and make history.

You will look back on it and be glad you did. Let’s take care of our city’s poor, the fenced-in youth, the smog-choked air of L.A., and create some new paradigms for what true progress means. The whole nation is watching.

Leslie Morava - Pacific Palisades, California

06.16.2006 | 7:32 am
I think that there are more underlying issues to this whole dispute. The first issue occurred with the eminent domain ruling.

The second occurred when the city decided to abandon the project that required them to purchase the land. At that point, the right thing, in my opinion, to do, would have been to sell the land back to Mr. Horowitz. See more at my blog: http://cdawes.blogs.com/wisewomanshining/.

Casey Dawes - Aptos, California

06.06.2006 | 9:48 am
The community gardens activist could also point out the tremendous lack of park space in our city. We have one of the lowest ratio of park space per resident than almost every city in the country.

Isn’t this a civil-rights issue? If a case can be made, why not sue?

Also, what message is the city sending when they provide a healthy and productive garden when folks riot? Why aren’t they scrambling to replace it or buy it to keep the peace?

Nancy Hanover - Los Angeles, California

06.06.2006 | 9:45 am
It is usually easy to solve certain dilemmas when we put ourselves in the other person’s shoes. I sympathize with the farmers, but I feel that this entrepreneur has an immediate right to his property since he paid for it and has ongoing financial responsibilities for the land.

I wonder how these farmers would feel if such expensive property belonged to them? Would they be so generous? I doubt it.

Don Harris - Los Angeles, California

06.06.2006 | 9:42 am
I just saw the following about Darryl Hannah’s protest at the HuffingtonPost.com (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/daryl-hannah/saving-the-
south-central-_b_22129.html?p=2#comments). Daryl, I’m glad that you are looking out for the environment and all (and I admire your promotion of biodiesel as well via www.grassoline.com and similar), but don’t you think that the following is a little more pressing at the moment, as it could result in the next world war if Russia and China eventually get involved? See “Former CIA Analyst Says Iran Strike Set for June or July” at http://www.warwithoutend.co.uk/zone0/viewtopic.php?t=53
639.

James Morris - Los Angeles, California

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