This is sad. A 14-acre farm smack dab in the middle of the ghetto that feeds 350 families is under attack by a developer who wants to eradicate it and replace it with a warehouse. Up until May 22 the plot of green land teeming with perfectly flavorful and nutritious vegetables and fruits was owned by the city, which had donated the strip to the neighborhood after the 1992 riots. Now the developer is buying it from the city for a few million dollars.
But the case is still under consideration in the court. It appears the sale was perhaps illegal. The farmers, along with many others around the world, are fighting this battle. If they cannot win in court on July 12, perhaps they can buy the land and keep it. They need a few million dollars.
Meanwhile, they have been forcibly evicted from the land. Bulldozers have already razed the farm. In an 11th-hour effort to gain public attention, they have staked out 24-hour vigils around the site. Darryl Hannah even joined in and was interviewed by Larry King on Thursday.
Alameda neighborhood doesn't need another abandoned warehouse. Make a donation if you can. What a worthy cause! A perfect cause.
It's a fundamental issue. Community farms like this consume far less petroleum than the usual corporate farming and meat producing tactics. Did you know, for example, that we practically eat oil? These days, the mass of food produced is almost exactly equal to the mass of oil consumed in producing it. Here, check this report.
