Protesters In Distress
This captures the spirit of those who felt so strongly about the movement that were arrested by police when they refused to leave the land.
Via Michael Kuehnert
South Central Farm
By Nicole Fukuoka
South Central farm began much as it is today, a vacant lot full of trash. In 1986, the 14-acre lot was condemned and slated to become a waste incinerator. Ralph Horowitz, who owned the land, was paid $5 million by the city of Los Angeles for the lot.
Horowitz added to the sales clause that if the city ever sold the land that he would have the right to buy it back at the same price he sold it for. In 1992, the mayor of Los Angeles handed the land over to the LA Food Bank and allowed farmers to move onto the land. It was divided into 350 plots and people began growing crops, which transformed an empty lot into the largest community farm in the nation.
For 14 years, people cultivated the land and were able to feed thousands of local residents healthy food as well as provide a safe haven for their children in an area dominated by gangs. They had 500 mature fruit trees, thousands of vegetables plants, and 150 medicinal herbs that helped heal those without health insurance. In 1995, the city of Los Angeles “exchanged” the property with the L.A Harbor department for $13 million dollars to create an area of commerce surrounding the farm.
In 2002, Horowitz sued the city of Los Angeles for their improper transfer and bought back the land for $5 million in 2003. By 2004 the farmers were told to leave the land and the city started destroying the plants. To fight back the farmers sought legal counsel, and after two years of litigation they were ordered an eviction on May 24, 2006.
As a last stitch effort to save the farm they started a tree sit fundraiser. Celebrities like Julia Hill, John Quigley, and Daryl Hannah sat in trees for 24 hours a day to raise money. They were able to raise enough money to meet Horowitz’s $16 million asking price with the help of the Annenberg foundation, but he refused to sell the land to them.
Out of principle, Horowitz said he wouldn’t have sold the land to the farmers even if they had $100 million. On July 13, 2006, thousands of people surrounded the chain link fence as sheriffs attempted to destroy the farm. Forty-four people were arrested as police had to forcibly remove people from the fence and tree limbs. By the beginning of July, the farm was bulldozed.
Since then the farmers have made many efforts to stop construction on the site of what was once their land. In July 2006 they attempted to sue the city of Los Angles but lost. In 2008 they were able to halt the construction of a Forever 21 warehouse facility, but in May 2011 the land went into escrow. But farm supporters refuse to give up and are actively trying to halt the sale of the land so it can be returned to the community.
Test your knowledge! How much did you learn about South Central Farm?
The site: