[Sdpg] EVICTION OF SOUTH CENTRAL FARM IS HAPPENING NOW!

Tue Jun 13 15:24:00 PDT 2006

L.A. COUNTY SHERIFFS EVICT THE SOUTH CENTRAL FARMERS
IN EARLY MORNING RAID

Circle of Life Family,
This press release was just sent to us from the South Central Farm where Julia
had been fasting and tree sitting for over 3 weeks.  Daryl Hannah and John
Quigley are still there and at last report were still in the walnut tree but
about to get removed by sheriffs at any moment.

***NEWS FLASH - 8:59am, 8 people have been carried out on
                    stretchers and they have started to bull doze the land!

WHAT:   Hundreds of officers with the Los Angeles Sheriff department swarmed 
onto the peaceful, non-violent South-Central Farmers garden at 5:15am today 
accompanied by six helicopters buzzing over the sleeping supporters.

Supporters of this 14 acre organic farming community remain outside the
locked-down
area on the street chanting their protest of this forceful action while 20 are
still inside
the farm.

Dozens of supporters have been living on the land, sleeping in tents, and
taking turns 
living in the Walnut tree on the premise while fasting to show solidarity with
the Farmers.  Julia-Butterfly Hill just came down last week after fasting for
23 days. Several celebrities have shown up in the last few weeks - Willie
Nelson, Martin Sheen, Danny Glover, Ed Begley, Jr, Joan Baez to name a few.

As of this time, Daryl Hannah and aerial artist John Quigley are up in the
Walnut tree refusing to come down.  20 campers on the land have locked
themselves to benches, fences and the base around the tree while L.A. County
Sheriffs are attempting to saw their locks off.

Yesterday, a peace offering of organic flowers and fresh produce from the Farm
was presented to the developer, Ralph Horowitz at his offices in Brentwood, 
California and to Mayor Antonio Villagairosa  at City Hall.  Their response to
this 
appears to be this early morning raid.

Citizens are frustrated with the Mayor because of his apparent lack of
political leadership in this, even though he has publicly stated supported of
the Farm in the last few weeks.
The Farm supporters are asking people to:

1.  Call City Hall to ask that Mayor Villaraigosa step up and exhibit
political
leadership 
     and interfere with the eviction.   PH: 213-978-0600

2.  Come down to City Hall to express their support.
     Address: 200 N. Spring Street - Los Angeles, CA  90029

3.  Come to the Farm to Protest this oppressive and destructive action against
the Farmers and their supporters

WHERE:       41st & Long Beach Ave.
               Los Angeles, CA
               (Alameda exit off Interstate 10)

WHEN:        All Day
             June 13, 2006

****A SPECIAL 7:00PM candlelight vigil will be held on-site
     The public is encouraged to attend

To learn more about the South Central Farmers, visit:
        www.southcentralfarmers.com
Contact: Fernando Flores:  Co-Chair of South Central Farmers Support Coalition
           PH: 909-605-3136
           southcentralfarmers at yahoo.com
======================================================
HISTORY:

The South Central Farm, a 14-acre green oasis in the middle of downtown Los 
Angeles, is in danger of being lost to warehouse development. This community 
garden has been operated mainly by Latino immigrants for more than a decade
and

has become an important part of the culture and open space in Los Angeles.

In 1992, the Farm was created in response to the Rodney King uprising to help
develop and align the local South-Central community. The Los Angeles Regional
Food Bank signed a lease with the city of Los Angeles to set aside the South
Central Farm as a community garden. Since then more than 350 impoverished
families have banded together as the South Central Farmers to transform an
industrial dump into an urban paradise. These families have been successfully
augmenting their household food supply with the resultant harvest.

But in 2003 the city sold the land to a private developer to build warehouses.
The 
community was outraged, and the farmers refused to leave the land while they
tried 
to raise the money to buy the property themselves. For the last several weeks
-- in 
the face of a deadline to come up with the money or be evicted -- the farmers,
with 
the help of appeals by activists and celebrities, worked around the clock and
successfully raised the money to purchase the property. At last report, the
Annenburg Foundation had offered to help raise the 15 million to purchase the
land but it seems responding to pressure, the developer has changed his mind
and decided not to sell the land to the 
farmers after all. 
           ***************************************************

-- 

Santa Barbara Permaculture Network
(805) 962-2571
sbpcnet at silcom.com
www.sbpermaculture.org

"We are like trees, we must create new leaves, in new directions, in order to
grow." - Anonymous

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