JK has a post up about the events going on around a community urban garden in Los Angeles called South Central Farm. Basically it seems that a group of low income families have been farming a plot of abandoned land in LA for something like ten years and are now being evicted because of a property sale. You can get more info on the technical details of the situation at the farmers’ website, or via various news articles floating about online. The Seattle Times gets into some of the meatier details of the recent police action:

At daybreak Tuesday, 120 deputies, some with batons and riot helmets, showed up to serve an eviction order a judge signed last month. Deputies used saws to cut down the chain-link fence around the site.

Dozens of protesters chanted, “We’re here and we’re not going to leave!” in Spanish, blew whistles and blocked traffic in the surrounding streets. Protesters linked arms and sat on the tracks. Officers dragged some protesters away.

Reading that, I was reminded of a similar story that happened in the late 1960’s in Berkeley at a place called People’s Park. Details seem to differ about the actual history of the Park, but it originated as a plot of inhabited land that the University of California had earmarked for expansion plans. The People’s Park website cites a 1967 UC report which may have exposed their true intentions, claiming the land was the “scene of hippie concentration and rising crime.” A year later the residents were evicted and the land bulldozed. Due to financial difficulties, the land lay vacant for a year, becoming nothing more than a muddy eyesore. In April of 1969, the radical student movements sprang to action. According to Wikipedia:

On April 18, 1969, The Berkeley Barb, an underground publication, urged Berkeleyans to bring materials to create “the People’s Park.” That Sunday, April 20, 1969, hundreds of people cleared ground and planted trees, grass, flowers and shrubs using equipment provided by local landscape architect Jon Read. Walter Cox, a former employee of Read’s, arranged for Terry Garthwaite’s and Toni Brown’s band, “The Joy of Cooking,” to provide musical entertainment. Others set up playground equipment and cooked meals, which were provided at no cost to everyone. It was a day of celebration, and over the next several weeks University students and ordinary Berkeley citizens of all races, economic backgrounds and creeds joined together to build the park. People’s Park was born.

Then Governor Ronald Reagan though wouldn’t let this stand. Jerry Rubin has a great chapter in his book “Do It!” describing the events of “Bloody Thursday”, but I no longer have the book handy. So I’ll crib from Wikipedia some more:

Reagan saw the creation of People’s Park in ideological terms. He considered the creation of the park a direct leftist challenge to the property rights of the University, and this was an opportunity to make good on his campaign promise. Reagan decided to put an end to People’s Park, and he proclaimed “If there has to be a bloodbath, then let’s get it over with” (San Francisco Chronicle, early morning edition, May 15, 1969).

With no further consultation, Governor Reagan overrode Chancellor Heyns’ promise that nothing would be done without warning, and he sent 250 Highway Patrol and Berkeley police officers into People’s Park at 4:45 a.m on May 15, 1969. The officers cleared an 8-block area around the park while a major portion of what had been planted was destroyed and an 8′ tall perimeter cyclone wire fence was installed to keep people out and prevent the planting of more trees, grass, flowers and shrubs.

Beginning at noon, approximately 3,000 people jammed into nearby Sproul Plaza at U.C. Berkeley for a rally concerning the fencing-off and destruction of the park. Several people spoke before ASUC Student Body President Dan Siegal took the microphone. Siegal said later that he never intended to precipitate a riot, however when he shouted “Let’s take the park!” the crowd responded spontaneously, moving down Telegraph Avenue toward People’s Park chanting “We want the park!”

Arriving at the park, the crowd was met by 159 Berkeley and University police officers. The officers fired tear gas, some protestors attempted to tear down the fence, and bottles and rocks were thrown. A major confrontation ensued between law enforcement and the unruly crowd. Initial attempts to disperse the protestors were not successful, so more officers were called in from surrounding cities.

There is an excellent photo documentary on the People’s Park website of the park from muddy field to hippies planting trees, playing music, and the eventual police and National Guard crackdown that marred the history of this park. You’ll see some wild pictures of soldiers marching towards protestors with bayonets drawn, and helicopters dropping teargas over the battle zone. It’s goddamned freaky.

In keeping with Governor Reagan’s “bloodbath” statement, the police were given carte blanche to use whatever methods they chose against crowds that swelled to approximately 6,000 people. Officers in full riot gear (helmets, shields and gas masks) obscured their badges to avoid being identified and headed into the crowds with nightsticks swinging.

The most aggressive were the Alameda County Sherriff’s deputies–later dubbed “The Blue Meanies”–who resorted to using shotguns loaded with “00″ buckshot. “00″ buckshot consists of lead pellets that are much larger, and thus more lethal, than the birdshot that is occasionally used for crowd control. The Alameda County Sherriff’s deputies used shotguns to fire “00″ buckshot at people sitting on the roof at the Berkeley Repertory Theater, killing student James Rector and permanently blinding carpenter Alan Blanchard. Neither man was a protestor. […]

Governor Ronald Reagan declared a state of emergency in Berkeley and sent in 2,700 National Guard troops–ironically some Guardsmen were student protestors called to active duty. The Berkeley City Council voted 8-1 against the decision to occupy their city, however this vote was ignored. For two weeks the streets of Berkeley were barricaded with rolls of barbed wire, and freedom of assembly was denied as National Guard helicopters sprayed tear gas on anyone who gathered in more than small groups.

National Guard troops were stationed in front of Berkeley’s empty lots to prevent protestors from planting anything. Planting a single flower was cause for arrest […]

Also check out the timeline of events on the Park website for details of what happened next, and how the Park eventually did finally become established - but still suffering almost thirty more years of turmoil. I wish the people tending the South Central Farm good luck in their own struggle, but if history teaches us anything, it’s that people are absolutely adamant about battling for control of something called land - no matter how small, or seemingly insignificant. I’m sure we’ve not heard the last of this struggle (which you can also check out photos of on Flickr, but they are nowhere near as exciting as the ones from People’s Park in the 1960’s).