The Garden

     In our lecture today, we watched a documentary entitled The Garden. The beauty of the plants and community was rich and inspiring. Social movements like this one are important to pay attention to- because of their importance and magnitude.

     The fourteen-acre community garden at 41st and Alameda in South Central Los Angeles is the largest of its kind in the United States. Started as a form of healing after the devastating L.A. riots in 1992, the South Central Farmers have since created a miracle in one of the country’s most blighted neighborhoods.

     It was very interesting to me to witness the clash of chemical-free, indigenous-style gardening with the political system of the United States, mostly run by white, rich, upper-class men.  More interesting, however, was the select few fighting against the farmers who were not white men at all... the two main antagonized "characters" were women... one African American, and one Latino.

     It was difficult for me to separate myself, as someone who has been raised in a system of order and laws, from the antagonized government and private property owner (Horowitz).  As much as I wanted to empathize with the farmers (for their garden is no doubt strong and beautiful and important) it was difficult for me to get past the fact that the land was, in fact, privately owned.  I sighed with relief when they finally found a reason for fighting the eviction (that the land was suspiciously and privately sold to Horowitz by the city).

   Overall, I enjoyed the film and the the popular belief that the farmers fought against.... "If everyone told you nothing more could be done, would you give up?"


-Alice S.