The garden lasted a few months. Then, an agent of the town’s housing authority found out about it and told my mother it was against the rules. “But no one’s using the land,” I remember her arguing. “The kids in the neighborhood play there.” The response was clear: Get rid of the garden or be evicted. Here was another one of those impossible choices of poverty. This was what my classmates would never understand, as they earnestly debated welfare fraud and the grasping desperation of the undeserving poor.
My mother stopped tending the garden and the next weekend a maintenance worker came and poured something onto the soil that made all the plants die and turned the grass brown.
This is what they did all over bushwick. The older black folks would start gardens ,especially on Broadwag,and the city would tear them up and pour bleech and rat poison and put up barbed wire and “no tresspassing” signs . Brutalized a beautiful sanctuary in the city.
Now white folks want them,NOW they’re “community gardens” allowed to flourish.
The romans used to “salt (or in the case fucking BLEACH the earth)” over the land of their conquered enemies so nothing could grow for anyone in those places. I believe that’s an act of war my friend
While many of Steve’s neighbourhood would not have had the space for their own gardens, spaces existed around the neighbourhood where people could grow and collect produce.
These gardening spaces provided community members with a means of producing their own food, as well as feelings of usefulness, independence, and a boost in spirits during a time of struggle.
Sadly, come 1935, the government pulled their funding from these garden programs. They were seen as no longer being opportunities for success and life improvement — putting the onus back only communities and other non-governmental organisations to run such gardens. Other than the loss of funding, this withdrawal also changed the perception of these gardens and those using them. Their name went from ‘relief gardens’ to ‘welfare gardens’, presenting a much more negative connotation.
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Images are scans from the SRNY Personal Collection.
This post series is thanks to my fantastic Patreon supports at the Ephemera Club level. For November 2021, the curated perks will be built around the theme of community gardens. The perk set will include TWO authentic seed packets for various vegetables and herbs, and a Brooklyn themed postcard. If you would like to receive these and other cool items like them each month, head over to the Patreon. Spaces are limited!
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Permaculture Lessons, part two: Disabled Permaculture
Permaculture Lessons, part two: Disabled Permaculture
This is a guest post by Laura-Marie River Victor Peace Nopales (see contact info below).
Hello! I made a guest post on Awkward Botany in March, introducing myself and my spouse, and talking a little about my life with permaculture. Permaculture is a way I learn about plants, love the earth, grow delicious foods, and connect with others. Permaculture has a community aspect, and respect for all…
