UPDATE: With volunteers remaining at the site through the weekend, the “turf restoration” work, so far, has been on hold
$5 A MONTH TO HELP KEEP CHS PAYWALL-FREE
🌈🐣🌼🌷🌱🌳🌾🍀🍃🦔🐇🐝🐑🌞🌻
Subscribe to CHS to help us hire writers and photographers to cover the neighborhood. CHS is a pay what you can community news site with no required sign-in or paywall. To stay that way, we need you.
Become a subscriber to help us cover the neighborhood for $5 a month -- or choose your level of support 👍
“Gather in the garden tomorrow – FRIDAY OCTOBER 13 👻 Community members are planning a full day of activities in support of the garden,” the group’s invitation reads. “We will start the morning with Communi-Tea & Yoga from 7-10AM and have an all-ages Garden Party from 12PM-10PM where we will have potluck food, garden stewarding, music, speakers, art making and an art gallery! Please bring plates, utensils, & grillables to share if you can!!”
Black Star Farmers hosted a Stewarding Event at the garden in August and “foraged in the garden and harvested medicinal herbs to make oxymels – a powerful and delicious infusion of herbs in apple cider vinegar & honey,” the group says. (Image: Black Star Farmers)
CHS reported here on the call to save the garden as the city said it was moving ahead with a restoration of the “sun bowl” area of the park that officials say is needed “to host gatherings and large events” as part of its “intentional design as a natural amphitheater and proximity to electrical and water hook-ups.” Seattle Parks says it has offered to work with the group that helped shape the initial garden and that has stewarded the space over the years to relocate the garden in the park or move it to another Seattle Parks location including a space behind the Rainier Community Center.
A gathering was held Thursday night at the garden to organize and plan for how to save it (Image: Alex Garland/CHS)
Black Star Farmers says the garden should remain where it was created in June 2020. “Forceful displacement of community projects like BLMG is consistent with violent state projects like imperialism, colonization, and gentrification,” the group said in its “call to action” asking for public support against moving the garden.
Community representative groups involved in reshaping Cal Anderson’s community uses in the wake of CHOP have spoken out against the city’s decision and the Cal Anderson Park Alliance community group says it did not ask for the city to restore the amphitheater bowl grass.
How Friday the 13th shapes up in Cal Anderson remains to be seen. Garden and Black Star Farmers supporters are expected to be at the space on the south end of Cal Anderson starting early in the morning with plans for a growing crowd by midday. The “garden party” is scheduled to last until 10 PM.
UPDATE: Parks installed orange plastic fencing this week but hasn’t provided an update on the planned work. “We don’t have an exact date for removal,” a spokesperson tells CHS.
$5 A MONTH TO HELP KEEP CHS PAYWALL-FREE
🌈🐣🌼🌷🌱🌳🌾🍀🍃🦔🐇🐝🐑🌞🌻
Subscribe to CHS to help us hire writers and photographers to cover the neighborhood. CHS is a pay what you can community news site with no required sign-in or paywall. To stay that way, we need you.
Become a subscriber to help us cover the neighborhood for $5 a month -- or choose your level of support 👍
They let the sad performative garden languish for years. They refused to engage with the city on a plan. Now they want to “save” it. Here comes the spray paint and vandalism tantrum.
That nonsense has to be stopped. Capital hill is becoming like the New York ghetto in their worse time. Crimes, shootings, violence, awful looking tagging, destruction and civil disobedience. It needs to be stopped now or it will be too late.
“Ghetto” is extremely racist/classist to say. And I grew up in NYC. Capitol(check your spelling) Hill is a cakewalk in comparison to a impoverished neighborhood in NY
You sure are angry about words on the internet, and yet not so much about a bunch of druggies and violent, racist political radicals taking over public space. Why is that?
Oh look it is someone from New York to lecture locals on urbanism. Thank heavens you’re here to set the record straight. So why aren’t you living in NYC? Since it’s so great an urban environment and all.
You are funny. It’s a spell check mistake. Plus, I’m not in English literature class.
Think whatever you want. It’s not racist, but a sad reality. People like to insert the races discussion in every conversation. When someone, under whatever influence, assaulting you, it’s hard not to think that it’s exactly the same, as I said. I was witnessing many disturbing behavior. Read yourself. The crime rate went up in capitol hill much higher than in any other neighborhoods. Don’t call it a “cakewalk”. It should be like that at all.
Exactly. With all that’s going on in the world right now, this seems like super silly.
Also, how many of the “black star farmers” are actually people of color?
I’ve seen pictures of the garden parties and saw the people attending the emergency call today. I’d say on the average it’s at least 10 to 1 white people.
One, the founder. The rest seem to be the usual grab bag of woke whiteys.
And you’re “Better” than “woke whiteys” some how, aren’t you? I bet you think so.
A nerve seems to have been struck.
What does that matter Marky Mark?
Because the founder of Black Star farms said the point of the garden was to provide a safe space for POC to do farming. The number of white people outweigh POC by at least 10 to 1. That seems to indicate his mission statement was disingenuous. Having said that, the racially segregated garden should never have been allowed to begin with. The community who uses the park was never given any input on it.
That isn’t true about it languishing. It’s tended all the time. Here’s what it looks like right now. It’s a normal healthy managed garden.
Yeah. I love how when I enlarge your photo it morphs into a statement from Black Star Farmers in praise of Hamas and their attacks on Israel. Great organization that Black Star Farmers and so worthy of taking public land for their private use. Plow it under.
Too bad. You don’t get to just barge in and take over public space for your monument to racial separatism and political violence. It should be gone; in fact, it should have been gone the day it went up.
That is a HUGELY misleading photo. It’s of a very, very small part of the garden.
Not really. I go by there daily. The rest of the garden is fine too.
If it was just fine I wonder why immediately after SPR announced they were going to remove it for the first time in years a large scale mobilization was done to spiffy up the park. Huge amounts of soil and bark were brought in. They also started screaming that they feed the neighborhood which is a total lie. Strangely enough during their Friday rally the only food on display was that bought at the supermarket. So much for feeding the neighborhood from the garden.
that looks like a mess not a managed garden
How is it “performative” I swear people get ahold of a word and run it into the ground where it loses meaning. Maybe you hate “peace” and “community” and “art” and fail to understand it and prefer this boring cynical annoying view but thankfully not everyone shares your myopic outlook.
You forgot to mention that in the immediate aftermath of the massacre of about a thousand innocent Jewish people they posted a handful of times expressing support. I took them to task for this on their Instagram page yesterday and the reiterated continued support for the killing of innocent Jews. Nice of you to omit that. Below is one of a handful of examples
How can other people validate this message and verify the author?
Look at the screenshot. He’s been taken to task for it and has not denied it or apologized. Why don’t you ask him directly?
If you’re calling this support of terrorism, that’s pretty weak, IDF just killed 70 civilians trying to evacuate northern Gaza under orders from Israel, by your logic are we now required to stop any and all support for Isreal because of this inhumanity and terrorism? The Palestinian-Israeli conflict death toll is still overwhelmed by innocent Palestinians caught in a century old global conflict they had no say in starting. There are no winners in this current context, but the acceptance of the world’s largest open air prison and the immense poverty of over a million children in Gaza for over a decade was never going to end in a sustainable solution…
In other words, a shoulder shrug is warranted, right Matt?
Shoulder shrugging seems to have been the status quo response to this slow decades long conflict, I’m advocating for a different response Glenn, one that understands there are no winners but that we shouldn’t accept war crimes and the inhumane treatment of people anywhere. That’s what the Floyd and BLM uprisings were about and that’s what this garden stands for. How people cannot see that, and that so many are just ready to sit back and watch the next generation’s genocide is absolutely baffling to me…
Israel has been genociding Palestinians are a much higher rate for years. Did you care then?
Sounds cool, but Portlandia isn’t filmed up here.
This is just the anarchist hippy types pissed off, because they are not able to do whatever the hell they want. They scream oppression while being the bully. The same tactics over and over.
Yeah you and the commenters (might be same account) don’t sound like a bully at all, no no, not at all
Why are they even here? Why everyone from outside of capitol hill think they can do whatever they want in this area? Where they were, when no one didn’t care for the “garden”? And, no one needs any reminding for that disturbance, which happened here with BLM movement. Go away, please. People want peace and enjoy the park like they did before. For your political agenda find another location. The same to the ones, who will try pro-palestinian protest. It’s really wierd and dangerous, that people can respond and join to the call to protect by Hamas terrorists. Are you out of your mind?
Stay away from capitol hill. We already have druggies walking like ghosts around.
Yeah, real #caphill residents get their food from the store and their politics from premier religious state, Isreal.
You’re hilarious. Capitol Hill residents in 2016 voted significantly more for the green party and the libertarian party than they did for the Republicans (aka Trump). The green and libertarian party are significantly less Israel friendly than the Democrats. Just because we object to Black Star Farmers posting and celebration of the massacre in Israel doesn’t mean we are fans of the government. I mean I’m not fans of our local government but I’d still object to people celebrating the massacre of my fellow citizens.
For sure. Everyones an extremist these days *rolls eyes*
It would be one thing if the garden looked somewhat decent, but as it stands it’s nothing but an eye sore. That area in the park has untapped potential being wasted on weeds.
Ah yes we need the aesthetic design review of all gardens now!!!! SMH
Narcissist, bullies taking up a bunch of space. They were offered other spaces in the park to better balance the needs of multiple user groups, but they didn’t engage. As is evident by its poor condition, they gave two s**ts about the garden until they got the media spotlight back for anarchist cosplay.
So where and when is the counter protest happening? This thing is way overdue for removal. We’ve got plenty of community gardens, and there’s no reason that a small handful of people should get to lay claim to public space that serves thousands. And certainly not because of some weird hybrid of lax enforcement and finders keepers shrouded in vague “wolf” cries of racism and colonialism.
Your counter protest is in the comments. Show up and try the BS you spew here in Cal. Let’s see that! Lol
Are you suggesting that if he said this above at Cal Anderson Park that the Black Star Farmers people would assault him? I mean you’re clearly threatening him. Why wouldn’t he say that to their faces are they violent?
Anyone protesting in person against the Antifa / Terrorist supporters we have here risks being doxxed, followed home, vandalized and possibly assaulted. Left wing terrorists here are not calm rational people prone to level-headed discussion. We found that out during CHAZ CHOP. Violence and physical threats from the protesters was common.
Calling antifa “terrorists” sorry your Tucker Carlson BS won’t work here.
This garden just reminds me of the chaos and violence of CHOP and the guy that was camped there that murderer his girlfriend with a board with a nail in it and then drowned in a vat of bleach in the pump house.
Yes, those were heady times for anarchists. I agree with Boris below, let’s put that back to it’s intended use and move on.
Someone I’m sure you care deeply about and not concern trolling. Definitely.
Let’s get this turned back into useful park space.
Hear, hear!
““Forceful displacement of community projects like BLMG is consistent with violent state projects like imperialism, colonization, and gentrification,”
This is just marxist BS. The garden was illegally established in a public park during CHOP, and it continues today. They have no right to be there, and they should go. I hope the City does what it has promised.
Agreed, although I would say it was just trigger word salad BS. Saying it’s Marxist actually implies most people understand the complexity and nuances of Marxism in this day and age. I certainly don’t, and I’d put money on the fact that most others don’t as well. But yes to everything else, If they want to apply for a permit great. But otherwise what’s to stop anyone for taking over public land without permits or permission for what they think is a good use/cause?
I went to town on the garden of intolerance with a weed whacker a couple of years ago. The Park Concierge working nearby came over, screeched at me, recorded me with his phone, and called the cops.
So it’s not just the “Black Star Farmers” responsible for this blight on the city. They have many enablers in the community and working for the city.
I didn’t accomplish very much but damn that felt good.
I hope someone ruins something you like
Wow you sound like a huge POS
A lot of area racists are showing themselves. We all know “Why” they don’t like the garden. Probably live in Issaquah and listen to Brandi Kruse, but love stirring up crap here.
It looks like their “protest” involved vandalizing the adjacent building?
Gee, thanks for wasting more Parks Department staff time.
The mutual aid, CHAZ anarchist d*bags have cost the city and the environment dearly with the never-ending, pointless vandalism in the park. What a waste of resources.
Question to the Krabapple’s that regularly comment negatively on just about every article thats posted on here; If these are always so infuriating, why do you bother reading/engaging with this blog? It’s seems like compulsive behavior that only serves to rile yourself up.
Seattle is a crazy place. Give them somewhere to farm if that is what they want. Create a Pea Patch. Let others maintain participate too.
We are in a housing crisis and drug/mental epidemic in Seattle. Gardens are the least of my concern. I bet if we had more gardens across Seattle for folks to tend we would have a bit less of the craziness we have now.
I want a safe community where gun violence on capital hill is not a thing. I want a capital hill where you are offered services if homeless and if you refuse you are arrested and forced into services and get you the help and mercy you so strongly desire.
I want a capital hill where everyone can participate and be safe. Regardless of race, income, or whatever. I just know that more gardens and less open air drug market and violence should be our focus.
How is a garden unsafe? You don’t even know what you’re mad at anymore. You just see “BLM” and start seeing red, don’t you?
It needs to go in a different part of the park. The amphitheatre/Sunbowl/meadow space needs to be just that, not a garden. In the past, groups used to be able to rent out the space between the bathroom and the shelter house and use the meadow as additional space if needed. Remove the illegal homeless encampments from the corners of the park have great garden space and repurpose it for the BLM memorial gardens.