Friday, May 3, 2013, I was called to the Genesee/Lafayette Garden by a friend who works closely on Englewood's Garden Project with Lynne Algrant, Englewood's Council at Large. She had been told that someone was coming to repair the garden that day.
Mr. Taylor came out again. Mr. Sweatt, the head of the DPW made a cursory appearance. He seemed very dispassionate and appeared to really dislike being shoved into the middle of the controversy. Mr. Taylor and I both expressed that we garden preservers and our Committee person were now on the same page. We requested a tiller to turn the soil over and fluff it up. We requested the topsoil be returned. He said very little. He has only a few months left on the job, because Englewood has a mandatory retirement age. Mr. Sweatt, like the Police Chief were caught in this Englewood regulation. I wonder how old Mr. Albert and Mr. Dacey are. Just saying.
I stopped the operator and asked him who had suggested that he use that particular machine.
Why is it that men never want to listen to women on these things? He said it was what he always used when working in the parks and sports fields preparing to plant grass. Again, the burning question becomes this: Who told him that he was planting grass?
He insisted that he always cleans up and picks up trash. I had not mentioned trash. We picked up some trash together. The question is still the same: Who told him to prepare the soil to plant grass? Would that even solve the problem? The lot across the street is planted with grass and is generally in much worse shape than this garden plot. Who is pulling the strings here? He was very adamant that what he was doing was going to make the garden better. I tried to explain that this was not a lawn and that we were growing vegetables. I was flabbergasted that he actually thought that what he was doing would be good to grow vegetables. It was futile to argue, because he was following orders. He told me that he was making the land softer.
He even got down from the machine to demonstrate by stomping on the hard ground with the approximately 2 inches of ruffled ssoil, how much better the surface of the garden was. It was almost funny. Almost. He assured me that he was going to make many passes. I wanted to scream. The many passes simply packed the soil down more eliminating all air spaces and any earthworm activity that was not already carried away with the topsoil that was removed in the 2 previous assaults. It was near impossible to watch this well meaning gentleman who was just following orders do
Again, I called concerned citizens. We gathered and discussed the unfriendly proceedings, again. Again, it was obvious that the City Leaders and employees were not helping. We all watched as the soil was packed down more. Deacon Gainey, Curtis Caviness, Crystal Brown, Rick Whilby, the owner and employees of Mitchell Auto Body gathered to watch the crazy machine pack down a garden that they have all watched flourish for years.
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| These 2 men have known each other since 1975. One has provided the other with seeds, plants and fertilizer. The other has freely raised vegetables for salads and sandwiches. |
I put on my work clothes, gathered up my tools and called interested people to come to the garden. Once there, we were told that the DPW workers would return with the necessary equipment after lunch.
Mr. Taylor came out again. Mr. Sweatt, the head of the DPW made a cursory appearance. He seemed very dispassionate and appeared to really dislike being shoved into the middle of the controversy. Mr. Taylor and I both expressed that we garden preservers and our Committee person were now on the same page. We requested a tiller to turn the soil over and fluff it up. We requested the topsoil be returned. He said very little. He has only a few months left on the job, because Englewood has a mandatory retirement age. Mr. Sweatt, like the Police Chief were caught in this Englewood regulation. I wonder how old Mr. Albert and Mr. Dacey are. Just saying.
It was late afternoon and finally a machine arrived. It was large and heavy and covered with thick metal spikes about 3" long attached to a steel drum that poked little 3" holes in the dirt as it basically packed the dirt down even more.
I stopped the operator and asked him who had suggested that he use that particular machine.Why is it that men never want to listen to women on these things? He said it was what he always used when working in the parks and sports fields preparing to plant grass. Again, the burning question becomes this: Who told him that he was planting grass?
He insisted that he always cleans up and picks up trash. I had not mentioned trash. We picked up some trash together. The question is still the same: Who told him to prepare the soil to plant grass? Would that even solve the problem? The lot across the street is planted with grass and is generally in much worse shape than this garden plot. Who is pulling the strings here? He was very adamant that what he was doing was going to make the garden better. I tried to explain that this was not a lawn and that we were growing vegetables. I was flabbergasted that he actually thought that what he was doing would be good to grow vegetables. It was futile to argue, because he was following orders. He told me that he was making the land softer.
He even got down from the machine to demonstrate by stomping on the hard ground with the approximately 2 inches of ruffled ssoil, how much better the surface of the garden was. It was almost funny. Almost. He assured me that he was going to make many passes. I wanted to scream. The many passes simply packed the soil down more eliminating all air spaces and any earthworm activity that was not already carried away with the topsoil that was removed in the 2 previous assaults. It was near impossible to watch this well meaning gentleman who was just following orders do
further damage to the lot.
Again, I called concerned citizens. We gathered and discussed the unfriendly proceedings, again. Again, it was obvious that the City Leaders and employees were not helping. We all watched as the soil was packed down more. Deacon Gainey, Curtis Caviness, Crystal Brown, Rick Whilby, the owner and employees of Mitchell Auto Body gathered to watch the crazy machine pack down a garden that they have all watched flourish for years.
Men started stepping up to volunteer whatever services they possessed to help. A man who works in the garden industry promised topsoil. Another promised the use of his good strong son and tiller. Others promised fertilizer, seeds and plants. This is yet another day that we thought ended well.
I watched as this group talked over the old times and great lunches with tomatoes and cucumbers. I was not so sure that we will ever be in that happy place again. Unlike them, I do not trust the people who sent out City workers on 3 occasions with orders that were not good for us. I do not trust anyone who would send out workers with orders to destroy something in their own community. I see a very negative pattern here that is much larger than a 100 year old garden. This garden is but a symbol representing an attack on the very heart of a Community. We The People are standing strong and planted. We shall not be moved.
I watched as this group talked over the old times and great lunches with tomatoes and cucumbers. I was not so sure that we will ever be in that happy place again. Unlike them, I do not trust the people who sent out City workers on 3 occasions with orders that were not good for us. I do not trust anyone who would send out workers with orders to destroy something in their own community. I see a very negative pattern here that is much larger than a 100 year old garden. This garden is but a symbol representing an attack on the very heart of a Community. We The People are standing strong and planted. We shall not be moved.
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