Part 5: Hell and High Water Hath Arrived...

Saturday, May 11, 2013, I got a call telling me that we had topsoil coming to the garden in 1 hour.

I called my friends and fellow activists, made my coffee and got myself together. I picked up Crystal Brown and headed to the Garden. As we passed Wides Corner we saw the big red Better Image truck turning around at the garage. We had missed the drop of topsoil. We continued pass the Better Image Landscaping business on Lafayette Place. Words do little justice to what we found at the garden. The photo to the right must do that.

An employee from the Mitchell's Auto Body Shop was busy covering what appeared a very tiny pile of topsoil. Tiny, yes compared to the giant pond created where the garden used to be. Have you even been so angry that you screamed inside your elbow? I wanted to do that, but I held my composure. How many more loads of soil and organic matter would be required to cover the entire garden? I would say 8 or 9. Remember now. The City, under orders from someone pretty high up removed over a foot of topsoil from the garden. This is topsoil that had been treated with fertilizer and organic matter by the gardeners for years.

There is a reason that the garden looks like a pond. In October of 2012, the City scraped off vegetation taking topsoil with them. On April 25, 2013, they returned and scraped off over a foot more of topsoil and packed down the remaining soil. On May 3, they sent in the heavy machinery used to pack down the soil and level out the sports fields for the planting of grass and turf. What we have here is some seriously packed dirt that will not absorb this water. 

I spoke with the caretaker and he says that it will take quite a while before this land may be tilled. I just hope that it is finally absorbed. I do not relish the thought of the city poisoning this water to kill mosquito larvae. It is most important to remedy the situation of standing water as soon as possible.  

We have 2 more volunteers who have joined the "save the Genesee garden project". They love sweet basil, tomatoes and zucchini  and do not like the thought that the garden may be turned into a field of grass. They are making sure that more top soil will be brought to the area and that the farmer will have enough plants, seeds and fertilizer. I have promised to make them some pesto. It is marvelous what we have in common with different people once the conversation commences. Let us hope that the rain ceases and we will have enough machine power to turn the tightly packed soil. Let us also hope that  the evil genius from the city has had his fill of "nasty acts" and stops the attack on this small plot of land.

Our Friends...Join Us....!

Better Image Landscaping Services

76 Lafayette Pl  Englewood, NJ 07631
(201) 569-6559

Steven
Mitchell's Auto Body Shop
Foreign & Domestic Collision & Paint
Certified Paint & Collision Technicians
Email: mitchellsautobody@verizon.net
198 Lafayette Place
Est. 1976
201-568-0066    Fax: 201-568-8701

Rick Whilby
Red Hills Towing - By Any means necessary
75 Lafayette Place
Englewood, NJ 07631
201-522-1871    Fax: 201-408-5352
Email: redhillstowing@hotmail.com

Part 4: Is the City at War With a 4th Ward Patch of Ground?

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.

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.

Part 3: Members of the Community Come together to Talk & Plan

On Sunday, April 28, 2013, Council Wayne Hamer and members of the 4th and 3rd Ward Communities met at the Genesee/Lafayette Place Garden. We tried to make some sense out of the destruction of what we consider a Landmark. We comforted each other and spoke of proceeding forward through the healing process.

Committee People: Each City Ward is divided into 4 districts. This means that there are 32 people in our City charged with letting the City Council know our concerns. Each District has 2 Committee People, 1 male and 1 female. Make sure you make yourself known to them. When they report or communicate with the City Council, they must represent us, not just themselves. Our Committee people were recently elected in 2012. After recent inquiry, I learned that these positions are rarely publicized and one may garner a position with as little as 7 votes. More of us must begin to take note of this very important, but seemingly irrelevant position.  Click here to find the names of 4th Ward Committee People.

We all agreed to focus on repairing the garden and not on retaliation. It was obvious that enough retribution and retaliation had already infected our community. We agreed to communicate with the men who have been caring for the place, to get more topsoil, to donate fertilizer, plants, seeds and manual labor. We also thought of ways to make the garden look more attractive. 

we discussed communicating with the Englewood Historical Society in order to have it honored in some way so it will be protected in future. It IS one of those "Gateways into Englewood" that our City Leaders and the Developers are always discussing. This one just happens to be in the 4th Ward. Our 4th Ward "Gateways" must be kept beautiful also.

I had already gotten email messages from Mayor Frank Huttle III and Lynne Algrant. They had both visited the garden and seemed interested in helping. Residents report that Mayor Huttle visited them on his bicycle ride and asked about the garden. John and Esther Babb, Glen Coley (Who grew up in the 3rd ward), Devry Pazant who lives up the street, Georgette who lives across the street and several others whose names I did not write down dropped by to comment on the deed. I intentionally did not publicize the photos even though I really wanted to expose the underlying evil. The photo above shows that a good foot of topsoil has been removed from the garden. One cannot cover up the true intent here. No amount of glad ragging or speaking in muted tones may cover for that.

Democratic Committee Person for
Ward 4, District 2. Take your concerns
to him. Let him know that we all
have legitimate concerns
about the negligence  in maintaining
City property in the 4th Ward.

Rickie Taylor, who had originally complained about the lack of fall clean up in the garden came out to speak to us. He lives one house away from the unkempt city lot on the opposite side of the street.  He was very adamant that he has nothing against the garden. In fact, he said he likes the garden, respects the caretakers and had no idea that his complaints would cause such destruction. 

He said that he was just trying to make the City clean up his street and force the gardeners who  worked the plot last year understand that they must clean up the lot at the end of the season. That was actually a reasonable desire. He pointed to the vacant lot across the street. It was filled with litter, tall weeds, layers of dead leaves and poison ivy. We all decided that going forward we would communicate with each other before bringing in the City. 

This day ended on a positive note. Mr. Hamer was to

speak to the City Leaders and the Community was rallying

to help preserve something we care about.

Part 2: Is This The Result of the Threat of Being Nasty?

A City lot belongs to the people.

Tuesday April 23 at the City Council Meeting I asked some questions that seemed to anger Tim Dacey, the Englewood City Manager. I have been to City Council  meetings and watched other people complain and ask questions and they are not treated the way Mr. Dacey treated me. It seems that questions and requests from some 4th Ward Residents are treated like attacks on one's manhood. 

Who would give the order to do this?

• I complained that the lights on the Herring Field may pose a health hazard since artificial light has been linked to cancer. I explained that the lights are on at night every single night of the year and that this was wasting money plus putting the residents in danger of contracting an incurable disease. The experts say that lights such as these should point to the ground and not into the windows of neighboring houses. It would be more economical for all of us taxpaying residents if they were on only during games.

• I spoke up for the Trolley and contradicted the 2nd Ward Councilman and others who claim that no one rides it. I guess it makes them feel better about killing it if they convince themselves that it is never used. The Trolley is not in the budget for next year. It has about 1 month left. It seems that there is a promise that was made in order to get the Trolley and no one is holding the folks who made these promises  accountable.
  
  

• 

  Where was the topsoil taken? The Caretakers put hard
  work and money into building up the top soil that
  was removed.  Note the width of the tracks on this
  monster machine

  I also asked if the gentlemen who have been the caretakers of the Genesee Garden would be able to continue to grow their vegetables. I reminded them that the City had it bulldozed in the fall. Mr.Skurnick, the 3rd Ward Councilman commented that he liked seeing the garden as he takes that route quite often. His remarks about the missing topsoil were interesting since relatively little had been removed at that time. He was of the opinion that the garden was no longer usable. I explained that the topsoil had been pushed to the side and that it could be pulled back into the garden and deep tilling would make it workable again with the addition of organic matter. 

Tim Dacey asked if this plot was one on the list to be sold. Very interesting question. The size of the lot is probably what has saved it all these many years. The City Council unanimously agreed that the garden should be continued. Again. The City Council gave the garden the go ahead nod of approval. All of them including Lynn Algrant who was substituting for Mayor Huttle III.

This is some sever packing action right here.

After adjournment, Theresa Thomas, the female 4th Ward, District 2 Committee person put her head together with Ken Albert, the City Manager. As I was leaving the council chambers Tim Dacey, the City Manager stopped me. He seemed very upset. He told me that I make a big deal of everything and that the Herring Field lights were on a timer and it would be a simple thing to reset them. He said that I should just email him with my concerns. I guess those were his orders instead of writing a blog post about the problem.  

I was right behind the nastiness with my camera. 

I did send him an email, but he claims I didn't. I guess he just didn't like the fact that I had very little to say to him. I included a link to the blog post. He told me that he could get nasty and he would show me how he could get nasty if that was what I wanted. I don't know where he got the impression that I wished to see him get nasty. I was very clear when addressing the City Council in what I wanted. 

Equal treatment of 4th Ward Residents and the land within.

I am also fully aware of the capacity of white men to get nasty. The request was not made to benefit myself. I have more than enough property to grow my own garden at home safe from his bulldozer. That was on Tuesday.

On Thursday, April 25, 2013, I learned first hand about Tim Dacey's nastiness. The photos  here document the depth to which a person will go to assert his will over another over an entire community. He does not live here. His lack of respect for the culture of the people and the heritage of this town is the only thing that could have prompted the havoc wreaked upon this Century Old Garden. He took out his anger on the entire 4th Ward after the City Council had given permission. Did he forget that he works for the City Council. It is my understanding that a vote could relieve him of duties with a cursory notice. We should note here that the garden has been there and passed down from caretaker to caretaker over 100 years. 

This time the bulldozer took away more than a foot of topsoil and pushed soil up into the hedges. 

The good news is that Deacon Gainey does want to continue working the garden. Several community members have volunteered to help get the garden back together before planting time slips away from us. We have spoken to Committee person Rickie Taylor and we seem to be on the same page. We are also from the same general small town area in North Carolina. We found common ground. We have not found common ground with Theresa Thomas, the female Committee person, because she does not come out of her house to deal with us. Mr. Taylor admitted and claimed his part in the original fall bulldozing. He does not claim this recent demolition, nor does he condone the removal of the topsoil. Mr. Taylor, like us, is very concerned about the appearance of our neighborhood. Perhaps Ms. Thomas will come around one day also.

Even though the Community has stepped up to help it does not negate the fact that someone should have to answer for this destruction. Who gave the order? What happened to the topsoil? Was it sold? Was it taken for use in another yard or ward? They should bring the top soil back since the gardeners have been working for years to create the rich loom that was stolen.

More Photos. You must be logged in to Facebook in order to see these photos.

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.588893647802164.1073741826.100000446037326&type=1

A How To Community Garden Guide

http://communitygarden.org/docs/learn/articles/soil-lord_of_flies.pdf