Guerrillas in the Midst

Activism.  Activist.  They are words that many people love to shout out.  To me, they often give me the creeps.

 

How many times have you heard someone say, "I don't eat THIS" or "I don't buy THAT" or "I don't do ALLOFTHEABOVE."

 

My response is:  it's always easier to NOT do something.  It takes a lot more commitment to actually do, or COUNTER, something to which you are opposed.

Well, Saturday night, as we returned home from dinner in Silver Lake, we saw a group of folks on a corner up to something that looked pretty good.  We pulled over, and we saw about 20 folks, of all ages, plowing, hacking, and digging away.  Some looked retired; others probably hadn't even started Kindergarten.  They all were having a blast.

So what were they doing?  They were taking an ugly patch of dirt on a fairly busy corner . . . and were about to turn that wasted dirt into a garden of succulents.  It was one of the most inspiring gatherings I had ever seen.  The mood was festive, each person determined . . . and I'm walking down there later today to see the fruits of their hard yet convivial labor.  I must say, they were brilliant to do this on Saturday night, too.  I can't imagine anyone calling the cops to complain about a group of 20 improving the city--but based on my experience calling the cops to get neighbors to cease partying at 1:00 a.m., I think the LAPD has more priorities than to bust a posse of phantom gardeners.

They are the LA Guerrilla Gardeners.  Without fanfare, this group scouts out patches of dirt all over Los Angeles and they sow drought resistant plants or even vegetable seeds.  This is a surging movement that has not only gained traction in San Francisco and Miami, but in London and Berlin has well.

 

Why are they doing this?  In Los Angeles, there is frustration with wasted space, from medians with nothing growing in them to front yards paved over with concrete.  Los Angeles, at a micro level, has many beautiful neighborhoods:  but take the city as a whole, and let's just face it . . . the City of Angels is not an attractive place.  Furthermore, trying to get anything done with the Los Angeles government is frustrating:  the LADWP discourages solar panels with ridiculous permitting procedures while sourcing 50% of its electricity stock from coal.  We are told to only water twice a week, but see lush landscaping on the West Side.  Our mayor wanted a million trees planted, but about 999,995 died in parking lots from poor publicity and distribution (the rest our on our property!).  And while there are neighborhood beautification grants available, trying to tear up asphalt and replacing with aloe through the city about as pleasant as a 6 month tooth extraction.

 

So these LA Guerrillas, coming from all backgrounds, are taking things in their own hands.  I should say, planting with their own hands.  They give workshops on how to make seed bombs, provide resources on how to make your property flourish with native plants, and are turning depressing brown spots into thriving green patches.  After decades of wasting water on plants that just do not belong here, they are taking a smart approach to leave a lasting legacy for LA.  After a hot and dusty summer with scorching fires, we need them.

 

Best of all, they make it easy to participate.  You can subscribe to learn about the next phantom event.  And you can also donate money or items here.