[Chapter_Fourteen] the fence

[Starhawk]

I also agree with a policy of not forwarding emails without the permission
of the writer.  But bear in mind that nonetheless, anything you put in an
email can potentially end up anywhere‹I¹ve had one turn up in court in
discovery around a lawsuit!

As for the needle problem, a couple of suggestions:
--Yes, a drop box would probabably be appreciated and used.  Might not
entirely solve the problem but would help.  Department of Health could
provide them.  Drug users‹like everyone‹appreciate people who treat them
with some respect.
--Go talk to the folks who run the nearby needle exchange.  They will
probably have some good ideas of how to deal with the problem.  Other
resources‹street mediators from local agencies‹Huckleberry House has them
but may have changed its name.

Okay, more later, Starhawk


On 11/13/10 9:04 AM, "margaretha haughwout" <xmargarethax at gmail.com> wrote:

> dear all, 
> 
> i think we just built a fence!
> 
> as an administrator of the list, it would be my personal policy not to fwd
> writing. i can certainly add this sentiment in the welcome letter. to be clear
> though, we are always taking a risk in an email list that our thoughts and
> sentiments could be exposed to unknown forces. members of PHC or a relevant
> org could already be lurking here. the archives can also be found
> here: http://lists.beforebefore.net/pipermail/chapter_fourteen-beforebefore.ne
> t/ i am inclined to keep them accessible.
> 
> antonio and starhawk, thank you for offering to help. i think many members of
> our community would like to hear about what is possible.
> 
> best,
> /m
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> On Fri, Nov 12, 2010 at 5:42 PM, Rachel A. Buddeberg <rachel at rabe.org> wrote:
>> My point exactly, so definitely agreed! Thanks for bringing this up again,
>> Jason!
>> 
>> Rachel
>> 
>> On Nov 12, 2010, at 4:33 PM, Jason Hiller wrote:
>> 
>>> I agree that no-one should feel free to forward anything stated on the
>>> threads to anyone outside of the threads in the future. Being personally
>>> identifiable by our email addresses really makes this a sensitive issue.
>>> 
>>> If this can't be adhered to then I personally can't be comfortable
>>> participating further. No harm with that move it seems but better to draw
>>> that boundary now or at least confront it if there is opposition to this
>>> notion.
>>> 
>>> Agreed?
>>> 
>>> On Fri, Nov 12, 2010 at 11:23 AM, Antonio Roman-Alcala
>>> <antidogmatist at gmail.com> wrote:
>>>> Levi-
>>>> Excuse me. All I was doing was following up on the interest expressed (in
>>>> this thread, by many HVF participants) to connect with Project Homeless
>>>> Connect and Growing Home Community Garden. Knowing someone very involved in
>>>> those projects, I figured to make the connection. I didn't tell Megan, the
>>>> director of GHCG, what to do or anything; just let her know that there was
>>>> interest from HVF for support on this issue and that she may want to get in
>>>> contact with HVF-ers to begin a dialog.
>>>> 
>>>> I never spoke "for" HVF.
>>>> 
>>>> I sincerely hope this is not seen as un-called for. 
>>>> -Antonio
>>>> 
>>>> 
>>>> On Fri, Nov 12, 2010 at 8:44 AM, Levi Maxwell <levisiah at gmail.com> wrote:
>>>>>  Antonio: Who are you to speak for Hayes Valley Farm; I personally am
>>>>> offended by this as a homeless individual who has been with HVF for
>>>>> several month now. It is this sort of thing I had hoped would be worked
>>>>> out in this forum; that is a general consensus would be made before
>>>>> calling other organizations.
>>>>>  
>>>>>  There is a disconnect that people have for some reason; you are not
>>>>> helping getting a middle man involved esp. before we talk to the squatters
>>>>> (Though in actuality HVF are the squatters who took the homes of the
>>>>> former community before gentrification, urban renewal, and "Green"
>>>>> establishments came about). 
>>>>> 
>>>>> On Thu, Nov 11, 2010 at 9:19 PM, Vanessa Roland <vanessa.roland at gmail.com>
>>>>> wrote:
>>>>>> I do not have time to write much but am finding this thread very
>>>>>> interesting and love all of the comments, ideas, and breaking of
>>>>>> stereotypes. As a youth educator at HVF, I find the needles to be a
>>>>>> hazardous and ongoing problem that we are desperate to find solutions to
>>>>>> sooner rather than later. We have been working with mostly small children
>>>>>> who pick up any and everything they find onsite, especially the unusual.
>>>>>> So one of our tasks as educators is to survey the farm for needles and
>>>>>> traces of needle use before any of our classes. This is hard to do on
>>>>>> such a large area and with so many places for things to hide although one
>>>>>> of the usual places we find needles is the area near our classroom. We
>>>>>> have discussed whether putting up signs saying children's garden or space
>>>>>> might deter the usage and disposal, but I'm not sure that is really
>>>>>> enough. 
>>>>>> 
>>>>>> I think reaching out to others in the neighborhood and community is a
>>>>>> great avenue as I know it is an issue in other areas of the neighborhood.
>>>>>> I have friends with a small child who live a couple blocks away and
>>>>>> consistently find needles on the street which they find very disturbing.
>>>>>> I also believe needles are found at Patricia's Green nearby and in
>>>>>> various areas along Octavia. I think part of the reason for so many
>>>>>> needles in the vicinity is the clean needle exchange nearby. I believe it
>>>>>> is at the LGBT Community Center on Market and Octavia. Maybe they are a
>>>>>> community to reach out to as well for ideas. I have the same question as
>>>>>> Rachel about drop boxes. Once going through all this effort to get high,
>>>>>> will someone make the effort to dispose of the needle properly? and how
>>>>>> is it monitored? I know very little about all of this so do not feel able
>>>>>> to adequately answer these questions or develop clear solutions but am
>>>>>> very open to learning, collaborating, and outreach to make the situation
>>>>>> better for all.
>>>>>> 
>>>>>> I would love to not be fearful each time we have children onsite that
>>>>>> they might reach into a patch of squash or broccoli and find a needle.
>>>>>> 
>>>>>> There is an elderly homeless man that I see frequently near the farm whom
>>>>>> I believe sleeps in or near often. I find him to be friendly when I walk
>>>>>> by and feel he might be a good person to reach out to for more
>>>>>> information about what happens at night. Has anyone talked with him yet?
>>>>>> 
>>>>>> Vanessa
>>>>>> 
>>>>>> On Thu, Nov 11, 2010 at 11:47 AM, Rachel A. Buddeberg <rachel at rabe.org>
>>>>>> wrote:
>>>>>>> A couple of thoughts: 
>>>>>>> 
>>>>>>> * If people come onto the Farm to use drugs, will they really use the
>>>>>>> needle drop boxes?  This is an honest question - I don't know, though it
>>>>>>> would seem odd to me that someone scales a fence, shoots up illegal
>>>>>>> drugs, and then is orderly enough to dispose of their needle... Plus,
>>>>>>> there's a question of trust - is someone monitoring the drop box?  
>>>>>>> * Is needle sharing still an issue?  I know this is a totally different
>>>>>>> can of worms but offering clean/sterile needles might be a need, too. 
>>>>>>> * I very much liked Shannon's suggestion of working with Project
>>>>>>> Homeless Connect, especially given their background! I think this City
>>>>>>> is in desperate need of rethinking how we treat our homeless neighbors. 
>>>>>>> 
>>>>>>> Rachel 
>>>>>>> 
>>>>>>> 
>>>>>>> On Nov 11, 2010, at 11:01 AM, Jason Hiller wrote:
>>>>>>> 
Hello,

I just read the thread from start to now. Going back to the conversation
about the fence seems most useful. There is a general principle I'm sure we
all know that when you are in an argument or disagreement with someone the
best way to disarm them is to accept them.

The fence is ragged. If it weren't for the children's posters hanging from
them I think the farm would look more like a private place to me than a
public place. Well, it still seems private and I think that is okay because
there are commodities and things of value on the inside even if it is all of
us that owns that stuff.

The thing about crime is that you have to ultimately decide how much crime
prevention is going to be apart of your life. If someone wants to commit a
crime there is truly very little you can do to stop them. If they want to
break in to your home or car the chances are that they are going to do it.

Exactly which parts are we identifying as criminal here- or maybe a better
phrase is disagreeable to the site. I think IV drug use is a concern and I
could totally understand why Friend 2 decided to call whether you liked it
or not. I have put my hands into the broccoli patch and harvested before
anyone told me to be on the lookout for such a thing. I would be very upset
to say the least if I got stuck by a needle. IV drug use transmits diseases
and it is a very serious issue that you can't deliberate on too long. I'd
hate to see a resolution wait until after someone gets hurt.

But other than that, do we care if people make use of the land? Do we have
obligations to prevent such access?

I would propose two things to help make a solution. One- create an open,
24/7 public access to the site almost in a plaza-like feel. This gives
people who need a place to sleep the ability to take advantage of it in
non-destructive ways. Accept them instead of make them scale the fence.
Greater access would have the benefit of letting the people who respect the
fence enter. In other words, the people that are jumping the fence are the
people that already don't mind acting criminally (although whether that is
criminal is up to debate).

The second thing I would propose is, yes put in needle drop boxes. I would
be surprised if with a few phone calls to the Health Department if they
wouldn't come out and give you what you need and organize the pick up of
them too. It is a bio-hazard and I think it really best to let professionals
deal with the collection and removal. But more importantly, how do you offer
encouragement, support and information to users so they reconsider. A simple
sign that gets the message of "if you are going to use here, at least follow
these safety steps" could do wonders to reaching those folks so that they
become aware that their actions, while not judging them, are causing others
great concern.

I'd be interested in helping figure out plans for these things if they seem
viable to the larger farm group.

On Thu, Nov 11, 2010 at 2:17 AM, margaretha haughwout
<xmargarethax at gmail.com> wrote:
hi all, 

i've been staying silent on here in the hope we might get some new voices on
this thread. this thread has initiated several conversations for me outside
of this list, one on one, which has been very interesting.

one thing that has been gently pointed out to me is that the iv users are
not necessarily the homeless. they could easily be rich and unable to use at
home. i think i sort of conflated the two initially. i appreciate that i was
shown this, and that the showing was so gentle.

and thank you rachel, these suggestions are very good. one of the intentions
behind starting this list was for people - newly forming farms, gardens, and
other groups - to get practical advice from people who have experience
working with alternative models of governance, economy, labor, human
relationship, etc. there are maybe 50 people on this list at this point, and
i'm hoping it will grow and that we can continue to advise each other on
good practices as well as helping to clarify the issues as a few good
friends have done offline in the past couple of days.

clearly, we have a lot of work to do in terms of building relationships and
trust across the border between day and night. i look forward to this work. 

i hope folks will continue to pipe in here. i'd love to further the
discussion about written contracts. very curious about this debate rachel
and i began, and hope someone might elaborate on peoples or practices that
are successful that don't have written contracts.

also continue to be curious about any suggestions we might have for working
with the nighttime community on site and more generally, accountability
structures that facilitate response - ability to the land and to the city
(and to each other - !)

best wishes,
/m




On Mon, Nov 8, 2010 at 12:18 PM, Rachel A. Buddeberg <rachel at rabe.org>
wrote:
I agree that we'd have to tread carefully when involving outside agencies.
 HOT might be out because it's a City organization (though there might be
people working for HOT who have "I wish we could" ideas that go beyond the
standard way of thinking...).  The reason I suggested talking to other
organizations is to learn from them.  Maybe some of them have figured out
ways to address issues like addiction.  But I think the most important
people to get involved in these discussions are the homeless themselves, so
that Portland organization might be a good org to reach out
to (http://www.dignityvillage.org/).  Maybe also Street Sheet
(http://cohsf.org/streetsheet/).  Reaching out would be just to get ideas
for potential solutions... 

On Nov 7, 2010, at 6:47 PM, Levi Maxwell wrote:

 I feel that this issue is not only a farm issue but a city-wide issue as
well. 
 
 I will not agree with any banning or invasion of an individuals home; HVF
has for two decades been the workspace and living space for many people left
with very few options in a city that cares only somewhat for Homeless people
under 24 and women with children (Which is important as we are more likely
to need special services that plague our demographic).
 
 It is my belief in harm reduction as well as inter-community dialogue that
the inhabitants and Farmworkers can come to a resolution.
 
However I have no romantic notions about this; mental illness is rampant in
my community, esp. in the camper community who either because of the
feelings they have towards the shelter system or simply not understanding
what is best for their health choose to live literally in the streets (the
vast majority do not). There will be drunks, there will be heroin/meth/crack
addicts, there will be people with mental disabilities; but if  we can work
with everyone even with the cultural gaps of two disparate groups (because
there are many cultures that belongs to homeless people) we can come up with
something.
 
 HVF must stand together with a single voice and come to a conclusion that
can be agreed upon, so that there won't be some individuals calling police
or disregarding new ground rules. We must not come off as saviors; neithier
should we push our beliefs of what is right for them (that is alternative
living situations); only suggestions.
 
 Long term goals like building up security or breaking down the fence, I
feel is too soon  to think about because we should make sure the demographic
discussed is the one doing damage.
 
 Right now a few feet away the staff and clients of a youth runaway house I
am living at are talking about misidentification. We know the neighbors for
the most part don't like or want us here (even though this building in one
form or another has been a emergency home for 20 years and most residents
have been here less then 5-10 years) and we have to be on our P's and Q's
when outside because any time anyone who looks young makes noise or trouble
we get blamed, putting our housing and future housing in this building and
other buildings around the city for us in jeopardy.
 
 The sons and daughters/students of this now gentrified, priviledged,
& "hip" neighborhood walk around drunk, yelling at people, screaming,
creating noise, yet we a demographic in need of services the most and
understand our placement in these surrounding people's minds get blamed.
Phone calls and complaints come to the program manager and he has to
decipher out what was us and what was them (Even  though he can't know since
he is never here in the building itself).
 
 So remember think about what HVF does before we call any outside
organizations or people; some folks just want to live their life and thread
lightly and the ones who don't, those are the ones we need to speak to.
 
On Sun, Nov 7, 2010 at 6:03 PM, margaretha haughwout
<xmargarethax at gmail.com> wrote:
dear rachel and everyone.

thanks so much for writing and offering your insights and feedback.

a few brief responses with yes more to follow:

sorry to link to the google doc; i mean to link to
this: http://www.sfgov2.org/index.aspx?page=2041

and no, we don't have a fixed decision making process at the farm right now,
beyond the small groups that we at times work within. i work within a few
small groups at the farm. the one i work most actively within goes by
consensus with the bigger decisions, and a conversation- based ad-hoc style
for the smaller decisions. to be clear, the ad-hoc nature at the farm that i
described with the friends as an example has many advantages. it means we
can respond very quickly in some circumstances and act with some freedom.
i'm not necessarily arguing against it... is there someway we can have both
consensus and ad-hoc? i worked as a gardener for over a decade, mostly with
women; we would deliberate about what to do about an apple tree for a while,
and then one of us would make a move. similar things seem to be happening at
the farm, though there are more people, and not everyone is consulted on any
given issue. i'm sure you can imagine there are some circumstances that
arise where this may be more of a problem...

in regards to Diana Leafe Christian, i'm so glad you brought her up. i was
hoping she would figure here. to be honest, i'm wary of written documents,
since they've been so successful of robbing native peoples of their land.
have you heard criticisms of the written document? what are the pros and
cons? what do non-literate cultures do?

all the best wishes,
/m









On Sun, Nov 7, 2010 at 3:54 PM, Rachel A. Buddeberg <rachel at rabe.org> wrote:
Wow!  There is lot to digest here, so I am only going to respond with some
initial thoughts, probably more questions/reaction that I had when reading
these...  

Sit/Lie passed on Tuesday.  To me this shows that the majority of the voting
City does not want to see homeless.  Homeless remind us of the inequality
we've created in this land of plenty where some don't even have a place to
sit or sleep or wash.  To me this means that the farm represents a real
opportunity to show that things can be different.  But it also means the
prevailing winds we have to deal with: Homeless are mostly seen as a
nuisance not as human beings with needs.  

As I was walking from the Farm yesterday to one of the cafes to use the
restroom, I watched a homeless guy comb his beard and hair.  He seemed
strangely dignified, as he was doing something so usual to us  - trying to
maintain a resemblance of dignity in a very humiliating situation.  Are
there maybe some homeless who are not addicts and could offer some
suggestions and/or help?  Why are the people using drugs (beyond the
addiction; addicts are very wounded people)? Would they get off drugs if
they had hope for something?  Homeless are part of our communities.  Most
people don't see them that way and we often don't talk to them to see if
they have solutions.  

There is a garden very close to the Farm run by the Project Homeless Connect
(it's on the other side of Octavia on Oak St).  Would working with them
might help us figure out a solution?  Also, what did the HOT people say?
 (It looks like you linked to a Google doc. If that's true, I am not able to
access it).  Also, there's dignity village in Portland
(http://www.dignityvillage.org/).  

I am not sure how to approach the communication issues other than mentioning
a couple of reactions: Calling HOT seemed like a breach of the consensus and
I am wondering if the person who called them realizes that; do you have a
process set up for making decisions.  That's one thing Diana Leafe Christian
talks about as one of the absolute necessities for a community: a written
agreement on how important decisions are made.  To me, how to deal with the
golden fence seems like a very important discussion that might need to be
made more formally.  

On Nov 7, 2010, at 3:01 PM, margaretha haughwout wrote:

Last night a few of us went to see Starhawk¹s new movie called Permaculture:
the Growing Edge  at Madrone Studios. One of the things Starhawk said during
the panel discussion is that the edge is where the gold is. The margins, the
fence line, the difficulties. It¹s interesting because there¹s a way in
which all of our problems/ opportunities (in permaculture problems and
opportunities are the same) at the farm can be tracked to the reality and
the metaphor of the fence. How can we make the most of this edge?



On Sun, Nov 7, 2010 at 3:00 PM, Jay <protojay at gmail.com> wrote:
The morning after the ³Attack on the Bees
<http://www.treehugger.com/files/2010/07/bee-murder-at-hayes-valley-farm-unk
nown-attacker-sprays-hives-with-pesticide.php> ² at Hayes Valley Farm, I was
walking around the fence line looking for holes, evidence of the vandalism,
hoping to find a can of Raid or something that could be fingerprinted or
traced.

I met one of the farm¹s neighbors on this walk, the property manager of the
building on Octavia and Hickory. I asked him about the holes in the fence on
Hickory Street, and mentioned the vandalism that had occurred the night
before.  He offered to keep an eye on the site from his window and when
cruising around the neighborhood in his car.

Since then, he has called me a few times.  The day after our first
encounter, there was a burglary at the site, someone stole 3000 pounds of
cardboard 
<http://articles.sfgate.com/2010-07-23/bay-area/21994721_1_bee-colonies-vand
als-sprayed> , and my new friend called to let me know when the east gate
was open and not locked.  This is how I learned about the crime. After that,
there were a few other late night calls with thoughts on security, and a few
neighborly hellos over the summer.  We talked about the fence-line some
more, the new neighborhood-watch styled public safety group being formed to
ensure safety and security on the farm and in the neighborhood, and friendly
small-talk.  I invited him to participate in the Public Safety Meetings with
the Hayes Valley Neighborhood Association.  Later, I learned that he has
lived there for years, has been his old cars in the alley since the before
the freeway closed (he actually used to have more of them), and had even
complained about the farm (on behalf of his tenants?) in the earliest of
days of the project.

Two weeks ago a security specialist walked the site with me and assessed
areas of concern, mostly along the fence and in a few places within the
site. Just last week, during METHODS 101: Permaculture Design Basics
<https://docs1.google.com/document/d/1m2-j1YZPmjG-sh_s3PdcieqLL_wQqrW9Rwxr1d
CYgC8/edit#> , one of the students decided to address safety and security on
the farm as their design project.  During the site assessment, issues were
identified.  

There were some trees and overgrown brush along the alley at Octavia and
Hickory Streets that were preventing any of the lights from the big parking
lot on Oak and Octavia from shining into the alley, creating a dark,
boxed-in area that was obvious to the both the security specialist and the
newest of observers as the easiest access point and biggest ³hole in the
fence².  

The assessment continued to describe the problem with clean up here is that
the trees were hanging over the old cars.  Cars which belonged to the same
property manager.  Apparently he had been asked many times by the community
to move them, to help in clean up the alley, and he had always ignored these
requests.

Near the end of the METHODS 101 class, I noticed Robert parking in the
alley, and began to talk to him again from the top of the off-ramp berms.
 We talked about the trees and the light and he offered to help.  We talked
about his cars being in the way, and he offered to move them.  He went on to
to tell me why there were so many paper plates near the corner of the farm¹s
fence. He explained he had been feeding some cats who patrolled the farm at
night by.  We talked a little bit about how the pile of plates weren¹t
really the best thing for the plants growing on the fance, and that maybe we
could figure out another way.  Feeding them on the outside wouldn¹t work,
putting a dish on top of the fence wouldn¹t work.  He liked the idea of a
feeding tray attached to the inside of the fence, that he could pour food
into...  

Then, we talked about the tomatoes.  He was very impressed with them and I
gave him a handful to enjoy, here is the shot I took through the fence -
 http://protojay.tumblr.com/post/1489300766
<http://protojay.tumblr.com/post/1489300766> .

-Jay

On Sun, Nov 7, 2010 at 2:59 PM, margaretha haughwout
<xmargarethax at gmail.com> wrote:
That story reminds us that our presence is new on this site. Homeless folks
have been on site for much longer than we have, and this is an uncomfortable
positioning. Many of us know the narratives of gentrification and
marginalization that frequently come with the creation of urban gardens; the
white people come and make a robust and pleasing green space, the rents go
up and so does intolerance. And yet we also have an obligation to the city
government for permitting us to be on site, and an obligation to the
neighborhood, to look ³respectable.² We need to protect the daytime
community from getting hurt, and the tomatoes from getting trampled. How do
the permaculture values of earth care, people care, and fair share figure
here? How do we care for all the people that tread across this site? What is
the fair share? Who gets the food? Who recognizes it as food? Is it too far
fetched to think this farm might help the drug addicts that trespass here?
Today Jay and I discussed designing a safe enclosed space with small trees
and other food forest layers for the nighttime users.

Another acquaintance regularly meets with the upper crust designers in Hayes
Valley (of which there are many). These are people who don¹t know
permaculture, never come to the farm, but think they know urban design. She
says they frequently ask what the hell is going on over there. Why doesn¹t
it look good? Our fence line is in flux right now. There¹s a big area we¹re
sheet mulching and there¹s a lot of cardboard. It looks like trash because
it is! We¹re closing that loop, turning trash into nutrient and resource. We
start all of our plants from seed, rather than buying big full plants, so we
aren¹t transforming overnight. We¹re a farm.

Somehow to me the fence is emblematic of our unique positioning as an inner
city farm. It is a constant reminder of the larger national, civilized, and
urban infrastructures we operate within: of land ownership, upper class
values, of real and perceived dangers that come from class divisions and
unequal distribution of resources.

/m

On Sun, Nov 7, 2010 at 2:49 PM, Jay <protojay at gmail.com> wrote:
My good friend tells this story:

³Last fall, a group of us would meet for brunch on Sundays.  This was before
we were given permission to open the gates (to activate the space and
provide the community with access to it). We were dreaming about "Volunteer
Work Parties" on the giant lot.  After brunch, we would walk around the
perimeter fences to observe the site.  After a few walks, we had met quite a
few neighbors, who loved to talk about the potential for the space and what
they had been observing over time.  We came to know the fence line very
well.  We would admire the recently dumped furniture, look for freshly cut
holes in the fence and other signs of life.

Along Laguna Street, at the west gate, two large gates locked with a
formidable chain and series of married locks.  The fences were all topped
with barbed wire. At the south gate, along Oak street just east of Laguna,
there was a hole in the fence big enough to crawl through but not so big
that you could push a shopping cart through.  The hole in the cyclone
fencing was hastily cut and sharp of the passageway.  The more formal double
doors at the east gate was unlockable.  The frame of the doors was
stationary and the fencing slid open like a shower curtain.  It was clear
people had been camping under one of the Melaleuca trees.  A tent and tarp,
piles of trash, and a dumpster lined the path. On one section of the fence
near the east gate, an entire section of the fence was removed from pole to
pole.

On one beautiful sunny day last December, we visited the site with a good
friend who was excited to shoot some "before shots" of the site for a
documentary. We parked in the Octavia and Oak street parking lot, turned on
the camera, hauling tripods and some extra gear, and approached the east
gate.  As we "slid back the curtain" of the fence and walked right in, we
were immediately warned off by a barking dog.  The large, gray black lab-mix
was protecting its owner's campsite. We continued, and proceeded along the
ravine.  We took video of the homeless' camp, the tents and trash that lined
the inside of the path. And the broken bottles and needles that lie all over
the place.

We slowly walked through the site and up towards the west gate.  We had been
there for a little while, testing different lenses and lighting and shooting
some footage of the ramps.  At one point, while heading back down the
offramp, we noticed something "going down" at the east gate.  A couple of
more people were now assembling there, milling about behind the parking
valet shack that was stationed right outside the gates.   We wanted to get
out of there, but all of this new action was happening at our entrance (and
planned exit).  With some adrenaline, we remembered the hole in the south
gate and decided we should try to squeeze through their rather than "run the
gauntlet" of the barking dog, the camp, and the new gang forming at the
gate.  

I went first through the hole, to show my documentarian friend how to get
low and avoid the spikes.  As she got through, she started to stand up and
scratched her arm on the fence.  It looked pretty bad.  That night,  after
showing her family what happened, she never came back to the farm.

So, the footage is in an archive somewhere (for now) and one day she might
come back to shoot some "after" shots...²

-Jay

--
http://protojay.tumblr.com/

On Sun, Nov 7, 2010 at 2:47 PM, margaretha haughwout
<xmargarethax at gmail.com> wrote:
On our farm we find heroin needles in between the broccoli plants. We have a
barbed wire fence that wraps around the entire 2.5 acres of our "freeway
food forest" -- a food forest that is rising from the ruins of a freeway
that collapsed and then lay dormant for 20 years. At night there is a
pregnant cat that makes the place her own (all the sheet mulching has
stirred up the mice and rats). Other folks crawl through the fence at night
too. With perhaps one exception, the people that come at night aren't the
same people that come during the day. Often ³fresh² needles appear in the
morning. The stories we write about here all have to do with the chain link
and barbed wire fence that was on site when we arrived. The forces it is
meant to keep out, the forces it is meant to contain, the edge it creates
around our site, the fact that it is there at all.

...

There are regular potlucks Tuesday evenings on the farm. Last week I didn't
go, but I live really close by, so I got a text message from a friend saying
she way stopping by. She came up saying she wouldn't stay long as she was
getting up at 5:30am tomorrow morning to let H.O.T. - Homeless Outreach Team
<https://docs.google.com/document/d/1m2-j1YZPmjG-sh_s3PdcieqLL_wQqrW9Rwxr1dC
YgC8/edit?hl=en>  through the gates to talk to the folks that were sleeping
there. "I guess someone called them,² she said. I said I¹d get up with her.
I was curious. A few minutes later I got another text message from another
friend leaving the potluck. "Coming over!" it said. Friend no. 2 came up and
we told her how we were getting up early for the Homeless Outreach Team.
"Oh," friend no. 2 said; "I called them. That was me."

This call was predicated by several debates in our community about the
homeless. Some feel we should let them sleep in the farm, others are more
wary. Personally, I like the idea of city worn homeless people finding the
soft sheet mulch to sleep on, and maybe even helping themselves to some
cherry tomatoes. For a farm built on the principles of people care and fair
share as well as earth care, we are torn by what it means to give them the
boot. Youth education coordinators despair over the fact that a child might 
come across a needle before they do, and since we lost our bees this summer 
from a senseless act of violence 
<http://www.hayesvalleyfarm.com/blog/324-two-killed-and-one-attempt-at-the-f
arm.html> , we are all a little more skittish. The last time I sat with the 
women who were at my house after the potluck, we had heated debate on the 
topic around another table at another house in the neighborhood. It ended 
with all of us agreeing if there was such a thing as a needle drop box that 
was configured in a way that you couldn't reach back in and use the old 
needles, it would be a good idea to install a few of those around the 
perimeter. We also agreed that eventually we should probably just take the 
fence down.

The obvious issue at hand in this story might be how to handle the issue of 
homelessness and nighttime drug use on our urban farm. The not so obvious 
issue in this story, but one that we want to tease out and explore is how we 
decide what to do about the homelessness and the needles - and the fence. In 
the scenario above, some of the farmers debated it at length and then one 
person took action ad-hoc without really having a method of checking in with 
the rest of the community. Also, the way in which the conversations occurred 
were very ad-hoc, and happened at a variety of nodes located not only on the 
farm but in the neighborhood around it - both inside and outside the farm. 
There is a lot to say here about how we make decisions on the farm, 
particularly when they negotiate between the farm and the city, the inner 
and the outer, day and night, permacultural and urban. A lot of times 
decisions happen exactly in the manner I¹m describing above. This is a 
thread someone might pick up for discussion: the thread of decision making 
and accountability when our values ask us to be responsible to the land, the 
common people and the terms of our lease asks us to be accountable to a 
larger hierarchy. I love the unfolding at play in the story above, but what 
if friend no. 2 decided to call the cops instead of H.O.T.?



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