BY: JESSICA BEUKER
Guerrilla gardening – the act of prettifying a neglected and unkempt piece of public land and using it to grow flowers, vegetables and fruits – is a movement that continues to spread. Ron Finley, now known as the ‘Gangsta Gardener,’ kickstarted the trend after realizing he was tired of living in a food desert, where fast food was the only thing available to the community and decided to take action.
“Just like 26.5 million other Americans, I live in a food desert, South Central Los Angeles, home of the drive-thru and the drive-by,” said Finley in a TED Talk. “Funny thing is, the drive-thrus are killing more people than the drive-bys.”
So in 2010 Finley planted fruit trees and vegetables on a strip of city-owned grass between the sidewalk and the street. He told passersby to help themselves and would eventually go on to teach his neighbours how to grow their own gardens.
It was a move that left him with an arrest warrant and a $400 charge for a gardening permit. Finley refused to pay. His story caught the attention of the L.A. Times, who issued a report that sparked public outrage, and in turn started a petition that reversed his legal course. Furthermore, the government passed a new law just last year, which eliminated the ban on guerrilla gardens.
Today guerrilla gardening is more relevant than ever. With so many people living in large cities, where space is limited and having a backyard is becoming rare, many have had to turn to public land to grow healthy food. It can be overwhelming to know where to start, but FIX has released a helpful infographic that outlines everything you need to know to become the ultimate guerrilla gardener in your city.
Source: Fix.com Blog
