City orders urban gardeners to uproot potatoes on vacant lot.

[Regular_John]

*Sigh* Pretty open & shut case, if you don't own the property you should probably speak to the property owner before doing something like this.

City orders urban gardeners to uproot potatoes on vacant lot
Residents say they were just trying to spruce up an ugly lot

By Jason van Rassel, Calgary Herald May 21, 2012 4:13 PM
CALGARY — City officials are telling a group of guerrilla gardeners who planted potatoes on a vacant lot in southwest Calgary to pull up stakes.

Donna Clarke and several volunteers planted potatoes on a vacant lot next to her home on 17th Avenue S.W. on Sunday, but within hours bylaw officers issued an order telling them to remove the garden.

Clarke said she came up with the idea as a way of cleaning up an unsightly lot while at the same time helping agencies like the Calgary Drop-In Centre and the Calgary Food Bank feed their clients.


Read more: http://www.calgaryherald.com/life/Ci...#ixzz1vYQLk8Gv

To me this is a clear cut "Your intentions were good, but you went about it the wrong way" situation.

Yes Potatoes for the People is a nobel endeavor, and cleaning up the community while making use of vacant space is also an honourable thing to do... but you can't just move in on some one else's property without speaking to the owner first.

In the amount of time it took her to get all those tires & paint them, organize volunteers and get her gardening supplies she could have easily placed a few phone calls and tried to track down the owners. Whether she was growing food for the homeless or planting poppies for opium is irrelevant, she did not have permission to set up a garden on that lot.

[icecube]

#### the vacant lot owner

[BlackArcher101]

Originally Posted by icecube

#### the vacant lot owner

It was the alderman.

[DownInFlames]

Originally Posted by BlackArcher101

It was the alderman.

Someone must have complained to the city if he got involved. If it wasn't the owner it was probably some busybody neighbor.

[RougeUnderoos]

Good for Gary Mar. When you see someone planting potatoes, you call in the cavalry!

I can't think of a better thing the police could be doing than busting illegal grow-ops.

Potatoes are more than just food -- you can throw them (weapons), fire small pieces of them from a spud gun (again, weapons), and make illegal potato vodka out of them (illegal vodka), potato pancakes (infiltration of foreign customs), even power a lightbulb (potential burns).

Oh sure, the woman and child in that photo can claim innocence, claim that they want to do nothing but help feed the homeless, but we don't know their real motives.

And besides, what's the harm of having an empty lot going to the weeds in an inner-city neighbourhood?

[monkeyman]

she wen't about this wrong. she should have set up a bunch of tents and said she was expressing her right to free speech. we know the city doesn't crack down on those people or hold them responsible for cleaning up anything.

[BlackArcher101]

Originally Posted by DownInFlames

Someone must have complained to the city if he got involved. If it wasn't the owner it was probably some busybody neighbor.

Am I the only one that reads the articles before commenting?

The group spent Sunday planting potatoes, hauling dirt and painting derelict fences on the property when the activity caught the eye of the area alderman, John Mar, who had walked by.

Clarke said Mar returned with the Calgary police, who told Clarke’s group to remove their handiwork.

[DownInFlames]

Originally Posted by BlackArcher101

Am I the only one that reads the articles before commenting?

I didn't. Sorry. But I was right, it was a busybody neighbor, who happens to be an Alderman.

[pylon]

Noble intentions, but they made a vancant lot, look like a vacant tire dump.

[puffnstuff]

Did they plant po-ta-toes? Or po-tah-toes? Maybe this is all a misunderstanding derived from pronunciation.

[Bigtime]

John Mar continuing to show what a terrible alderman he is.

[sun]

Originally Posted by puffnstuff

Did they plant po-ta-toes? Or po-tah-toes? Maybe this is all a misunderstanding derived from pronunciation.

[TurnedTheCorner]

Should have made an urban chicken pen to go with them fries.

[Regular_John]

It sounds like Mar acted on his own accord here... Which I admit seems like an odd busybody thing for an Alderman to concern himself with. Or at least running to the police before attempting to resolve it with the gardeners and the lot owner.

Although it's possible he is just taking the heat for a neighbor who brought it to his attention. Who knows.

[Slava]

Originally Posted by Bigtime

John Mar continuing to show what a terrible alderman he is.

I don't think Mar is an amazing alderman, but this really is the only thing the city could do. These people thought the property was better as a makeshift potato farm. Maybe it is. I would've gone with a bikini carwash, but in either case the people running this had no right to do so. Its really not much different than the occupy people taking over the plaza downtown to me.

[4X4]

Originally Posted by icecube

#### the vacant lot owner

Why? Do you think that private property should be allowed to be taken over by the community randomly? Maybe your neighbours think your front lawn should become a potato farm? Are you ok with that?
These people are bringing in old tires and yards of soil and just setting up shop on someone else's property? And people think that the owner or the alderman are a-holes?
What if the guy has his permits ready to go on a development? Maybe he's about to break ground, but now he would show up with his excavator, and find a bunch of used tires to dispose of, and a flock of angry neighbours getting bent out of shape that the big mean developer is ruining their urban farm. lol. I can just see where this whole thing would go if it wasn't nipped in the bud.
Good job, Gary Mar.

[Regular_John]

UPDATE - It seems the Potatoes For The People (or P4P) have taken their battle to Twitter... And there's possibly some back story about fines to the owner and repeated attempts to clean the lot up.

https://twitter.com/dcyyc/

Fined several times but his has not changed the condition of the lot. How are the rights of the community respected?

P4P was not politically motivated and planned for media attention. The plan was to beautify the neighbourhood for those who use it.

No exuses for leaving land derelict and unattended. It is just property owner can afford to pay fines and continue to break the law.

@lonnietaylor P4P is adhoc and smaller. I did not anticipate this. If JM was not my neighbour we would have flown under the radar

Reading between the lines here it appears there is a bit of history with this gardener & the city over this lot. So it's possible Mar was familiar with the lot in question as well as the resident, hence his quick & involved handling of the garden. But this is all really conjecture from what I gathered on twitter.

Confirmed - This was a blatant incident of taking matters into their own hands & Mar was aware of the lot/issue before today.

@lonnietaylor I did speak to neighbours and call JM's office beforehand. Spoke to at least 40 people yesterday who loved the idea.

[1stLand]

I own several vacant lots and I love it when people tresspass on my property and plant gardens, build playgrounds, store vehicles etc.

It's great for community building and it's always great that people are trying to 'grow locally'.

I buy vacant lots on purpose actually so random people can dress them up with old tires and grow things.

Shame on the City, & the Alderman for shutting this down. I think they should have put it to a vote or a plebicite first

[getbak]

Originally Posted by sun

[Northendzone]

I hope that mar was thinking of the children before he called the po-po. It would appear that mar is anti-potato.

Why do I get the feeling that this will be worked out in two days.