Is anyone else following this?

[Brigid]

Unbelievable!

http://www.la.indymedia.org/

Check out www.michaelmoore.com and www.southcentralfarmers.com for more.

[TomInTib]

1. This whole thing is shameful

Some asshole developer sold the property to the City "at a big profit" and then the property became much more profitable than the original contract. So the asshole used a loophole to regain title. And basically, this is now it ends. The developer was some kind of mofo.

[Name removed]

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[TomInTib]

9. Selling it twice?

Maybe I am missing something. Is he reimbursing the City?

[seriousstan]

11. They are rewriting history to suit their racist ideas....here is what

happened.


Before the creation of the garden, the land belonged to nine different owners the largest of which was Alameda-Barbara Investment Company, a real-estate firm which purchased its share in 1980. The company held 80% of the property that would become the present urban garden. <1> The city of Los Angeles acquired the land, by eminent domain, in 1986 for the purpose of building a waste-to-energy incinerator known as the Los Angeles City Energy Recovery Project. This idea was abandoned due to community opposition, led by Juanita Tate and Concerned Citizens of South-Central Los Angeles.

The final order of condemnation under eminent domain included a right to repurchase the land should the city sell it for non-public or non-housing purposes within ten years of the condemnation for the largest land owner, Alameda-Barbara Investment Company. The City sold the property to the L.A. Harbor Department in 1994.

July 1994 the Harbor Department granted a revocable permit to the L.A. Regional Food Bank – a private, nonprofit food-distribution network housed across the street from the Lancer site – to occupy and use the site as a community garden.

In 2001, Ralph Horowitz, a partner in former property owner Alameda-Barbara sued the City for breach of contract, for failure to honor the original right of repurchase.<2>

In 2003, the City of L.A. settled with Horowitz. The sale was for $5,050,000<3>, which was well below market value for the property. Horowitz agreed to donate 2.6 acres of the site for a public soccer field, as part of the settlement. The City Council discussed and approved the terms of the settlement in closed session.

Shortly thereafter the Los Angeles regional Foodbank abandoned the project. In response the farmers formed an organization calling themselves the 'South Central Farmers Feeding Families.'

On January 8, 2004, Horowitz issued a notice to the gardeners setting February 29, 2004, as the termination date for the community garden. In response members of the South Central Farmers Feeding Families obtained legal counsel (Hadsell & Stormer, Inc., and Kaye, Mclane & Bednarski LLP) and filed a lawsuit seeking to invalidate the sale of the property. The Los Angeles County Superior Court issued a temporary restraining order and later a preliminary injunction halting development of the property until the lawsuit could be settled. The farmers lost the lawsuit.

Horowitz sought $16.3 million for the property, more then three times the price he paid for it two years ago.<4> In a deal brokered in cooperation by The Trust for Public Land, the SCF have successfully raised a little over six million dollars. Fundraising efforts continued as farmers and celebrities have begun both a tree sitting campaign and occupation of the land, while under the threat of forced eviction by the Los Angeles County Sheriff Department. <5[br />

[Erika]

13. Excuse me? What does anyone's race have to do with this? n/t

By the way, there is only one race....the human race.

[Name removed]

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[Erika]

17. The one picture I saw of the "farmers" showed they were black

and your issue is? And Hanna is white.

[TomInTib]

19. 'obsessed with Jews'? Nope, just assholes.

I live in one of the most exclusive communities in the US.

We still need more 'people' room.

[seriousstan]

2. Yes, an owner of 16 acres making payments of 25-30k/month

is nice enough to let people farm the land for nearly 15 years while he holds the property for future development and then they think it is theirs. Did I miss anything?

He has been making the mortgage payments.

He has allowed them to farm it for free.

He has decided the time is right for development.

The ungrateful farmers then protest the rightful execution of the owners wishes.

Rich Hollywood hypocrites get their face time for free.

That about sums it up.

[Erika]

5. You hear of community spirit?

Especially when he won't be hurt monetarily?

[seriousstan]

6. Why doesn't Danny Glover and Hanna buy it then?

This man has let them farm FOR 15 YEARS!!! FREEE!!!!

He now wants to exercise his rights of ownership. Have you ever heard of personal property?

[jaysunb]

7. The money is there

the owner keeps moving the goal posts.

[Erika]

8. I'm sure he had his tax write offs as a pay off

As I said, Walmart's offer has been matched.

[seriousstan]

10. He lost the land originally through eminent domain and regained it

after suing for the enforcement of the terms of eminent domain.

Besides, if I buy a property legally whose business is it what I do with it, within the law?

[Erika]

12. Lost it through eminent Domain? Not what I heard.

I heard it had been donated to the city after the riots and infrastructure breakdown. The City then sold it a very low price, based on the public good.

Now the guy wants to make a killing and get rid of the public good.

[seriousstan]

14. I listed my info where is yours?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/South_Central_Farm

[Erika]

16. wikipedia? You've got to be kidding...

I told you what I heard from listening to various news sources. We'll find out more in the next few days, won't we?

[Erika]

3. A Walmart warehouse is SO beneficial to the neighborhood

Who cares about food for 350 families? A fund has even offered to pay the owner's asking price to save the land for the farmers. The owner is thinking about negotiating. What a bastard.

[jeff30997]

18. Agreed!

A hartless greedy bastard!