South Los Angeles faces the impending loss of a local community garden situated close to the University of Southern California. What follows in the aftermath?
All hell's breaking loose at USC! The Peace Garden, a beloved green oasis nestled in South Los Angeles, is facing exile from its current location, with the university looking to cash in on the land it inhabits.
Students employed at the Peace Garden, initially elated for a rallying event, found themselves in a quiet day of mourning, accepting the bitter reality that their cherished green space would be disappearing. Founded in 2022 by Camille Dieterle, professor at the USC Chan Division of Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy, the Peace Garden serves as a thriving ecosystem of native plants, tall fruit trees, and vegetable garden beds, offering gardening workshops and other activities for the community.
On May 28, Dieterle dropped a bombshell on the garden's three employees, disclosing that USC's Real Estate and Asset Management team had plans to relocate the Peace Garden and sell the current land, with an ultimatum for the employees to shut up shop by June 30.
The news, announced via an Instagram post, sent shockwaves through the community, with USC's alleged justification being that they were committed to relocating the garden in a manner that was "thoughtful and inclusive." But didn't the university forget that the sincerest form of flattery is imitation? The Peace Garden embodied its host community's values – environmental justice, community, and prioritizing South Central neighbors – and it seems they’vesquandered these values with this latest move.
The forced evacuation of this sanctuary has been met with outrage and resistance, not least from its student employees, Diana Lūcifera, Sophia Leon, and Diana Amaya-Chicas, who resigned from their roles at the event on Saturday. Talk about salt in the wound!
Notably, the affected neighborhood borders a low-income area where significant numbers of residents reside more than half a mile from the closest supermarket, making the Peace Garden an invaluable source of fresh produce for the community and many residents, like Lucy Sanchez-Estrella, who finds solace, friendship, and sustenance within its arms.
The loss of the USC Peace Garden isn't an isolated incident; green spaces across LA have found themselves increasingly endangered by gentrification and cutbacks on water supply during times of drought. Still, the garden stands as a beacon of resilience, symbolizing the importance of community gardens in promoting environmental health, social bonding, and mental well-being within the city.
It's a bitter irony that this move comes during USC President Carol Folt's six-year term – a term marked by various sustainability initiatives. As employees of the Peace Garden, Lūcifera, Leon, and Amaya-Chicas were part of the USC President's Sustainability Internship Program. Sadly, the flip side of this coin reveals a university seemingly more interested in tripping over short-term gains than reflecting on the long-term benefits of our green spaces.
In a case of “they don’t want us here, but they’ll miss us when we’re gone,” the students still committed to keeping the Peace Garden in its current location have taken the fight to the streets, with recent USC graduate Sophia Hammerle creating a GroupMe for community members to collaborate and stay informed. While they haven't officially thrown their hats in the ring to purchase the land, they're rallying to keep the garden where it belongs, and we wish them the very best in their fight!
- The USC Peace Garden, a cherished green space in South Los Angeles, is under threat, as the university plans to sell its current land despite its significance to the community.
- The Peace Garden, founded by Camille Dieterle, offers a vibrant ecosystem of native plants, trees, and vegetable gardens, and holds workshops to engage the community.
- On May 28, Dieterle announced the relocation plans, giving the garden's employees until June 30 to vacate the premises.
- The news has generated shock and resistance within the community, with some seeing it as a disregard for the garden's values, which align with environmental justice, community, and prioritizing South Central neighbors.
- Not only does the Peace Garden provide fresh produce to a nearby low-income area lacking easy access to supermarkets, but it also serves as a therapeutic space for residents like Lucy Sanchez-Estrella.
- As green spaces like the Peace Garden face threats from gentrification and drought, the loss of such spaces in LA underscores the importance of community gardens in promoting environmental health, social bonding, and mental well-being.
- The forced evacuation of the Peace Garden comes during USC President Carol Folt's term, which has seen various sustainability initiatives, but seems to prioritize short-term financial gain over the long-term benefits of preserving green spaces.
