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Daryl Hannah Removed from Tree (Farmers Evicted From Urban Farm-Los Angeles)
KABC Channel 7 Local News-LA ^ | 06/13/06 | KABC Local News-Los Angeles

Posted on 06/13/2006 4:02:58 PM PDT by MotleyGirl70

Los Angeles, June 13, 2006 - Sheriff's deputies and police evicted farmers and supporters Tuesday from a 14-acre urban community garden being reclaimed by the landowner, making arrests as protesters resisted by occupying a tree, chaining themselves to barrels of concrete and blocking traffic with demonstrations in nearby streets.

Actress Daryl Hannah and famous tree sitter John Quigley raised their fists as authorities used a fire truck lift to bring them down from a walnut tree towering over the green swath in a gritty area southeast of downtown.

"Daryl, we're with you!" protester Jenny Flores yelled through a megaphone from a nearby street.

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"I'm very confident this is the morally right thing to do, to take a principled stand in solidarity with the farmers," Hannah told The Associated Press in a cell phone call before officials reached her perch and arrested her.

Authorities moved against garden occupiers about 5 a.m. Seventeen arrests were made inside the garden for investigation of failure to obey a court order and for obstructing sheriff's deputies trying to carry out the order, county Sheriff's Department spokeswoman Kerri Webb said.

Another 25 people were arrested by city police at a support demonstration outside.

Protesters linked arms and sat on train tracks, drawing officers with helmets and batons. Officers dragged some protesters away while other officers forced supporters back.

Inside the garden, firefighters had to cut free protesters who had chained themselves to the walnut tree, barrels filled with concrete and a picnic table.

The garden was finally cleared just after noon. Some protesters remained nearby with officers watching. Others went to City Hall, where they chanted "Save the farm."

The action began near daybreak as about 120 sheriff's deputies arrived at the site to serve an eviction order that a judge signed last month.

"It's a massive show of force," Quigley, a veteran environmental activist and tree-sitter, said by cell phone. "Our goal is to hold as firm as we can, obviously in a nonviolent manner."

Deputies slowly pulled people out from among the avocados, sunflowers and other produce.

"We're taking our time so we make sure the protesters are safe," Webb said.

For years about 350 people tended plots of produce and flowers. Recently, landowner Ralph Horowitz began taking action on plans to replace the garden with a warehouse.

Horowitz noted that the farmers were squatting on land he owned which was zoned for warehouses and factories.

Horowitz said in a telephone interview he was paying $25,000 to $30,000 a month in mortgage and other land costs.

"We've made, in the last three years, enough of a donation to those farmers," he said. "I just want my land back."

"The gardeners don't make the rules. They don't violate court orders at their will, promise to get off the land and not get off, demand that they be given the land for free. There's an end to this type of thing," he said.

Horowitz accused the farmers of ingratitude, saying they had sued him and their supporters had picketed his home and office. "I feel that the gardeners have been on the land for 14 years, almost 15 years for free. After 15 years, you say thank you," he said.

Horowitz also said the city had provided alternate locations for the gardeners and most had left. In a statement, City Councilwoman Jan Perry also said many gardeners had moved to new garden sites.

The effort to save the farm attracted support of numerous activists and celebrities, including "Splash" and "Wall Street" star Hannah, Quigley, country singer Willie Nelson, actor Danny Glover, folk singer Joan Baez and tree sitter Julia Butterfly Hill.

Supporters moved onto the property full-time in mid-May and occupied the walnut tree after the judge issued the eviction order.

The roots of the dispute go back to the 1980s, when the city forced Horowitz to sell the land to for $4.8 million for a trash-to-energy incinerator. The project fizzled and the city turned the land over to the Los Angeles Regional Food Bank, which allowed people to begin gardening there after in the early 1990s.

Horowitz sued to get the site back and the city settled in 2003 by selling it to him for $5 million.

Garden supporters took legal action, but ultimately the state Supreme Court decided against hearing the case.

In the meantime, Horowitz offered to sell 10 acres of the land for $16.3 million to a trust set up on behalf of the farmers. The group failed to raise the money before the purchase option expired May 22, and Horowitz got the eviction order.

Horowitz said he intends to find tenants for the land and will not sell it to any gardeners or their supporters. "This one they're not getting," he said.


TOPICS: News/Current Events; US: California
KEYWORDS: darylhannah; lafarmers; propertyrights; urbanfarmers
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1 posted on 06/13/2006 4:02:59 PM PDT by MotleyGirl70
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To: MotleyGirl70

I've often suspected Darryl Hannah was out of her tree. Now it's official.


2 posted on 06/13/2006 4:06:14 PM PDT by IronJack
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To: IronJack

this horowitz hmmmm


3 posted on 06/13/2006 4:08:32 PM PDT by italianquaker (Democrats and media can't win elections at least they can win their phony polls.)
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To: IronJack
I've often suspected Darryl Hannah was out of her tree. Now it's official.

Not just any tree either...a nut tree!

Jag

4 posted on 06/13/2006 4:08:50 PM PDT by JaguarXKE
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To: MotleyGirl70

Is this supposed to resuscitate her dead acting career?


5 posted on 06/13/2006 4:11:11 PM PDT by GiovannaNicoletta
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To: IronJack

Darryl Hannah and all of her Hollywood buddies could have bought the land and gave it to the gardeners. But they weren't going to spend their own money.


6 posted on 06/13/2006 4:11:44 PM PDT by quikdrw (Life is tough....it's even tougher if you are stupid.)
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To: MotleyGirl70
The sad this is is that Developer was willing to sell. With all of that Hollywood Money it would have been easy, but they go for the Photo Op Instead,Screw The Poor.
7 posted on 06/13/2006 4:12:10 PM PDT by cmsgop ( Goodbye Brother Munson!, Goodbye Whore !)
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To: MotleyGirl70

These "protestors", Hannah included, are just another example of the Marxist mindset in action. Stealing private property is perfectly OK, so long as it is for "the people."

They should all be billed for the cost of the eviction efforts and forced to put up bonds for that amount prior to their release from jail.


8 posted on 06/13/2006 4:12:45 PM PDT by Orca
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To: MotleyGirl70

Willie Nelson, Danny Glover, Joan Baez, etc. Jeeze! It figures.


9 posted on 06/13/2006 4:13:08 PM PDT by Old Grumpy
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To: MotleyGirl70

I had to read this three times. People are using someone elses land without permission and the court orders them to vacate and people crawl up a tree in protest? Rich actors show up and don't offer to buy the land for the people they are protesting for? No one had a chainsaw? Were they expecting the landowner to give them a 16 Million dollar gift?

Can we just give California to Mexico to stop the silliness?


10 posted on 06/13/2006 4:13:16 PM PDT by Normal4me
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To: Orca

bump!


11 posted on 06/13/2006 4:15:55 PM PDT by BenLurkin ("The entire remedy is with the people." - W. H. Harrison)
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To: MotleyGirl70
"It's a massive show of force," Quigley, a veteran environmental activist and tree-sitter...

He does this for a living.
12 posted on 06/13/2006 4:16:06 PM PDT by ConservativeMind
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To: MotleyGirl70

I think she should just get a browser that supports iframes


13 posted on 06/13/2006 4:17:15 PM PDT by Tribune7
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To: IronJack
If God wanted farms in cities he would have given us tractors instead of SUVs!
14 posted on 06/13/2006 4:17:25 PM PDT by Ukiapah Heep (Shoes for Industry!)
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To: MotleyGirl70
"I'm very confident this is the morally right thing to do, to take a principled stand in solidarity with the farmers," Hannah told The Associated Press

Sure, the "farmers" are breaking the law so that's the "morally right thing" for her to do. Once again, an actress proves she's better off reading the lines someone else writes for her.

15 posted on 06/13/2006 4:18:13 PM PDT by hsalaw
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To: MotleyGirl70

Farmers?


16 posted on 06/13/2006 4:18:43 PM PDT by facedown (Armed in the Heartland)
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To: Orca
Deputies Begin Evicting South L.A. Farmers

Videos and other related links are on the left side.

17 posted on 06/13/2006 4:19:21 PM PDT by MotleyGirl70
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To: MotleyGirl70
The effort to save the farm attracted support of numerous activists and celebrities, including "Splash" and "Wall Street" star Hannah, Quigley, country singer Willie Nelson, actor Danny Glover, folk singer Joan Baez and tree sitter Julia Butterfly Hill

All has-beens with a cause turned attention whores...cept maybe for that Butterfly person. Who the heck is that?

18 posted on 06/13/2006 4:21:53 PM PDT by Horatio Gates (Dial M for Moonbat)
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To: MotleyGirl70

"Daryl, we're with you!" protester Jenny Flores yelled through a megaphone from a nearby street, "But Your browser does not support iFrames!"

There, that's better.


19 posted on 06/13/2006 4:23:28 PM PDT by tet68 ( " We would not die in that man's company, that fears his fellowship to die with us...." Henry V.)
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To: MotleyGirl70

Why didn't he just chop down the tree? It's his land.


20 posted on 06/13/2006 4:23:51 PM PDT by gotribe (It's not a religion.)
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