Bulldozing begins at L.A. urban garden

0 Comments | USA TODAY, July, 2006 | by John Bacon

Workers in Los Angeles began bulldozing a 14-acre urban garden Wednesday as several growers and supporters were arrested. One man chained himself to a bulldozer, and firefighters were called to cut him loose. Another was arrested for lying in front of the bulldozer, said Dan Stormer, a lawyer for the gardeners. "What was once a beautiful set of gardens, if this goes through, will now be a pile of rubble," he said.

For years, neighborhood residents grew vegetables and flowers on the site rent-free. They were evicted three weeks ago after landowner Ralph Horowitz told them he planned to build a warehouse on the site. The growers tried to fight the development plan but were unable to negotiate a deal. The effort attracted support from activists and celebrities including Daryl...