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Letter of Solidarity with the SF Commune @ 888 Turk from a Free Farmer

by The Farm’s “resident anarchist”
On April 1st, when Occupy San Francisco liberated two of the neighboring long-vacant buildings at 888 Turk St, many within the farm we excited about the development. We welcomed our new neighbors and the great possibilities of collaboration between the two projects.
Letter of Solidarity with the SF Commune @ 888 Turk from a Free Farmer 4/2/2012

I am a regular and long-time participant at The Free Farm in San Francisco, a collectively worked farm which grows food to be distributed as a gift in low-income neighborhoods of San Francisco. The Farm is located on the same block of Gough St. as 888 Turk, formerly and forever the SF Commune. I am not speaking for the entire Free Farm community, only myself and those who have communicated their support.

On April 1st, when Occupy San Francisco liberated two of the neighboring long-vacant buildings at 888 Turk St, many within the farm we excited about the development. We welcomed our new neighbors and the great possibilities of collaboration between the two projects. Occupy SF asked for and received permission to access to The Farm shortly after the group occupied the building. The occupiers treated The Farm with respect and were our welcome guests.

On April 2nd, when SFPD violently entered the SF commune, they destroyed the lock and chain that secured our front gate and invaded The Farm to prevent our comrades from reaching the offered sanctuary. The Free Farm has a different address and is owned by a different church, St. Paulus Lutheran Church. SFPD did not have the permission of any member of the Free Farm community nor any member of St. Paulus to enter. Myself and others have I spoken with are deeply hurt that SFPD destroyed our resources and violated our space, bringing their violence and terror into a peaceful, spiritual urban oasis. Because the lock had to be replaced for the farm to be secure, The Farm is temporarily inaccessible to the community members who work there, plants cannot be watered, food cannot be harvested, compost cannot be sifted.

The Free Farm broke ground in January of 2010 was built on the site of a church which had been destroyed by fire and lay vacant for 15 years prior.

Since then, we have grown and gifted thousands of pounds of hecka local produce to our hungry friends and neighbors.

Since then, we have shared our visions and our knowledge of food production with hundreds, if not thousands of people, including folks from other community gardens, school groups of all ages from around the world and the residents of the surrounding neighborhood.

Since then, we have shown what can be done with vacant spaces, we have shown communities can self organize to increase their food security and access to healthy, eco-harmonious food options.

And since then, knowing the power and potential of liberated spaces we have watched the adjacent property, with three, large vacant buildings and decried their wasted potential. It is with deep sadness and disappointment that we have now seen our new neighbors evicted.

Liberate all property! Long live the SF Commune!

With revolutionary fury,

The Farm’s “resident anarchist”
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