A ‘neighborhood watch leader’ has been filmed trying to dismantle a makeshift community garden after complaining it had been planted on a cricket pitch used by local children.
The ‘guerrilla’ vegetarian patch was created on March 24 in St Lucia’s Playground Park, Brisbane, but a woman began removing it with her bare hands days after a council compliance officer issued an order to stop and clear the area .
In the 13-minute video, the woman says she has received “quite a few complaints” from concerned community members, and is there to check the condition of a cricket pitch below the garden.
Growing Forward, a community organization that grows food “on stolen land for anyone who needs it,” claims it built the garden on “public land” to help people organize themselves, grow their own food and promote gardening.
Despite the good intentions of the group, several attempts have been made since the construction last week – including those of the local resident – to remove the garden.
In the video, people try to stop the locals, who claim they are simply checking the cricket ground below
A man sitting with his girlfriend saw the woman walking through the yard picking at the dirt, prompting the pair to approach her and begin recording.
A friend of the locals, who the onlookers call Karen, asked why the couple started recording.
“Because I saw a lady kicking and pulling things out of this yard,” the man behind the camera replied.
Within minutes, the resident also began filming the pair, who she said became aggressive despite “not touching any plants.”
“The level of animosity is starting to rise and I’m very sorry about that,” she said.
“The kids are playing cricket here, I’m checking the damage to the grass – you’re ruining the cricket pitch.”
The man tells her that he had already recorded her kicking plants before another garden advocate begins to block the woman’s movements.
“Don’t push me, I have a spinal cord injury,” she said before gesturing to the friend she came with.
‘Could you please film this for me?
“Because it gets a little violent.”
As she continues to bypass those protecting the yard, they ask her to stop tearing open the cardboard insulation, saying she “shouldn’t be doing this” with her spinal cord injury.
“Let’s see what damage you’ve already done, because this is a heated surface,” the woman said.
“This is a heated surface because they put some soil and grass on it – so as you can see, the grass is starting to die.
“So you brought this to our area, wherever you come from.”
The man then claims that the resident uses racist “dog whistles.”
Others try to tell her it’s a community garden meant to be shared by all.
“It’s not everyone’s garden because you’re using it for something no one else necessarily agrees with,” she replies.
Although Growing Forward did not get permission from the municipality to build the garden, the group claims to work with the community.
“This garden was created after door knocking and leafleting and it was built with the help of people living in the surrounding streets,” the group wrote on Facebook.
Despite these claims, Walter Taylor’s councilor James Mackay said the group was ordered to dismantle the garden before the resident had even arrived.
Growing Forward is creating ‘guerrilla gardens’ around Brisbane to promote gardening and healthy eating
While the person who was recording started asking others if they had a battery on their phone as his was about to die, the local woman continued to defend the cricket ground.
“Kids from all over St Lucia walk over a mile to keep in touch and play cricket here – this is their pitch,” she says.
The St. Lucia community remained divided over the garden, with some commenting on Facebook that while the group had good intentions, better communication with locals could have prevented the confrontation.
Many agreed that the resident’s behavior was “embarrassing,” but some admitted she was “sticking up for kids.”
“It makes a children’s playground an unpleasant place,” another commented.
The woman herself took to Facebook to defend her actions, saying she would have loved to talk, had it not been for “the ten to one ratio” she had come across.
Growing Forward has used the incident to draw attention to their fundraiser which aims to create more ‘guerrilla gardens’ in other Brisbane suburbs.
So far, $4,250 of the $8,000 goal has been raised, with each garden costing approximately $2,000 to set up.
Daily Mail Australia has contacted Queensland Police for comment.
Growing Forward has used the incident to raise awareness of their fundraiser which aims to build more ‘guerrilla gardens’ in other Brisbane suburbs
$4,250 of the $8,000 goal has been raised so far, with each garden costing approximately $2,000 to set up