An unauthorized garden planted in Seattle’s Cal Anderson Park by BLM protesters has been destroyed due to an increase in “public health and public safety issues.”
According to the Seattle Times, the garden was spontaneously planted without permission during the 2020 BLM riots.
The garden popped up in the “Sun Bowl” area where events and gatherings are held.
Rachel Schulkin, Seattle Parks spokeswoman, noted the garden was to be destroyed “due to public health and public safety issues and the need for maintenance, including reseeding the area and turf restoration.”
“In recent months, the temporary garden has created unsafe conditions for all park users, including the vandalism of Cal Anderson public bathrooms, public drug use, unauthorized camping and a significant rodent problem, along with other issues,” she added.
A tent city that continues to pop up in the area was removed along with the garden Wednesday for the 76th time in 2023.
Reporter Andy Ngo stated on X, formerly Twitter, “Seattle has finally removed the BLM-Antifa “community garden” that was set up during the 2020 deadly CHAZ occupation.”
Seattle has finally removed the BLM-Antifa "community garden" that was set up during the 2020 deadly CHAZ occupation. The far-left says the garden honors BIPOC people killed by police but the space created a rat problem, attracted drug usage & encampments.https://t.co/WBPr6SQJJ9
— Andy Ngo 🏳️🌈 (@MrAndyNgo) December 28, 2023
“The far-left says the garden honors BIPOC people killed by police but the space created a rat problem, attracted drug usage & encampments,” he added.
Local Seattle journalist Jonathan Choe posted video footage and wrote, “Early Wednesday morning, city crews swooped in to find the homeless asleep and moved in with bulldozers and cops.”
CITY CRUSHES BLM GARDEN: Early Wednesday morning, city crews swooped in to find the homeless asleep and moved in with bulldozers and cops. By the time the FAR-LEFT activists realized what was happening, it was too late to call in their comrades for reinforcements. Bottom line,… pic.twitter.com/2zWR0CmGBY
— Jonathan Choe (@choeshow) December 28, 2023
“By the time the FAR-LEFT activists realized what was happening, it was too late to call in their comrades for reinforcements,” he went on.
Then he added, “Bottom line, the occupation is over and Cal Anderson Park will undergo much needed renovations.”
Radio host and editor Ari Hoffman called it a “glorified homeless encampment that you couldn’t get a bowl of salad from.”
Seattle activists are mourning the end of the BLM "community garden" left over from the deadly 2020 Autonomous Zone. Too bad they don't mourn the same way for the black teens who were killed during the 3-week occupation
— Ari Hoffman (@thehoffather) December 28, 2023
This video was taken of the "garden," which was really a… pic.twitter.com/kA4ALijxDZ
He also reminded readers of concerning behavior created by lawlessness in the area.
“Travis Berge, a prolific offender, ended up killing his girlfriend in the park and drowning himself in a chlorine tank in a pump station for the park’s fountain,” he concluded.