LOS ANGELES, 20 May 2006--How do you make a miracle?  Saturday the recipe was 150 South Central Farmers and their supporters--Guatemalans, Salvadorans, Mexicans, Chican@s, Africans, and people of European descent--a meeting of Latino business leaders, and LA. Mayor Villaraigosa.  

Ron Kovic, disabled anti-war Vietnam veteran, tonight will add a procession with community religious leaders and a fast to save the Farm.  The Farm sent out a call to the community: "An invitation to all spiritual leaders is extended to join the South Central Farmers, as they will act on foot, on knees and through candle-lit prayer that their sacred community land is preserved.  It is with hope that this act of penance will rectify any and all debts that both the community and its leaders may hold giving reason for both the physical and spiritual destruction of the South Central Farm."

On Monday, the Farmers will find out if their penance and prayers work.

Despite support from throughout Los Angeles and the world, despite contributions in the millions of dollars, despite the endorsements of enough celebrities to fill an awards show, earlier this week word came down that City Hall was voiding its promise to help the Farm.  Farm supporters transformed into vigilers, drumming to the moon nightly outside the Mayor's official Getty House residence; Friday night the Mayor arrived home at midnight and bolted past the protestors.

Saturday morning, still dogging the Mayor, the Farmers transported their press conference and protest from City Hall to the Convention Center, where the Mayor's entourage circled the block to find a way into the Mayor's meeting with Latino business leaders while avoiding the Farmers' line.  One Farm supporter noted that "The City can fund a new stadium, it can extend the Metro.  Villaraigosa could save the Farm if he wanted to.  He'll have to live with the consequences." 

An organizer pondered, "He promised $9 million, $11 million, $14 million.  Nothing's come through.  Why?  We don't know--that's what we're here trying to find out."  It was 10:30 a.m., the Mayor was finally in the house, and the organizer left to join a circle of  protestors.  They spiraled out from the street at Figueroa and Pico to the plaza between the Convention Center and the Staples Center, directly underneath the Mayor's meeting.

"An-ton-io, save the Farm!"  The protestors pounded on green-painted buckets and beat rhythms on metallic light poles.  "Save the Farm--three more days!" the protestors invoked, undoubtedly disrupting the meeting above.

"¡Se puede! Se puede! Se puede, sí!"  The din echoed between the buildings.  "¡Antonio, escucha! Estamos en la lucha!"

One Farm supporter explained that the Farm was about, "Self-sustainability, ecological preservation of green spaces in industrialized and urbanized cities.  It's the preservation of Indigenous cultures."  Then she added, "My own personal culture."

Convention Center security had locked down the building, but not before several Farm supporters managed to get inside to confront the Mayor.  The Mayor talked about the affluence of the Spanish-language business community in Los Angeles and about achieving the American dream.  When the supporters reappeared to tell the story to a bevy of those outside, they added, "The American Dream has to be bought.  It doesn't come for free." 

According to Farm leaders, the fate of the Farm is wound in a tangle of City Hall politics.  Jan Perry, council member ostensibly representing the Farm, has been actively discouraging potential major donors, according to the Farm representative, advocating instead for industrial development.  Meanwhile, according to the same spokesperson, the Mayor is afraid of antagonizing council members as he maneuvers for control of LAUSD.  The representative urged both Perry and Villaraigosa to "put aside the narcissism of petty differences and do something constructive."  In a message to Perry, he offered, "We aren't that far apart.  It takes livable communities to attract jobs."

Councilmember Bill Rosendahl visited the Farm last week, and reportedly was impressed with what he found.

Three years ago, the City took back the fourteen acre informal dump it had allowed low-income families to clear and work for food since the 1992 Uprising, and sold the land to developer Ralph Horowitz for a warehouse, for just over $5M.  The City's price was $8M less than the price it asked of the L.A. Harbor Department some nine years earlier, long before the land, in 2002, was designated a part of the valuable Alameda Corridor development project.  Since the sale, twice a week the Farmers have laid down their hoes and marched through City Hall, to talk to the turned backs of the City Council.  The Farmers took their plaint to court, asserting violations of the City Charter.  They eventually lost in the California State of Appeals against the combined legal forces of the City and Horowitz.  When the Farmers tried to negotiate a sale through the City and then the Trust for Public Land, Horowitz raised the price of the land to $16.3M.

Meanwhile, people from Australia to Thailand to Scotland are contributing their support.  Last week, Ben Harper dedicated his homepage to the Farm and added his voice to those of  Leonardo DiCaprio, Aztlan Underground, Tom Morello, Peter Camejo, Julia Butterfly Hill, Immortal Technique, Ozomatli, and Zach de la Rocha in support for the Farm.  And the Farm continues to welcome the community to events like Sunday's market, while joining in community actions, including participating in tomorrow's "Hands Off Venezuela and Cuba" demonstration.

Reportedly, the Farm will soon add the legendary songstress Joan Baez to its list of petitioners. 

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WHA-WHA-WHAT??!?!?!

you mean antonio is just another sell-out vendido dirty slime politician? but he's a homeboy from East Los, how can this be? I'm shocked. I can't believe it. All this time we've been kissing his ass thinking he was on the farmers' side and now this--I can't believe nobody warned us he was a traidor!!! This is unprecedented. I'm going to have to call my local Elected Official and register a Compliant. I mean, a Complaint.

you know, I thought if we participated in the elections & registered to vote & got all cozy with the politicians and all that shit, we would change the world! ¿que pasó, antonio?

sigh. ah well. nice try with that whole, you know, electoral politics thing. hey maybe next time.

how does it go?

ahora marchamos, manyana votamos, y despues...

...des...pues...

...pues...

...la misma chingadera, que no?

Well, well, well, Antonio show's his true colors. After all his posturing and rhetoric to get your vote, when it comes down to it he's just another spineless politician. The question is, why is anyone surprised?

As far as cozying up to politicians? Only the wealthy get to do that. They're the ones that can afford the politicians price tag.

Villaraigo$$$$$a is a pig.

What else is new.

He runs the pigs, he's in charge of the pigs, he is a pig.

He oinks for Hagel Martinez, he oinks for the white man.

What else is new.

The Mayor's office never intended to help save the farm. It was all a lie from the start. They pretended to be working to save the farm so they could say, “we tried, sorry”
See the link:

http://la.indymedia.org/news/2006/03/149011_comment.php#149131

Listen to the MP3 file and hear the lying sack of shit Deputy Mayor, Larry Frank tell the farmers one lie after another.

Horowitz and the big money developers own City Hall. The mayor, the city attorney and most of the city council are all on the take.

Antonio is NOT a Pig! We love Antonio because he Help the original farmers! Council Lady Jan Perry too is Good Person. She worked with us to find other farm at 111th Street and Avalon.

Seek the Truth
by Maya Cloud Sunday, May. 21, 2006 at 11:38 AM





The public at large needs to know the truth!
Rufina Juarez and Tezozomoc threw out the original farmers over the past several years. Visit 111th Street and Avalon to talk to the original farmers. They will share their experience with you.
Where is the $$$$$$$$$$$ Juarez collected from the original farmers? They asked for records and she refused.
The people in the pictures are NOT the original farmers.

Were es the $$$$$$ Rufina Juarez collect from the original poor original farmers? She collect $$$$$ for three years? Were es $$$?

These posts from the supposed anti-Farm "farmers" are obviously complete frauds, down to the spelling out of words in cheesey spelling in such a way as to badly mimic a poorly caricatured Mexican accent.

They also poorly mimic someone poorly miciming English, for example, where "Maria Rodriquez--former farmer" says, " becuz they don't voto por her. "

Jesus, I mean a Spanish speaker or a Spanglish speaker, talking in the third person plural wouldn't say "becuz they don't voto por her. "

"Voto" is not used that way. "Voto" means "I vote." It is also the noun form of the word. Like "su voto es su voz," - your vote is your voice."

The infinitive is "votar." "Voy a votar." "I'm going to vote."

And the past tense plural in this case would be "no votaron,"
like in they didn't vote for her.

NO Spanish speaker is going to make such stupid mistakes. When you speak two languages, even poorly, you don't make mistakes in your second language by making mistakes in your first language then translating them

These posts are racist frauds, and I ask that they be deleted.

I also have reason to believe that the numerous posts here supposedly from the webmaster at chicanofurums are entirely fraudulent.

The truth is Rufina Juarez and Tezozomoc threw out the original farmers that did not vote for them. That is the truth.

Do a story about the crooked leadership.

A story should be written about the abuse Rufina Juarez did to the poor farmers. Visit 111th Street and Avalon in Watts to talk to the farmers.

Rufina Juarez is mean and abusive.

You know, it looks to me like you're mean and abusive.

Anyone who launches personal unsubstantiated attacks on someone who is not present to defend themselves is in fact mean and abusive, and has no principles - es un desgraciado.

So, you know, you expose yourself and your own spirit. If you loved the LAND you would fight to save it.

Instead you post evil and unsubstantiated accusations about others.

How much $$$$$ has the farm raised so far?

How much money has the SCFs raised?

Visit the 111th Place and Avalon Farm in Watts, CA. and talk to the original SCFs farmers of over 258 family members thrown out by Rufina Juarez and Tezozomoc.

Is it true Rufina Juarez and Tezozomoc threw-out more than 250 original south central farmers?

by the same token, is it true you work for the developer that wants to destroy the Farm, Ralph Horowitz.

Just thought I'd ask.

No, I do not work for the developer. The reason for the question is because the original farmers have a original map of the farm plots that were destroyed by the leadership when they were thrown out.

Have you seen the map?

What were the conditions that led to the farmers not protesting the original sale of the land to private owners in the mid-90s?

What happens to the donations raised if it's not enough to buy the farm?

Truthout reported that the farmers have $9 million, and I see claims that the Mayor promised $5 million--was that to make up the difference so the farmers could buy the land?

What does Horowitz want to do with the land? Would he be open to rooftop gardens on buildings?

I think urban community gardens are extremely important as we enter the era of peak oil. Food that has to be transported thousands of miles by truck is going to become extremely expensive. This food doesn't really have to be transported at all, saving money and energy. That it also provides cheap food to low-income families, creates a space where community can thrive, and helps mitigate air pollution and greenhouse gases (thus slowing down global warming) are other major benefits not to be overlooked. If anything, it seems to me the government, at whatever level, should be helping these farmers grow a surplus of food they could profit from, and potentially use to expand.

I thought they protested this latest sale, and it was conducted via a private negotiation with the City. Prior attempts to buy the land were rejected by the City Council.

So I guess the public didn't ever want to sell the land to H, and the City Council was ok with that, but the City itself was motivated to sell it.

Why were the original farmers expelled from 41st and Alameda?

Have you visited the 111th street and Avalon farm in Watts, CA?

Where is the money that was raised by Rufina Juarez and Tezozomoc (aka Esteban Torres Guzman)?

Have you seen the original map of the SCF? The map show Rufina Juarez started at SCF in 2003.

Is it true she works for MTA? (Metropolitan Transportation Authority) If so, how can she claim she is socialist?

Many have seen the original map of the SCF plots that were destroyed. It is horrible the original farmers were thrown out. It seems there is definitely a conflict the public needs to learn about before supporting 41st and Alameda garden.

Why wouldn't a job at MTA be "soclaist"? Sounds pretty socialist to me.

Just north of 41st and Alameda in downtown Los Angeles, near the streets of San Pedro, 5th, 6th, Winston, Wall and Crocker, you will find 1000's upon 1,000's of homeless children, youth, mothers, fathers, famililes, men and women living in the streets of downtown Los Angeles' Skid Row.

The homeless people of Los Angeles need food, shelter, jobs, medical services, mental health services and people to advocate for them and their children.

The movie stars should advocate to raise 16.3 million dollars to help the homless of Los Angeles' Skid Row. Movie Stars should rally in support of the homeless epidemic downtown and not a despotic leadership that has thrown out over 300 families.

The bottom line the ritzy who live in the Downtown Lofts want the homeless people out of Skid Row. Some of these people living in the lofts work for the the movie industry. Let's get the priorites straight.

Many in the Danza World (Aztec Dancers) consider Rufina Juarez an opportunist. She is not a likeable person because she divides people.

Tezozomoc too...

Some 150 people, if not more, participated in the beautiful traditional ceremonias at the Farm, led by Rufina and Tezozomoc for 10 hours Saturday night and another 4 hours or more today. I was one of them.

Perhaps it would be more fair to say that "Many in the Danza World (Aztec Dancers)" - a demonstrable number from across the spectrum of the community - love and support Rufina and Tezo and their involvement in our ceremonias and that they proved their love and support last night with their sacrifice, prayers and work.

One can only depise and pity rumor mongers, who put the vice of gossip before the sacredness of the land and those who defend it from destruction, like Tezozomoc and Rufina.

You show nothing but disrespect for our traditions, core values, protocols, and the teachings of our ancestors and elders in launching such an attack.

It is completely outside of the traditions and protocols of the Danza community to launch anonymous, unsubstantiated attacks against others, especially against your own people and members of the Danza community.

Some of the people may be movie stars, but they didn't plan or build these lofts. Most well known movie actors are too poor. It's their studio bosses that are running the show anyway.

Gentrification of downtown was pushed by the Riordan administration, and inherited (seems, pretty gladly) by the Hahn and Villaraigosa administrations. Throughout the 90s, you'd see public appearances of Tom Gilmore and Richard Riordan, then mayor, and real estate guy of Downtown revitalization. They were rather low-key about their plans, of course. (Except for the LA Times/Staples Center debacle.) Unless you'd been in Manhattan, Chicago, or San Francisco, you wouldn't have known what was about to happen. Now it's happening.

Over the past couple years, homelessness in LA has been brought to the forefront. They started to expose the common practice of dumping people in skid row. This was a kind of "warning shot" to tell the municipalities that LA is going to participate in pushing the homeless out of downtown, out to the other cities and suburbs.

It happened in NYC. It happened in allegedly liberal San Francisco (which made it illegal to sleep in public). It will probably happen in LA.

This isn't the only shift. The city seems to be coordinating to reduce the quantity of low-income public housing. They rebuilt Aliso, but reduced the number of units overall, and reduced the number of public housing units. Were these units replaced by other units elsewhere, or by renters moving into affordable condos (thus freeing up their units)?

The politics are somewhat reminiscent of the Clinton era. The Republicans kiss ass on the rich folks, and get them to open their wallets (and get their rentacops to load their guns). Then the more centrist Democrats do the dirty work of pushing out the poor... because if a Republican tried it, the liberal Democrats would protest, object, and say "it's another case of right-wing ethnic cleansing that must be stopped." Then all the Dems would stop it, because they have all that power.

So, instead, the Republicans set up the deals, and they spend some effort develping the propaganda and feel-good rationales for gentrification. The yuppies hordes reading stuff like Reason magazine (conveniently based here), or writers like Joel Kotkin, have the intellectual ammo to justify their behavior, and the anti-socialist liberals can push for fool's market policies that won't work.

Before long, ignorant liberals start believing the reactionary illogic from the right wingers... because it eases their consciences when they participate in gentrification.

Meanwhile, the Dems do the dirty work. A Democrat carrying out the poverty elimination/eviction/extermination plan gets little opposition, except from real leftists and the poor directly affected... so it happens. A few Democrats make a few million dollars, a bunch more Republicans make many more millions of dollars. A bunch of poor people get screwed.

People have a right to their opinion... But answer this....
Why did your Rufina Juarez and Tezozomoc throw out over 270 original farmers?

You are just one person who supports her, but there are many who question her because she is a despot.

She is similar to a Malinche!

Do you think if you tell a lie often enough it makes it true?

Even the LA WEAKly only claims 20 farmers were at odds with the Farm's leadership.

Hate to see a good title go to waste.

Have you seen the map of the original farmers who were thrown out?

Visit 111th Street and Avalon and they will show you the map. Get your facts straight.

Have you read the LA WEAKly story? It says 20 not 250.

Period y punto.

That is the LA Weekly... A press conference with all the original farmers and the map will prove otherwise.

The truth be told...

WHEN YOU GET SOME PROOF, GET BACK TO ME. A PROMISE THAT ONE DAY YOU WILL HAVE SOME PROOF IS NOTHING BUT EMPTY POSTURING, MINUTEMAN.

La Di La Di La.... Ignornance breeds Ignorance!
Visit the 111th Street and Avalon Farm in Watts, CA to talk to the original farmers who were expelled by your friends.

Press conference coming soon!

May the truth set you free!

Leslie,

Why did Rufina Juarez and Tezozomoc throw out over 250 original farmers?

Rufina Juarez is NOT from South Central LA. She needs to go home and leave SCLA alone. She is a wannabe activist.