calling in the police? c’mon.
(DISCLAIMER: This post was NOT written by Emily Rose of Sprout Out Loud! It was written and posted by markefrank of imaginemileend.com)
(found this image here.)
So the Montreal Police were working hard today when they stopped by Mile-End’s biggest green space to make sure no residents were confused about their rights. Or lack thereof. The Montreal Police made it clear that Montrealers who work to beautify neglected green spaces in their neighbourhoods have no right to do so, and in fact are treading on criminal ground. Evil, sordid activities, these volunteer gardeners, these flower-lovers, these fresh-air worshippers.
All those who hope to contribute to and build community in their neighbourhoods, be forewarned. The police have your number. You will be stopped!
How ridiculous.
Be that as it may, it has been clearly communicated to us that no resident of Mile-End (or elsewhere in Montreal) has the right to move rocks, pull weeds, plant flowers (or any other plants), or in any other way try to beautify or change their community…at least not on Canadian Pacific property.
Apparently we can still pick up garbage, though. Should this right too soon be taken away from us, we’ll be sure to let you know.
All this means, of course, that the beautiful Roerich Garden lovingly created and encouraged by Sprout Out Loud! is illegal and must stop immediately.
Don’t be surprised, in fact, if this garden is suddenly removed. But maybe I’m being too negative.
What we do know is that if people are found moving rocks, planting things or otherwise acting like they have a right to be there, the police will stop them. Fines will be handed out. Maybe worse.
My question is, why did the police show up? Just after 1pm (the time activities always start on sunday)?
It is clear that someone who knows about the community’s activities here — which have always been done in the open in order to encourage and foster community — asked the police to come and break up our community-minded activities.
But who?
The police mentioned that the land was Canadian Pacific land and so private. And as such, we have no right to be there. We have no right to in any way alter this private land.
Forget, of course, that Canadian Pacific has left this field neglected for how many years? And that citizens using the spaces next to their homes (and thereby changing them somewhat) is the same thing as travel weary plants, spiders and other living things stopping by to make themselves a new home. Forget all that.
It’s illegal.
But, why would Canadian Pacific care? The City of Montreal is currently in court to take over all the green space that borders the railway in the neighbourhood, including this neglected field (now called Maguire Meadow). And the last I heard, the process was almost completed.
Which means, this field might already belong to the City. If it doesn’t, it will very soon. So why would Canadian Pacific all of a sudden get upset about people beautifying their abandoned field when it won’t even be theirs for much longer?
My feeling is that Canadian Pacific doesn’t care at all, but the borough of Plateau-Mont-Royal does.
If I had to imagine who possibly could have called the police to come in to break up *gardening* (I still find this ridiculously hard to believe!), the only people that come to mind are those who work for the borough. And specifically, Helen Fotopoulos.
(found this image here.)
I know I could be wrong, but for the moment it is the only possibility that makes sense to me. There is a great deal of momentum and interest growing around this green space, and the redevelopment of this part of Mile-End over all. And everything I have heard about Helen Fotopoulos and this borough government makes it clear that they are not happy with the possibility of having to actually change their plans due to public pressure (such as that shown at the Jane’s walk below).
We will try to arrange a meeting with Helen this week to ask her to support us in using this space until a new use for this space is decided (and agreed upon by the community). We know that she is already well aware of this project and has been for a long while.
If she refuses — as the new guardian of this land — then I will ask her if she knows who filed the complaint against the community using this space. If she / and or the police won’t tell us who filed this complaint, then I will work on the assumption that it is the borough.
And until I am able to learn otherwise, I will do everything I can to make sure everyone who can vote in this borough knows what kind of Mayor Helen Fotopoulos is, and what kind of borough government she runs.
Whether this is the borough or it is Canadian Pacific, I would just like to stress that what they are trying to stop us from doing is keeping this space clean, planting some beneficial plants, and otherwise respecting and beautifying our neighbourhood.
What we have been doing in Maguire Meadow is not vandalism. In fact, Canadian Pacific should have been paying someone (preferably us) to do this work while this space was under their responsibility.
Leaving this green space in the state they have left it in should have been reported to the police.
If this is Canadian Pacific calling in the police, then I hope the borough will have the sense to quickly overturn this ban once they successfully take ownership of this space (which again, should happen very soon, if it has not already happened).
If this borough government thinks it can get through the next election without this piece of precious land becoming a major election issue, they have another thing coming.
Every step they make regarding this space between now and November 1st will be communicated by us to everyone we meet at every public event we stage this spring and summer.
And maybe then they’ll learn that they can’t send the police in to take away rights from citizens.
We are born with our rights; they are not theirs to take away.
And besides, nobody gets between a gardener and her piece of earth.
