City Slicker Farms

To Our Community,

As some of you may know, towards the end of 2013 we finished building an outdoor classroom at Fitzgerald Park.  Its construction marked part of the long-awaited completion of a community planning process that began in 2007, to improve the infrastructure at Fitzgerald Park for the community to share.  The intention of the outdoor classroom was to create an inclusive gathering space for our farm stand, workshops, tours, and other community events, gatherings, and learning opportunities for our participants and the larger West Oakland community.

Another intention of the outdoor classroom was to bring the two parks, Fitzgerald and Union Plaza, together.  They are currently divided by a busy road, which creates a real barrier for having a cohesive park.  It is also nearly impossible to grow fruits and vegetables at Fitzgerald Park due to the shade of the existing trees and the lack of irrigation.  Check out our “October Open Letter” for more background on the outdoor classroom.

After the outdoor classroom was finished, we began to receive both compliments and complaints about the structure.  Some neighbors and community members were encouraged that seating came back to the park and that we were investing in the neighborhood in a way that welcomed everyone.  Others were upset, saying that we created a structure that promoted drug activity, drug sales, prostitution, and homeless encampments. What was clear is that our community is divided on the impact of the outdoor classroom and it has become a symbol of some of the tensions that exist in West Oakland.  These tensions are complex:  perceptions of safety (safe from harm and safe from damaging labels and discrimination), how one attends to homelessness and addiction, perceptions of crime, feeling powerless, displacement…the list goes on. 

Over the past few months we have been attending neighborhood meetings, holding our own meetings, and corresponding with community members in person and through email.  As a staff, it was important for us to take the space and time to listen deeply to the issues that have surfaced, and ask our community to come up with its own ideas of how to create a park that is welcoming and safe for all people.   As you can imagine, this is not a simple task and takes a lot of time.  During this period, the City of Oakland Department of Parks and Recreation was receiving complaints about the outdoor classroom.  As a direct result of this, they instructed us to board up the classroom in December until a resolution was made.  Around that same time, the Department of Parks and Recreation discovered that the parks were not zoned correctly.  These two parcels are not zoned as parks to be managed under the Department of Parks and Recreation, with whom City Slicker Farms has been working in partnership to create the urban farm and open space.  The impact of this is unclear at this moment and we are waiting to hear from the City what their next steps are for oversight of the parks.

We are sad to say that we have decided to move the outdoor classroom.  In addition, we are halting any more improvements at the park until we understand whose oversight the land is under at the City of Oakland and whether new negotiations with them will be necessary.  We will continue our normal programming at Union Plaza Park.  We are heartened that so many community members are coming together to talk about the complex issues that have arisen and have embraced the uncomfortableness that comes when many viewpoints come alive.  City Slicker Farms sees building relationships as an essential component to our work, and we now want to spend this time building unity and understanding.  The outdoor classroom will be moved by the first week in March and will be stored until it is eventually moved to the new West Oakland Farm and Park at Peralta Street between Helen and Hannah Streets.  We invite the West Oakland community to continue these important discussions. Please email us if you'd like to give more input about our Outdoor Classroom, or would like to be more involved with Fitzgerald Park. We'd also like to welcome community members to take part in the design of our new West Oakland Farm and Park (see below for more information).  We will send word on the exact day of the move so folks can be a part of giving gratitude for all that the outdoor classroom has taught and offered us.

At the heart of it all, we at City Slicker Farms want to uphold our mission and values and create a space that is accessible, welcoming, and safe for all, no matter what your background is.   We look forward to seeing what possibilities the future holds.

Sincerely,

Barbara Finnin

Executive Director

Learn about City Slicker Farms and the New West Oakland Farm and Park!

City Slicker Farms and the Farm Park Council invite you to a Community Meeting about our West Oakland Farm and Park.

Get an update and discuss Design Changes.  

We will also create and commit to a set of communication practices that honors our intentions of mutual respect     

Join Us Thursday, February 27, 2013   6:00 - 7:30 pm

Willie Keys Recreation Center | 3131 Union Street, Oakland

We hope you will help us pass the word on to your neighbors.

For More Information: [email protected]

(510) 763-4241

www.cityslickerfarms.org

About City Slicker Farms

The mission of City Slicker Farms is to empower West Oakland community members to meet the immediate and basic need for healthy food for themselves and their families by creating sustainable, high-yield urban farms and backyard gardens.  We prioritize low-income residents and people of color who have least access to fresh, healthy, affordable produce.