PGHIMC - Pittsburgh Independent Media Center

Landslide Community Farm Farmhouse Evicted--Take Action!
by Landslide Community Farm Friday, Nov. 07, 2008 at 12:43 PM
landslide@riseup.net

Farmhouse of local community farm illegally evicted this morning. Take Action!

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At a little before 9:00 am this morning, four police officers and two representatives from Pittsburgh Public Works arrived at the Landslide Community Farm farmhouse (#3 Allequippa St.) and told everyone inside to leave—the house was being boarded up.

Police and Public Works officials could produce no documentation other than a work order instructing them to board up the house. Apparently someone had phoned in a complaint stating that 20 or so ‘vagrants’ had been living in the house. There had been no advance notice, no opportunity to fix any purported problems, just an abrupt eviction.

Police demanded to see a written lease. When none could be presented (our lease agreement is verbal, as are around 40% of all leases agreements) they told us that they had ‘no choice’ but to comply with the order and board up the house. Police made it clear that the owner of the house had not requested the eviction and that they had not contacted her before moving in to evict us.

We are working hard to settle the situation but we need your help to pressure the authorities to let us back into our homes. Please call:

Mayor Luke Ravensthal’s Hotline- 311
Department of Public Works- (412) 255-2790 (ext 3)

Tell the Department of Public Works and the Mayor that Landslide community farm is an established and respected community project. Take all appropriate action to let these farmers back into their homes!

Follow http://www.landslidecommunityfarm.org for updates!

www.landslidecommunityfarm.org

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