

Photo by zabdiel on Flickr

Apparently having a green thumb is a really dangerous stuff here in L.A. Gardeners Abbie Zands of Los Feliz and Angel Teger of South Los Angeles are really feeling the heat from the Bureau of Street Services. The organization is requesting that they remove their vegetable beds grown in parkways in front of their homes.

And this isn't the first time it's happened either. Back in 2011, Ron Finley was threatened with a warrant if he didn't take out the 150 foot "food forest" he built on a South Central parkway that was owned by the city.

He and his organization L.A. Green Grounds are continuing to pay it forward in the form of food, but things at City Hall haven't been resolved.

Says the Times:

Finley decided to fight City Hall, and Councilman Herb Wesson vowed to take Finley's side. He told me then that he'd be introducing a motion to allow parkway vegetable gardens, provided they met certain requirements regarding public safety, emergency vehicle access, clearance for car doors, etc. "This is an area that is vegetable-poor, with the highest rates of obesity and diabetes," Wesson said in 2011. But two years later, Wesson's "edible landscape" motion is still stuck in the City Hall sausage machine, with several city agencies quibbling over details.

This admittedly is a bit of concern. These food activists can't carry on with their business, and are being treated like criminals. Frankly, we think it's criminal to deny low income families — or anyone for that matter — access to good food. Sorry L.A., but this is an epic fail.

Editor's note: The headline of this post has been updated from its original version, which incorrectly stated the regulated area as front lawns.