Migrants take over, trash beloved NYC community garden — transforming greenspace into heap of beds and human feces
The situation at Smiling Hogshead Ranch on Skillman Avenue has gotten so bad as more and more migrants live on the site, that the organization came close to having the plot taken away by the MTA, which owns the property.
By Katherine Donlevy, Marie Pohl and Georgett Roberts
New York Post
By Published Dec. 13,
Excerpt:
The following morning, 24 other migrants showed up at the garden after spending the night at the shelter. With nowhere else to go, the men used the facility to cook their meals.
“You don’t want to sit here in the park. That’s not good for you or anyone. You want to go to work, get some money and get a place to live,” Aly, 30, from Senegal, told The Post.
According to Oja, the problem sprouted when the migrant shelter opened in August 2023 — but worsened in May when Mayor Eric Adams began enforcing 60-day shelter limits.
Group members have desperately called the MTA, for help — placing 57 calls to 311 to report the encampments, illegal dumping and more — but say most of the complaints were forwarded to homeless services to “die.”
Only once did the MTA take any concrete action, Oja said. In the spring, the agency plowed over a makeshift shelter that was erected on the outskirts of the site — while also erroneously tearing down a stage the garden had made for events.
The move only forced migrants deeper into the garden. The kitchen area has been taken over, the garden beds have been trampled and a corner turned into a toilet.
Read the complete article here.
Source: https://cityfarmer.info/migrants-take-over-trash-beloved-nyc-community-garden-transforming-greenspace-into-heap-of-beds-and-human-feces/