Hello everyone! Know that I’m holding up okay, mostly because of your words of support, and the love I’m getting from my friends and neighbors. Some quick clarifications before I go on with this post:
1. i’m getting in trouble for selling the chard. it is legal to grow vegetables and have various livestock in Oakland, so don’t freak out. the fact that i’ve been selling it is the issue. of course i would argue that my farmstand is by suggested donation.
2. i haven’t been fined, just threatened. like all good citizens, i’ll just wait to hear from the Man.
3. I’ve heard that April 14 there may be some new rules about the selling of produce, so I’ll be fine and we’ll have gotten worked up about nothing.
Back to the post: This morning I went to Brother’s Market to get Mosed to take my rooster (I’m sure I’ll get busted for that soon as I’m under the microscope now–none of my neighbors have complained), and told him about what was happening. He’s really pissed, “You don’t sell!” he yelled. “We just come and pick, for the community.” I’ll probably make up a petition for people in the neighborhood to sign. Then I went to pick some weeds for my rabbits.
After I fed them, I read some email, and got a really scary one. The woman asked that I didn’t use her name, but here’s the story:
I believe that I probably know whomever filed the complaint about you, that they are probably an animal rights person, most likely a house-rabbit person who volunteers with animals at the Oakland Animal Shelter. I used to volunteer there with rabbits, and there was a feeling of horror among the other rabbit workers that you were breeding them for meat. Some of them are vegan, but others are just rabbit-lovers. They said they were going to complain about it to the city. That was a year ago, more or less. They crowed at one point because maybe your goats were forced off-site? I disagreed with them, because I think a person can love animals AND also conduct local farming, including eating your own animals. But they were VERY firm that eating rabbits was somewhere in the realm of murder, and I never said anything. Frankly I was afraid they would run me out of there on a pole. Their attitudes, along with my full schedule, led me away from volunteering at the Shelter eventually.
Now I feel guilty for having said nothing, because it sounds like they have finally made good on their promise. Honestly I don’t think it would have done any good for me to speak up. Those who were most horrified about the rabbits would have done it anyway. There might have been one or 2 other non-extremists like me, and I wish I had spoken up for their benefit.So they would see they are not monolithic. I also feel guilty for not having sent you some kind of warning, but I don’t know you, and I didn’t know if it would sound nuts. “The rabbit people are after you!”? And what could you do anyway?
This is pretty much what I figured, a rabbit person who hates me for growing my own food, lodged the complaint. I was sure it wasn’t a NIMBY neighbor, because we all get along.
I’m going to fight, but before that I’m letting myself cry a lot. Especially when I get messages like this:
We are all military wives stuck in Fort Polk Louisiana, all three of us were sad beyond words and then one day I picked up your book.
We have now started our own little garden on my two acre lot in the middle of a housing area. 🙂
We get bees this weekend and will have chickens and rabbits by the end of the summer.
I wonder if you know, really know, how your life, your writing and just who you are inspires and touches people.
Dont give up!! If you need us to do a bake sale to raise money for you, sell some of our seedlings or even do a yard sale, we will be more than happy to help you in any way we can. You have a huge support system that you might not have even known was there. 🙂
Amen for you all.
The Urban Orchardist 