Rahm Emanuel: Turn Eyesores Into Urban Farms (food deserts & the food justice community)

Chicago.CBS local ^ | 7/26/11

[Libloather]

Emanuel: Turn Eyesores Into Urban Farms
July 26, 2011 1:55 PM

CHICAGO (CBS) – Green acres could be sprouting up all over the city of Chicago if Mayor Rahm Emanuel has his way.

As WBBM Newsradio 780’s Bernie Tafoya reports, Mayor Emanuel on Tuesday stood in an urban farm, in what was once an abandoned truck depot at 33rd and Iron streets in the Bridgeport neighborhood.

He says he wants city ordinances updated so abandoned land all over the city can generate new jobs, and food for those in and around neighborhoods that are called food deserts.

“Our ordinance will deal with the ability of turning a plot like this, that was an eyesore, into an economic engine in the neighborhood – that’s one creating hundreds of jobs just here in this one site, and there are thousands of sites like this throughout the city,” Emanuel said.

[Libloather]

Proposed Chicago zoning change to cut red tape for urban agriculture

There isn't enough food in Chicago?

[silverleaf]

“Honey, do these turnips taste like oil?”

[Average Al]

Get your Meth Mushrooms here!! ;-)

[Pikachu_Dad]

Didn’t folks leave the farm and move to the city to get away from farming?

[cripplecreek]

Urban farming is nothing more than another money grab. When they talk about it in Detroit they see billions of federal dollars for soil restoration.

Meanwhile, a few miles away are farms slowly returning to forest. Soil that only needs to be tilled to be ready to farm.

[subterfuge]

How much taxes will escalate is to be determined. “The government” will likely have to spend, er...I mean invest, a few billion in this (literally) shovel ready project.

[silverleaf]

I can see a new reality show-

“Cabrini Green Acres”

[oncebitten]

The only problem with this idea is that farming is hard work. Right there you have ruled out the people in these “blighted” areas.

[GonzoGOP]

Our ordinance will deal with the ability of turning a plot like this, that was an eyesore, into an economic engine in the neighborhood – that’s one creating hundreds of jobs just here in this one site,

If you need hundreds of farmers to farm one small plot of land you aren't going to have much of an economic engine.

[absolootezer0]

“Honey, do these turnips taste like oil?”

they've done this in detroit, plowed under a bunch of abandoned homes and buildings, and made "community gardens."
then after a bunch of these gardens have been planted and producing for a few years, someone realised that maybe they should test the soil.
big surprise, they found high concentrations of arsenic, lead, mercury, and other poisonous chemicals.

[silverleaf]

“Forty city blocks...and a mule!”

[RightGeek]

LOL - best line yet.

And if someone could be found to do the hard work, why would they try it in any area overridden by Third World gangsters? All their work could be destoyed in an instant.

[JRios1968]

Rahm Emanuel: Turn Eyesores Into Urban Farms

Kim Jong-Il approves.

[ClearCase_guy]

The "food deserts' exist in urban areas because the feral residents will rob any grocery store that tries to open. So the stores close, and the residents cry "racism!"

If they have farms in the city, will the feral reidents raid the farm? Will they ... uhh ... "pollute" the fields?

Yes they will.

So, the urban farm idea just isn't going to work. The key thing though, is that the effort to "start" urban farms may allow a lot of city money to flow toward certain individuals for political gain.

This is not about economics. This is not about food. This is about machine politics.

[MomwithHope]

More government jobs, sure that’s the ticket. Plus they’ll probably give the produce away to those less fortunate. Another entitlement - produce. Are personal chefs next??

[cripplecreek]

They’ll have to import labor as well.

On a local report about this out of Detroit they were interviewing locals about the idea. One of the gang bangers they interviewed thought it was a great idea but he didn’t plan to work on the farm “Cause my people done enough farmin in the south before the civil war”

[liberalh8ter]

This has “government farming subsidy” written all over it.

[JRios1968]

Reminds me of Moochelle’s “organic” garden at the White House: http://www.dailyfinance.com/2009/07/30/michelle-obamas-toxic-veggie-nightmare-white-house-organic-gar/

[absolootezer0]

The only problem with this idea is that farming is hard work. Right there you have ruled out the people in these “blighted” areas.

you'd be surprised. this is "free" food, and leaves more food stamp money for other things.

[PLD]

Hey Rahm what kind of plants are you growing there?Could it be Marijuana? That would bring in lots of cash for you and your thug city..to feed the thugs..