St Lucia Brisbane: Argument erupts over 'guerilla' community veggie patch by ... trends now A 'neighbourhood watch leader' has been filmed trying to dismantle a makeshift community garden after complaining that it had been planted over a cricket pitch used by local kids. The 'guerilla' veggie patch was created in St Lucia's Playground Park, Brisbane on March 24, only for a woman named Robyn to begin removing it with her bare hands days after a council compliance officer had issued a notice to cease and clear the area. In the 13-minute video Robyn says that she's received 'quite a few complaints' from concerned community members, and that she's there to check the state of a cricket pitch beneath the garden. Growing Forward, a community organisation that grows food 'on stolen land for anyone who needs it', claims it built the garden on 'public land' to help people self-organise, grow their own food and promote gardening. Despite the good intentions of the group, several attempts - including that of local resident Robyn - have been made to remove the garden since it was built last week. Wild Footage: Local "Neighbourhood Watch" Leader Cracks the Shits, Tries to Wreck Garden, Hugely Embarrasses Self Get this—this woman, who told us her name is Robyn, just rocked up at the garden and started tearing it up, while another woman arrived and egged her on, then called the cops on bystanders. While people from the neighbourhood and members of our collective watched on, she kicked seedlings, stomped plants, threw handfuls of dirt in the air, and pulled down trellises, all while calling the gardeners "invaders," asking people "where are you actually from?", and implying that the people filming her do all of this were the aggressors. She seemed to think it was unusual for people to be sitting in a park and to start filming when a person starts destroying a community garden. Not a good look, Robyn. It's just a garden... We assert the right of people struggling to afford food, pay rent, or find a home at all to self-organise and grow their own food. This garden was established after the area was doorknocked and leafleted and it was built with the help of people living in the surrounding streets. We don't believe that absolutely every single person in an area has to agree on how a ten metre by five metre patch of grass is used—and of course members of the upper middle class and ruling class will always oppose the working class organising itself and building community. We expect more nuts will arrive and try to wreck this garden. Maybe they'll succeed, maybe they won't. We also expect the council will attempt to bulldoze it (they've tried twice already and failed after the community gathered and turned them away). Maybe they'll succeed, maybe they won't. It's not a good look though, is it? Right now, some local school kids are getting a tour of the garden, learning about how to grow their own food, and tired gardeners are taking a rest in the shade of some trees after fixing it up. It's just kinda nice? Nothing shit about any of it. We will do our best to support locals gardening in this spot for as long as it's possible, and we will build more gardens elsewhere too. We will continue not to ask council permission or go through years of bureaucracy (and have to rent individual plots) just to be able to grow our own food. Remember: it's just a garden. Posted by Growing Forward on Sunday, March 26, 2023 In the video people attempt to stop Robyn, who claims she is simply checking the cricket pitch below A man sitting with his girlfriend saw Robyn walking on the garden and picking at the dirt, prompting the couple to approach her and begin recording. A friend of Robyn's, who onlookers refer to as Karen, asked why the couple began recording. 'Because I saw a lady kicking and pulling stuff out of this garden,’ the man behind the camera replied. Within minutes Robyn also began filming the couple, who she said were becoming aggressive despite her not 'touching a single plant'. 'The hostility level is starting to rise and I think that’s really unfortunate,’ Robyn said. 'This is where the children play cricket, I am checking the damage to the grass - you’re ruining the cricket pitch.' The man tells Robyn that he had already recorded her kicking plants before another advocate of the garden begins to block Robyn's movement. 'Don't push me, I've got a spinal injury,' Robyn said before gesturing to the friend she came with. 'Could you film this for me, please? 'Because it’s getting a bit violent.’ As Robyn continues to step around those protecting the garden, they ask her to stop ripping up the carboard insulation saying she 'shouldn't be doing this' with her spinal injuries. 'I'm just checking what damage you've done already, because this is a heated surface,' Robyn said. 'This is a heated surface because they put some soil and grass on it - so as you can see grass is beginning to die. 'So you’ve brought this to our area from wherever it is you come from.' The man then alleges that Robyn is using racist 'dog whistles'. Others try telling her that it's a community garden meant to be shared by everyone. 'It's not everyone’s garden because you're using it for something that nobody else here necessarily agrees with,' Robyn replies. Although Growing Forward did not receive permission from the council before planting the garden, the group claims it collaborated with the community. 'This garden was established after the area was doorknocked and leafleted and it was built with the help of people living in the surrounding streets,' the group wrote on Facebook. Despite these claims, councilor for Walter Taylor, James Mackay, said that the group was told to dismantle the garden before Robyn had even arrived. Growing Forward creates 'guerilla gardens' around Brisbane to help promote gardening and healthy eating As the person recording began asking others if they had battery on their phones because his was about to die, Robyn continued to defend the cricket pitch. 'Kids from all over St. Lucia walk over a kilometre to stay in touch and play cricket here - this is their pitch,' she says. The St Lucia community remained divided on the garden, with some commenting on Facebook that although the group had good intentions, greater communication with locals could have avoided the confrontation. Many agreed that Robyn's behaviour was 'embarrassing', but some conceded that she was 'sticking up for kids'. 'It is making a children’s playground an unpleasant place,' another comment read. Robyn herself took to Facebook to defend her actions saying she would've been happy to talk, if not for 'the ratio of ten-to-one' she'd encountered. Growing Forward has used the incident to raise awareness of their fundraiser which aims to build more 'guerilla gardens' in other Brisbane suburbs. Thus far $4,250 of its $8,000 goal has been raised, with each garden costing approximately $2,000 to set up. Daily Mail Australia has contacted Queensland Police for comment. Growing Forward has used the incident to raise awareness of their fundraiser which aims to build more 'guerilla gardens' in other Brisbane suburbs Thus far $4,250 of its $8,000 goal has been raised, with each garden costing approximately $2,000 to set up All rights reserved for this news site (dailymail) and under his responsibility