Sorry to say yes, not only did they destroy all you saw I had, a cedar grape arbor, fruiting multigrafted trees, herb and flower beds, which added value to the property and made not only a haven for me after mom died but also was assurance I would have food resources…and the neighbors who are mainly elderly, disabled, formerly homeless, immigrants, Deaf, and US veterans, who loved it…I was ordered during Labor Day weekend to have what I wanted to save dug up into planters. So being also physically disabled and not having income in 100 degree weather on Labor Day I was digging up to save all I could and buying planters to save it in. Then they did nothing for a month due to wildfire smoke, and then the new manager told the Latinos who worked for the company hired to “landscape” to take all my planters…yes, the arbor and all I dug up they stole!
It even is worse, as all patio bistros, garden lounge chairs, garden decorations, and pots as well as bird feeders were told take them away. So some people moved out. Others who had to stay, like a retired social worker, had her huge tomatoe plants dug up and tossed into the dumpster, full sized fruits thrown away.
Then they ignored my advice and they created unlined wood planters with regular dirt soil and put under huge trees between two tall buildings in full shade, and made very strict rules to only use one brand of fertilizer Dr. Earth, and only plant annuals, and use no decorations or planters. I enclose photos of the weeds growing. Somebody put four tomato plants in two of them and they are green but no flowers or fruits.
So I am starting from scratch with brand new planters, costing me a lot, only allowed on my patio…trying to be clever how I create a porch and railing only garden…and I grieve as some of the planters she told them to take belonged to my late grandparents and late mother. She called all my flowers and fruiting plants “junk.”
I had contacted Vancouver Housing Authority’s Board member, president, by email, and had my state representative Sharon Wylie wrote to him too, and he didn’t respond to her and made fake apologies he had no choice to me. I have it all. Every letter. All the stuff began just after the state ended Section 8 and started Housing First, and put some mentally ill homeless people into our unit. Suddenly even the right to a charcoal barbecue was banned on patios, and AC was banned unless an expensive built in type, and yesterday they said a Vancouver Policeman would come give us popsicles …we live in unincorporated county land, outside the Vancouver police jurisdiction.
I am not sure how we can fight against this level of corruption and power. We also have severe corruption in both political parties and at county and city level, where Vancouver didn’t want a woman in wheelchair suing and winning for not accessible buildings and sidewalks so they created a law that only lawyers from inside Vancouver can be used to sue the city! And yeah, all our lawyers are corrupt and loyal to the city council, as is the Columbian newspaper. When police, lawyers, politicians, and newspaper owners are all buddies, the public all loses. We are also being gentrified out currently even during Covid and nothing we can do can stop this.
Believe me I wish there was some outside support to help me sue them for what they did.
So often the people who make policies have absolutely no clue how they will effect the people who are expected to follow them. It’s shameful really. Gardening is therapeutic and can often help keep a person mentally healthy. Can you contact your local newspapers and television stations, perhaps they would be interested in this human interest story. Include your photos in your correspondences.
