RM recently jumped in to support some of our neighbors resisting gentrification, please come out to the event and donate generously! We can win this! -RM
A Collective of tenants in a fight to stop the owner of Falcon Art Community Apartments from selling the land that nourishes our Gardens. Follow on Instagram @falconcollectivee email: falconcommunitygarden@gmail.com
[slide/image. Purple background. White and yellow letters. Image of two hands opening up with flowers and the words Build Community between them. Art Gathering: Build Community. May 21st and May 22nd. 5pm-9pm. 5415 N. Albina. Donations Suggested. Live Music, Local Artists, Open Mic, Creation. Masks required.]
From the Falcon Arts Gofundme page:
Hello Residents of Falcon Arts and Neighbors in Humboldt! Stop the Sale. Gain the Land. Protect Humboldt. Imagine a Future. With your support we can show our landlord why the garden space and our neighborhood is worth investing in. We are Falcon Garden Collective, a concerned group of your neighbors who want to stop the sale and development of the community garden space attached to the Falcon Arts Apartment building which has now been joined by the neighboring empty lot. The developer for this project is Robert Pile, from HOMMA, a remote tech hedge fund developer based out of Silicon Valley California. The development proposal is two, fourteen unit (28 total) high-tech, exclusive residences which are below the 20 unit threshold to require inclusionary housing measures, effectively pushing out low-income individuals and families that make up the very fabric of our neighborhood. We reject this plotline. It doesn’t have to be this way. We have a proposal to create the future our neighborhood deserves. We are crafting a grassroots campaign to match Robert Piles Offer offer to purchase the land through community donations, for the benefit of the community. The assessed value of the empty lot is $630,000 in 2020. We contacted Brian Wannamaker, the Owner of Falcon Arts Apartments and the adjacent lot, on May 14th at noon by phone, sent him an email, and sent him a letter in the mail. As of Tuesday May 18th we have no response. Brian Wannamaker has until this Saturday, May 22nd at 9pm to officially accept or reject our offer. We are hosting an Art Gathering, offering Brian the opportunity to be a part of the positive change we wish to see in the world. We are prioritizing BIPOC artists and artists of Humboldt. We believe we can win this. The Sumner-Albina park was created through direct community action against property development and remains A center of community, as the official pocket park of Humboldt. Most Recently, the Red House was saved through community investment by everyday people like us who reject displacement of our BIPOC neighbors. We recognize the collective bargaining power we have if we work together to defend against gentrification, not only at 5422 N. Mississippi Ave, but the entire neighborhood. We are stronger together and have the responsibility to set the stage for the next generation. POINTS OF UNITY Unity in the desire for the current development to be stopped Unity around the desire for a community-determined use of the land Unity around the preservation/expansion of a garden space for the tenants of the Falcon building VALUES Autonomy- a desire to attempt to purchase the land so that there are no strings attached to the eventual use and development, and that any financial benefit is used to uplift those most marginalized in our community Solidarity- between our struggle (against gentrification/displacement towards self-determined, pluralistic, diverse community) and the struggles for Indigenous Sovereignty, Black Liberation, and international struggles against US Imperialism. Environmental Accountability- concern for the future health of the environment and all people affected by the destruction of urban green spaces. Again, it is often the most marginalized people that lose access to green space. This is where our fight began Connection- A deep desire to create meaningful community through the re-imagination of an under-utilized and inaccessible plot of land It is important to ask ourselves: How do we interrupt gentrification in our neighborhood? Transfer of power (property in this case) from one white man to a collective of property-less people (us) is a start. This would give us time to SLOW DOWN, while we initiate and invest in relationship building with stakeholders that white settler-colonialism and gentrification have robbed us of. We must build trust and relationships so that the eventual development of the land furthers Indigenous Sovereignty and Black Liberation. All this is to say that I think we need to focus 100% on getting the land, with the long road in mind. It’s a beautiful, small thing that has major impact. STOP THE SALE GAIN THE LAND IMAGINE OUR FUTURE WE CAN WIN THIS. We are seeking engaged community BIPOC AAPI Latinx Immigrant LGBTQ Disabled Elderly Young members from Humboldt in this project, because we know we are stronger together. We are asking local businesses/ and individuals in Humboldt and the surrounding area for solidarity through direct action. Here are tangible ways you can help 1.Support us financially A. Promote and Fund our Falcon Garden Community bloc party on May 21st and May 22nd 5pm-9pm at 5415 N Albina Ave. We are creating the space that we wish to see, the convergence of art, social justice and environmental activism. We are raising money to support BIPOC artists and creatives, party/garden supplies for this event est $2,000. The rest of the proceeds will be used to match Robert Piles offer, $630,000 Through this event, we will show our landlord that as a community we are serious in our intention to purchase this land for the benefit of the people- not for profit. 2. Write letters directed to Brian Wannamaker the Owner of the Land Robert Pile The Developer Art Graves City Planner Impress how this specific development plan does not match the health and needs of this neighborhood. The people that live and work in this neighborhood deserve a seat at the table. 3. Uplift marginalized people in your own business, center bipoc, aapi, lgbtq, people with disabilities, elderly, youth. Hire them, pay them for lived experiences and contributions in your business, educate yourself on the struggles of these identities in society, and in our neighborhoods history. 4. Sign our petition to stop the Sale and Development of 5422 N Mississippi Ave 5. Begin an alliance with your neighbors, who can commit to the same action to galvanize the community to prevent the sale and development in your pocket of Humboldt. Connect with us. 6. Support us through the use of social media outlets, repost our informational graphics, repost our gofundme page 7. Check in with us moving forward, we are a microcosm example of the macrocosm struggles. What we do here has the potential to be a blueprint for equitable, preventative action in neighborhoods across Portland, across the country, across the world. Be a part of the change we want to see. Right now in fact, Anti-Displacement Action Plan (ADAP) is crafting anti-displacement legislation in Portland and this movement has the opportunity to help shape that legislation to meet the needs of people on the ground. Let's hold policymakers accountable. 8. COME TO OUR EVENT AT 5415 NORTH ALBINA AVE MAY 21 AND MAY 22ND AT 5-9PM TO SUPPORT LOCAL ARTISTS, CROSS POLLINATE AND CREATE WITH YOUR NEIGHBORS We thank you for your patience as we adjust to meet the demands of this project, as many of us are first time organizers with mental health disabilities. If you have any questions, please follow us on instagram and send along a message to @falcongardencommunity We are volunteers working each day to save and preserve this land. If you would like to help us in our mission to save this land from development please reach out, we are excited to meet you. We need you! In Solidary, Falcon Collective
[image of overhead map showing the Falcon Arts Apartments and th elocation of the community garden and empty lot behind it. Text: Falcon Garden Community Art Gathering. may 21st and May22nd 5pm-9pm. Masks Required. Enjoy Live Music! Support Local Artists! Create with your neighbors! With your support we can show our landlord why humboldt neighborhood is worth investing in! We appreciate any and all support! If you would like to reach out please email us at falconcommunitygarden@gmail.com. We need your help and support to stop the development