Sheriff's deputies arrest protesters at L.A. urban garden

LOS ANGELES — Sheriff's deputies evicted people from an urban community garden to make room for a warehouse Tuesday, touching off a furious protest in which actress Daryl Hannah and others climbed into a walnut tree or chained themselves to concrete-filled barrels. More than 40 people were arrested.

Authorities cut away branches and used a firetruck to bring down the "Splash" actress and another tree-sitter, who raised their fists as they were removed. Hannah was arrested.

"I'm very confident this is the morally right thing to do, to take a principled stand in solidarity with the farmers," she said by cellphone before the firetruck raised officers into the tree.

About 350 people grow produce and flowers on the 14 acres of privately owned land, in an inner-city area surrounded by warehouses and railroad tracks. The garden has been there for more than a decade, but the landowner, Ralph Horowitz, now wants to replace it with a warehouse.

At daybreak Tuesday, 120 deputies, some with batons and riot helmets, showed up to serve an eviction order a judge signed last month. Deputies used saws to cut down the chain-link fence around the site.

Dozens of protesters chanted, "We're here and we're not going to leave!" in Spanish, blew whistles and blocked traffic in the surrounding streets. Protesters linked arms and sat on the tracks. Officers dragged some protesters away.

Inside the garden, firefighters had to cut free protesters who had chained themselves to the walnut tree, barrels filled with concrete and a picnic table. Deputies slowly pulled people out from among the avocados, sunflowers and other plants.

Seventeen arrests were made inside the garden, sheriff's spokeswoman Kerri Webb said. An additional 27 people demonstrating outside were arrested by city police.

The garden was finally cleared just after noon.

Horowitz noted that the gardeners were squatting on land zoned for warehouses and factories. The landowner said in a telephone interview that he was paying $25,000 to $30,000 a month in mortgage and other land costs.

Horowitz accused the farmers of ingratitude, saying that they had sued him and that their supporters had picketed his home and office.

"I feel that the gardeners have been on the land for 14 years, almost 15 years for free. After 15 years, you say thank you," he said.

Horowitz also said that the city had provided other locations for the gardeners, and that most had left.