Neighbors Rebuild Vandalized Garden In Cleveland Heights

CLEVELAND HEIGHTS, OH — In the waning days of August, someone walked into the new community garden on Delmore Road and uprooted every crop planted in the beds. Jalapenos, tomatoes, kale, eggplants and Swiss chard were yanked out by their roots, leaving only disturbed soil in the vandal's wake.

On Thursday afternoon, nearly two weeks after the destruction, neighbors and volunteers gathered at the Delmore garden. They gripped shovels and rakes, they brought garlic, daffodils and other crops, their hands were covered by gloves, there was an air of communal defiance and solidarity. The Cleveland Heights community was ready to work and they wanted to rebuild the community garden.

"This is the Cleveland Heights I heard about before moving here," Jay-Rod Johnson, one of the garden's creators told Patch. "This is incredible."

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The garden on Delmore came together in the early summer, the result of Johnson's and Stephen Walker's summer camp for youths. The duo, both employees of the Heights Schools, brought together a group of students and built a garden on a plot of land.

Cleveland Heights is home to a large community of Nepali refugees. The youngest Nepali students, part of Johnson's and Walker's classrooms, said they felt isolated and apart from the community. Johnson and Walker wanted a space for everyone to come together. With barely any growing experience between them, they conceived of the garden. After getting a lot of help, Johnson and Walker made their dream into reality.

About 40 people shared the garden over the summer, 29 of the growers were Nepali children. Many of their crops were ripening to perfection. Walker was on a trip out-of-state and when he returned, he planned on harvesting the eggplants.

"I was going to slice them up and grill them," he said.

He never got the chance.

Before he returned to Cleveland Heights, someone waltzed into the community garden and uprooted every crop in the beds. The gardeners were left empty handed and devastated.

Reaction

After news of the garden's destruction became local news, and drew the attention of State Representative Janine Boyd, a call for volunteers went out. A vandal and thief wasn't going to mar this burgeoning, diverse garden. On Thursday afternoon, anyone who wanted to pitch in could come to Delmore and do their part.

By 5:30 p.m., dozens of people buzzed around the rows of gardening beds, pulling weeds and asking what more they could do. Others dropped off donations, they offered to return in the spring and to lend their support in plant cultivation.

"We were confused about what happened," Claire Brugnoletti, a volunteer and member of the Sierra Club said. She wanted to come and help. She was accompanied by an 11-year-old Nepali immigrant named Espandan. The boy jumped quickly to work, turning over dirt and planting new crops in the beds.

In the shade of the slow-setting late summer sun, volunteers offered grocery bags of garlic and a plotted plant with a nearly ripe eggplant (which found a home in the corner of a now vacant bed). Boyd turned over dirt with a shovel and children gathered sticks so volunteers could mow the grass.

While gazing on the mass of volunteers, Johnson smiled. The point of the garden, he said, was to build community. It had been 18 months since construction started and despite a vicious road bump, this sure looked like community to him.