Two years later, the persistence of a small community of neighbors with the help of thousands of supporters from around the globe has created a beautiful community garden and play space where only ashes, rubble and destroyed lives & livelihoods once lay.

The future is big, bright and green here!  We’ll fill you in with notes from the progress, information on the process and bits of data from the surrounding neighborhood and from our wonderful neighbors.  Thanks for joining us on this journey!

I can’t imagine growing up in this environment. No trees to climb and dream up jungle adventures, no bushes to hide behind and build forts beneath, and no flowers to surprise the family with on the dinner table. Instead, in Kennsington, we have rows and rows of homes overshadowed by block after block of factories. Among both groups many are abandoned, not unoccupied, abandoned Boarded windows, broken windows, no windows… cats, and rats, and people lurking in and out, scrapping for anything. Some lots are now cavities where buildings once stood. In some cases they have been victim to arson. Accidental or not, they have burned down and at the expense of human lives. In other cases they have crumbled into the street and have been hauled off by neighbors, and occasionally by the city.

Temptation calls investors and builders to construct new buildings and rent, rent, rent. More concrete. More steel. More money. We have a different idea. How about something green? How about some vegetables? How about something to benefit the neighbors and the community? And we have already started this movement. We looked at each other. We looked at the kids. We looked all around us at the buildings. We know we can purchase drugs on any corner, weapons, alcohol, Air Jordans, and any type of chip that comes in any shiny bag you can imagine, but we can’t get a salad.

So we are pulling bricks out of the earth and dirty needles out of the soil. We are collecting seeds, and tilling the earth. We are getting the kids to run their hands through the new soil. We are watching tulips and sunflowers pop up… life. In place of decay and death we are calling the earth to reclaim what has always been hers.

And now, if I look a little harder, peeking around the corner of some row homes on my street, I can see a Morning Glory climbing up a fence and tomatos poking out beneath green leaves. Peace comes. And the kids are bringing home flowers and pretty soon we’ll have a big salad.

Scott Armstrong lives in Kensington.  He is one of the early members of The Simple Way Community.  He is currently a nurse, always an artist, and one day he will return to the dust from whence he came.

We’ve decided that one of the most important initial steps is to create a gate on both sides of the lots and both ends of our alley, a notorious location for crime, prostitution, and drug abuse.  However, we loathe the ugly window bars, fences, and razor wire that reinforce feelings of fear and captivity, and we want to create a gate on the gardens that reflects hope, beauty and imagination while also serving the pragmatic purpose of keeping out animals, and folks who would not serve the space well.  

We are excited to propose a vision for the project here, and would be delighted if you are able to help create this as a gift to our neighborhood.  We are also excited to make keys to the garden readily available to all our neighbors and friends who wish to help life pierce through the concrete world here on Potter Street.

Shane Claiborne is co-founder of The Simple Way, a community based organization in Philadelphia, PA.  He’s author of “The Irresistible Revolution“, co-director of the Another World is Possible DVD series, co-author of “Jesus For President” and makes excellent no-bake cookies.

Link to article: “In Mozambique, Guns for Plowshares and Bicycles”

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Jamie Moffett is co-founder of The Simple Way, co-director of the Another World is Possible DVD series, artistic director of Potter Street Records, and director of “The Ordinary Radicals”.