Audio by artist evelyn_van_til_and_melvin_harris

Evelyn Van Til, a Weinland Park resident who's been active in the community for many years, works w/ businesses and local government.

Van Til believes in working w/ the system in order to change it.

"Every social movement--whatever it is as we move along a historical continuum--has always been most effective when it co opts the larger system, when it infiltrates the larger system. And, of course, it is changed by it, but it also changes the larger system."

Also, we hear from East Side resident Melvin Harris who disapproves of a no trespassing sign and the newly placed fence at the large garden at Mound and Carpenter run by Four Seasons City Farm.

"There's no reason to put a fence around something that should belong to the whole community," Harris said.

He said he's never seen a fence around a community garden.
" I don't think that's fair to anyone in the neighborhood, especially (during) the times we're going thru now w/ people losing jobs and having problems paying their rent and getting food on the table for themselves and their kids."

Harris said people in this East Side neighborhood should be able to go to the garden and pick some vegetables w/o having to deal w/ a fence, so long as they help w/ some of the work.