<div dir="ltr">Sean,<div><br></div><div><span style="color:rgb(0,0,0)">You sent an email this morning to a small group of CCGA community gardeners, omitting quite a few people who were vocal in the chat at the Town Hall. If you truly seek input from CCGA, you might think more inclusively of our working groups, especially CCGA Communications. The email for the communications committee is in this email. No one of us works in isolation, and as volunteers, we would appreciate your recognition that while we will communicate within and among our working groups, it is not the same as your reaching out to begin with, especially as you now say AUA's support is in question. </span></div><div><span style="color:rgb(0,0,0)"><br></span></div><div><span style="color:rgb(0,0,0)">Now that your organization recognizes how truly community gardens are impacted, why do you still insist we cannot represent ourselves?. It would be a stronger gesture on your part, showing recognition as well as respect, to seek representation for our own spokesperson in the meeting with </span><span style="color:rgb(0,0,0)">Alderman Hopkin's office and IEC tomorrow afternoon. We have concrete, positive comments to make and we are up for it.</span></div><div><span style="color:rgb(0,0,0)"><br></span></div><div><span style="color:rgb(0,0,0)">It must be clear, if CCGA had been drawn into this policy making from the start, the proposed ordinance would be stronger and more widely approved. So why not start now. You represent urban farms, we represent community gardens more authentically and our collaboration can be better with that recognition.</span></div><div><span style="color:rgb(0,0,0)"><br></span></div><div><span style="color:rgb(0,0,0)">Best,</span></div><div><span style="color:rgb(0,0,0)">Lorraine Kells, Co-Chair CCGA Education Committee<br clear="all"><div><div dir="ltr" data-smartmail="gmail_signature"><div dir="ltr"><img src="https://docs.google.com/uc?export=download&id=1nAIalBRj_gGKBKxJvrrOe5A0f8VPf-OB&revid=0By0gvWIT0RboeHpnT3ZGZ0VnTTNwbWh2U21vQ0Q3RTlhT1kwPQ"><br></div></div></div></span></div><div><span style="color:rgb(0,0,0)"><br></span></div><div><span style="color:rgb(0,0,0)"><br></span></div><div><span style="color:rgb(0,0,0)"> </span></div></div><br><div class="gmail_quote"><div dir="ltr" class="gmail_attr">On Thu, Mar 4, 2021 at 8:37 AM Sean Ruane <<a href="mailto:sean@auachicago.org" target="_blank">sean@auachicago.org</a>> wrote:<br></div><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0px 0px 0px 0.8ex;border-left:1px solid rgb(204,204,204);padding-left:1ex"><div dir="ltr">Hi All,<div><br></div><div>Great to see so many community gardeners at the native ordinance town hall on Tuesday! After that conversation, we followed up with the City yesterday morning and confirmed that community gardens CAN be ticketed through the weed ordinance, which is contrary to what had been previously communicated by the City and Alderman Hopkins Office. Prior to yesterday, AUA had not made a decision about whether or not we supported the ordinance, but given that information, we are not in support. </div><div><br></div><div>We were invited to a conversation with Alderman Hopkin's office and IEC tomorrow afternoon to provide concrete suggestions for improving the ordinance to ensure that it is equitable and represents the interests of all growers throughout the City, not just owner-occupied lots. If you all have time before 2 pm tomorrow, I'd like to hop on a call to hear more about CCGA's concerns and proposed changes and ultimately ensure that I'm appropriately communicating those proposed changes during the call on Friday. </div><div><br></div><div>I know that there is another call trying to be scheduled between CCGA, IEC, Openlands, AUA, etc..... but I think it would be helpful to touch base today or tomorrow before the call at 2 pm tomorrow.</div><div><br></div><div>Let me know what works. </div><div><br></div><div>All my best,</div><div><br></div><div>Sean </div><div><br></div><div>-- <br><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><font color="#666666"><b>Sean Ruane</b></font></div><div dir="ltr"><font color="#666666"><b>Executive Director</b></font><div><font color="#666666"><b>Advocates for Urban Agriculture</b></font></div><div><font color="#666666"><b>he/him/his</b></font></div><div><span style="background-color:rgb(255,255,255)"><b><font color="#666666"><a href="mailto:sean@auachicago.org" target="_blank">sean@auachicago.org</a></font></b></span></div><div><span style="background-color:rgb(255,255,255)"><b><font color="#666666">815-931-1743</font></b></span></div><div><span style="background-color:rgb(255,255,255)"><b><font color="#666666"><a href="http://auachicago.org" target="_blank">auachicago.org</a> </font></b></span></div><div><span style="background-color:rgb(255,255,255)"><b><font color="#666666"><br></font></b></span></div><div><span><div style="color:rgb(34,34,34)"><div><i>Interested in providing technical support to Chicago growers? </i></div><div><i>Join the AUA Grown in Chicago Council today! </i></div><div><i>Applications available until February 28th. </i></div><div dir="ltr"><a href="https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfw7SNU1Byk1xb9h7Bki-HSit2h2DGne2ysctt9z6R977xSWg/viewform?mc_cid=928d978d95&mc_eid=%5BUNIQID%5D&gxids=7628" style="color:rgb(17,85,204)" target="_blank"><img src="https://docs.google.com/uc?export=download&id=1ZUhzxOd8HXj120aUbVR4OTceLVlLESJD&revid=0B9RvIUCcTIAmZGRNYUphNGdXZy85NndTSjRpa1l5Ykd0Y0RzPQ" width="200" height="44"></a></div></div></span></div><div><br></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div>
</blockquote></div>