The Capitol Hill Autonomous Zone (CHAZ) in Seattle has made significant strides in planting and growing their own vegetables amid efforts to really put the "autonomous" in "autonomous zone."
The fundamental issue that Seattle's insurgents appear to have with the US is its staunch support and perpetuation of capitalism, which many of them perceive to be synonymous with racism.
Fresh food given out for free at “mutual aid stations” inside the Seattle #CapitolHillAutonomousZone. Packaged snacks provided include Kirkland Signature products and more from Costco. pic.twitter.com/la5KLZEF9b
— Andy Ngô (@MrAndyNgo) June 12, 2020
Therefore, grocery stores in the US are apparently racist since they operate under the economic system of capitalism. But members of CHAZ still need to eat, and have quickly developed a work-around to the capitalist system they so utterly condemn and wish to squash (no pun intended).
The Twitter account @farmingforrevo1 tweeted a photo of the strong progress CHAZ gardeners have made so far with their literal "grassroots" attempt to provide nourishment to all those within the zone.
We are concerned. We should be able to help. This isn't on it's face a bad idea. Would have cut out the grass, plant the plants, and place the cardboard around to stop weeds and cover with mulch or soil. #chazseattle #CHAZ pic.twitter.com/yiMPy9c14i
— FarmingForRevolution (@farmingforrevo1) June 12, 2020
What these ambitious gardeners did not consider before falling to their knees and digging in is that putting cardboard under the soil of the plants does not augur well for the longevity and production of what it is they are planting.
But one cannot fault them for the effort.
Another Twitter account that goes by @buckeye36 shared a couple photos of more gardening work from the ambitious gardeners wishing to provide for the zone.
They should have the citizens of Chaz grow them a new field on top of cardboard & topsoil pic.twitter.com/W4AIudV6eb
— 𝐉𝐨𝐞𝐥 𝐒𝐜𝐡𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐳⭐️⭐️⭐️ (@buckeye36) June 12, 2020
These same gardeners have, again, made the same mistake in putting cardboard under the topsoil instead of removing the grass and planting the crops directly into the earth.
The farm co-op in CHAZ seems to be going about as well as expected. pic.twitter.com/bLmLNm9ouq
— Ian Miles Cheong (@stillgray) June 12, 2020
Everyone is familiar with Karl Marx's famous one-liner: "From each according to his ability, to each according to his needs." But it appears that these ambitious gardeners have missed out on the crucial bit about "ability."
And it does not stop there.
These ambitious gardeners in CHAZ have even started to build up what is known as a "potato tower," which is a widely debunked strategy in growing large quantities of potatoes within a small, square-shaped tower.
Holy shit, they're trying to figure out how to grow food in the CHAZ. 🤣😂 pic.twitter.com/Mtf6Uiv7LL
— Kaitain 🇺🇸 (@Kaitain_AZ) June 10, 2020
But for now, efforts to grow and cultivate their crops have been hampered by the appearance of a homeless man who turned the farming plot into a fighting arena, challenging passersby to mortal combat.
A homeless Chad has taken over the garden in CHAZ and destroyed it. pic.twitter.com/7Cv4LGRhgH
— Ian Miles Cheong (@stillgray) June 13, 2020
Only time will tell if the CHAZ will exist long enough to see what is reaped out of what the ambitious gardeners have sown, but it goes without saying that capitalism and its grocery stores exist for very good reasons—one of which is that we do not have to rely on unskilled anarchists to provide us our sources of sustenance.