How We Fought the Law and Improved Our Local Green Spaces
November 5, 2025 I am not sure how many of you are old enough (or young enough) to remember the old song by The Crickets — “I Fought The Law.” I was reminded of it recently when a few like-minded neighbors and I decided to share a little horticulture with our community.
I won’t bore you with details, but we asked the city to make some modest improvements to the green spaces in our area. Nothing elaborate — just mow the grass more often, tidy up the trees, add a couple of benches, and maybe a few containers with simple plantings of begonias and sweet potato vines. You’d have thought we were asking for gold bars.
After going round and round the mulberry bush week after week, with nothing to show, we could have simply said, “We tried,” and gone on our way. Or we could have complained about taxes and blamed politicians who didn’t care.
Instead, we came up with a different plan. Rather than fixing the blame, we decided to fix the problem. We grabbed our trusty mowers and cut the grass! In one hour, those neglected green spaces were transformed; they weren’t going to win any prizes, but it looked like someone cared!
Decker before (L) and after (R). Still lots to improve, but a bit more inviting.
The Fight Against Red Tape
I had just traveled abroad and I couldn’t help but remark at the dozens of flower pots, trees, and green parkways seemingly everywhere in cities and towns. So, why did it seem so difficult to achieve the same thing here? We asked ourselves: Does anyone really care? Is there an “American mindset” that believes simple horticultural improvements aren’t worth pursuing? Was it just us?
That question was answered the very next day. We posted a note on our neighborhood listserv asking for donations to buy a few good-quality benches. To our surprise, wallets opened, and the funds rolled in, along with a lot of appreciation. With still no response from the city, we decided to dig the trenches and pour the concrete ourselves — and then came a Cease-and-Desist notice. “This was city property, yadda yadda, and we couldn’t just do whatever we pleased.” Apparently, there was no more money for green space maintenance or other improvements, and using taxpayer money for such things was considered frivolous. Yes, they actually said that.
The community said yes; the city said no. We went into power mode. We kept communicating with the city, and to make a long story short, I think they got tired of us. We continued mowing and cleaning, and eventually the city allowed us to install benches. It was a small but significant victory, but a victory it was.
Sharing Horticulture with Our Local Community
Of course, it should not be this difficult to enhance public spaces. My point here is that horticulture, even basic turf maintenance, sits so low on many city budgets that any improvement effort requires more persistence than it should.
However, unlike the lyrics of the old Crickets song, we fought the law and we won. After all that, I needed to sit back a little and think.
The “Five Points Parketeers” sitting on their newly installed bench — featured in the September 2025 issue of Stroll Five Points for their efforts to beautify neighborhood green spaces. | Stroll Five Points Magazine/Emma Foley
Regardless of the necessity to fight city hall, I have learned to be thankful for what I have. I’ve learned that people do care — neighbors like mine and people involved with organizations such as America in Bloom, National Garden Bureau, and American Horticultural Society. But I’ve also learned to be sufficiently dissatisfied to realize we can, and should, do better.
My glass is still half full, I hope yours is too. Hail to Horticulture — everywhere.
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