As you all know we have been working diligently and most passionately on converting our first vacant lot into a much needed greenspace in the City of Hawthorne. This has not only been very trying work for me, but it has been personal work also.

Over the years, we have worked with community and city leaders to recognize the needs of this community and bring to the forefront the necessity of this park. It has been a very slow and difficult process but also rewarding as we have overcome the small hurdles. However, we have now come to a point we have always feared.

CalTrans, the property owner, has placed the lot up for sale at a public auction taking place on February 19th. I cannot tell you the fear this has brought to my heart.

We have called upon our local legislatures and elected officials and asked for their help in this matter. We hope their efforts will not go unheard and that they believe in this community as much as we do.

In the meantime, we are asking that if you know anyone, any resources that can help us negotiate with CalTrans we would really, really appreciate it.

Stayed tuned; we will be updating you over the next few weeks as this deadline approaches. Thank you for your time, thank you for working for environmental and social justice.