The horrifying and tragic shooting death of 8-year old Paris Whitehead Hamilton this past month sparked a wellspring of grief and outrage among neighbors in Bartlett Park's south St. Petersburg neighborhood. In a move to heal and renew the community, members of Green Florida have launched a new project in Paris' memory to transform front yards in the neighborhood into gardens integrating Florida native plants and vegetables.
Working with residents, including Paris Whitehead Hamilton's family members, the first Paris Gardens are being designed with donated soil, plants and volunteer labor to take dying grass lawns and replace them with drought tolerant landscaping and money-saving vegetable gardens. "Our neighborhoods need to provide for our needs! The Paris Gardens can help provide food, work and job training opportunities, a way for neighbors to get to know each other, water savings and a beautiful, peaceful place to live", says Andrea Hildebran of Green Florida and Bartlett Park Community Garden.
Green Florida Potluck Supper and Organizing Meeting – Wednesday, May 13th, 6:00 pm
This article appears in May 13-19, 2009.