City Pulls Community Garden’s License After Allegedly Forcing Members To Support Left-Wing Viewpoints

A community garden in Queens, New York has had its license revoked after allegedly pressuring members to adopt far-left political positions — including pledging solidarity with Palestinians — sparking outrage from locals.

The Sunset Community Garden, located in Ridgewood was closed by the Parks Department on May 5 after officials determined its membership requirements violated city rules, the New York Post reported. The garden’s so-called “community agreements” required participants to affirm a slate of ideological positions, including standing “in solidarity with the oppressed and marginalized people” of Palestine and embracing progressive gender ideologies. The garden must be cleared out by June 6.

The garden — funded in part by the city through a collaboration with the nonprofit GrowNYC — was built on city-owned property, originally meant to serve the Ridgewood community as a non-political space. But critics say it was “hijacked by crazies,” in the words of former organizer Christina Wilkinson, after radical activists took over operations. (RELATED: Socialist Arson Suspect Targeted Jewish Governor Over ‘Palestine,’ Police Warrant Says)

Parks department officials wrote the statement of values at Sunset Community Garden in Ridgewood amounted to a “litmus test” and “improper requirement for membership”: https://t.co/2XDGMK63KI pic.twitter.com/MRQamDTDUs

— Gothamist (@Gothamist) May 15, 2025

The group’s now-private Instagram account previously posted slogans like “From the River to the Sea,” widely condemned as antisemitic, and called for members to use “correct pronouns” and embrace “queer, trans, disabled, chronically ill, femme, poor, immigrant, refugee, fat bodies, and richly melanated community,” the New York Post reported.

In an Instagram post, organizers slammed the city’s decision, accusing officials of being “racist transphobes and zionists,” and vowed to take “legal and direct action,” the outlet reported. They’ve launched a petition and are urging supporters to flood local representatives with calls.

Not everyone is mourning the garden’s closure.

Local resident Sara Schraeter-Mowersglad, who is Jewish, said their mandates made her feel alienated and unsafe, adding “I am hoping that, under new leadership, [the garden] will become a space that is safe for everyone, and that people in the community who want to garden will finally feel welcome to do so,” the outlet reported.

City Councilman Robert Holden, a Democrat representing Queens, said, “Public community gardens are for everyone, not just those who pass a political litmus test. If this group of radicals wants to create an exclusive space, they should purchase private land and do it on their own time and dime.”

Parks officials confirmed the space will remain a garden under new leadership that complies with city policies, but with limited public access until a new group is selected.