Libby Area Commune Garden II
In the spring of 2015 my family and I, met a middle aged woman, about 4ft 10 inches tall, seemed as though the garden she was trying to get put together was a huge undertaking. We decided to help this lady who had no person to do so, in exchange for vegetables for canning and storage, personal daily used. It was a very hot summer in Libby, Montana, we braved the heat and hard ground which was not ready for planting by any means, the director Linda Alkire had explained the garden was a non-profit organization and that it is solely meant to be Libby’s Community Garden. It didn’t take long before I and my family noticed how we became the workers and were instructed to be at the garden everyday to water, weed, mow the lawn and build art projects to make the garden as the director would say “eye candy”, it had developed into a flower garden more than a vegetable garden. We witnessed bullying by the director, removing people for not showing up to water or pull weeds, this is after they paid for a place to grow their food, I believe she charged $50 for a 4×8 spot. We witnessed paid members plots removed and something else planted in their spot, woman crying because the food they grew for themselves and their children was gone, we also witnessed the director pick the vegetables off the plants that a person who had a stroke, the daughter was so upset. The director verbally bashed the elderly, made false statements to law enforcement, confiscated another persons storage shed while all the time slandering that person and having that person thrown out of public school property by ordering the school superintendent issue a no trespass. The director continued to claim to be under a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, this was all a lie, so when the director writes “no workie no eatie” is not exactly the truth, numerous people were removed for one reason or another, if the director didn’t like a person they allegedly were found not worthy of her presence so they were asked to vacate the premise. The director used the word “F”-Tard toward others, all this and now this year she let the community know that she will charge them for access to fresh produce, so now the hard work that others did not volunteer for free, they worked for food, no longer has access the Libby School District Land unless they pay up. The director and her friends have established territory, locked gates keep others out, while all the while the people pay the rent and the electricity and water bill for Linda Alkire and her private garden friends in Libby Montana.