The newly designed Crenshaw Dairy Mart “abolitionist pod," a modular geodesic dome containing an autonomous garden, will permanently reside at the Hilda L. Solis Care First Village.
The “abolitionist pod” was first unveiled at MOCA’s Geffen Contemporary in May 2021 as part of WE RISE, an initiative of the Los Angeles County Department of Mental Health that takes place during May: Mental Health Awareness Month with the purpose of encouraging wellbeing and healing through art, connection, community engagement and creative expression. It includes hundreds of fruit and vegetable plants sourced from local Black farmers and gardeners and is the first prototype for similar pods that the Crenshaw Dairy Mart WILL implement across LA County to combat food insecurity.
The community garden's permanent location at the Hilda L. Solis Care First Village, an interim housing facility which provides 232 beds for people experiencing houselessness, speaks to LA County's commitment of a "Care First, Jail Last" framework―offering services and healing for community members so that jail is the last option rather than the first and only response. The original intent for this property was to serve as a parking structure for a Men’s Central Jail replacement; a plan that was canceled by the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors at Supervisor Solis' direction after community organizers and advocates from Justice LA fought to stop the 3.5 Billion dollar jail construction plan.
in the corridor of the abolitionist pod, weekly workshops in four week curriculum sessions, are led by partner organizations.
Workshops engage with topics in and around abolitionist praxis, gardening and food justice, art and healing justice, intersectional feminism, patriarchy and toxic masculinity, job placement, resumé building, and re-entry.
Participating organizations in the inaugural Programming year for the abolitionist pod at the Hilda L. Solis Care First Village include
Dignity and Power Now (DPN) and their respective Health & Wellness team, Huma House, Community Services Unlimited, and Creative Acts.
Heal With Us, a performance work at the Crenshaw Dairy Mart abolitionist pod (prototype), asks the following questions,
What does healing look like?
Feel like?
Sound like?
Smell like?
Gather each other and follow this healing journey towards abolition.
This performance piece was filmed at abolitionist pod (prototype) during ArtRise and WeRise for Mental Health Awareness Month in Los Angeles County at the Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA).
This project was produced by Crenshaw Dairy Mart in partnership with Trap Heals.
Credits
Shot by: Ismael Real Jr. & Gio Solis
Edited by: Gio Solis
Collaborators: Debõrah Hughes and Patrisse Cullors
Performer: Debõrah Hughes
Concept by: Patrisse Cullors
Song: "Walk With Us" by Alexis French