NYC Orders Sunset Community Garden to Vacate Ridgewood Site Amid Anti-Israel Controversy

By: Ariella Haviv

The operators of the Sunset Community Garden in Ridgewood, Queens, have been ordered to vacate their city-owned lot by September 3, following months of controversy over what city officials and community members have described as blatant political activity in violation of their agreement with the Parks Department. According to reporting by The New York Post, the decision represents a significant escalation in a saga that has become a flashpoint for debates surrounding free expression, antisemitism, and the use of public spaces.

As The New York Post reported, the Sunset Community Garden began as a seemingly innocuous project in September 2023. Located on an underutilized parcel of land adjacent to Grover Cleveland High School, the garden was initially envisioned as a community-driven, non-political green space that would provide Ridgewood residents with a small oasis amid the dense urban sprawl of northern Queens.

But by spring 2024, city officials had become increasingly alarmed at what they described as the overt politicization of the space. In May, the Parks Department formally revoked the garden’s license, citing a breach of contract. The decision was based on allegations that the operators had not only veered from their stated mission of community-building but had also used the garden as a platform to promote divisive and explicitly anti-Israel rhetoric.

Organizers contested the revocation, obtaining a temporary restraining order from a state court in June that allowed them to remain on the site pending further litigation. That order, however, has since been lifted, clearing the way for the city to proceed with eviction before the September 3 deadline. As the report in The New York Post noted, the expiration of the restraining order was widely anticipated, given the mounting evidence that the group had failed to adhere to the non-political terms of their license.

At the heart of the controversy is the allegation that the Sunset Community Garden became, in effect, a hub for anti-Israel activism. The New York Post report detailed how the garden’s organizers reportedly required attendees to pledge support for Palestine in order to participate in certain activities.

In addition, a prominent section of the site was branded “Poppies 4 Palestine,” an area featuring imagery and messaging explicitly tied to pro-Palestinian causes. For many community members — particularly Jewish residents in Queens — this shift represented a betrayal of the garden’s founding principles. Instead of serving as an inclusive space for gardening, education, and recreation, critics argue, the garden morphed into a political enclave alienating those unwilling to align with its ideological agenda.

The matter has sparked particular concern in light of the broader rise in antisemitic incidents across New York City, as reported in The New York Post in recent months. Critics of the garden’s activities have pointed out that what may be framed as solidarity with Palestine often veers into rhetoric that is explicitly hostile toward Israel and, by extension, Jewish communities in New York.

The situation intensified earlier this summer when the organizers rebranded the site as Jardin de Santa Cecilia in honor of trans activist Cecilia Gentili. The rebranding included the creation of altars and memorial spaces, further blurring the lines between community gardening and political or ideological activism.

While some supporters described these additions as a reflection of Ridgewood’s diverse and progressive character, detractors — including many who spoke with VIN News — argued that the changes represented yet another departure from the garden’s original mission. The introduction of politicized shrines, coupled with continued anti-Israel messaging, they said, further cemented the garden’s transformation into a space defined by activism rather than community service.

Despite the Parks Department’s revocation of the license and the lifting of the restraining order, the matter is far from resolved. The garden’s operators have filed a federal discrimination lawsuit against the city, alleging that the revocation constitutes unlawful targeting based on their political beliefs. That case is pending in federal court and could extend the dispute for months, if not years.

City officials, however, have maintained that the issue is not about suppressing speech but rather about enforcing the terms of a legal agreement. According to documentation reviewed by The New York Post, the license under which the Sunset Community Garden operated explicitly prohibited the use of the space for political purposes. By engaging in activities that officials say contravened this agreement, the organizers effectively voided their right to continue using the site.

The controversy has deeply divided Ridgewood residents. Some community members, interviewed by The New York Post, expressed support for the garden, viewing it as a grassroots space where marginalized voices could find expression. For these supporters, the eviction represents what they perceive as government overreach and censorship.

Others, however, welcomed the Parks Department’s decision. “This was supposed to be for the neighborhood, not for politics,” one local resident told The New York Post, emphasizing that the garden’s politicization had alienated many in the Jewish community and beyond. “When you start demanding people pledge support for Palestine, that’s not gardening — that’s indoctrination.”

Local Jewish organizations have been particularly vocal, with some pointing to the Sunset Community Garden as emblematic of how anti-Israel rhetoric can seep into civic spaces under the guise of progressive activism. The report in The New York Post noted that these groups have called on city leaders to remain vigilant in ensuring that public property is not misused for activities that foster division or antisemitism.

The eviction order comes against the backdrop of heightened tensions in New York City around Israel and the Hamas, pro-terror cause. In the aftermath of the October 7, 2023, Hamas attack on Israel and the subsequent conflict in Gaza, pro-Hamas demonstrations surged throughout the city. Many of these demonstrations veered into inflammatory rhetoric or confrontations that heightened fears among Jewish New Yorkers.

Incidents of antisemitism in the city — ranging from harassment on public transportation to vandalism of synagogues — have risen dramatically over the past year. For many observers, the Sunset Community Garden case is not an isolated matter but part of this broader wave of politicized hostility.

With the September 3 deadline looming, the Parks Department has begun preparing for the practical logistics of reclaiming the site. According to the information provided in The New York Post report, city officials are weighing whether the land should revert to its original status as a school-affiliated green space or whether it should be repurposed for other public uses.

Meanwhile, the pending federal lawsuit ensures that the legal battle will continue to draw attention, potentially serving as a test case for how courts interpret the balance between free expression and contractual obligations on public land.

For now, however, the city appears determined to move forward with the eviction. “The license was revoked months ago, and the operators have had ample time to comply,” a Parks Department spokesperson told The New York Post. “We are enforcing the terms of the agreement, nothing more.”

The saga of the Sunset Community Garden encapsulates the fraught intersection of civic engagement, political activism, and rising concerns about antisemitism in New York City. What began as a modest effort to bring neighbors together around a shared green space has become a symbol of division and a cautionary tale about the misuse of public resources.

Whether the garden’s organizers will find vindication in court remains to be seen, but their eviction from the Ridgewood lot marks a turning point in a controversy that has gripped the neighborhood for nearly a year.