By Matthew McLoughlin  @soit_goes – On the afternoon of March 13, 2015, New Orleans residents Heart & Lloyd climbed up into a Cyprus tree in New Orleans’ City Park. Unveiling a banner reading “Wild Is Free”, the pair announced that they were not coming down in an act of civil disobedience aimed at halting plans to turn a large swath of the park into a golf course.

While Heart & Lloyd were sneaking into the construction site, a rally of over 150 supporters was taking place on the other side of the park. Once positioned inside the trees with supplies, supporters marched to the construction site to stand in solidarity. At any time of the day there are several supporters at the edge of the construction site reminding Heart & Lloyd they are not alone.

Another constant has been the large police presence which has been there since they first ascended the Cyprus tree. After authorities discovered Heart & Lloyd in the tree, a second fence was erected around the tree making the act of physical support near impossible without arrest. Police vehicles sit at the base of tree, with multiple vehicles at the edge of the construction site to watch supporters.

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Image via @Small_Affair

Police announced that if Heart & Lloyd did not come down before 3pm on March 16th they would face arrest. Authorities went as far as threatening to use a fire truck to extract them from the tree. Heart announced she’d be coming down citing health reasons, Lloyd has remained in the tree and is currently on his ninth day of the sit in. Two days after the arrest warrant was issued, police set up a spotlight which has been aimed at Lloyd throughout the night in an attempt to make the site less habitable.

Prior to Hurricane Katrina, New Orleans’ 1300 acre City Park contained four privately run golf courses. In the ten years since the spaces have been left to return to their natural state. Over that time residents developed a relationship with the land once made impossible because of privatization. While Katrina took so much from the residents of New Orleans it inadvertently returned City Park to all of New Orleans’ people.

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Now, ten years after the storm, the City Park Board (which is not democratically elected) has decided to spend $24.5 million to convert the space back to a golf course. The funds for this project are coming from a mix of public & private interests including FEMA & the Bayou District Foundation (Honorary Chairman George H.W. Bush). Public input has been minimal, board meetings being the only real opportunity to voice opposition.

Regardless of how this action ends, Lloyd & Heart have been able to draw wider attention to the destruction of City Park. The action has also increased local support for keeping the space green, a coalition of local groups are now looking into legal options to halt construction. To stay up-to-date keep an eye on #WildIsFree on Twitter & if you happen to be in New Orleans stop by City Park to keep an eye on the trees.

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Image Via @SmallAffair