Team members found the front gate sign destroyed and padlocked on December 27.
It was the fifth time last year that the garden had been vandalized.
Volunteer William Dirks said: “We were harassed many times. Vegetables were cut down, signs were spray painted and things were smashed.”
In a statement, Centro del Pueblo said, “The impact of physically keeping us out has been the repeated practice of hostility towards immigrants. has closed access to our own projects..”
This garden was created by Centro del Pueblo in 2021 to provide a safe haven for immigrant families. According to Dirks, many community and his members bring and grow seeds from their own countries.
“They bring seeds from all over the world into this garden to bring a little bit of their heritage and culture to make them feel comfortable in this space,” he said. “
Arcata police are investigating these cases as hate crimes, but Dirks said they have no specific leads.
Centro Del Pueblo is raising money to install security cameras in its yard to prevent future vandalism.
They hope these extra measures will be completed in the spring.