Donate now to help @seelaorg, farmers and vendors recoup their losses

To our Hollywood Farmers' Market community,

On Sunday July 31 at 7:30 AM, while we were setting up the Hollywood Farmers' Market, an individual was observed throwing items out of a window in an apartment complex on Cosmo Street which is just outside the barricades of the Hollywood Farmers' Market. Shots were heard soon after and the police were called by vendors and staff. When they arrived, police ordered the market to be closed and stayed until the suspect was apprehended around 11 AM.

Thanks to the quick response of the Hollywood Team, and cooperation from vendors and patrons, the market was evacuated and shut down quickly and safely. We have come to learn that this person had been throwing things out the window throughout the night and that police came and went at least once before things escalated during market set-up.

We have been operating the Hollywood Farmers’ Market at the same intersection for 30 years and have thankfully never experienced anything like this and hope to never have to again. We don’t have doors to close on anyone entering our space, and as a result, we’ve dealt with our fair share of uncomfortable situations and have had sometimes hostile encounters with unpredictable people who have just as much of a right to public space as anyone. These realities have led us to put security protocols into place, provide de-escalation training for our staff, and just this past month, we added Active Shooter training – something we hoped to never have to use.

Every Sunday for 30+ years, we’ve transformed a few blocks of Hollywood into a vibrant outdoor marketplace – home to 150+ farmers from 16+ CA counties and 100+ small food and artisan businesses to sell directly to the public and building community in the process. Customers call the market their church, a place of solace to recharge, see and make friends. We – our vendors, customers, and market operator – are a community. And yesterday this was more evident than ever. We are exhausted after this stressful event, but our hearts are full of gratitude that we, as a collective, are safe.

We are spending this week decompressing, closing out the logistics of the aftermath of the event, and debriefing with the team, reflecting on what went well and what can be improved in our market safety plan. This fundraiser goes directly to recoup income lost for vendors and @seelaog - the market operator. If you can, consider donating what you would normally spend at the market on any given week. Any support will be appreciated. We look forward to seeing you next week and every Sunday.

With gratitude,

Sustainable Economic Enterprises of Los Angeles (SEE-LA)

SEE-LA - Sustainable Economic Enterprises of Los Angeles | Home (seela.org)

August 6, 2022 Update: We are really grateful to the overwhelming support to our vendors! Thank you to all who have and continue to donate. For more information on the losses incurred please check out the recently published LA Times Article by Stephanie Breijo, "The Hollywood Farmers Market closed for one day. It cost vendors $175,000"