When the Friends of Manton Park and Community Garden came to CGLI, they were on the verge of losing a newly revitalized public space to development. We supported their effective self-advocacy to ensure that the maximum amount of space was preserved as a garden and park by the City of Philadelphia’s Department of Parks and Recreation. Additionally, we negotiated with the adjacent developer to protect the garden from construction debris and to bring in resources for the space. “The renovation and conversion of neglected, trash-strewn lots into Manton Street Park & Community Garden galvanized our community and made our neighborhood safer, greener and beautiful. The Friends of Manton Street Park & Community Garden worked tirelessly around the clock to save our lot from sale. The Garden Justice Legal Initiative was an integral partner in the negotiations between the developer, the developer’s attorney, City Council, and Parks & Rec. Amy Laura Cahn had the intimate knowledge of which channels we needed to pursue and the legalese and experience to connect the various agencies and departments. We had accomplished quite a bit of the work on our own by Amy Laura was able to be our communicator at the eleventh hour.” – Mark Berman, Friends of Manton Street Park & Community Garden.