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Guerilla Grafters Secretly Splicing San Francisco Trees With Fruit-Bearing Branches

Guerilla Grafters

First Posted: 01/04/12 06:35 PM ET Updated: 01/04/12 06:35 PM ET

San Francisco has seen its share of good-hearted vandals. (Remember the Bush Street-Obama Street switcheroo?) But when it comes to feel-good shenanigans, new city menace Guerilla Grafters takes the cake.

For the past year, the renegade group has been secretly splicing San Francisco's strictly decorative apple and pear trees with fruit-bearing grafts, causing the city's previously barren trees to become heavy with fresh apples and pears. The group aims to use the city's preexisting trees to provide "delicious, nutritious fruit for urban residents," and basically feed anyone who is hungry in the process.

"We are so fortunate," exclaimed a grafter to the Examiner about one Hayes Valley graft. "It formed two little pears!"

The motto on the Guerrialla Grafter website is even "care, share, dare" -- which is surprisingly reminiscent of the Care Bear Stare.

Not surprisingly, the City is none too happy about the development. The wet blankets city officials at the Public Works Department told the Examiner that the trees are city property and are "not for grafting."

"The City considers vandalism a serious offense," said Public Works Director Mohammed Nuru to the Examiner. "There would be fines for damage to city property." Nuru reminded the Examiner that anyone interested in urban agriculture could contact the City to discuss ideas.

Meanwhile, Nuru and the rest of the Department will surely be scanning the streets with binocs, screeching, "I'll get you, my pretties!"

FOLLOW HUFFPOST SAN FRANCISCO

San Francisco has seen its share of good-hearted vandals. (Remember the Bush Street-Obama Street switcheroo?) But when it comes to feel-good shenanigans, new city menace Guerilla Grafters takes the ca...
San Francisco has seen its share of good-hearted vandals. (Remember the Bush Street-Obama Street switcheroo?) But when it comes to feel-good shenanigans, new city menace Guerilla Grafters takes the ca...
Filed by Robin Wilkey  | 
 
 
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09:48 PM on 01/09/2012
I always wanted to be a vandal, but I was never destructive enough. I like this idea! :)
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stargazer13
To Love One Is To Love All
12:28 PM on 01/09/2012
Plus

who ??? ever heard of apple tree,s and pear trees not baring fruit !!
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HUFFPOST SUPER USER
raelalt
We don't need no stinkin' micro-bios
02:48 AM on 03/25/2012
Anyone who has worked with trees.
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stargazer13
To Love One Is To Love All
12:27 PM on 01/09/2012
with food fast becoming so expensive

the city should embrace this
for the good of all
it ,s dwellers
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HUFFPOST SUPER USER
logicalchoice
logic is as logic does
04:37 PM on 01/08/2012
How can the corporate puppets engineer a society dependent on said corporations if the people go out and provide the goods we need to survive for free?
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HUFFPOST SUPER USER
anthonytaurus
don't f&f me. you dont' know what I'll say next
05:47 AM on 01/08/2012
How can they even call this vandalism. Unless this poses some danger (does it?), I don't see why this isn't happening all over.... hmmmmm.. can that be done with marijuana?... UH OH
04:30 PM on 01/07/2012
Perfectly delicious idea. All City Hall needs to do is give the upkeep of these comandeered trees to food banks and Guerilla Grafters. This is a trend that needs to be spread all over the world. Such a novel idea to minimize the impact of 2 dollars-a-pound fruits on the poor.
thebigbike
ran away to be a cowboy
11:40 PM on 01/06/2012
Now THAT's guerilla urbanism I can really support!
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prettyinpink
Liberalism-Ideas so good-they're MANDATORY
05:09 PM on 01/05/2012
Well now that there are the "fruits" I guess all that is missing is the "nuts" and "flakes".

Oh....never mind.
03:14 AM on 01/05/2012
duh...i wonder why this hasn't been thought about this before? this is a great idea! some people can't afford fresh fruit and this would be the answer. eat healthy America!!!:)
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skyslimit
12:02 AM on 01/05/2012
What if the trees were planted by Friends of the Urban Forest? Are they not the city's property then?

And there's no such thing as "city property." It's OUR property.
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skyslimit
11:58 PM on 01/04/2012
Sign me up
08:53 PM on 01/04/2012
I guess it depends on your definition of the word "damage". Are the trees damaged, or enhanced? It would be cool, though, if they were able to work with the City to bring a little fruitiness to the neighborhoods.
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braigno2
no rage zone
10:18 PM on 01/04/2012
Fruitiness? In San Francisco? Isn't that already part of the landscape? :P
08:48 PM on 01/04/2012
Allowing City trees to produce fruit/food for the City residents.. What an absolutely GREAT idea.. Can anyone give me a downside?
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skyslimit
12:00 AM on 01/05/2012
Free food.

Monsanto doesn't want that. All hail Monsanto.
12:10 AM on 01/05/2012
Oh no, I'm right down the street from their world headquarters.. and their genetic mutant plant greenhouses... Don't dare say a discouraging word here..