(WEST SACRAMENTO, CA.) – The Three Sisters Gardens (TSG) has recently been hit with a series of highs and lows. From a productive and hopeful workshop with the West Sacramento city council on long-term leasing options to the cancellation of All Nations Indigefest 2026, opgov.news has the recap.
On May 20, the Brown Berets de SacrAztlan called for a boycott of Indigefest through both their Facebook page and Instagram accounts. The reason? They accuse Three Sisters Gardens Executive Director Alfred Melbourne of committing domestic violence against his ex-wife.
Melbourne denied any abuse in a statement released June 8.
“I did not commit the acts being alleged,” wrote Melbourne.
In the statement, Melbourne said he has filed a civil defamation lawsuit.
The Brown Berets de SacrAztlan cited Melbourne's abuse allegations as community knowledge, which goes against what has been said at multiple city council meetings.
Photo Credit: Brown Berets de SacrAztlan Instagram
At the September 17, 2025 City Council meeting, 46 community members attended in support of TSG’s request for a long-term lease for their 5th & C lot.
These demonstrations continued until January, when Councilmember Norma Alcala motioned for the lease to be put on the council agenda.
May 6 saw the first leasing options workshop with City Council, city staff, and representatives from TSG.
During the workshop, Councilmembers described positive relationships with Melbourne, praising him for his hard work and dedication. Specifically, West Sacramento Mayor Martha Guerrero trusted him with her family.
“I brought my grandson out. He came out and also started working the land.” Shared Guerrero.
Woodland City Council member Myra Vega was present at the workshop and spoke about how she longed for programs like TSG in her city.
“Maybe I can convince folks in Woodland to– maybe Alfred can come over and give some consulting,” Said Vega.
Mayor Guerrero suggested that councilmember Vega work with Melbourne to expand Three Sisters Garden to the city of Woodland.
Photo Credit: YouTube / City of West Sacramento
Opgov.news reached out to the Brown Berets de SacrAztlan, as well as all seven of the organizations and accounts listed in support of the boycott. As of this publication, none of them have responded to opgov.news’s questions.
Contact was made by a combination of emails and social media direct messages. Requests for comments originally went out on June 2. A follow-up was sent to the Brown Berets de SacrAztlan on June 8, which Facebook Messenger has marked as Read.
The email address listed on the Brown Berets de SacrAztlan website is incorrect. A second email has been sent to the correct address.
Three Sisters Gardens has also not responded to any questions from opgov.news.
The only communications from TSG about the allegations have been the cancellation of Indigefest, and the June 8 public statement. In the post announcing Indigefest’s cancellation, the only reasons given were to focus on community healing and to better serve the people. No mention of the ongoing boycott was made in that post.
Photo Credit: Louise Skeirik
The Three Sisters Gardens annual paid youth internship will run June 22 through July 13 of 2026. The application opened five days before Melbourne made his statement denying the alleged physical abuse. Internships are available to teens starting at 14 years old.
Opgov.news will continue to watch for updates on this story.
As always, please send any comments or corrections to sarahlouise.s@lead4earth.org, or comment below.
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