The cop was right. A crop raised – why, that makes ownership. Land howed and carrots eaten – a man might fight for land he’s taken food from. Get him off quick! He’ll think he owns it. He might even die fighting for the little plot among the Jimson weeds.
– John Steinbeck
The Grapes of Wrath, Chapter 19. When the homeless migrants come to the West, they try to create gardens in small strips of unused land. But they are chased away by police who don’t want them to establish squatters’ rights. Some of the worst inhumanity and prejudice against the migrants is shown by police.