March 20, 2012 — GCU Deploys 13 Banners in St. Louis

ST. LOUIS, MO – Occupy Monsanto’s agents of change with the Genetic Crimes Unit (GCU) hung 13 large banners over highways throughout St. Louis this morning calling out Monsanto for their genetic crimes and highlighting the danger of genetically modified foods (GMOs). The GCU opposes Monsanto’s bid to increase spraying of food with toxic weed killers like 2,4 D (the main ingredient in Agent Orange). Occupy Monsanto is also alarmed that one company has control of nearly 90% of the US seed supply, giving it undue influence over what food people get to eat. GCU Agents know Monsanto has successfully lobbied against the creation of public policy that would otherwise be in place to inform consumers about GMOs they are eating daily.

The banners hung today come after Occupy Monsanto banners began popping up across the Midwest last weekend over Interstate 70 in Ohio and Indiana. The banners hung today have messages including, ‘FDA is Genetically Contaminated by Monsanto’, ‘Genetic Biohazard: Defend Yourself,’ ‘The 99% VS. Mon$anto,’ and ‘Monsanto CEO = Millionaire; Monsanto Consumer = Lab Rat,’ amongst others. Each banner urges people to take part in Occupy Monsanto’s international call to protest on September 17, 2012, which is the one-year-anniversary of the Occupy Wall Street movement. Along with banners being hung on overpasses, one large banner stating ‘Mr. President Label GMO Foods Love Michelle‘ was staked onto the front lawn of Monsanto’s global headquarters.

Photographs and more specific locations of banners on the overpasses will be posted at Occupy-Monsanto.com as well as info on the worldwide day of action in September. Members of the media are free to use these images compliments of the 99%.

“Today’s action is part of a larger movement to stop genetically modified foods. Last Friday protests of Monsanto were held in over 30 cities throughout the US and in places all over the globe including Spain, Germany, New Zealand, Australia, Japan, and Canada. In Davis, California 150 people shut down a Monsanto facility and today Monsanto has felt the first impact of the Occupy Monsanto movement in their home city of St. Louis.

“We deserve to know what we are eating. Virtually every major country requires labeling of GMOs in foods so their citizens can make informed choices, including all of Europe, Japan and even China,“ said one GCU Agent. “By being in St. Louis, we are taking our message right to the source – we are telling Monsanto we will not tolerate GMOs and we are giving them a warning for what’s to come on September 17.”

To date more than 990,000 people have signed onto the www.JustLabelit.org citizens’ petition to the Food and Drug Administration for GMO labeling (the most to sign an FDA petition ever). Last fall over 100 people marched in the Right2Know March from New York to the White House to demand President Obama keep his campaign promise to label GMO foods. Video of the promise can be seen here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zqaaB6NE1TI In California Monsanto faces a 2012 ballot proposition on GMO labeling. Today Monsanto was given a warning; on Sept. 17, 2012 Monsanto will be occupied in hundreds of locations internationally. Visit occupy-monsanto.com for more information.