This is a Call to Action for a
Non-Hierarchical Occupation of Monsanto Everywhere
Whether you like it or not, chances are Monsanto contaminated the food you ate today with chemicals and unlabeled GMOs. Monsanto controls much of the world's food supply at the expense of food democracy worldwide. This site is dedicated to empowering citizens of the world to take action against Monsanto & it's enablers like the FDA, USDA, EPA, GMA, BIO, and the processed food companies that use Monsanto's products.
Posted: September 18th, 2012 | Filed under: Press | Tags: CA, California, Chalk, Cindy Sheehan, Congress of Industrial Organizations, Davis, Davis Enterprise, Demonstration, Labor Council of Latin American Advancement, Luis Magna Organization de Trabajadores Agricolas de California, Mrak Hall, Occupy Monsanto, Prop 37., Proposition 37, Protest, Roseanne Barr, Sacramento, Sacramento American Federation of Labor, Shutdown Monsanto, USDA |
By Tom Sakash, From page A1 | September 18, 2012
On the one-year anniversary Monday of the first Occupy protest in New York City, about 100 protesters in Davis filled the sidewalk in front of the Monsanto plant on Fifth Street to join a national effort to shut down the agricultural biotechnology corporation, at least for one day.
Nearly 100 similar protests occurred around the world, according to an Occupy news release announcing Monday’s demonstration.
Occupiers from Davis to Sacramento to Oakland began packing the parkway at 1920 Fifth St. about 6 a.m., dressed in hazardous materials suits and carrying banners and signs to illustrate their distaste for the many anti-environmental actions that groups across the country have accused Monsanto of taking.
Among those allegations include genetic contamination, the marginalization of small farmers and mass pollution of the environment.
Once the group arrived in Davis, they strung red and yellow tape across the driveway entrances to bar plant employees from going in or out, though there already were a handful of cars parked in the parking lot.
“I would love to see Monsanto crumble,” said Kim Sloan, a Sacramento resident and Occupy Sacramento member who joined Monday’s protest. “They’re a very corrupt and horrible company that has been subsidized by the United States government and it needs to stop.”
A lone Monsanto security guard, there to keep protesters from entering the building, would not disclose whether the company was in operation Monday.
However, Monsanto world headquarters did respond to a request for a comment with a statement emailed to The Enterprise.
“The 21,000 people who work for Monsanto are proud of our efforts to help improve farm productivity and food quality,” wrote Tom Helscher, director of corporate affairs, in the email. “Agriculture and its uses are important to California, the United States and the world.
“Among the challenges facing agriculture are producing food for our growing population and reducing agriculture’s footprint on the environment. We respect each individual’s right to express their point of view on these topics.”
The Enterprise was not able to reach representatives of the Monsanto plant in Davis.
Meanwhile, with bull horns and sidewalk chalk, the protest raged on until the late afternoon.
And the group’s message was not only to shut down Monsanto, but also to promote the passage of Proposition 37, which would force food producers in California to label any products that contain “genetically modified organisms” or GMOs.
The cause even drew a high-profile speaker in Roseanne Barr’s vice presidential candidate, Cindy Sheehan, representing the Peace and Freedom Party, who said “evil” companies like Monsanto must be stopped.
“Any time you put profits over our children, any time you put profit over the environment, any time you put profit over health and safety, that is evil, and that is what these corporations do,” Sheehan through a megaphone, with the plant behind her.
“The first step to shutting Monsanto down is passing Proposition 37,” she went on. “Consumers (then) can make a choice to boycott any food products that have GMOs in it. If we stop buying food products that have GMOs then, guess what? They will stop putting GMOs in their food products.”
At about 2 p.m. a group of 20 protesters broke off to march to Mrak Hall at UC Davis. On their way back, they paraded past the U.S. Department of Agriculture building at 430 G St.
By 4 p.m. only 20 protesters remained in front of the Monsanto plant.
Steven Playan, an Occupy Woodland member and one of the main organizers of the protest, said people would stay as long as they wanted, but there were no plans to come back Tuesday.
Other activist groups in attendance included the Sacramento American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations, the Luis Magna Organization de Trabajadores Agricolas de California and the Labor Council of Latin American Advancement.
Source: Davis Enterprise
Posted: September 17th, 2012 | Filed under: Press | Tags: CA, California, Davis, Demonstration, gmo, Monsanto, Occupy Woodland, Protest, Sacramento, Sacramento Bee, Shutdown, Steven Payan |
By Bill Lindelof
Published: Monday, Sep. 17, 2012 – 7:28 am
Last Modified: Monday, Sep. 17, 2012 – 6:48 pm
About 50 protesters, on the one-year anniversary of the beginning of the “Occupy” movement, were in front of a Monsanto plant in Davis this morning, saying they want to shut down the local office of the multinational biotechnology company.
In March, protesters staged a similar protest. At that time, the Missouri-based company decided not to open its Davis office and did not make anyone available for comment.
Davis police were monitoring the situation about 7 a.m. today as protesters sat, stood and paced outside Monsanto. Demonstrators had one driveway to the Monsanto complex partially blocked with yellow caution tape.
Protesters carried signs that said “Occupy will bring Monsanto to its knees” and “Genetic Contamination is forever.” Some of the protesters wore costumes resembling hazardous material protective gear.
Steven Payan, representing Occupy Woodland, in a news release accused the company of “mass pollution to environment.”
Protesters said the effort is in conjunction with other “shut down” Monsanto demonstrations worldwide.
Source: The Sacramento Bee
Posted: September 17th, 2012 | Filed under: Photos, Press | Tags: CA, Davis, Demonstration, Direct Action, GCU, Genetic Crime Scene, gmo, KCRA, Occupy Monsanto, Police, Protest, Sacramento, TV, video, Woodland |
About 100 Occupy protesters blocked off the parking lot to Monsanto Corporation in Davis in an effort to shut down the chemical giant.
Members of the Occupy movement said they planned to mark the first year of the movement with more demonstration.
The protest, organized by Occupy Sacramento, Woodland and Davis groups, is one of nearly 100 demonstrations planned across the world in protest of the chemicals and mass pollution. It also marks one year of the movement.
Protesters carried signs, wore bio-hazard suits, and chanted “No GMO’s”, referring to genetically modified organisms.
Occupy held a similar protest at Monsanto in March.
The demonstration remained peaceful.
Davis police said they have brought in additional officers and have a contingency plan in place in case the protest escalates.
Source: Mae Fesai, KCRA
Posted: September 17th, 2012 | Filed under: Press, Video | Tags: CA, Davis, Demonstration, Direct Action, GCU, Genetic Crime Scene, gmo, KTXL, Occupy Monsanto, Police, Protest, Sacramento, TV, video, Woodland |
Zohreen Adamjee FOX40 News
7:43 a.m. PDT, September 17, 2012
DAVIS About 60 Occupy Sacramento, Woodland and Davis protesters gathered at the Monsanto Davis plant Monday morning to protest against the company exactly one year after the Occupy Movement began.
Monsanto is the leading producer of genetically engineered seeds and the protesters hope to let executives know they strongly oppose genetically modified food. They also hope to show support for Proposition 37, an initiative on the November 6th ballot that would require genetically modified foods to be labeled.
Davis Police are not saying if they will arrest people if Monsanto files a complaint, but say they will assess the situation and bring out more officers if necessary.
Protester Jonny Goh says he’s willing to be arrested. Goh says it is “part of being American.”
Approximately 200 people are expected to show up Monday at Monsanto located at 1920 5th Street.
Source: KTXL Sacramento
Posted: September 16th, 2012 | Filed under: Press | Tags: CA, California, Davis, Demonstration, Faygo, Kim Sloan, KTXL, Occupy Sacramento, OWS, Protest, Sacramento, TV |
By Luana Muñoz FOX40 News, 11:13 p.m. PDT, September 16, 2012
DAVIS— Sacramento Occupy protesters will gather at Monsanto’s Davis facility Monday morning to kick off a series of anti-Monsanto protests — on the day the Occupy Movement began just one year ago.
“We are going to be blockading the entrances where cars can come in,” said event organizer Kim Sloan. “What we are trying to do is showing the community that we want our food controlled by the people instead of big corporations and agriculture companies like Monsanto.”
They are part of a national movement that began protesting corporate greed and income inequality.
Overtime their focus changed to other topics, with people criticizing the group, saying they had no real aim. But organizers here feel they are still making a difference.
“I feel we have been very effective in raising awareness for the community at large like also in getting things like the homeowners bill of Rights to go through,” said another Occupy Sacramento protester, Faygo.
Recently, city council members voted to limit the groups presence at city hall, but despite the challenges the group continues to stay active.
“My hope is that we continue to grow and achieve the main goal that started us and put an end to corporate personhood,” said Faygo.
Occupy protesters will begin protesting at 6 a.m. at Monsanto located at 1920 5th St. in Davis.
Source: KTXL Sacramento
