Third Day of Action: First Direct Action Protest & Sustainable Salinas Green Drinks

Finally, we had our first direct action demonstration. On April 22nd, 2013 we successfully shut down Seminis Inc. for a day and marked the beginning of a revolution of our food system in Monterey, CA.
                I arrived at 10:30 AM gas mask and all, ready to cause a disruption. When I got up to the building that I visited just two weeks prior, I realized the Seminis Inc. sign was gone and the blinds were drawn over the windows. I was shocked and investigated further; I peaked through the glass door - the place was deserted. Our victory was had even before our action.
Certainly they were expecting us; I was spreading fliers all over this county, not to mention the free flowing transparency of information on the Internet. They knew confrontation was coming and they capitulated. Plain and simple, they appeased us and brought down their flag in submissive cowardice. Although I really wanted that confrontation, I realized that since they wish to avoid us an advantage could exists; if we are able to have continuous rallies they would either have to shut down permanently or they would have to confront us. I'm definitely not asking for violence; I want confrontation so we can start a dialogue. I believe in the power of psychological warfare and I'm prepared to make very good use of it.
                   At 11AM the activists began trickling in. Colleen Ingram and Darci D'Anna were first to arrive. Colleen is by far one of the most influential people in Monterey county and if it wasn't for her support and guidence through the campaigns for prop 37, I probably would not have become quite the savvy activist that I am. It was exciting meeting so many new eager faces ready to take down this corrupt institution and save our food system. Among them, my friend Max Troia was there and filmed it. Also Karen Smith of Sustainable Salinas stopped by to show support and invited us to their "Green Drinks" event later that same day.
                   Since the office we came to protest was closed, we took our point to the street and held out our signs to passing cars and got quite a lot of enthusiasm and honks in support. We also got attention from the Monterey Harold, the Californian, and Cedar Street Times of Pacific Grove. I was very pleased meeting such passionate news people. It was an absolute blast speaking with them. They were extremely friendly and open minded.
                   All things considered, this was a successful protest and we saw direct results. Not many activists can say they literally closed down or stopped the problem they are fighting for (even if it was just for one day). We stood up and marched out there, put our lives on hold for a cause greater than ourselves and for that alone we were a success. We showed Monterey County residents that we are a community that will work together and resolve the issue that face us.
                  After the Protest I made my way to 222 Main St. in Salinas to meet with Sustainable Salinas. It was one of the most fantastic gatherings of progressive people I have ever witnessed. I mean there was every kind of progressive person there; some were fighting to keep Fort Ord green, stop plastic bags, save the Orcas, support art. It was amazing, I was having the time of my life having heavy conversations with artists, activists, Communists, community organizers, and such people. It's probably my favorite organization in Monterey county, well just after Occupy Monsanto of Monterey that is...

Second Day of Action: Seminis Inc. Espionage and More Flyer Distribution.

A man on a mission.

        I wanted to get an up close and personal look at Seminis Inc. so I know what to expect on the day of the protest. One may use the word espionage if they so desire it as I yes, did a sort of covert mission to gain access into their facility. I first arrived on Brunken Ave. and made my way up to the front of the office. Looking around from the outside I saw a "No Trespassing" sign and a "No weapons permitted" sign on the window and I thought - they certainly are ready for a return of rowdy activists. I looked inside and realized the place was totally desolate but I continued and pushed the door open. No one heard me come in. I looked around: just a low lite room with two smaller rooms connected, a table with some oranges in a bowl, bookshelves with ceramic statues of lettuce and corn displayed on top. Then I shouted "hello?" Some guy wearing a baseball cap and a hoodie and fumbled out of the room on the right and replied "yeah hey what's up?"
"I'm a college student and I came over here because I had some questions about Seminis; like what kind of jobs you guys have to offer and how I may apply."
"Oh yeah well we got a few jobs right now. You should check us out online, there's more information there. We're just a satellite location and subsidiary of Monsanto, I don't have too much information here."
"Sure I'll check it out. So do you guys do work on lettuce around here?"
"Yep, lettuce, cabbage, spinach, sugar beets."
"Oh nice for better resistance to spraying?"
"Yeah tolerance, we are also just working on making better varieties." The guy was friendly all and all. Though I'm sure if he knew my position on Monsanto he would have been much more aggressive. After a short conversation I said goodbye and that I'd look for more information online and walked out.
                  It was beneficial that I spoke to that Seminis employee. I didn't know lettuce was being genetically modified right here in our county and communities. It made me realize that this issue really does hit home. We aren't talking about GMO corn from the middle of nowhere in Nebraska, we're talking about the lettuce right off of highway 68. It's personal now and we can't just stand around and allow them to modify our county.

               While I was still in Salinas I took the opportunity to distribute more fliers. I went to Rollicks Coffee shop, Oldtown Booknook, and Cherry bean; very friendly and helpful people. They are places that remind you why Salinas is a wonderful little town. They are like little pockets of culture in a very industrial town.


First Day of Action: Flyer Distribution. (Adventures in Activism)

The Flyer! I stole the template and added my own
words. If I knew who did the original art I'd give
them credit but I don't so sorry about it!

                     I recently found out that there is a "Really Really Free Market" in Monterey where people go to Fisherman's Wharf and bring things out they wish to give away for free. It reminds me of the Diggers and Yippies of the 60's with their free stores. It's inspiring. Suddenly I thought hey, this could be a great place to outreach for Occupy Monsanto of Monterey!  And so I went to it after I printed 100 fliers from FedEx. The market was quaint with old magazines, books by Karl Jaspers and other existentialists, Christmas decorations, board games, clothing and a various assortment of goods. The crowd was more vibrant than I was expecting; a British woman was attempting to pay and I confirmed to her "no no it's free", people were really responsive and appreciative to the effort. It was gratifying just being there.
                            Getting the chance to connect with the people who organized the event made it even more worth while. They are some of the most influential activists in town. One of the guys I spoke to is organizing a coalition of organizations such like Occupy Monterey and Solidarity Monterey to battle fracking in the county. Another woman, who happen to be part of Occupy Monterey, wants to organize a protest at Whole Foods on Earth Day in response to their recent decision that removed the recycling facility behind the store. She also told me about a rally against drone warfare at Windows by the Bay that will be happening soon. I learned a lot in the hour I spent there and felt like I really connected with the community. All the while I was passing out the fliers and asking people "Do you want to help take back our food system from Monsanto?" It's certainly a unique event and something I'll be returning to in the near future.
                           I shook everyone's hand and said goodbye, got into my car blaring Rage Against the Machine and The Smashing Pumpkins and took off to spread more fliers. First Caffe Trieste, Plumes, the Osio Theatre, Old Capital Books, and then Whole Foods. At each place I felt obligated to make a purchase since I was using their space. As a result I was hopped up on caffeine and acquiring several gifts for myself. Though I have to say, today went totally smoothly. It seemed everyone was totally supportive of OMM. I noticed other people inquiring about fliers as well, it was almost like "ask-your-local-business-for-exposure day" or something. One guy, in Plumes, standing in front of me was talking to the owner about his band flier and he asked "What if we put a disco ball in here where the light is?" to which the owner replied "What you want this to be a club in a coffee shop?" How this conversation came up is a mystery to me but it was rather interesting to eavesdrop into.
                         After tacking several fliers onto wood-chip bulletin boards in the coffee places, I decided to take a shot at Old Capitol Books. I was pleasantly greeted and they approved my request to leave a stack of fliers. I first looked around for a small purchase to make and found a book that I've been meaning to read. It's not in my top list of books but still something I've been curious about and it was only $5. It's called "The Overspent American" and it will probably give me some good arguments against consumerism. After I bought it, I casually made my inquire to the young lady at the register with the typical "Oh you know, while I'm here do you think I can leave some fliers with you?" She was stoked and agreed to take them if I took her flier and explained that she was doing a seminar on Marx at the book store on Wednesday April 17 at 6:30PM until 8PM. I told her that I was practically a Socialist so that's right up my alley. Then I left with a book in one hand, a flier in another and then continued around town.

                         

               As I reflect on the people I met, I realized just how vivacious the progressive community in Monterey is. It's a small place compared to San Fransisco or L.A but don't let that fool you, there's a lot going on here. There are people with ideas and talent making their way through this place each and every day waiting for the moment to strike something real and to leave a permanent mark on the place they call home.

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Donating to Occupy Monsanto of Monterey

                   Thinking about donating to Occupy Monsanto of Monterey? Not sure about it yet? Consider this:

                     Local
                    When you donate to Occupy Monsanto of Monterey you are donating to a group of local activists who will use the money locally to make change on a local level. Just think, if you were to donate to a bigger global or national organization such as Greenpeace or NPR the money will go through a long complicated bureaucratic process, then when the money gets filter through all of the operating costs and employment cost there will be hardly any funds left for the cause you meant the money to go to. OMM isn't a bureaucracy; we are a grassroots group of committed activist who volunteer our own time because we want to see change today, not in 20 years.
                    Efficient
              Let's face it 20 buck to Greenpeace might as well be 20 cents, whereas donating even just a couple of dollars to OMM will have a huge impact and make it possible for us to create fliers, signs, props and other important items used for rallies. If we can spend less time worrying about how we are going to pay for our materials, we can have more time for thinking creatively and we will thus be more efficient.
                    Safety Net
                    OMM also hopes to be more aggressive than other Occupy movements. Your donation will ensure a safety net so we are able to take more risk during campaigns and protests. If we for example form a human chain around a Monsanto building and one of our protesters gets arrested we may have to pay for a bail for them. Even with non-violent direct action demonstrations these things happen and we need to be prepared for it. We would also like to hire a lawyer so we can fully know our rights and limitations.
                    Political
                    Don't believe in the power of protest? OMM will do more than just protest. We will work with the local government and businesses to install real change. Essentially, with enough funding we hope to be able to lobby and run campaigns for a Monterey government that supports reform of the food system.  
                    
Your gift can change the food system.

Thank you,
Mark Sarchet

 

 

Seminis Inc. and Beyond

           On April 22nd at 11AM a group of Monterey activists will bring signs and rally outside of the Seminis office at 590 Brunken Avenue, Salinas, CA. ( https://www.facebook.com/?ref=logo#!/events/678269218869390/) Going after Seminis Inc., the subsidiary of Monsanto, is a step in the right direction but not the solution. Yet it plays an important role in our effort to voice our concerns and spread awareness about genetically modified foods. Spreading awareness is the most fundamental aspect of any movement, so the quote from Mao, "political power grows out of the barrel of a gun," should instead be "political power grows out of a word and is realized through the barrel of a gun." When people begin to say out loud, "I do not want to eat genetically modified food" things will begin to change. Yes we are telling it to Monsanto employees and Seminis employees, "We don't want your products!" and we should tell it to everyone: our friends and co-workers, our moms, our aunts, our doctors, teachers, preachers, life guards, bus drivers, foot massager-s, the FDA, the USA, Russian friends and foreign exchange students! Yes absolutely everyone. Indiscriminately inform and openly discuss to everyone - that's the foundation of Occupy Monsanto of Monterey and every other movement ever tried by mankind. In a word - Speak up! Say something about it! Go to your window and yell "I'm as mad as hell and I'm not eating GMO's!"
                       But that's not all, holding a sign and spreading awareness is just the beginning. Occupy Monsanto of Monterey is an aggressive (yet non-violent) political movement. We will push the envelope to the brim. We will have extreme and radical campaigns against biotech. Holding a sign is important but further actions are necessary. Direct action demonstrations will be used routinely as part of our strategy to hurt biotech companies and implement municipal laws against them. We will take inspiration from other movements such as the Tar Sands Blockade, Sea Shepard, even Earth First and the Animal Liberation Front. There will be many extreme legal strategies used and discussed in the process of ridding Monterey county of GMOs.
                       After Seminis Inc. we will target the city of Monterey and protest for legislative reform on a local level. Salinas is one of the Most important agriculture areas in the country, and Monterey bay has one of the most important and delicate ecosystems in the country. These areas need to be protected from the ever reaching grip of Monsanto and other biotech companies. Particularly, GM pollen drift poses a real risk for the Monterey area. Monterey county is currently not a non-GMO area and our local government hasn't made progressive efforts to do so and thus the responsibility falls on the people. We will lobby and protest Monterey to make it a non-GMO area.
                      Other goals include working with local grocery stores, schools, and other places of business to carry more non-GMO alteratives: for example try finding Nature's Path Organics or Dr. Bronner's soaps in a Target in Salinas - not possible. We will work to change that. Also we will do aggressive campaigns against Fast Food chains. Perhaps we will have rallies in which we have giant pictures of CAFOs or Feed lots in front of a McDonald's or such place to provide transparency to consumers.
                       There's a lot coming and a solution is being found. Occupy Monsanto of Monterey wants to solve the problems that face our food system and not just talk about them. We want action now! Transparency, liberty, and pure natural food are rights we believe all people should have. Join us today to help resolve these issues and change the world.
         
Follow us on Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/?ref=logo#!/pages/Occupy-Monsanto-of-Monterey/138695442953006

Email us at occupymonsantomonterey@yahoo.com

Tell a friend about us,
Tell your mom about us!

Please donate to the cause! All funds will be use solely on Occupy Monsanto of Monterey!

Sincerely,
Mark Sarchet