Food activists in Ventura, California, chose Monday, the anniversary of
the Occupy Wall
Street activist movement, to start a global outcry against Monsanto.
The weeks before, a more dramatic protest was staged at Monsanto’s
Seminis Vegetable Seeds Inc. and nine protestors who chained and shackled
themselves to block the gates were arrested. About 35 returned there Monday,
waving signs and shouting from the sidewalk.
"Stop Patents on Life" read a sign held by a graduate student
wearing a paper mask over her mouth and caution tape around her neck with the
word "Hazard."
"My concern is what genetically modified organisms do to the
sustainability of our environment and the ability of farmers in Third World
countries to support themselves," said Tracy Long, of Ventura.
The demonstrators were part of a group called Occupy Monsanto, which
identifies itself with Occupy Wall Street.
Monday was the first day of the group's weeklong series of 65 events
planned worldwide to protest Monsanto, its relationship with Third World
farmers and the seeds it develops.
Tom Helscher with corporate affairs for Monsanto, which has headquarters
in St. Louis, said Monsanto helps improve farm productivity and food quality.
"Agriculture and its uses are important to California, the U.S. and
the world," Helscher said. "We respect each individual's right to
express their point of view on these topics."
California's Proposition 37, a November ballot measure that would
require labeling on most processed foods to explain whether they have
ingredients from genetically modified organisms, gave several protesters a
tangible action to support.
Several Thousand Oaks teenagers came after school to their first
official protest.
"Hey, hey, ho, ho, we've got a right to know," shouted the
teens to passing cars.
Seventeen-year-old Heather Power-Gomez, a Westlake High School student
from Thousand Oaks, said she came because she thought food should be labeled,
