permaculture

["Lawrence F. London, Jr." <lfl@intrex.net>]

>Subject: [ecological_food_systems] Pre-emptive arrests in St. Louis
>- 24 clowns arrested
>
>May 16, 2003
>
>As St. Louis prepares to host both the World Aggricultural Forum and the
>
>BioDevistation 7 conferences this weekend, 24 clowns and assorted
>performers
>were pre-emptively arrested on Thursday May 15.  Most were participants
>in
>the "Flying Rutabega Bike Circus" planning a bike circus tour from St.
>Louis
>to Washington, DC to promote sustainable aggriculture and non-GE foods
>(see
>www.biodev.org for more on the circus).
>
>Nine members of the 24 were arrested in Tower Grove park in St. Louis
>early
>Friday morning and initially charged with "cycling without a license",
>later
>to be change to "impeding the movement of traffic" (while in the
>park?!).
>
>Also, 15 were arrested when police raided "the Bolozone", a St. Louis
>housing collective. All were charged with "occupying a condemned
>building".
>Most of the Circus supplies, food, video equiptment, bicycles and
>personal
>belongings remain captive within the falsely condemned house and/or
>confiscated by police.
>
>The nine cyclists were held for 7 hours and the other 15 were held for
>the
>maximum allowable time for a city charge (less than a misdemeanor), 20
>hours.
>
>Look for the flying rudabega cycle circus on their cycle tour from st.
>louis
>to D.C. this month. They will not let this stop them.
>
>The revolution will not be motorized!
>
>for more check the St. Louis indymedia website (www.stlimc.org) and the
>BioDevestation site (www.biodev.org)
>
>--
>stand strong,
>resisto
>
>"i've been juggling for years.  i've juggled many strange and dangerous
>objects and i've come to the conclusion that it is impossible to juggle
>capitalism without dropping human, environmental and animal rights."
>                                                              resisto the
>clown
>
>_______________________________________________
>
>
>Spring 2003: From Biodevastation to Biojustice
>
>Planning is underway for a unique series of Biodevastation/Biojustice
>events this spring:
>
>   St. Louis, May 16-18th
>This is the 7th in this series of international
>grassroots gatherings. Biodevastation 7 will
>take place in St. Louis, where the series first
>began in July of 1998, and will immediately
>precede the Monsanto-sponsored World
>Agricultural Forum. The local sponsors, the
>Gateway Green Alliance have subtitled this
>event "A Forum on Environmental Racism,
>World Agriculture and Biowarfare," and see it
>as a definitive event linking genetic
>engineering to discrimination against
>communities of color. Featured speakers will
>include include Vandana Shiva, Mae-Wan
>Ho, Mwananyanda Mbikusita Lewanika (from Zambia) and Percy
>Schmeiser. Contact mrallen@mprsnd.org or call 314-353-8176. Read
>more about the St. Louis events and the planned protest at the World
>Agricultural Forum. Register NOW!
>
>   May 19th to June 19th
>A fun and educational bicycle Caravan Across the Cornbelt from St.
>Louis, to Washington, DC, where the Biotechnology Industry
>Organization will hold their annual convention a month later. The
>Caravan will be a month-long bicycle spectacle covering over 1000
>miles, featuring puppet shows, presentations, speak-outs, freak-outs,
>clown acts, and music. All concerned citizens, clowns, puppeteers, bike
>riders, messengers, farmers, and eaters of food are invited to bring a
>bicycle and join the ride! Contact caravan@ifairtrade.net.
>
>   Washington, DC June 20-22nd
>People will gather in Washington in response to the annual convention
>of the Biotechnology Industry Organization. Contact larcher@foe.org.
>
>   Sacramento, California, June 20-25th
>Trade ministers from all around the world will be meeting in
>Sacramento, CA. at the invitation of US Agriculture Secretary Anne
>Veneman. This WTO-level meeting is designed to promote the biotech
>agenda in preparation for this fall's WTO ministerial meeting in Cancún,
>
>Mexico. More details can be found here. The international farmers'
>movement Via Campesina has just issued a Call to Action for
>Sacramento. Full mobilization details will be available shortly at
>www.sacmobilization.org. Contact wto@biodev.org.
>
>STAY TUNED to this site for further details on all of these upcoming
>events.   http://www.biodev.org/


--
L.F.London
lfl@intrex.net
http://market-farming.com
http://www.ibiblio.org/ecolandtech