Occupy The Farm and other folks supporting the Gill Tract as farmland staged a rally and blockade at Sprouts in Walnut Creek on Saturday, March 14th.
Sprouts in Walnut Creek? It seems that Sprouts, Inc has negotiated an agreement with the city of Albany and UC Berkeley to build a store on the Gill Tract (the only prime farmland left in the East Bay, at San Pablo & Marin, Albany, CA), and they will literally be paving over a last small bit of paradise to put in a parking lot. Just weeks ago a crew went to the site surreptiously and cut down a large number of older trees – the first step in clearing the space for development. The nearest Sprouts store in the Bay Area is in Walnut Creek… and so, the choice of protest site.
The Gill Tract was the site of a battle of wills between Occupy The Farm participants and UC Berkeley in the Spring of 2012, ending perhaps in a draw – the University agreed not to develop the northernmost part of the Gill Tract, at least for a while, and allowed a community farm to use part of the area in peaceful coexistence with crop researchers. But the southern portion remained ripe for development. Even a successful referendum (and here) against a particular development scheme only delayed the plans for pillage by a year or so.
Here are some tweet pics from the day’s protest. At least one person was arrested according to the twitter narrative, but there was no further reporting on that person’s fate as of publishing this.
BREAKING: @occupyfarm launches soft blockade of @sproutsfm in Walnut Creek. #GillTractDefense #food #sanfrancisco pic.twitter.com/fUT7I4vTGt
— Sunflower Alliance (@SunflowerAction) March 14, 2015
Sprout seeds not stores! says @occupyfarm to @sproutsfm. #GillTractDefense #permaculture pic.twitter.com/Ad3CF9jCHE
— Sunflower Alliance (@SunflowerAction) March 14, 2015
“Step back Step back! Stay away from #Gilltract!” -chant @sproutsfm #GillTractDefense protest http://t.co/YxDmL1rqBs pic.twitter.com/ynRsMdRV3U
— Occupy the Farm (@occupyfarm) March 14, 2015
When you put up concrete buildings, you’re not developing the land, you’re killing it! – Joy Moore #GillTractDefense pic.twitter.com/Zq4qDMuO7r
— Occupy the Farm (@occupyfarm) March 14, 2015
Farmers throwing a hoe down with #brassliberationorchestra at sprouts @occupyfarm #GillTractDefense pic.twitter.com/c1ge8klpyz
— Chris Tittle (@CATittle) March 14, 2015
“#farms not arms” #veteransforpeace banner #GillTractDefense pic.twitter.com/Rbepry4e3f
— Occupy the Farm (@occupyfarm) March 14, 2015
“When workers’ rights are under attack, What do we do? STAND UP FIGHT BACK!” –@FightFor15Oak leading chant at picket pic.twitter.com/wS684RnS9A
— Occupy the Farm (@occupyfarm) March 14, 2015
@sproutsfm! @sproutsfm! Just pull on out! This is a deal you can do without! #GillTractDefense #food #agriculture pic.twitter.com/4xyMrMfG35
— Occupy the Farm (@occupyfarm) March 14, 2015
Devika of @pesticideaction: “I believe that land and food are not commodities to be sold on the free market.” #food pic.twitter.com/fsOSfqCA0F
— Occupy the Farm (@occupyfarm) March 14, 2015
Brass Liberation orchestra inside @sproutsfm pic.twitter.com/ypzD1kFfpj
— Occupy the Farm (@occupyfarm) March 14, 2015
some @sproutsfm employees are trying to shut down store pic.twitter.com/yEJVAdhAif
— Occupy the Farm (@occupyfarm) March 14, 2015
Police / management attempted to bar in protesters; we’re holding the doors open. #GillTractDefense #BoycottSprouts pic.twitter.com/QfTs1ycjUG
— Occupy the Farm (@occupyfarm) March 14, 2015
BREAKING: protester arrested after being chased out of @sproutsfm Walnut Creek. #bayarea #agroecology #sanfrancisco pic.twitter.com/ZBvwktIRHI
— Occupy the Farm (@occupyfarm) March 14, 2015
Employees from @sproutsfm have door locked, opening them manually for each customer. #boycottsprouts pic.twitter.com/3x3ky2e7YM
— Occupy the Farm (@occupyfarm) March 14, 2015
#GillTractDefense @OccupyFarm #BoycottSprouts #OccupyTheFarm #All20Acres #FoodJustice #UrbanFarming Sprouts closed! pic.twitter.com/Hoa1jGYzZG
— Smedley Butler (@Smedley_Butler) March 14, 2015
“Let us shop!” Group trying enter @sproutsfm store pic.twitter.com/xlhKWlRK42
— Occupy the Farm (@occupyfarm) March 14, 2015
We’re fighting to farm, to learn how to be self-sufficient and resilient. We are on the right side of #justice. pic.twitter.com/K6kBoSqQkl
— Sunflower Alliance (@SunflowerAction) March 14, 2015
We used people power to lift 1000 lb stump into truck. #GillTractDefense pic.twitter.com/P53w5v4xMT
— Occupy the Farm (@occupyfarm) March 14, 2015
This is only the beginning! A new @sproutsfm is opening in San Ramon, we will be sure to be there. #GillTractDefense pic.twitter.com/QKCXptGKs4
— The Red Son (@revscript) March 14, 2015
Comments are closed.