1530 Geary Road
Walnut Creek, CA 94597
USA
This is a Call for Support.
In the early morning of Thursday, February 26th, UC Berkeley’s office of Capital Projects brought in a huge demolition team and police force to clear-cut 60 trees on the south side of the historic Gill Tract. For 20 years, the local community, students, and faculty have attempted to create a visionary research and education center on this public land. In 2012 Occupy the Farm’s successful land occupations pushed out Whole Foods from the development, and saved 10 acres for 10 years. But 5-6 acres of the southern half of the Gill Tract is now under threat of imminent development, and our ability to create a 20 acre community-driven living laboratory for a just transition could disappear in an instant. See our website for a complete update: http://occupythefarm.org/
Why focus on Sprouts?
We’ve kicked out Whole Foods, and we can kick out Sprouts. Sprouts “farmer’s market” is a big-box, union-busting corporate chain supermarket that perpetuates industrial agricultural and food system injustices. Their greenwashed use of the “Farmer’s Market” term and imagery is an assault on our efforts to create a just local food system. See more:http://occupythefarm.org/
What can you do right now?
1. Please join Occupy the Farm for a #GillTractDefense Rally and Press Conference at the Sprouts “Farmer’s Market” in Walnut Creek on March 14th at 1pm. This is a call out for support.
2. Call and Email Ted Frumkin, Sprouts’ Senior Vice President of Business Development. Tell him: “DON’T BUILD YOUR NEW STORE ON THE GILL TRACT!” tedfrumkin@sprouts.com; 602-682-1556
3. Join our social media campaign. Take a photo of yourself with your definition of a farmer’s market, and tweet: @sproutsfm Don’t pave over the Gill Tract for your greenwashed, union-busting supermarket! #BoycottSprouts #GillTractDefense #OccupyTheFarm
4. Join the Emergency Bulldozer Response Team:https://docs.google.com/
We are trying to remain proactive in our strategy and response, but we are aware that the bulldozers may come any day to scrape away the top soil and lay concrete. We are preparing for active resistance on the land.