Occupy Monsanto, an offshoot of the Occupy Movement, was created in 2012 by Fred Kreiss as part of an effort to counter the influence of biotechnology corporations such as Monsanto. In an interview with a anti-GMO media group, Sustainable Pulse, Kreiss said that the group was "created to recognize at an opportune time to highlight the endemic problems in our food and economic situations and how they relate – combined with my own training in natural health and nutrition, allowed for the chance to create a movement to highlight the corruption in our food system – while also helping support the small scale farmers that need our support to protect them against the industrial mega-farms that have taken over in recent years."
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History
In 2011, Occupy Monsanto was created to counter agribusiness. As its founder stated, they rapidly expanded with demonstrations and connections with other grassroots movements against GMOs. This included such 'occupations' as in Maui, Hawaii. There were other actions that included a protest at huge food retailer Trader Joe's against their use of GMOs in their stores. The protesters explained in a statement that "Trader Joe's provide proof that the foods sold in their stores under their own brands are free of Monsanto's patented genes" and that "Trader Joe's may be genetically contaminated by Monsanto's gastronomical experiments." In September 2012, over a year past the beginning of the Occupy Movement there were worldwide protests against Monsanto that protested the use and proliferation of genetically modified crops in countries such as Japan. Cities included a suburb of St. Louis where Monsanto has its headquarters. Since October 2011 and continuing up to the present there have been protests in this suburb against genetically modified food. They have partnered in the past with groups ranging from The Anti-Monsanto Project, the Freedom Socialist Party, the Organic Consumers Association's "Millions Against Monsanto", Occupy Monsanto 360, numerous California-based occupy groups, and labor unions.
Genetic Crimes Units
One of the major tools of Occupy Monsanto was to create what they called Genetic Crimes Units or GCUs. These people are according to the group, those "who care about public health, ending corruption, and preserving our natural environment" and they conduct "decontamination events" at Monsanto branches to stop the spread of GMOs. A press release in March 2012 notes that GCUs wear "professional bio-hazmat suits...[because we have an] emergency here and [that] wearing one of these suits is the only viable barrier to avoid GMOs." In September 2012 a GCU was even successful in shutting down a branch in Oxnard, California for a day.