Los Angeles Indymedia : Activist News

Saturday May 25 saw a spirited protest march occur in downtown Los Angeles. The protesters went from Pershing Square to City Hall. Well over a thousand people participated. This was part of a Worldwide Day of Protest against The Monsanto Corporation and those companies like Syngen, Dow, Bayer and others who are coming to dominate the world food supply. The worldwide protest numbers were reported to be over two million.

One of the reasons for the American marches was a rider that was attached to the 2013 Spending Bill that was signed by President Barack Obama. The rider was drafted by Republican Roy Blount who represents Missouri which is the home state of the Monsanto Corporation. The GOP representative states that he worked closely with Monsanto on the drafting. Senator Barbara Mikulski's Appropriations Committee was where the rider was injected.

The provision is being called "The Monsanto Protection Act." It's actual name is the Farm Assurance Provision.

The day progressed well and the ethnically and income varied crowd mingled. Some folks had access to Whole Foods and some folks shopped at Pay For Less. Some folks were homeless with a can of beans and the and some lived in houses with full fridges on the West side. But people spoke together and laughed and shouted and testified. Sacred Aztec maize dances were performed. There were citations of Monsanto's lurid chemical history, the GMO insider appointments the FDA and the USDA made, the unfair monopolistic competition that Monsanto practices against small farmers worldwide and the insanity of absolutely no real public safety tests for genetically modified foods. It was brought up that "RoundUp" resistant organisms are now becoming an issue and pesticide stocks are rising. Signs demanding the labeling of GMO's was a constant theme as well as the testimonials of those those that had had possible negative encounters with processed foods, GMO's and the like.

Full story and photos: Testing, Testing Can You Hear Us? by Robert Stuart Lowden | Photos Set 2 | Photos Set 3

This is a sample of an upcoming IMC feature where observers report on events via text message, via Twitter and email.

http://www.lasvegassun.com/sunbin/stories/nevada/2006/nov/20/112010007.html

LAS VEGAS (AP) - A federal judge ruled Monday that the city cannot make it illegal to feed poor people in city parks.

U.S. District Court Judge Robert Jones issued an injunction prohibiting enforcement of a City Council ordinance passed in July that prohibits "providing food or meals to the indigent for free or for a nominal fee" in a city park and defines indigent as a person whom a reasonable ordinary person would believe to be entitled to public assistance.

Hep Team LA is a summer-long health program to educate gay and bisexual men at risk for hepatitis A and hepatitis B and urge them to get vaccinated against these two serious diseases.

Hep Team LA will be giving free vaccinations against hepatitis A and hepatitis B at the Sunset Junction Street Fair, August 26-27. Hep Team LA's booth will be near Lucile and Sunset from 11 a.m. - 7 p.m. for both days.

Hepatitis A and hepatitis B are serious liver diseases for which men who have sex with men (MSM) are at high risk. Hepatitis B is 100 times more contagious than HIV. Condoms, while vital for protecting against HIV and other STDs, may not be protective against hepatitis A because it is transmitted through fecal-oral contact. Both hepatitis A and B can cause serious illness that may last for months and in some is fatal. Hepatitis B can also become chronic (lifelong), with increased risk of liver damage and liver cancer. Chronic carriers can continue to be infectious to others. Hepatitis C is not vaccine preventable.

More info at Hep Team LA, go to http://www.hepteamla.org

Las Vegas Indymedia reports that it is now illegal to feed people in the park. LV Food Not Bombs is protesting this law, which appears to have been passed as a challenge to FNB's fight for the right to have a large picnic without a permit

FNB activist Gail Sacco, with the support of the ACLU, is challenging this law!

LV FNB Myspace