Report on Chicago Reclaim the Commons Mobilization

This is a report about Reclaim The Commons in Chicago, a four day mobilization in response to the 2006 Biotechnology Industry Organization (BIO) convention.

First off was the Reclaim The Commons Spring Festival [1 2 3] in Federal Plaza on the afternoon of April 8th, the Joint International GM Opposition Day.

About 25 groups came out to table, from Nicaragua Solidarity Network to Midwest Books for Prisoners to Oxfam, as well as a place that was giving away vegan organic soy ice cream. Several circus performers showed up and they were walking around on stilts and juggling various objects including knives (ever see someone do that at a protest?). There was a Mexican Folk band called Fandanguero that started things off and got a few people dancing. A highlight was a speech from LaDonna Redmond, an urban farmer and writer from Chicago. She spoke about her experience of the difficulty of getting healthy, fresh and non-gmo food in African American neighborhoods in Chicago, and of the importance of community gardens. A lot of folks gathered around and sat down to listen – this was right at the height of activities and there were about 350 people there. The sun came out from behind a building and lit up the whole square for about half an hour right in the middle of the festival before receding again to shine just on the area near the speakers.

Humboldt Park Food Not Bombs served lunch and there was a “Really Really Free Market” - people brought lots of items to give away and laid them out on tarps. There were two big puppets parading around, which were big faces of campesino farmers with messages on their shirts (which were sheets) saying “Justice in Agriculture,” and “No Patents on Life.” It was windy so this was somewhat difficult. A number of folks stopped by who were just walking down the street, and just about everyone got programs for the rest of the weekend.

The panel on Genetic Engineering and Human Rights took place the same evening at DePaul University. Jeffrey Smith moderated and speakers included Sarah Alexander, Anuradha Mittal, John Kinsman and Carmelo Ruiz-Marrero. There was a crowd of about 100 people, and the energy was high, with a lively question and answer period. There are a lot of reasons why genetic engineering is a human rights issue, and the different speakers focused on different aspects - from the effects of GE seed patents and corporate control of seeds on small farmers in the global south to the lack of labeling and testing of GMO food in the US. The panel started at 6:45 and a big group was still milling around in the hallway at 10:00 when a security guard kicked us out.

Sunday’s workshops at Acme Art Works were well attended and fun. There was a mix of serious informational workshops (food sovereignty, GMOs in Latin America, corporate personhood, federal persecution of environmental activists), and practical workshops (seed saving, bike fixing, making shoes from recycled materials). About 100 people were there at any given time throughout the day (well... less in the morning).

That evening the Beehive Collective presented their political artwork to a full room at Acme Artworks. The Beehive has done large, intricate posters about Plan Colombia and the Free Trade Area of the Americas. They’re working on new ones about Plan Puebla Panama and Local Food Systems. Two of their earliest posters focused on biotechnology issues. The rest of the night was dancing and listening to Albany NY’s Broadcast Live, Brother Justice (who wrote a song about Reclaim The Commons) and Adhamh Roland from Riot Folk Collective.

The schedule for Monday and Tuesday had been the source of significant confusion in terms of scheduling. A week and a half before our events, we got the news that there was going to be a huge immigrants’ rights march in Chicago on Monday the 10th. The previous immigrants’ march, on March 10th, had brought out a quarter or a half million people. We didn’t want to conflict with the sequel, so we rescheduled from Monday morning to Tuesday afternoon, in addition to putting the immigrants march on our schedule of events. Then a week later we heard that Chicago was not going to have an immigrants’ march! (although there was a huge march in DC and action in lots of other cities). Along with this general confusion, a lot of us were exhausted from the weekend.

On Monday morning the Family Farm Defenders had a rally at the Chicago Mercantile Exchange (CME) and about 15 people from RTC came out in support. Some RTC folks also did media calls and got NPR and CNN to show up. (CNN article) The FFD was protesting the way agricultural commodity prices are fixed at the CME, particularly milk, and there is a pending federal investigation into milk price fixing right now. FFD is made up mostly of dairy farmers and they have a focus on issues related to dairy (including milk from cows injected with genetically engineered rBGH hormone), but they also have a broad critique of corporate control of agriculture, both in the US and internationally.

On Monday evening, Carmelo Ruiz-Marrero spoke at the Puerto Rican Cultural Center to a group of about 40. Carmelo had heard about the PRCC for years and vice versa, because he used to write for a newspaper called “Claridad." One focus of the PRCC is on obesity and diabetes prevention in their community, and they have a program of distributing boxes of fresh fruit and vegetables. They also have plans for a rooftop greenhouse. So they were receptive to Carmelo’s message about food sovereignty and the problems of corporate biotech, including in Puerto Rico where there is a large concentration or GMO test plots. The PRCC wants to bring him back to work with them in the future.

Tuesday afternoon was our final event: a march with about 50 people. We started at the Merchandise Mart, which that morning we found out was the former, rather than the current home of Monsanto’s Chicago office! We gathered there anyway and set off to the Biotech Industry Organization gala where we knew we could find Monsanto executives. The march through downtown was loud and colorful, there were a lot of pedestrians on the streets. We had noisemakers (5 gallon bucket drums) and the two big puppets. Getting to the BIO gala was not as fun because we were being escorted by a lot of police and when we got there people didn’t quite know what to do except yell at the BIO delegates’ busses as they came in. There were a number of people on the march from Animal Rights Chicago, a group that organized in opposition to animal testing by BIO member corporations. Animal Rights Chicago organized several pickets throughout the weekend.

Next May, the Biotech Industry Organization meets in Boston, where a lot of potential exists for a bigger responding mobilization and counter-conference. First off, there is already an active movement in Boston to stop construction of a high-risk Bioweapons research lab there. Over 100 New England towns (mostly in Vermont, but also some in Maine and Massachusetts) have passed resolutions opposing GMOs, and Massachusetts Northeast Organic Farmers Association is very opposed to GMOs. Not to mention the potential to involve activists from all up and down the east coast. Also, the protest of the 2000 BIO convention in Boston had several thousand people participating, partly because of the above factors, and partly because it was right after the 1999 Seattle WTO protests. In any case, lots of people in Boston know about biotech issues because they participated in the 2000 mobilization. Contact reclaimthecommons@gmail.com if you would like to be involved in the Boston mobilization against BIO 2007!