[CIMC-work] At least 20-30 people have been arrested this morning in St. Louis--BioDevastation Conference

[Elizabeth Fraser]

I'm forwarding this info on what's happening at the BioDevastation
Conference in St. Louis. I'm copying both Genewise and Chicago
Indymedia. -- elizabeth fraser (not sure who's gone down from genewise
yet or whether anyone from Chicago Indymedia has gone  down to cover)

-----Original Message-----
From: owner-gpusa-newsletter@list.serve.com
[mailto:owner-gpusa-newsletter@list.serve.com] On Behalf Of Devin M.
Ceartas
Sent: Friday, May 16, 2003 10:28 PM
To: gpusa-newsletter@greenparty.org
Subject: [GPUSA-Newsletter] HELP NEEDED NOW

YOUR HELP IS NEEDED RIGHT NOW!

Mitchel Cohen & Brian Tokar, writing from the BioDevastation Conference
against Genetic Engineering in St. Louis, home of Monsanto:

At least 20-30 people have been arrested and we need your help Police
invaded two known movement homes this morning, apparently in
"pre-emptive raids" to prevent their attendance at Sunday's
demonstration against the World Agricultural Forum Others were taken
into custody while riding their bicycles to the BioDevastation gathering
at Forest Park Community College, and the police have left the bicycles
lying along the road Sarah Bantz organizer for MORAGE and a speaker at
the BioDevastation conference was arrested for having a container of
Vitamin C capsules, which police are claiming to be an illegal drug.

Police have also entered the Randall Building, office of the Gateway
Greens/Green Party USA, St. Louis IndyMedia, the Confluence newspaper,
and other organizations, searching for "violations" and who knows what
else

For the last two weeks, the St=2E Louis police have been spreading
rumors of "Seattle-like violence" in order to ratchet up the levels of
tension, rationalizing their procurement of riot gear and new "crowd
control" Weapons.

We are asking EVERYONE to call the Chief of Police Joe Mokwa, at (314)
444-5624 and demand their immediate release and stop their harassment of
the movement against genetic engineering and corporate agribusiness=2E

We understand that the police may hang up as people try to call the
above number=2E Other numbers for police are (314) 444-5555 and (314)
231-1212=2E=


Thank you, and please spread the word!