On May 25th, over 1,500 Miamians of all ages marched up and down Biscayne Boulevard in protest of global seed giant Monsanto and to demand a GMO Free Future.

Responding to a callout to March Against Monsanto made by activist and mother Tami Canal in late February, over 52 countries and 436 cities organized rallies to raise awareness of Genetically Modified Organisms in the food supply and raise questions about their long term health impacts.

“We have in our state at least 18 other marches simultaneously” said co-organizer Trish Sheldon of GMO Free Florida and Millions Against Monsanto. “62 other countries have mandatory labeling laws or ban GMOs altogether, why not here in the US?”

The recent passage of the ‘Monsanto Protection Act‘ hidden in the Farmer’s Assurance Provision, would allow Monsanto to introduce new seed crops to the market without testing and despite the health risks, even if a court rules them to be unsafe.

Many of the marchers carried signs that included bees to raise awareness of the links between neonicotinoid pesticides and Colony Collapse Disorder, which is destroying the planets bee population, and threatens our world’s ability to grow enough food. In fact, 90% of the wild bee population in the United States has already died out.

Also in attendance was Florida Senator Maria Sachs, who supported the march and plans to reintroduce SB 1728, a GMO Labeling bill to the Florida Legislature. At the march, she exhorted the crowd to send the message back to Governor Rick Scott to pass the bill “as a first step.”

Scientists and activists alike reject the commonly touted benefits of GMOs, that they are safe and that they increase crop yields. Industry groups and their lobbying arms have long exerted power over the FDA to weaken regulatory standards, even going to far as recent attempts to “hide” Aspartame in milk and milk-based products with no labeling whatsoever.

Earlier in the week, local show Let’s Talk About It Radio Program featured a panel discussion with 4 experts on the topic, including Pamm Larry who spearheaded California’s Prop 37 GMO labeling ballot initiative, and Michael Hansen PhD, scientist of 20 years at Consumers Union.

Mainstream and local media coverage of the march was almost nonexistent, with the exception of Broward New Times and NBC 6 (which significantly under-represented the crowd size as numbering in the “hundreds.”) However, both articles failed to reference the 2012 study which discovered that rats fed GMO corn over their lifetime had a significantly higher risk of developing tumors. Nor was it mentioned that 270,000 farmers in India have committed suicide as their livelihoods were threatened by an 8000% rise in seed price since Monsanto’s GM seeds entered the Indian market.

So what’s a consumer to do? A new app called Buycott has recently been introduced to the Android and App Store marketplaces. The app allows you to ‘scan as you shop’ and displays the names and affiliation of brands parent companies, helping you to avoid those that don’t support causes you believe in.

As we await to see if the ‘Monsanto Protection Act will be repealed in the Senate, and people begin to seek out alternatives to genetically modified food, the local urban agriculture movement has been growing in South Florida. Projects by the Urban Paradise Guild, Midtown 34th Street Project, Earth N Us farm in Little Haiti, Little River Market Garden, the Urban Oasis Project, and an array of farmers markets have been generating interest in local food and the transition to a more life sustaining culture.

A global food movement is underway. Its success will require residents and local officials to be committed to enacting forward-thinking ordinances that would protect small farmers and allow for sustainable urban gardens, while demanding that food sovereignty and respect for the environment overrule corporate lobbying dollars at the national level.

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Join us on September 30th at the Torch of Friendship as we commemorate the 1 Year Anniversary of Occupy Miami!

The theme to this rally is one that unites us all: Debt. We intend to spark a fresh dialogue on the issue of debt and widespread debt scams, discuss how our labor props up a system based on illusory rewards, and raise awareness of those who are deliberately taking a stand to resist the fraudulent debt cycle that allows banks and credit card companies to get rich off our debts and the debts of our communities. We believe we can be free if we invest in one another, rather than in a system that seeks only to take from us.

Numbers
27% of student loans are in default and that figure is steadily climbing. The student debt bubble has now surpassed the ONE TRILLION DOLLAR mark. All the while, tuition rates across the nation are rising, while government spending for education plummets. With every moment that this issue remains unaddressed, in the face of the worst economic stagnation in U.S. history, can we the citizens and our country itself truly survive the deconstruction of our educational system from a right to an ever increasing privilege?

$1.2 trillion of mortgage debt is underwater (debt exceeds value of property) or about one-third of all properties. 5 million homes have been foreclosed and 5 million more are under threat of foreclosure, meaning that owners are in default or behind on payments. 300,000 people had a foreclosure notification added to their credit report in the first quarter of this year. 27% of mortgages are seriously delinquent–ironically, a slight improvement. 300,000 more people went bankrupt.

The average credit card debt per household has fallen from $17,936 in 2009 to $14,336 now because of mass default. In 2010, credit card companies had to write off fully 10% of all debt.

Quebec and Iceland have not tolerated the inevitability of austerity measures, or the reckless fraudulent spending and corruption brought on behalf of financial institutions which finance the campaigns of all those who rise to power through the misrepresentation of those who elect them. They have instead marched to block tuition increases and faulty, immoral financial practices. The official response to the debt crisis in Iceland was to jail the bankers and regain control of their government and they did! They have won victories, the greatest proof is seen in our mass media’s refusal to air such news.

Why have we in the U.S., victims of the greatest financial fraud, been left to foot the bill long after they’ve gotten bailed out? Let us also not forget about the treacherous international LIBOR scandal that has so quickly been swept under the rug. In which the global banking institutions benefited by banding together to monopolize and manipulate the global interest rate on what experts have estimated could affect $800 trillion dollars of loans and securities. Let’s help Miami lead the way in pushing for financial justice! It’s time to turn our backs on this system of debt and create something new in its place.

What issues remain unaddressed in this election cycle? What has changed for you, what are you doing to improve your lives and communities? We need each of you to come out and give your feedback, support and participate!

Join us on September 30th to get your voice heard!

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