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Ohio Co op is raided by police
Is this the beginning of the imperial attack on the movement? God I am inches away from becoming an ex pat.
Ohio Organic Co-op Raided by Local Law Enforcement
by April Streeter, Gothenburg, Sweden on 12.15.08
Food & Health
Running a co-op got one family in a run-in with the law.
Food cooperatives come in all shapes and sizes - from the corner health food store jointly owned and operated by its members - to buying clubs that aggregate purchases of specialty products in order to decrease costs. Co-ops have vastly contributed to 'eat local' movements. You don't expect them to have law enforcement descending en mass one winter morning to serve a search warrant for suspected business license violations.
That's what happened to Manna Storehouse, however. Family run out of a home in LaGrange, Ohio, Manna states on its web site that it is a food co-op (the family also raises sheep) with 60 members that together buy everything from Amy's Organic Strawberry Toaster Pops to organic pastured chickens. On December 1 Manna got an unexpected visit from local law enforcement. Uncorroborated reports have Manna's family of owners being held at gunpoint for several hours while a "SWAT" team served a search warrant, proceeded to turn the house upside down, and left with computers, cell phones and several thousands of dollars in food. According to newspaper reports in The Cleveland Plain Dealer, however, the raid consisted of "four deputies" conducting a search over three to four hours, searching for evidence the family is running a retail food establishment without proper licensing.
Organic co-op quiet after raid
It iss hard to say which of the conflicting reports is completely accurate, for at this point Manna's owners have not talked to the press, though one member of the family granted a short phone interview to blogger and journalist David Gumpert. Manna said it may issue a press statement at some point after the family has spoken with lawyers.
Fugitive grass-fed food?
Some of the basic details about the raid are spelled out in a Lorain County police incident/investigation report posted here. From that report, it seems that 11 officers were "assisting" in serving the search warrant.
It also stated that one deputy was wearing
"a clearly marked Sheriff's Department kevlar vest and (sic) as well as raid pants, as his duty as a member of the Northern Ohio Fugitive Task Force".
In addition, the report states that the "security team" cleared the residence and turned it over to an officer from the Ohio Department of Agriculture to conduct the "court ordered search and seizure." Though no mention is made of drawn guns, the report does say that the cellular phone of one of the family members was forcibly seized, and that there was initial "resistance" to the execution of the search warrant. Sixty-one boxes of food were taken from the home as well as three computers, cell phones and other electronic equipment.
Grass-fed farmers and an organic co-op as fugitives?
It seems hard to fathom. The controversy may be in the definition of a co-op. Co-ops do not fall under the same exact rules as other regular businesses, as those who receive co-op benefits must be members that agree to co-op conditions. The family running Manna Storehouse declared previously that they had no intention of being licensed, maintaining they were exempt from having to be. One blogger theorized that the Ohio Department of Agriculture used so much manpower in the raid because government agents are spooked by the murder three years ago of USDA department employees during an inspection of a sausage factory. Others believe it is part of a systematic harassment of small alternative farmers. If the co-op is charged with operating a retail establishment without a license, the charge is a third-degree misdemeanor, according to the Ohio Chronicle-Telegram.
The fact that the business deals in organic food “has no significance at all” in the investigation, Scott Serazin told the Chronicle-Telegram.
Ohio Organic Co-op Raided by Local Law Enforcement
by April Streeter, Gothenburg, Sweden on 12.15.08
Food & Health
Running a co-op got one family in a run-in with the law.
Food cooperatives come in all shapes and sizes - from the corner health food store jointly owned and operated by its members - to buying clubs that aggregate purchases of specialty products in order to decrease costs. Co-ops have vastly contributed to 'eat local' movements. You don't expect them to have law enforcement descending en mass one winter morning to serve a search warrant for suspected business license violations.
That's what happened to Manna Storehouse, however. Family run out of a home in LaGrange, Ohio, Manna states on its web site that it is a food co-op (the family also raises sheep) with 60 members that together buy everything from Amy's Organic Strawberry Toaster Pops to organic pastured chickens. On December 1 Manna got an unexpected visit from local law enforcement. Uncorroborated reports have Manna's family of owners being held at gunpoint for several hours while a "SWAT" team served a search warrant, proceeded to turn the house upside down, and left with computers, cell phones and several thousands of dollars in food. According to newspaper reports in The Cleveland Plain Dealer, however, the raid consisted of "four deputies" conducting a search over three to four hours, searching for evidence the family is running a retail food establishment without proper licensing.
Organic co-op quiet after raid
It iss hard to say which of the conflicting reports is completely accurate, for at this point Manna's owners have not talked to the press, though one member of the family granted a short phone interview to blogger and journalist David Gumpert. Manna said it may issue a press statement at some point after the family has spoken with lawyers.
Fugitive grass-fed food?
Some of the basic details about the raid are spelled out in a Lorain County police incident/investigation report posted here. From that report, it seems that 11 officers were "assisting" in serving the search warrant.
It also stated that one deputy was wearing
"a clearly marked Sheriff's Department kevlar vest and (sic) as well as raid pants, as his duty as a member of the Northern Ohio Fugitive Task Force".
In addition, the report states that the "security team" cleared the residence and turned it over to an officer from the Ohio Department of Agriculture to conduct the "court ordered search and seizure." Though no mention is made of drawn guns, the report does say that the cellular phone of one of the family members was forcibly seized, and that there was initial "resistance" to the execution of the search warrant. Sixty-one boxes of food were taken from the home as well as three computers, cell phones and other electronic equipment.
Grass-fed farmers and an organic co-op as fugitives?
It seems hard to fathom. The controversy may be in the definition of a co-op. Co-ops do not fall under the same exact rules as other regular businesses, as those who receive co-op benefits must be members that agree to co-op conditions. The family running Manna Storehouse declared previously that they had no intention of being licensed, maintaining they were exempt from having to be. One blogger theorized that the Ohio Department of Agriculture used so much manpower in the raid because government agents are spooked by the murder three years ago of USDA department employees during an inspection of a sausage factory. Others believe it is part of a systematic harassment of small alternative farmers. If the co-op is charged with operating a retail establishment without a license, the charge is a third-degree misdemeanor, according to the Ohio Chronicle-Telegram.
The fact that the business deals in organic food “has no significance at all” in the investigation, Scott Serazin told the Chronicle-Telegram.
Views: 2
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by MRasey on -
Nice summary. I've been keeping an eye on this story as it is in my region. I've also read that the ODA has been censored by the Ohio courts as being too zealous. Apparently they tried to entrap an Amish farmer for giving out 'raw milk'. Something is fishy here. I look forward to the comments from Manna once they've had a chance to speak with a lawyer.
M
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Permalink Reply by Constantine Faller on -
So does this place sell to the public or only to members??
Constantine
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Permalink Reply by Russell Berns on -
i do not know
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Permalink Reply by Constantine Faller on
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Hi Russell and thanks for the reply.
Doesn't excuse the force, but any sales to the public generally mandates ODOH Food Service License. With most of my efforts in the realm of food, I am frequently helping start-ups to be familiar with regulatory realities, and to get on a first name basis with their local Health Department before they start anything.
I sure do wish these folks the best getting this unfortunate situation, and I look forward to hearing further details.
Constantine
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Permalink Reply by robin harper on -
WTF................I keep forgetting how established fascism and paranoia has become in this country under Bush.
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Permalink Reply by Melissa Campbell on -
I received this email from the Stowers family.
Hi everyone. We are happy to announce that you can now follow our case through our attorney's website: www.buckeyeinstitute.org . The press statement can be seen directly at: http://www.buckeyeinstitute.org/article/1284
We are unable to personally answer questions about the case or do interviews at this time, so please direct those types of questions to our lawyer, who is doing that for us. His contact information:
Maurice Thompson
(614) 224-4422
mthompson@buckeyeinstitute.org
We would also encourage people to write letters, especially to the Governor of Ohio, the Ohio Department of Agriculture and the Lorain County Health Department.
We have had people inquire about making a donation to our legal fund. We would encourage anyone wanting to make a donation for that purpose to make it to the Buckeye Institute. The following is from their website:
"The Buckeye Institute is an independent research and education group. As such, we do not perform contract work or accept government grants. To maintain the highest degree of intellectual integrity, we need the support of the people whose lives we're seeking to improve through sound public policy. We thank you in advance for your support. "
Jackie would also request that anyone who has a similar story to share (government abuse), please mail or email it to us!
Thank you again to everyone for your encouragement and support!
Katie Stowers
(for the rest of the family) :)
Manna Storehouse
43565 State Route 303
LaGrange, OH 44050
(440) 355-5826; (440) 355-5831 fax
www.mannastorehouse.com
mannastorehouse@windstream.net
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Permalink Reply by Russell Berns on
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The Buckeye Institute!!! Wow, I am feeling the synergy now. Happening all the time. Hang on Sloopy is the Ohio state song. My father wrote that song!. www.bertberns.com ...cool hey?
I am not sure that I want this local food web unregulated either. It would be nice to have permaculture regulators overseeing compost and humanure. regulating the worm farms, animal health, assuring clean practices. Because it is one thing to grow food organically with your urine. 1 part urine to 10 parts water. And feed your cattle on grasses. Are we allowed to butcher our own meat without the licenses that all the meat producers have to get? That seems a bit unsafe to me. These green jobs do not exist. How we bridge ourselves from this consolidation of oneness is up to us to create the new regulation systems. But until then, you can not wait for regulations. Ironic seeing is that it was deregulation that crashed America's economy. So, are you all following Mike Rupperts blog? We are in the die off now according to many. Eco nest off the grid off radar. Do not get too big. Branch off into sections. Fractal out as fast as you can. Do not centralize the co op. Have the canning facility in one place and the food production on as many different sites as possible. That is urban planning. If you want to come to south Georgia and start a crazy artisan eco village on 500 acres with 400 people at 20 grand each and grow Malaysian fresh water prawns, I am interested in going soon. That is a 8 million dollar budget. I only need 100 grand of earth works equipment and we build each others systems one at a time. That will cover the food forest swaling and Yoemans plowing keyline pasture lands and water systems. Energy is extra. But if you build efficient like an (adobe dome see attachment.) That is what I am going to be living in. I want to take an old plantation mansion and turn it into a community HQ, and turn it into a living building. Oh ya, I forgot, underneath the domes there is a tunnel air flow for cooling. You take 2 ventilation shafts at a distance from the dome. Put metal pipes in the entry of the air shafts, they will condensate when the humid air flows into the pipe underground, cooling the air through evaporation, and creating a natural cooling system that flows under ground inside the dome. This dome in Israel requires no air conditioning. It cost less than 10 thousand to build. So you see, with 8 million we could buy many plantation homes in rural Georgia and network them with the artisan world that is looking for an expedition. Who wants to get creative!!!!!!!!!! The southern black population is a unique angle as well. I love the blues. - Attachments:
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dome email.jpg, 49 KB
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Permalink Reply by Melissa Campbell on
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Have you heard of earth ships? You can google earth ships. Here is one video to give you the just of it.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L9jdIm7grCY
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Permalink Reply by Constantine Faller on
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Russell, if you want me to check of the animal processing, I would be glad to; I am going to guess that as long as you are not selling the product, you can do it at home/on the farm/etc.
Constantine
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Permalink Reply by Russell Berns on
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The best way to create the process of filing forms data and files on everything considered transition, is to use Mindjet. Mindjet mind mapping software is being used by the Permaculture research institute-PRI. They have a vault of information through mindjet for everything permaculture. Every demonstration site that Geoff Lawton has implemented are on mindjet. You have to get access through PRI, and you have to be certified in permaculture. So some kind of resources guide would be good for now. Create a google spread sheet account. Mindjet is like 400 bucks. BUt then we would be interfaced with the PRI.
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Permalink Reply by Andy on -
Mission Mercal S.A. (Food market) is one of the social programs encouraged by the Venezuelan government of Hugo Chávez. Formally established on April 24, 2003, the Mission Mercal is aimed at food industry, the Ministry of Food.
The program is to build and equip and grocery stores with food and other necessities at low prices to make them accessible to the neediest. The food is subsidized and reach the shelves without intermediaries, so that prices tend to be offered a discount of between 30 and 45 per cent of those observed in other channels of distribution [citation needed]. At this point there has been talk of unfair competition by some private business owners, who claim low sales.
The program is to build sales establishments, equip and facilitate distribution. Mercal was extended with the so-called "Mercalitos (smaller establishments, known colloquially in the country, wineries) that are in inaccessible areas, trucks with supplies to sell on the street. There is also "Megamercal", a makeshift market in the street, huge in certain days, expanding the number of food products on sale, which simultaneously provides other social services such as identification, and review of dentistry vision (optical).
Burgundy Wine
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