Update 12/06/2008:
Some have been questioning the authenticity of this story, here is a local news source link: Local food cooperative searched by state
Update:
THE LATEST: Seems the head of the Stowers household was serving in Iraq while his family was being held at gunpoint by American authorities. Read all about it here.
“Over the past 20 years Congress has encouraged the U.S. military to supply intelligence, equipment, and training to civilian police. That encouragement has spawned a culture of paramilitarism in American law enforcement. The 1980s and 1990s have seen marked changes in the number of state and local paramilitary units, in their mission and deployment, and in their tactical armament.” –Cato Institute (more below)
“We cannot continue to rely on our military in order to achieve the national security objectives that we’ve set. We’ve got to have a civilian national security force that’s just as powerful, just as strong, just as well-funded.” –Barack Obama, “Obama’s Civilian National Security Force”
“At the World Food Programme we have recognized what a valuable tool food aid can be in changing behaviour. In so many poorer countries food is money, food is power…..” –Catherine Bertini, Executive Director of the World Food Program, “The UN Plan for Food and Land”
Presumably Manna Storehouse might eventually be charged with running a retail establishment without a license. Why then the Gestapo-type interrogation for a 3rd degree misdemeanor charge? This incident has raised the ominous specter of a restrictive new era in State regulation and enforcement over the nation’s private food supply.
This same type of abusive search and seizure was reported by those innocents who fell victim to oppressive federal drug laws passed in the 1990s. The present circumstance raises the obvious question: is there some rabid new interpretation of an existing drug law that considers food a controlled substance worthy of a nasty SWAT operation? Or worse, is there a previously unrecognized provision(s) pertaining to food in the Homeland Security measures? Some have suggested that it was merely an out-of-control, hot-to-trot ODA agent, and, if so, this would be a best-case scenario. Anything else might spell the beginning of the end for the freedom to eat unregulated and unmonitored food.
One blogger familiar with the Ohio situation has reported that:
“Interestingly, I believe they [Manna Storehouse] said a month or so ago, an undercover ODA official came to their little store and claimed to have a sick father wanting to join the co-op. Both the owner and her daughter-in-law had a horrible feeling about the man, and decided not to allow him into the co-op and notified him by certified mail. He came back to the co-op demanding to be part of it. They refused and gave him names of other businesses and health food stores closer to his home. Not coincidentally, this man was there yesterday as part of the raid.”
The same blog also noted that the Ohio Department of Agriculture has been chastised by the courts in several previous instances for its aggression, including trying to entrap an Amish man in a raw milk “sale,” which backfired when it became known that the Amish believe in a literal interpretation of “give to him that asketh thee, and from him that would borrow of thee turn not thou away” (Matthew 5:42)
The issue appears to be the discovery of a bit of non-institutional beef in an Oberlin College food service freezer a year ago that was tracked down by a county sanitation official to Manna Storehouse. Oberlin College’s student food coop is widely known for its strident ideological stance about eating organic foods. It seems that the Oberlin student food cooperative had joined the Manna Storehouse food cooperative in order to buy organic foods in bulk from the national organic food distributor United, which services buying clubs across the nation. The sanitation official, James Boddy, evidently contacted the Ohio Department of Agriculture. After the first contact by state ODA officials, Manna Storehouse reportedly wrote them a letter requesting assistance and guidelines for complying with the law. This letter was never answered. Rather, the ODA agent tried several times to infiltrate the coop, as described above. When his attempts failed, the SWAT team showed up!
Food cooperatives and buying clubs have been an active part of the American landscape for over a generation. In the 1970s, with the rise of the organic food industry (a direct outgrowth of the hippie back-to-nature movement) food coops started up all over the country. These were groups of people who freely associated for the purpose of combining their buying power so that they could order organic food items in bulk and case lots. Anyone who was part of these coops in the early era will remember the messy breakdown of 35 pounds of peanut butter and 5 gallon drums of honey!
These buying clubs have persisted and flourished over the years due to their ability to purchase high quality organic foods at reduced prices in bulk quantities. Most cooperatives have participated greatly in the local agrarian economies, supporting neighborhood organic farmers with purchases of produce, eggs, chickens, etc. The groups also purchase food from a number of different local, regional and national distributors, many of them family-based businesses who truck the food themselves. Some of these food cooperatives have become large enough to set up mini-storefront operations where members can drop in and purchase items leftover from case lot sales. Manna Storehouse had established itself in such a manner, using a small enclosed breezeway attached to their home. It was a folksy place with old wooden floors where coop members stopped by to chat and snack on bags of organic corn chips.
The state of Ohio boasts the second largest Amish population in the country. Many of the Amish live on acreages where they raise their own food, not unlike Manna Storehouse, and sell off the extras to neighbors and church members. There is a sense of foreboding that this state crackdown on a longstanding, reputable food cooperative operation could adversely impact the peaceful agrarian way of life not only for the Amish, but homeschoolers and those families living off the land on rural acreages. It raises the disturbing possibility that it could become a crime to raise your own food, buy eggs from the farmer down the road, or butcher your own chickens for family and friends – bustling activities that routinely take place in backwater America.
The freedom to purchase food directly form the source is increasingly under attack. For those who have food allergies and chemical intolerances, or who are on special medical diets, this is becoming a serious health issue. Will Americans retain the right to purchase food that is uncontaminated by pesticides, herbicides, allergens, additives, dyes, preservatives, MSG, GMOs, radiation, etc.? The melamine scare from China underscores the increasingly inferior and suspect quality of modern processed institutional foods. One blog, commenting on the bizarre and troubling Manna Storehouse situation, observed that:
“No one is saying exactly why. At the same time the FDA says it it safe to eat the 40% of tainted beef found in Costco’s and Sam’s all over the nation. These farm raids are very common now. Every farmer needs to fully eqiped [sic] for the possibility of it happening to them. The Farmer To Consumer Legal Defense Fund was created just for this purpose. The USDA just released their plans to put a law into action that will put all small farmers out of business. Animals for the sale of meat or milk will only be allowed in commercial farms, even the organic ones.” December 3, 2008 7:09 PM
Note: “The police paramilitary units also conduct training exercises with active duty Army Rangers and Navy SEALs. State and local police departments are increasingly accepting the military as a model for their behavior and outlook…. The problem is that the mindset of the soldier is simply not appropriate for the civilian police officer. Police officers confront not an ‘enemy’ but individuals who are protected by the Bill of Rights. Confusing the police function with the military function can lead to dangerous and unintended consequences….” (Diane Cecilia Weber, Cato Institute, “Warrior Cops: The Ominous Growth of Paramilitarism in Police Departments“)
[…] Read the whole thing here. Possibly related posts: (automatically generated)ODA “swats” Manna Storehouse Co-opThe Bishop’s StorehouseDoes it really cost more to eat better food?Food stamp use hits all-time high in Ohio […]
All farmers should now carry video cameras and be ready to use them when they are attacked or their homes are occupied by swat teams and government thugs.
The media loves juicy footage. I guarantee that these criminals will lose their jobs and perhaps even have charges brought against them….
Video is the strongest thing we have…the next strongest is the http://www.ftcldf.com
Gary Cox esq. can use this video to bring them to justice….make sure you tell your story. Stay peaceful and let the otther side fall into the quicksand.
Where is the national media on this???? This is an outrage!!
Mark McAfee
Founder OPDC
I live east of Cleveland and have not seen or heard any coverage of this story by the media. If anyone can give a link to a news story about this please post it here.
This is shocking and an outrage!!!
America is becoming AmeriKa with each passing day w/o the citizens demanding their rights en mass like other countrys do… we cannot continue to look the other way and not get involved.
Manna Storehouse needs to find out if the search warrant was legal with legal signature, and if these gov. thugs stole property not on the warrant… Manna Storehouse needs to make demands to have it returned immediately.
Manna Storehouse also needs to: 1) sue everyone involved in this outrage – sending a message to the goons-that-be that this type of illegal behavior will NOT be tolerated. 2) DEMAND RETURN OF ALL YOUR PROPERTY IMMEDIATELY!
Also, 3) install security devices on your property to alert you to intruders including armed security guard(s) and dogs, electric fence, video tape and audio tape recordings. Post No Trespassing Signs on the property, and go after those who trespass w/o permission. Come up with a method to allow only known customers, proven referred customers, family/friends on the property thru security guard gate.
DO NOT ALLOW THIS TO HAPPEN TO YOU AGAIN! And DO NOT let them put you out of business or scare you out of business, so they can go on and do this to somebody else next.
Get the media involved as well, although they are generally part of the problem.
Get all the local and national support you can get to stop this kind of illegal intrusion on private property.
Remember – these are sick s.o.b’s that never worked a day in their life to produce anything of value for this country – they live off the rest of us like parasites. What you do is of enormous value in comparison.
Please take the hard line steps I suggest for your safety and security.
I wish you the very best, and victory
as well from now on in what you do.
Take care… take heed.
[…] googled… and found this: Swat Team conducts food raid in rural Ohio True Discernment There was an article linked: Local food cooperative searched by state Morning Journal: Serving […]
What’s next. What are we supposed to do o get this the type of exposure it needs. Even the people I buy eggs and free range chickens from said something about how they make it amlmost impossible for her to hire some help on their little farm. Yet Factory Farms can mistreat every sentient being workers animals and produce less healthy food.
So I heard people criticizing the bearer of this unfortunate news so I decided to do some research and extend my sympathies to those affected. Here’s Manna Storehouses reply for those naysayers and the unaware along with info how you can get involved or assist:
from Manna Storehouse
to mannastorehouse@windstream.net
date Thu, Dec 18, 2008 at 8:33 PM
subject update from Manna Storehouse
mailed-by windstream.net
hide details 8:33 PM (2 hours ago)
Reply
Hi everyone. We are happy to announce that you can now follow our case through our attorney’s website: http://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
http://www.mannastorehouse.com
mannastorehouse@windstream.net
The latest summary and stories on this Raid are posted at The Journal of Whole Food and Nutrition at http://wholefoodusa.wordpress.com/category/family-farm-enforcement-report/
Also, there is a story on the woman who was jailed this month for selling raw cheese and goats milk at a farmers market in California.
[…] is looking more and more bizarre. Here’s some of what Berit Kjos is saying about it over on the True Discernment blog. From the looks of things, somebody up there must think Amish farmers are more of a threat than […]
[…] Swat Team conducts food raid in rural Ohio […]
organic foods are the best for our health since they are free from dangerous chemicals and toxins **.