In a morning rush hour demonstration, members of Occupy D.C. lined up outside an office building at 1300 I Street NW to protest Monsanto, the agricultural engineering giant, which has an office there. Twelve protesters were arrested, a Metropolitan Police Department spokesman said.
Between 40 and 50 protesters positioned themselves in front of the building’s main entrance across I Street from Franklin Square about 7:30 a.m. The demonstrators appeared to be more from Freedom Plaza, where the Occupy encampment has been focused more on targeting specific corporations, whereas the Occupy D.C. group based at McPherson Square has trended more toward addressing systemic grievances.
As the morning rush picked up under a cold, pelting rain, employees of businesses located in the building were shouted at to take the day off. Protesters taped handbills to the pillars on the facade with statements about Monsanto’s business practices. The company, which is based in Missouri, is often criticized for its litigious protection of its patented crops, as well as its mixed records with the Environmental Protection Agency, Food and Drug Administration and other regulatory bodies.
Outside 1300 I Street, protesters often chanted, “Hey, hey! Ho, ho! Monsanto has got to go!” and sometimes the more direct “Fuck Monsanto.” But as office workers tried to get to their desks, it was unclear which of them actually worked for the company at issue. Demonstrators did not seem to make any difference among anyone attempting to get to their office. “Take the day off,” they shouted at the business attire-clad people hoping to scurry in from the rain.
“They’re an evil corporation,” Ariana Kabel, 23, said of Monsanto. “How do I put it simply? They’re poisoning us and patenting seeds so they can take over private farms.” Farmers from several states filed a class-action lawsuit against Monsanto last year alleging that the company would sue them if its patented, genetically modified plants appeared in their fields, but the case was dismissed Monday in federal court in New York.
A few times, protesters jumped in front of someone trying to enter the building, at least one brief shoving match broke out. One man who was turned away by the demonstration about 9 a.m. told DCist he was going in for a meeting with Verizon, which also has space in the building.
“I don’t even work for Verizon,” he said. “The meeting is starting now.” He checked his watch, and was eventually escorted inside by police.
About 20 police officers were on hand, some tasked with getting the inconvenienced office workers safely inside. After a series of three warnings, police started making arrests about 9:15 a.m. Of the 12 total arrests, 10 were for blocking the entrance to the building and two were for crossing police lines, the MPD spokesman said.
