POLITICS ODA swats Manna...

[Guest guest]

POLITICS ODA " swats " Manna...

3d time's the charm!

> Is this the kind of thing we have to look forward to

> under NAIS/USDA here in Tx too?

>

> http://thebovine.wordpress.com/2008/12/03/oda-swats-manna-

storehouse-co-op/

> or

> http://tinyurl.com/5g52de

> -------------------------------------

> ODA " swats " Manna Storehouse Co-op

> Apparently undaunted by past legal rebukes, the Ohio

> Department of Agriculture recently raided a food coop in La Grange

> that was providing grass-fed beef, lamb, pastured poultry and

> other Weston-Price-style foods. Raw milk was not specifically

> mentioned, so we don't know whether that might have been a

> factor. But the extent and style of the regulator action in this

case

> bears a definite resemblance to what happened at Schmidt's

> Glencolton Farms back on Nov. 21, 2006. The Bovine learned about

this

> incident from a comment on the Complete Patient blog by Don Neeper.

> Here's part of what Don said:

> Pastured chicken from Natures Acres, Berlin Ohio, one of Manna

> Storehouses suppliers Pastured chicken, Nature's Acres, Berlin Ohio,

> (one of Manna Storehouse's suppliers)

>

> " Manna Storehouse, a food co-op in La Grange,

> providing grass fed beef, lamb, pastured poultry and other Weston A.

> Price foods was raided yesterday [Monday, Dec. 1st] by SWAT, ODA

> officials, and local authorities.

> The family that runs the co-op tells me they were

> herded into the living room for 8 hours while the home and business

> was torn apart.

> They were not given reason, saying they were under investigation.

> All of their computers and phones, and customer information were

> taken, as well as $10,000 worth of beef. A `warrant' which

> didn't appear to be valid, showed the reason for investigation, was

> `beef'.

>

> If you are a customer, please know they only have cell phones and a

> few numbers that may be in those phones they can call.

> They have no records as they were all taken, so they can't be

> in contact.

>

> They won't know anything until they go to court, and at this point

> are considering going to the media.

>

> Interestingly, I believe they 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.

>

> If you are a one who prays, they ask for your prayers…. "

>

> ------UPDATE------------

> http://www.buckeyeinstitute.org/article/1284

>

> Raid on Family's Home and Organic Food Co-Op Challenged

>

> posted December 17, 2008

>

> Columbus - The Buckeye Institute's 1851 Center for Constitutional

Law

> today took legal action against the Ohio Department of Agriculture

> (ODA) and the Lorain County Health Department for violating the

> constitutional rights of and Stowers of LaGrange,

> Ohio. The Stowers operate an organic food cooperative called Manna

> Storehouse. ODA and Lorain County Health Department agents

forcefully

> raided their home and unlawfully seized the family's personal food

> supply, cell phones and personal computers. The legal center seeks

to

> halt future similar raids. The complaint was filed in Lorain County

> Court of Common Pleas.

>

> " The use of these police state tactics on a peaceful family is

simply

> unacceptable, " Buckeye Institute President Hansen said.

> " Officers rushed into the Stowers' home with guns drawn and held the

> family - including ten young children - captive for six hours. This

> outrageous case of bureaucratic overreach must be addressed. "

>

> The Buckeye Institute argues the right to buy food directly from

local

> farmers; distribute locally-grown food to neighbors; and pool

> resources to purchase food in bulk are rights that do not require a

> license. In addition, the right of peaceful citizens to be free from

> paramilitary police raids, searches and seizures is guaranteed under

> the Fourth Amendment to the United States Constitution and Section

14,

> Article 1 of the Ohio Constitution.

>

> " The Stowers' constitutional rights were violated over grass-fed

> cattle, pastured chickens and pesticide-free produce, " Buckeye

> Institute 1851 Center of Constitutional Law Director Maurice

> said. " Ohioans do not need a government permission slip to run a

> family farm and co-op, and should not be subjected to raids when

they

> do not have one. This legal action will ensure the ODA understands

and

> respects Ohioans' rights. "

>

> On the morning of December 1, 2008, law enforcement officers

> forcefully entered the Stowers' residence, without first announcing

> they were police or stating the purpose of the visit. With guns

drawn,

> officers swiftly and immediately moved to the upstairs of the home,

> finding ten children in the middle of a home-schooling lesson.

> Officers then moved Stowers and her children to their

> living room where they were held for more than six hours.

>

> Such are raids are beyond the scope of the purely administrative

> authority delegated to ODA and county health departments. In

enforcing

> licensure laws, these agencies are only permitted to contract for

> routine enforcement services. Forceful raids and sweeping searches

and

> seizures are not routine, and exceed the authority granted to ODA

and

> county health departments.

>

> The Buckeye Institute seeks an injunction against similar future

> raids, and a declaration that such licensure laws are

unconstitutional

> as applied the Stowers and individuals like them.

>

> There has never been a complaint filed against Manna Storehouse or

the

> Stowers related to the quality or healthfulness of the food

> distributed through the co-op. The Buckeye Institute's legal center

> will defend the Stowers from any criminal charges related to the

raid.

>

> A copy of the complaint is available at

> http://www.buckeyeinstitute.org/stowers.pdf. A video of the Stowers

> describing the raid is available here.

>

> The Buckeye Institute for Public Policy Solutions, together with its

> 1851 Center for Constitutional Law, is a nonpartisan research and

> educational institute devoted to individual liberty, economic

freedom,

> personal responsibility and limited government in Ohio.