Tomorrow, Thursday, May 17, 2010, Members of the Interfaith Tent @ Oakland will hold a press conference at Sproul Plaza on the U.C. Berkeley Campus.  This event will take place at 2PM in response to the closure and arrests at the Occupy the Farm site.  The following is the description provided to Bay Area Pagan Newswire Collective and is also available on the events facebook page.  T Thorn Coyle will be speaking at this event on behalf of the Interfaith Tent.

“Community organizations in Albany and Berkeley have spent years in unsuccessful negotiations with the University to turn this rich agricultural land into an urban farm. Now in recent weeks hundreds of activists, community members, students and local farmers have transformed their hope into reality on the five-acre piece of land directly across from the University Village in Albany. Thousands of starter plants were prepared and planted in rows, and raised beds using permaculture inspired techniques. Thousands of gallons of community donated water have been carried from cars, bicycles, trucks and vans as a response when the university cut off the water supply. Farmers, tools and equipment have been removed by police force and the crops are in danger. 

Members of the Interfaith Tent are engaged in social justice, nonviolent action and community building. They are gathering to support the Farm and invite others to join them in insuring that this publicly owned farmland be used for farming. They see it as a key effort to use public resources to meet the urgent need for community grown food and farming skills for people of all ages amidst accelerating economic challenge.”

 

Crystal Blanton reporting, Pagan Newswire Collective Bay Area