Listening carefully to the corn and the soy, or, Monsanto in our midst

April 21, 2012, from 11 a.m. until 2 p.m.

Boyd Law Building 130 Byington Road Iowa City, IA 52242

A People’s Preliminary Hearing is a proceeding for collecting knowledge and evidence about harms suffered by communities and ecosystems. It is a creative teach-in that uses the courtroom as a theater for building public understanding. All people and living beings are considered potential plaintiffs regarding Monsanto’s impacts on eastern Iowa.

• What do we know as a community about the history and activities of Monsanto?

• How has the company shaped eastern Iowa, today and in the past?

• What harms have we experienced that can be linked to Monsanto?

• Is it possible to live beyond reach of their products?

• How can we determine responsibility for these harms and demand accountability?

Witnesses will give short testimonies that review the known research, share testimony from personal experience and knowledge, and build a public record on Monsanto and its products. Please join us in listening and adding to this record!

Free and open to the public. Refreshments will be served.

For more information or to plan a testimony, contact: monsanto.hearings@gmail.com

The Monsanto Hearings were initiated by Compass, a group of writers, teachers, artists, activists and researchers living in the Midwest. The Iowa City hearing is sponsored in part by AndAndAnd, documenta13, Iowa City SOUP, and University of Iowa ECGPS.