Mass Demonstration Planned in Benton Harbor on 8/10

On Tuesday, there will be a mass demonstration in Benton Harbor, Michigan to confront the opening of a new golf course.

Protest organizers from BANCO, state that the land that the new golf course has been built on was public land and that this theft of land is another demonstration of the power that the Whirlpool Corporation wields in the St. Joseph/Benton Harbor area.

BANCO has been fighting the dirty and racist politics of Whirlpool for years and is inviting people from the mid-west to come to Benton Harbor on Tuesday, August 10 – at 10am – and stand with residents who demand justice. People will meet at the Benton Harbor City Hall, 200 Wall St.

The golf course is owned by the Jack Nicklaus Corporation and is one of 345 courses the former golf pro owns around the world, with another 140 under construction.

This is not the first time that golf courses have been the target of protest. In fact, there is a global movement against golf courses because of the elitist’s appropriation of land, excess use of local water resources and environmental contamination.

In 1996, the Jack Nicklaus Corporation wanted to build a golf course in Morelos, Mexico. Zapatistas and their supporters protested this proposal, since the golf course would have been built on communal lands. Public opposition and the beating of 40 people at a nearby plantation by Mexican police were enough to force the company to abandon any plans to build a golf course in that part of Mexico.

BANCO wants to send a strong message to those who attend the opening on Tuesday, that theft of public land is not acceptable. For more information contact Rev. Edward Pinkney, 269-925-0001 or go to banco.org.

Anyone from West Michigan wanting to carpool or caravan down can contact Cole Dorsey coledorsey@gmail.com.