Why the Park Slope Coop's BDS Battle Is So Important

Wars, genocide, climate disruption, inflation, and disruptive AI contribute to widespread uncertainty and feelings of helplessness. Despite this, people seek ways to exercise political agency and build democratic power. In Brooklyn, Park Slope Food Coop is holding crucial votes on whether to boycott Israeli products in protest of Israel’s ongoing policies of apartheid and genocide. The campaign is framed as more than accountability, aiming to turn moral outrage and a desire for democratic community into tangible collective action. The Coop is described as a democratic institution since 1973, with members volunteering shifts and voting on store policies, including everyday details like music selection.

"Ask anyone these days, and they'll probably agree that we're living in a time of unprecedented uncertainty. Wars in Iran and Ukraine, genocide in Gaza, a climate emergency rearing its head across the globe, and creeping inflation making more and more of life feel out of reach-and all the while, AI is churning out an endless flood of disorienting slop and threatens to render many of our careers obsolete."

"But even amid this atmosphere of tumult, people continue searching for places to exercise their own political agency and cultivate democratic power. And one place that search is playing out is in the aisles of the Park Slope Food Coop, a member-owned neighborhood grocery store in Brooklyn. This coming Tuesday, the Coop is holding a series of crucial votes about an issue that has dogged it for years: whether or not to boycott Israeli products in protest of Israel's ongoing policies of apartheid and genocide."

"For the members of Park Slope Food Coop Members for Palestine ( PSFC4Palestine) who have organized around this issue for years, the campaign is about more than just holding Israel accountable. It is also about translating widespread moral outrage and a longing for democratic community into tangible collective action at a moment when doing so feels increasingly difficult. And it could serve as a model for those who continue to feel as if they are careening toward a less democratic future."

"The Park Slope Food Coop has never been just a grocery store. Since its founding in 1973, it has grown into an actual democratic institution with political responsibilities. The Coop's 16,700 members each volunteer to work 2-hour-and-45-minute shifts every six weeks in exchange for discounted groceries and a vote on store policies. And for many Coop members, the opportunity to collectively decide everything from what type of music should be played in the store to"

Read at The Nation