Greenfield, MA stops Wal-Mart rezoning
Topics: Ballot Measures | Organizing
Voters in Greenfield, Massachusetts’ defeat of Wal-Mart’s attempt to rezone 63 acres of land two miles north of Main Street “became a watershed event in the revolt against Wal-Mart,” said activist Al Norman, who organized and led the citizens’ group effort in his hometown. With support from the local press and approval from the Town Council, Wal-Mart was ready to break ground, until one resident started to collect the signatures needed to force the issue to a town-wide vote. An eight week campaign followed, led by Norman, which turned around a town that only six months before had voted 2-1 n favor of Wal-Mart. Norman and his town’s story is documented in the award-wining movie “Talking to the Wall: The Story of an American Bargain,” which is used as an organizing tool by citizens’ groups across the country
