Los Feliz Residents Protest Lassen's Takeover of Nature Mart, Support for Prop 8

Categories: News

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Los Feliz health food store Nature Mart officially closed in late October, replaced by Lassen's, a small, locally-based chain. Some residents are crying foul because the new owners supported Proposition 8, the anti-gay marriage initiative, and are vowing to boycott the new incarnation of the Hillhurst Avenue store. A petition on Change.org asserts that "Lassen's, the company which recently took over the Nature Mart health food store on Hillhurst Ave." spent about $30,000 to help pass Prop 8.

They draw their figures from the Los Angeles Times Proposition 8 campaign donation records (which shows "Lassens Health Food" donating $27,500 in support of Prop 8) and SF Gate's database of Proposition 8 contributions (enter "Lassen's" with the apostrophe in the contributor field, and it lists Lassen's as having donated $3,000 to support Prop 8).

Urging locals to boycott Lassen's, the petition reads:

A huge number of local residents (of all backgrounds and orientations) don't want our money being used to promote discriminatory laws. We plan to exercise our freedom by not giving ANY money to Lassen's and by telling our neighbors why.

The open letter to Lassen's also reads:

If you ever decide you want to take real steps toward undoing this wrong, we're wide open to positive change, and we'd be thrilled to have a neighborhood health food store that we can support in good conscience.

As of late last night, the petition had 41 signatures.


Elina Shatkin is a staff writer at LA Weekly. Follow her at @elinashatkin or contact her at eshatkin@laweekly.com.

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Nature Mart Bulk Bin

2074 Hillhurst Ave., Los Angeles, CA

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18 comments
Plcasey
Plcasey

Get out of our hood, homophobes!

Bojorco
Bojorco

 So now the choice is between these pro-8 people and the rapacious Whole Foods?  You might as well just forget it and go to McDonald's.

Guest
Guest

One of the owners has a right to his opinion. And I would ask, if an alcoholic said he/she needs to keep drinking because he/she was born that way...would that fly? Being gay is a choice (an urge might be there for a percentage, but it's that same for is alcohalism).  Thank you for not smoking pole. :-)

Plcasey
Plcasey

 take a course in rhetoric.  until then, shhh. 

Phil
Phil

Guest, apparently being a bigot is a choice too, which you so deftly displayed. Congratulations, the world is a worse place because of your existence.

Rjhhooverwon
Rjhhooverwon

As a long time customer of Nature Mart ( 30 yrs) I take exception to the negative slant of this article.Lassens has done the community a huge service by taking over for Nature Mart when the original owner decided to call it quits. They have quickly restocked the store, greatly improved the customer service and are remodeling to boot. I was elated to see the empty shelves restocked and the store running again!Had they not done so we could have ended up with another 7-11 or worse.This politicaly motivated attempt to ruin their business ( approaching customers in their parking lot and scaring them off) and possibly take over the site for a another store organized by the protestors  (as one protester confided in me who also did not even shop there previously)Prop 8 protestors would make better use of their energy on political actions to further their cause rather than attempting to put out of business our one and only local health food store and the health of the nearby residents.

R90026
R90026

i used to shop there and believe me, this is a HUGE inconvenience because there are NO Health stores in the area...  But, I I would rather take a drive to Whole Food, which is 10 minutes away. Your apathy and self conceit is disturbing, to say the least. 

Im_fast
Im_fast

So I guess if Nature Mart was now being run by white supremists, or the American Nazi Party...you'd keep on shopping? Hmmmm...says a lot about you...

Mark Sprechef
Mark Sprechef

I mourn the loss of Nature Mart -- it has been a local mainstay for me for the nearly 12 years that I have lived in the immediate neighborhood. And I am angry that it has been replaced by a near-clone of Nature Mart that is morally off-limits to me. The Lassen family is entitled to their beliefs that gay people should not have the same civil rights that they enjoy, but I will not support them in their bigotry. The food in the store may be healthy, but the Lassen store's presence in our neighborhood is toxic. So I will take myself out of my comfort zone and transfer all of my health food shopping needs to Erewhon and Whole Foods.

Jay Floyd
Jay Floyd

Shopping convenience is more important to you than a large part of your community's equality in society?  Okay.  Shop away!

Vahevahe
Vahevahe

I agree with you 100% 

Chevy
Chevy

Wow, lots of Fruits & Veggies...oh my!

Sasha
Sasha

ORGANIZED protest is happening outside of the new Lassen's on SAT 11/19  1 PM PLease help  spread the word.

teeem
teeem

where do i sign?

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