Co-ops Against Genocide (CAG) is deeply concerned by the message the East End Food Co-op’s (EEFC) Board of Directors sent to Member-Owners on Monday, 1/12/26, regarding the upcoming Special Meeting on 2/9/2026. The Board is acting in a manner that is antithetical to EEFC’s obligation to both allow for and promote democratic member control in decision-making per the store’s bylaws by: 1) refusing to commit to allowing Member-Owners their right to vote on the referendum issue outlined in our petition; 2) limiting the rights of each Member-Owner to speak as part of a collective discussion at the Special Meeting and imposing unnecessary barriers to participation in the meeting; 3) misrepresenting CAG’s petition demand; and 4) stating the Board’s opposition to our petition before a single Member-Owner has been able to speak at the Special Meeting.

1) The Board is refusing to commit to hold a referendum vote.

Our co-op was founded on the principle of “Democratic Member Control, and in this spirit, in principle and practice, the referendum vote is the central demand of our petition

So far, the Board has betrayed the organization’s own principles by failing to commit to holding a referendum despite our following the by-laws to the letter and submitting the required number of signatures to hold a vote. Moreover, the Board has made the question of whether there will even be a referendum vote an open question to be discussed at the Special Meeting.

Our petition calls for Member-Owners of EEFC to have a chance to vote on whether the store should carry Israeli-sourced products until Israel ends all wars and its occupation of foreign land in adherence with international law.

2) The Board is limiting the rights of Member-Owners to speak and imposing unnecessary barriers to participation in the Special Meeting.

EEFC’s notice asserts that the Special Meeting will fulfill the bylaw requirement and facilitate member-wide discussion on the topic of a potential boycott. However, the Board has decided to make the meeting virtual, has hired a mystery moderator, and required potential speakers to complete an overly burdensome form beforehand. Speakers who are against the petition will be chosen by the Board, thus highlighting the Board’s bias and withdrawal from any semblance of neutrality in the process. There will be 5 speakers from each side, totaling only 10 speakers.

Discussions we have had with hundreds and hundreds of Member-Owners over the last year substantiate our belief that the majority of our Member-Owners are in favor of the petition and a boycott. Much like in the annual meeting, we anticipate the majority of speakers at the Special Meeting would voice support if given the chance. Capping the number of speakers creates a false balance that disproportionately limits pro-petition participation and manufactures an appearance of each side having equal support among Member-Owners.

The Board’s Special Meeting format conducted on a virtual platform will make it impossible for a collective, open discussion accurately reflective of the sentiments of our Member-Owners.

3) The Board is misrepresenting our petition’s demands.

Despite full access to the petition language, the recent 1/12/2026 e-mail notice and submission form to Member-Owners states that the Board “received a formal petition requesting that EEFC establish a boycott of Israeli-sourced products.” Our petition calls for a Member-Owner referendum vote on whether or not we should boycott Israeli-sourced products until Israel ends all wars and ends its occupation of foreign land in adherence with international law. It doesn’t request a boycott in and of itself. While CAG believes a boycott as outlined in the petition is the measure that would align with the store’s values, we only ask that Member-Owners have their right to decide democratically, and will honor the decision of Member-Owners, whatever the outcome of the vote.

4) The Board is stating their opposition before the meeting can take place.

In the 1/12/2026 email to membership, the Board has stated opposition to a boycott of Israeli products.This announcement, combined with their delegation of speakers opposed to the petition, puts to question the Board’s ability to fairly administer the Special Meeting and referendum voting process per the bylaws. These uncertainties are heightened with the Board’s imposition of the abovementioned undemocratic Special Meeting rules.

How You Can Help

As community members who believe in the co-op’s principle of Democratic Member Control, it is imperative that we push for a referendum vote on the question of whether or not to boycott Israeli-sourced products. We successfully submitted the amount of signatures needed and the Board has accepted our petition, which calls for both a Special Meeting and a referendum vote. Now we must put pressure on the Board to act in accordance with our bylaws and put the issue to a referendum. While we disagree with the constraining format of the Special Meeting, we will be attending in objection, and we hope you are able to join us. Ahead of the 2/9 meeting, please write a letter to the EEFC Board of Directors and let them know how you feel about their decision to ignore our call for a referendum vote and Democratic Member Control.