Vons Attempts To Ban Storefront Group From Collecting Signatures

LOS ANGELES, CA — The parent company of Vons supermarkets is seeking a court order to ban a specific group of individuals who have been collecting signatures in front of the Inglewood location. The company also hopes to prevent the group from soliciting shoppers at all of their markets statewide.

The defendants were identified only as John Does 1-60 in the Los Angeles Superior Court lawsuit, which was filed Thursday. The suit alleges that the individuals were trespassing and were a nuisance to patrons. Attached to the suit is a photo of two of the solicitors sitting at a table outside the store in the 500 block of Manchester Boulevard with two handwritten signs reading, "Stop Gentrification, All Life Matter."

The signature gatherers began appearing in front of the Inglewood location Sept. 10, the suit states. It seeks a court declaration that they "have no right to occupy the areas in front of any Safeway (-owned) store in California."

A member of the group seeking signatures at the Inglewood store could not be immediately reached.

According to the suit, the markets' "primary purpose is to serve its customers, who come to its stores to purchase groceries and related goods in a pleasant shopping environment free of distraction and harassment by third parties such as the defendants in this case."

The name gatherers "have also interfered and obstructed plaintiff's and customers' use of the premises," the suit alleges.

Safeway stores "are not open to the general public to solicit signatures to engage in conduct unrelated to Safeway's business," the suit states.

—The City News Service contributed to this report.