Occupy Wall Street releases “Declaration of the Occupation of New York City”

Occupy Wall Street is moving beyond signs and chants to make its grievances known. On October 1, the protest movement that inspired Occupy Boston, and similar solidarity movements throughout the country, released its first official document, the “Declaration of the Occupation of New York City.” A note on the groups’s Web site states that its wording “was unanimously voted on by all members of Occupy Wall Street” at 8 PM on September 29. No individual authors are credited.

In form, the document echoes the “Declaration of Independence.” A preamble establishes its unifying principles,

“…that the future of the human race requires the cooperation of its members; that our system must protect our rights, and upon corruption of that system, it is up to the individuals to protect their own rights, and those of their neighbors; that a democratic government derives its just power from the people, but corporations do not seek consent to extract wealth from the people and the Earth; and that no true democracy is attainable when the process is determined by economic power…”

A list of 23 grievances follows, each beginning with the phrase “They have…,” positioning “corporations” as the movement’s King George III. The grievances touch on: illegal home foreclosures, the awarding of executive bonuses from government bailout funds, discrimination in the workplaces, pollution, violations of animal rights, union busting, exorbitant student loan debt, outsourcing, the “Citizens United” ruling, suppression of free speech, negligence in product quality control, bribery of politicians, suppression of clean fuel technologies, suppression of generic medications, privately contracted capital punishment and participation in colonialist military action, including “murder,” “torture” and the manufacture and sales of weapons of mass destruction.

The document concludes with a call to action addressed to the people of the world, “Exercise your right to peaceably assemble; occupy public space; create a process to address the problems we face, and generate solutions accessible to everyone.”

A footnote states that the list of grievances is not all-inclusive.  Further notes on the group’s Web site make it clear that the “Declaration” is a “living document” subject to change,  and that three companion documents will soon be released: a declaration of demands, principles of solidarity and a guide for establishing more “Direct Democracy Occupation Groups.”

In the meantime, the Web site’s “Declaration of Occupation” posting links to a “Working document” of suggested goals and tactics for the movement, going forward.

Related posts:

1. Wall Street Protests Come to Boston Common
2. Occupy Boston Protest Begins to Solidify into an Organized Movement
3. Obama Signs Mass. Disaster Declaration After Irene
4. Obama Signs Conn. Disaster Declaration After Irene
5. CT’s Biggest City Imposes Curfew Amid Widespread Blackout

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