Part 2 (2/2)
After the general assembly was over, we approached the facilitators and explained our issues with the language What ca and difficult conversation This was a very hard discussion to have It hurt that we had to explain what is behind racism to a facilitator and to the people around him It hurt that many tried to disrupt us It hurt that it had to happen at all At the sa constructively We walked away realizing that we had spontaneously coe, and created it in a movement ere in solidarity with We also felt a need for constructive criticis hly involved with Occupy Wall Street We have joined working groups, conducted trainings, and facilitated s, all in order to(infrontandcenterwordpresscoht critical discussion about the Occupyand changing the space at Occupy Wall Street itself
Hena Ashraf is an independent filmmaker based in New York City This chapter first appeared on HenaAshrafcom on September 30, 2011
CHAPTER 6
DECLARATION OF THE OCCUPATION OF NEW YORK CITY
IN THEIR OWN WORDS, WHY PROTESTERS ARE OCCUPYING WALL STREET
As we gather together in solidarity to express a feeling of ht us together We write so that all people who feel wronged by the corporate forces of the world can know that we are your allies
As one people, united, we acknowledge the reality: that the future of the human race requires the cooperation of its hts, and upon corruption of that systehts, and those of their neighbors; that a deovernment 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 We come to you at a time when corporations, which place profit over people, self-interest over justice, and oppression over equality, run our governht, to let these facts be known
They have taken our houses through an illegal foreclosure process, despite not having the original e
They have taken bailouts froive executives exorbitant bonuses
They have perpetuated inequality and discrie, the color of one's skin, sex, gender identity, and sexual orientation
They have poisoned the food supply through negligence and underh monopolization
They have profited off of the torture, confinement, and cruel treatment of countless animals and actively hide these practices
They have continuously sought to strip eotiate for better pay and safer working conditions
They have held students hostage with tens of thousands of dollars of debt on education, which is itself a huht
They have consistently outsourced labor and used that outsourcing as leverage to cut workers' health care and pay
They have influenced the courts to achieve the sahts as people, with none of the culpability or responsibility
They have spent et theards to health insurance
They have sold our privacy as a commodity
They have used the military and police force to prevent freedom of the press
They have deliberately declined to recall faulty products endangering lives in pursuit of profit
They determine economic policy, despite the catastrophic failures their policies have produced and continue to produce
They have donated large su they to keep us dependent on oil
They continue to block generic forms of medicine that could save people's lives or provide relief in order to protect investments that have already turned a substantial profit
They have purposely covered up oil spills, accidents, faulty bookkeeping, and inactive ingredients in pursuit of profit
They purposefully keep people h their control of the media
They have accepted private contracts to murder prisoners even when presented with serious doubts about their guilt
They have perpetuated colonialism at home and abroad
They have participated in the torture and murder of innocent civilians overseas
They continue to create weapons of overnment contracts
To the people of the world, We, the New York City General assee you to assert your power
Exercise your right to peaceably assemble, occupy public space, create a process to address the probleenerate solutions accessible to everyone
To all coroups in the spirit of direct democracy, we offer support, documentation, and all of the resources at our disposal
Join us and rievances are not all-inclusive
This document was accepted by the New York City General assembly on September 29, 2011, with minor updates made on October 1, 2011 It is the first official, collective statement of the protesters in Zuccotti Park
CHAPTER 7
NO LEADERS, NO VIOLENCE:
WHAT DIVERSITY OF TACTICS MEANS FOR OCCUPY WALL STREET
NATHAN SCHNEIDER