A few weeks ago, someone leaked me a draft that I published not knowing it was not the "official declaration" from Occupy DC. That's what happens when you're "leaderless" and someone goes rogue with drafts - stuff ends up on the Internets. Now there is an official declaration - "official" meaning voted in by their General Assembly. Occupy DC for some mystifying reason has opted out of 80 or 90 percent consensus in order to pass something and gone straight into 100 percent consensus: Total unanimity of the GA. So one person in the GA has veto power, apparently. Boggles the mind.
Anyway, keep that in mind when you read their Declaration. Last night when it was finally approved by the GA they gleefully sent it to me...this time three people and not just one rogue.
This is a pretty profound passage:
We recognize that inequality and injustice systemically affect every aspect of our society: our communities, homes, and hearts. To build the world we envision, we commit ourselves to overcoming our personal biases so we can successfully challenge systems of oppression in solidarity.
Maybe that's how they function with 100 percent unanimity.
We are assembled because…
It is absurd that the 1 percent has taken 40 percent of the nation’s wealth through exploiting labor, outsourcing jobs, and manipulating the tax code to their benefit through special capital tax rates and loopholes. The system is rigged in their favor, yet they cry foul when anyone even dares to question their relentless class warfare.
Candidates in our electoral system require huge sums of money to be competitive. These contributions from multi-national corporations and wealthy individuals destroy responsive representative governance. A system of backroom deals, kickbacks, bribes, and dirty politics overrides the will of the people. The rotation of decision makers between the public and private sectors cultivates a network of public officials, lobbyists, and executives whose aligned interests do not serve the American people.
The entrenched two-party system overlooks public interests by pursuing narrow political goals. This climate encourages candidates to polarize voters for individual power and personal gain. Citizens’ meaningful input has been compromised by gerrymandering, voter disenfranchisement, and unresponsive politicians. Residents of Washington, D.C., continue to lack autonomy and legislative representation.
The 1 percent benefits from economic, political, and legal structures that oppress communities long targeted by displacement, denial of sovereignty, slavery, and other injustices. These persecuted but resilient communities continue to suffer through generations of disproportionately higher rates of unemployment, poverty, criminalization, and homelessness. Facets of the 1 percent campaign to blame these groups for these problems while obstructing healing and restoration.
Read the entire document here.
