Occupied Communique #2

November 14, 2011

Dear Unity,

Thank you for the generous hospitality and loving support you gave me during my visit last week. Everywhere I went in Maine and Connecticut I was welcomed with open arms, and the people of Unity treated me as family. At the moment I am with other medics preparing for November 17th, our two-month anniversary of occupying Liberty Park. The 17th will be a day of many actions, and all the medics will be active and ready for any situation. I encourage you to help one of the Occupations in Maine with their own plans for that day.

While I was in Maine and Connecticut the New York City General Assembly ( www.nycga.net ) passed another important document: The Statement of Autonomy. This joins the Declaration of the Occupation of New York City and the Principles of Solidarity as the guiding documents of the Occupation Movement. These three documents reveal the identity of the revolution. Discuss them. Debate them. Spread the word. When someone asks "What are these Occupations about? What do they want? Who are they?" -- the answers are within these three documents. Read them. Listen to our voices. Join us and let us hear your voice!

Statement of Autonomy

Passed by the General Assembly at Occupy Wall Street

Occupy Wall Street is a people’s movement. It is party-less, leaderless, by the people and for the people. It is not a business, a political party, an advertising campaign or a brand.  It is not for sale.

We welcome all, who, in good faith, petition for a redress of grievances through non-violence.  We provide a forum for peaceful assembly of individuals to engage in participatory as opposed to partisan debate and democracy.  We welcome dissent.

Any statement or declaration not released through the General Assembly and made public online at www.nycga.net should be considered independent of Occupy Wall Street.

We wish to clarify that Occupy Wall Street is not and never has been affiliated with any established political party, candidate or organization.  Our only affiliation is with the people.

The people who are working together to create this movement are its sole and mutual caretakers.  If you have chosen to devote resources to building this movement, especially your time and labor, then it is yours.

Any organization is welcome to support us with the knowledge that doing so will mean questioning your own institutional frameworks of work and hierarchy and integrating our principles into your modes of action.

SPEAK WITH US, NOT FOR US.

Occupy Wall Street values collective resources, dignity, integrity and autonomy above money.  We have not made endorsements.  All donations are accepted anonymously and are transparently allocated via consensus by the General Assembly or the Operational Spokes Council.

We acknowledge the existence of professional activists who work to make our world a better place.  If you are representing, or being compensated by an independent source while participating in our process, please disclose your affiliation at the outset.  Those seeking to capitalize on this movement or undermine it by appropriating its message or symbols are not a part of Occupy Wall Street.

We stand in solidarity.  We are Occupy Wall Street.



The Declaration of the Occupation of New York can be found at https://www.nycga.net/resources/declaration/
The Principles of Solidarity can be found at https://www.nycga.net/resources/principles-of-solidarity/
The Statement of Autonomy can be found at https://www.nycga.net/resources/statement-of-autonomy/


               



Best Regards,

Ed Mortimer

"Only when the last tree has died
 and the last river been poisoned
   and the last fish been caught
             will we realize
      we cannot eat money."
  
            -Cree Wisdom-