UNITED FOR PEACE OF PIERCE COUNTY

"We nonviolently oppose the reliance on unilateral military actions rather than cooperative diplomacy."

ON THE OCCUPY WALL STREET MOVEMENT

October 6, 2011

On Thursday evening, September 29, 2011, an important document was released. It received almost no attention in the media. Yet it has the potential to be historic.  The "Declaration of the Occupation of New York City" is the first official declaration of the growing Occupy Wall Street movement.

We hope that Occupy Wall Street is the beginning of the genuinely populist movement that for decades has been needed to reverse the trend toward ever-increasing inequalities of wealth, income, and power in the United States.  We are inspired by what we've seen and heard about Occupy Wall Street.  We look forward to the movement spreading to many other cities:  this is happening now.  Many of our members are already active in the Occupy Tacoma movement.

The "Declaration of the Occupation of New York City" invokes "a feeling of mass injustice."  This is our feeling, too.  Our work in the antiwar movement leads us to agree with Occupy Wall Street’s identification of corporate domination of government as the fundamental problem of our time.  We would love for "the people of the world" to heed the call to "assert [their] power" and exercise the right "to peaceably assemble, occupy public space, create a process to address the problems we face, and generate solutions accessible to everyone."

The September 29 declaration states that corporations have "used the military and police force to prevent freedom of the press," have "accepted private contracts to murder prisoners even when presented with serious doubts about their guilt," have "perpetuated colonialism at home and abroad," have "participated in the torture and murder of innocent civilians overseas," and "continue to create weapons of mass destruction in order to receive government contracts."

Corporations have also massively profited, and continue to profit, from wars in Iraq, Afghanistan, and elsewhere.  Work is underway in New York City’s Zuccotti Park on further statements, and the September 29 declaration notes that "These grievances are not all-inclusive."  We look forward to future statements that acknowledge the unhealthy effects of the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq on American society.

UNITED FOR PEACE OF PIERCE COUNTY

"We nonviolently oppose the reliance on unilateral military actions rather than cooperative diplomacy."