The Radical Caucus's Declaration of Occupy Portland Draft

A crisis is haunting humanity — the crisis of social inequality. The power elite, from the streets of Tunisia, Cairo, Tripoli, Athens, London, New York and elsewhere across the globe to the streets of Portland, have entered into an unholy alliance to defend this crisis. Where has this elite, through the consolidation of wealth and political power into the hands of the few, not actively sought to maintain and expand its control? Where has this elite, through the application of violence or the threat of violence, not engaged in the repression of voices seeking to undermine their control of wealth and power?

 Two truths are thus evident:

 I. People around the globe stand in common opposition to a culture of austerity for the masses with impunity for the rich. Their wish to defend our rights against domination by corporations and the super-rich over political and economic life has been acknowledged by the power elite of all nations as a threat to its continued power.

II. The time has come for students and working people as well as all people materially disenfranchised by existing systemic social oppression to openly, in Portland and all over the world, put forward their views, aims, and tendencies in order to find the points of unity in our common struggle for freedom from global corporate hegemony.

 To this end, Occupy Portland puts forward the following declaration:

 We, Occupy Portland, condemn the unwarranted and continual acquisition and consolidation of political and economic power in the hands of the few. Further, we seek reparative action against this elite few to benefit the many upon whom great material deprivation has been inflicted. We stand against the manipulation of society's institutions of governance for the benefit of the few and seek to establish new practices, where necessary, to ensure that these institutions operate with a focus on the public interest. We additionally seek to defend against the devastation of our planet and its people resulting from the misapplication of human wealth and power. We seek a future in which we may live sustainably in a robust and harmonious society.

 Statement of Autonomy:

 Occupy Portland 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, seek political and social change 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.

 We wish to clarify that Occupy Portland is not, never has been and never will be affiliated with any 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 Portland values collective resources, dignity, integrity and autonomy above money. We do not make endorsements.

 The Aims of Occupy Portland:

 Since some months before the start of the Occupy Movement in North America as spearheaded by Occupy Wall Street in New York, the following question was posed:

 What is our one demand?

 Our response to this must be clear: Equality, predicated upon a foundation of universal liberty in solidarity with all humankind. Toward that end, we seek to work toward the following aims:

 1. We aim to promote the public interest instead of the narrow interests of profit through the elimination of corporate personhood and the establishment of universal access to education, health care, water, food, housing and information.

 2. We aim to promote social equality by abolishing the artificial scarcity caused by the profit-driven privatization of the commons.

 3. We aim to promote a fair, stable, and equitable system of finance by ending the monopoly of credit in the hands of the banks, abolishing interest and forgiving all debts accumulated through illegitimate means.

 4. We aim to defend our natural habitat through the abolition of practices which are detrimental to a sustainable future and the establishment of practices, both new and old, to reconcile human activities with our environment.

 5. We seek to end perpetual war for profit by putting an end to the national security state, scaling back the military-industrial and prison-industrial complexes, and establishing practices of local, regional and global discourse that are conducive to human rights, human dignity and social integrity.