Vision Statement for Occupy RVA

Occupy Richmond considers itself a part of a growing Economic and Human Rights Movement that recognizes and affirms the essential dignity and inherent value of all human beings and life. We seek to create a safe space for free speech and civil dialog because we believe our society and the earth are in crisis, and we recognize the need for imminent change. In solidarity with the Occupy Wall Street and Occupy Together movements, we call to:

• Respect and uphold the people’s First Amendment rights to exercise free speech and peaceable assembly to the fullest extent possible; and
• Remove all corporate money from our political process.

We will achieve our goals by:

• Executing our First Amendment Rights to “petition the Government for the redress of grievances” without time or place constraints,  for “Congress shall make no law… abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press, or the right of the people peaceably to assemble;”
• Linking with our local and global community for mutual education and cooperation to overcome the injustices we protest;
• Being the change we wish to see, and living a vision for a better world.

We embrace a diversity of tactics, but operate under an umbrella of nonviolence.

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This vision is dynamic and evolving.  It can be amended in General Assembly at any time (currently through a modified consensus of 90%).  

Approved by 90% consensus at the General Assembly on 11/20/2011