The following is our code of values and conduct. It was passed by modified consensus of the General Assembly of Occupy Richmond on December 4, 2010. This code of values applies to individual and collective conduct in official occupy activities, including General Assembly, Occupation, and direct actions.

We are a collective of people of all ages and diverse backgrounds that, in the spirit of non-violence, utilizes the principles of the First Amendment:

·      freedom of assembly
·      freedom of speech
·      freedom of religion
·      freedom of the press
·      freedom to petition our government

We occupy with the intention to petition the government for a redress of our various grievances.

We occupy because we are dedicated to the promotion of mutual and reciprocal empathy toward our shared and inseparable human condition.

We earn our value within the community by the support, protection, and maintenance of it.
We promote a sober space while in occupation because the integrity of our movement is threatened by possession, sale, or use of any substance that may bring our community into conflict with certain laws and ordinances.

We are an all inclusive society welcoming all who are interested in improving and demonstrating empathy toward all people.

We promote an atmosphere of solidarity and empowerment. We welcome a diversity of tactics and ideology, because while we are among the 99%, we realize we all come from different backgrounds and perspectives, and these various positions set the context for our actions. We encourage, more than anything, people to ACT. We cannot speak for everyone, so we encourage everyone to speak!

We are committed to educating and bettering ourselves in order to build a future based in justice where all human beings are treated with dignity and respect, and given equal opportunity for transparent participation in decision making processes.

We believe that every person has the right to fight against social and economic injustice. In order to strengthen our community and our movement, we will not condone the interpersonal and systematic oppression of anyone based on race, nationality, citizenship status, sex, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation or expression, class, economic status, political affiliation, religious expression, physical or mental ability, age, or appearance. We support and protect the rights of individuals to openly and freely express themselves with the understanding that our diversity strengthens us.

We seek to make Occupy Richmond a safe space for everyone.

We support and protect the rights of individuals to make and act upon their own individual decisions and choices with the understanding that these personal decisions should not substantively endanger individuals or our community as a whole.

We are Occupy RVA, and our voice will not be silent.