Co-editors of this website: Mike Zonta and John Fraser
Mission statement: Peacefully protesting politico-economic corruption since September 17, 2011.
Contact: Email admin@occupysf.net for questions about or contributions to this website.
THE OCCUPY MOVEMENT
The Occupy movement does not aspire to short term solutions or a demand related to specific economic, political, and social problems but seeks to influence a substantial re-imagining and empowerment of our collective lives together. Occupy seeks to build a humane society that is fair, just, and caring. By fostering an economy that builds what we need and reduces economic inequality. To that end Occupy aspires to:
Promote Economic Justice
Transform the economic system to one of equal opportunity and fairness for all.
Regulate the Financial sector of our economy to prevent excessively risky behavior that can damage our society.
Prevent extreme concentrations of wealth and power which corrupt our representative system of government.
Transform the Political System
Improve our democratic institutions by encouraging individuals to act together to strengthen the voice of the people.
Build alliances and create effective public initiatives that bear directly on the functioning of a healthy and vigorous democracy.
Curtail the influence of money in politics through such measures as repealing Citizens United and banning anonymous PAC contributions.
Democratize and improve the efficiency of governmental processes. Ensure a democratic electoral system and ensure that institutions of government are transparent and responsive to the people.
Eliminate the undue influence of corporations over electoral campaigns, elections, and policy-making.
Reduce the undue influence of political parties, media corporations, unions and industry associations over electoral campaigns, elections, and policy-making.
Guarantee fair and open elections by easing and standardizing registration processes, and through measures that will ensure each vote is counted fairly. A democracy in which no one’s voice is muted by inadequate access to education, accurate information, or financial influence.
Develop a standard for political discourse and action that enables citizens to educate themselves and work together to examine issues from the broadest perspective so that informed, reasoned wise decisions can be made regarding our future.
Establish physical and virtual infrastructure that will empower neighborhoods and grassroots communities to collaborate and implement solutions to local, state, and national problems.
Restore the Commons
The Commons – our public spaces, our communities, our resources, and environment we share together – have been diminished by corporate and individual privatization. We must take them back, restore them, and pass them on to future generations as our heritage and posterity.
–Occupy San Francisco Visioning Working Group
OCCUPY SAN FRANCISCO HISTORY
On Constitution Day, September 17, 2011, people from San Francisco and abroad answered a call to occupy San Francisco’s Financial District in solidarity with Occupy Wall Street. This is a nonviolent protest. We do not encourage violence in any way. The abuse and corruption of corporations, banks, and government ends here.
“Occupy” is a civil disobedience tactic that draws attention to socio-economic problems and opens public space for community discourse for solutions by asserting our First Amendment Rights. It represents the so-called 99%, a nexus of ideas dedicated to solving our common problems and occupation is our means to disseminate those ideas.
“Reform to prevent revolt.” There are many goals, but a good place to start would be eliminating the capital domination of politics and corporate control of everything. Our “leader” is the idea that direct actions consented upon through direct democracy will transform communities into whatever vision they decide for themselves.
Our “leaders” are heroes from the past, the people of the present and the children of the future. Do what you do, the best you can do it, in the service of something greater than your self-interest. Honor the humanity, not just the deeds, of others.
–Robert Benson, Occupy San Francisco
Relevant Quotes:
“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has.”
–Margaret Mead
“First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win.”
–Mahatma Gandhi
