San Fernando Valley Greens Support the “Occupy” Movement

From a small group of dedicated protesters, “Occupy Wall Street” has spread across the country to more than 100 cities, as well as around the world. While protestors have many reasons for being involved, they can be summed up by the Green Ten Key Values. For this reason the San Fernando Valley Greens support, endorse, and are actively involved in the Occupy Movement.

Grassroots Democracy – For years, our rights and freedoms have been limited by government, corporations, and the rich. We support the return of these rights and freedoms to the people, where they belong. We support the Occupy Movement’s enthusiasm for engaging our American electorate in the Democratic Process at the Grassroots Level.
 
Social Justice and Equal Opportunity – The history of the United States is a litany of oppression and injustice by those holding power over all minorities. We support justice and equal rights for all Americans, not just the rich and powerful. We support the Occupy Movement’s process of allowing minorities to be heard and their use of the Consensus Process and General Assemblies in making their decisions, a Green Party practice.
 
Ecological Wisdom – Humans have consistently raped the Earth in our never-ending lust for profit. Nowhere has this been truer than in the United States. We support the idea that we are “part of nature, not separate from nature” and support the development of ecological balance to end this abuse. We support the Occupy Movement’s focus on Ecological Wisdom.
 
Non-Violence – In an extraordinary show of peaceful intent, all of the Occupy protesters have been non-violent, with violent response the purview of government and law enforcement. We support the Occupy Movement's continued focus on non-violent protest against the individuals, groups, and institutions that have curtailed our constitutional rights.
 
Decentralization of Power – The source of the abuse of our rights and freedoms has come from the centralization of power in the hands of a small group, known as the 1% that has used it to buy government officials and legislation and. We support the decentralization of power, giving it back to the 99%, the American people, where it belongs. The SFV Greens support the position that Corporations are not People and that Money does not equal Free Speech.
 
Community-based Economics – As part of the decentralization of power, we support the return to local production and distribution of goods and services wherever possible, returning control over their future to individuals and communities. We support the Occupy Movement’s focus on rejecting Too-Big-To-Fail Corporate services and products and bringing our economy back to the local level.
 
Gender Equality/Feminism – In addition to Social Justice and Equal Opportunity, we specifically support equal rights for all people, regardless of their sex, gender, or sexual orientation. We support all Occupiers who are taking a stand for the Equal Rights Amendment and Marriage Equality for all Americans.
 
Respect for Diversity – Just as diverse groups have been able to join peacefully together in the Occupy movement to express their anger and frustration about a range of abuses by corporate industry, government, and the ultra-rich, we Greens support and respect diversity, and the right of all groups to lobby for redress of grievances and the wrongs committed against them. We embrace the Occupy Movement's celebration of Diversity, an untapped American strength.
 
Accountability & Personal Responsibility – The Occupy Movement has been demanding accountability for the Wall Street criminals responsible for their “casino” mentality and the manufactured mortgage fraud that has wrecked the American and World economy for over three years now, with no arrests or accountability under the law for wrong-doing.  Each of us has the right and the responsibility as citizens to speak out against any perceived wrongs. The Occupy protesters are exercising their constitutional right of Freedom of Assembly. We encourage individuals and groups to accept that responsibility and work to “foster peace, economic justice, and the health of the planet.” We support the Occupy Movement's right to be heard and their demands for Accountability on the local, national and global levels.
 
Future Focus and Sustainability – The issues raised by the Occupy protesters have brought our attention to the wide range of unsustainable practices and abuses by government and corporations, and the urgent need to remedy those wrongs – from providing for “the General Welfare” to securing “the Blessings of Liberty” for all people, to protecting the environment through sustainable policies. The SFV Greens support the Occupy Movement’s success in changing the corporate media’s narrative, and creating a heightened awareness both nationally and globally, that requires a new direction for the peoples of the world, one that strengthens the world’s democracies and creates a healthier planet.
 
Because of our “common cause” with the Occupy movement, the San Fernando Valley Greens fully support and endorse the non-violent efforts of the Occupy Movement, as well as the Right of Assembly and Freedom of Speech of all protesters around the world who have joined them, and their efforts to bring about peaceful change for the benefit of all of us.
 
The SFV Greens urge the Green Party Los Angeles County Council and the Green Party of California to issue public statements of support for the Occupy Wall Street Movement.
 
In Consensus,
 
Edy Alvarez
Jeff Bacon
Kit Crittenden
Eugene Hernandez
Michael McCue
Coby Siegenthaler
 
Representing the Green Party-registered voters of the San Fernando Valley
& the San Fernando Valley Greens.
County: 
Los Angeles