Occupy Pittsburgh Introductory Statement 11/14/2011

The General Assembly on 11/14/2011 adopted the Occupy Pittsburgh statement below.

We, the individuals of Occupy Pittsburgh, have assembled to resist and abolish the political, social, and economic injustices that confront us and our communities.

We recognize that the current system encourages large corporations and the wealthy 1% to wield excessive influence over our political and legal systems, economy and culture.

We recognize that this prevents genuine democracy and deprives us of our liberties, sacrifices our health, safety and well-being, threatens our relationship with the rest of the world, has destroyed and continues to destroy cultures and peoples throughout the world, and critically compromises the ecological systems that sustain life itself.

We are a nonviolent, decentralized movement working to create a just society.

We are claiming a space for public dialogue and the practice of direct democracy for the purpose of generating and implementing solutions accessible to everyone.

To this end, we are exercising our rights to assemble peacefully and to speak freely, thus demonstrating our commitment to the long work of transforming the structures that produce and sustain these injustices.

Also to that end, we are working against all forms of inequality and discrimination including those based on age, ability, diagnosis, size, religion or lack thereof, class, culture, immigration status, nationality, history of incarceration, housing status, race, color, ethnicity, indigenous status, sex, gender identity and sexual orientation.

We stand in solidarity with those who have come before us, in Pittsburgh and elsewhere, who have fought for political, social and economic justice.

We are united, in strength and courage with the Occupations around the world.

We are your next-door neighbors.  We are your friends.  We are your relatives.  We are the 99%.