Have we adopted a clear policy of nonviolence? If so, where can I find it?
Jackie
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This is an important enough subject, I am moving it here from the email list. Besides the clear policy of nonviolence that Les asks about, we still need to get out a statement about what natgat is and what this community is aligned with. Who will help do that?
my reply and Les's question:
Subject: [NG-2014] Nonviolence (from Les in Sac)
This has been spoken and understood on calls from early on. However, there has been no official statements of any kind. I think folks gave up on it. For whatever reasons, this year's group has been unable to align on the few early submissions, and hasn't generated or found the energy to follow up. Or it got lost in the shuffle, so really glad you asked. We really should issue a statement about what natgat is and the shared values we adhere to.
Anyone up for taking on this task? (as always, collaborative doc, bring to group for final agreement) there's plenty of material and it would help to promote natgat. We could still have a "launch", coordinated media blitz, email to 8-10K Occupy announcements contact list.
Previous years there were Proposals of Endorsement. Early on this year, Brian Heater wrote a Unity statement, which included 15 principles, one of which was Nonviolence.
and there are some great ideas from Gandalf:
this gathering should
promote unity, solidarity and community within Occupy.
illustrate and model the horizontal, inclusive, consensus-driven, love-centered community ethos which Occupy has come to represent. give every equal citizen within Occupy an opportunity to express his or her individual views, so that everyone knows that their thoughts and opinions have been heard and honored.
Finally, we must hope that this national-gathering will serve to build bonds of friendship, trust and cooperation, across the nation of Occupy, and that this gathering will act to bring us together, so that we might discover fresh perspectives and new paradigms which will move Occupy into the future..
https://natgat2014.titanpad.com/20
(at bottom of this doc are some excerpts from and links to previous proposals)
Les Kleinberg 7-4, wrote:
Have we adopted a clear policy of nonviolence. If so, where can I find it?
Jackrabbit Tue 29 Jul 2014 2:22AM
@les The proposal states clearly that it is not making a statement about violence generally but speaking specifically towards how it is defined in the context of the gathering. It seems clear to myself and seven others.
Not sure how you see definitions in conflict since you didn't explain yourself at all. To your second point, I'd restate that it is a statement specifically for the gathering itself and its participants.
Les from Sacramento Tue 29 Jul 2014 2:37AM
@jackrabbit, OK, I think I get it now. The proposal is limited to "NatGat activities and within official Nat Gat event spaces". So it doesn't propose to sanction physical violence by NatGat participants when they are outside of "official Nat Gat event spaces". Am I getting closer?
Jackrabbit Tue 29 Jul 2014 2:45AM
It wouldn't make sense to try. And what would be the point. The subject of violence has been very divisive in the past. It would be useless to open up a debate about it. The statement was just to deal with people's behavior in spaces that are for the Nat Gat and for people representing the Nat Gat in that context. Nothing else.
Tricia Tue 29 Jul 2014 1:53PM
What part of "peaceful assembly" is hard to understand?
Les from Sacramento · Mon 28 Jul 2014 6:24PM
Second, violence is defined as a physical assault on a [any?] person or property, and then defined only with respect to property when it is being used for NatGat purposes. So is bombing a bank prohibited?