Occupy Boise
Posted on June 7, 2019 by Jayden Wheeler
In Peaceful Solidarity with Occupy Wall-street
OccupyBoise seeks to build community among the 99% to address the problems caused by the greed and corruption of the 1%.
Occupy Boise is an egalitarian, non-violent, non-partisan movement in solidarity with Occupy Together and Occupy Wall Street. We are open to everyone. Anyone of any race, gender, age, class, political view or party, religious belief, sexual orientation, or nationality is welcome; the only criteria is the desire to share your voice. Like all occupy movements around the world, we operate on consensus-based decision making at our General Assemblies and in our Working Groups. Our first GA was held September 30th, 2011 and they continue to be held throughout the week.
Take a look at our calendar for General Assemblies, events, and Working Group meetings.
Principles of Solidarity for Occupy Boise
On November 5, 2011, people from Boise, Idaho and the surrounding region came to protest the blatant injustices of our times perpetuated by the economic and political elites. On the 5th of November, we as individuals rose up against political disenfranchisement and social and political injustice. We spoke out, planned, and successfully occupied. Today, we proudly remain in occupations constituting ourselves as autonomous political beings engaged in non-violent civil disobedience and building solidarity based on mutual respect, acceptance, and love. It is from these reclaimed grounds that we say to all Americans and the world, Enough! How many crises does it take? We are the 99% and we moved to reclaim our mortgaged future. Through a direct democratic process, we have come together as individuals and crafted these principles of solidarity, which are points of unity that include but are not limited to:
Engaging in direct and transparent participatory democracy;
Exercising personal and collective responsibility;
Recognizing an individual's inherent privilege and the influence it has on all interactions;
Empowering one another against all forms of oppression;
Redefining how labor is valued;
The sanctity of individual privacy;
The belief that education is a human right; and
Endeavoring to practice and support the wide application of open source
We are daring to imagine a new sociopolitical and economic alternative that offers the greater possibility of equality and justice.
Occupy Boise Good Neighbor Policy for the Encampment
Occupy Boise has zero tolerance for drugs or alcohol anywhere in our encampment
Smoking tobacco is an exception. Smokers, please be mindful and respectfully ask your neighbors before lighting cigarettes.
Occupy Boise has Zero tolerance for violence or verbal abuse towards anyone.
Occupy Boise has zero tolerance for abuse of personal or public property, including the Veteran's Memorial, which we will ensure remains open and accessible to the general public at all times.
Occupy Boise will observe quiet hours in accordance with neighborhood policies.
Occupy Boise encourages all participants to respect health and sanitary regulations, and will direct all participants to respectfully utilize appropriate sanitary facilities.
In the spirit of building an empowered community, individuals are encouraged to uphold accountability to these consented upon principles.
An Interview with the Occupation
Who is your spokesperson?
We have no spokesperson. We make decisions based on consensus, and we make those decisions available on OccupyBoise.org.
Occupy Boise seeks to build community among the 99% to address the problems caused by the greed and corruption of the 1%.
How are you going to achieve your goal?
That's the whole purpose of the general assembly and working groups. The 99% have the power to solve the problems we face—we just need to come together to work out the solutions.
Are you a Democratic or Republican front group?
No. This movement welcomes everyone. We're not a part of any other organization, and we aren't partisan.
How are you different than the Tea Party?
We can't speak for them. If Tea Party supporters want to solve the problems of greed and corruption, then we share some common ground.
What do you say to members of the Tea Party?
They're part of the 99% too. We invite anyone who has questions about us to come to a General Assembly meeting and see what we're all about.