OccupyDallas public letter to city officials
Dallas, TX, Date — OccupyDallas has published a public letter to the city officials of Dallas concerning their occupation of the Pioneer Plaza park. This is the text of the letter, in it's entirety:
To: Mayor Mike Rawlings, Mayor Pro Tem Pauline Medrano, Deputy Mayer Pro Tem Tenell Atkins, Councilwoman Delia Jasso, Councilman Scott Griggs, Councilman Dwaine Caraway, Councilwoman Vonciel Jones Hill, Councilwoman Monica Alonzo, Councilwoman Carolyn Davis, Councilman Sheffie Kadane, Councilman Jerry Allen, Councilwoman Linda Koop, Councilwoman Sandy Greyson, Councilwoman Ann Margolin, Councilwoman Angela Hunt, City Manager Mary Suhm, Chief David Brown, Chief Louie Bright
Occupy Dallas is the local presence of a national movement that is growing like wildfire. Within a matter of weeks, over 840 cities worldwide have joined the Occupy Movement, with literally millions of people joining in the protest. Our movement is leaderless and diverse. At virtually any Occupy headquarters you will find teenagers holding signs alongside their parents, retired elderly couples, veterans of virtually every war, off-duty law enforcement, homeless citizens, doctors, corporate executives, local business owners, teachers bringing their students, and citizens of virtually every age, minority, socioeconomic background, and political party. Our movement purposefully and proudly goes beyond dividing lines, with the intent of bringing ALL Americans together to start a discourse with each other and call attention to the injustices that have been allowed to corrupt our society for too long.
Why are we protesting? Our grievances are as numerous and diverse as our supporters. From rising costs in health care to overwhelming student debt to the gross mishandling of the mortgage crisis to the rapidly-growing national debt to the protection of criminals with certain political and corporate ties, the vast majority of Americans are fed up with "the system" and how it favors the "1%" of power holders who have unfair and undeserved influence in the political process. One thing we have all agreed on is that corporate interests have grown too strong and too influential in the political process, with many politicians' votes being bought and sold to the highest bidder. Many Americans believe that their votes are insignificant in the shadow of the millions of dollars being passed under the tables within the federal government, and we're sick of it. We believe that it should be the people of America, and not the corporations, who should drive policies and legislation.
We originally began our protest outside of the JFK Memorial, where we worked with law enforcement to secure a permit. After receiving further input from police, they suggested we move our base to Pioneer Park, which is where we have been for the past several days. We send daily marches throughout downtown, always with police escorts and making sure to obey all traffic laws, as well as maintaining a constant presence in front of our headquarters at Young and Griffin. We have established a set of guidelines for our participants to make sure that we create a positive atmosphere for everyone involved, including the following:
-We have a strict recycling and no-littering policy
-more-
OccupyDallas public letter to city officials (page 2)
-We check in regularly with police to keep them aware of our activities and solicit their suggestions and advice
-We are respecting local traffic and noise laws
-We are attempting to secure whatever permits are necessary for our locations
-We have opened a family-friendly "Occuplay Dallas" center with childcare to encourage parents to bring their children and get them involved in the political process
-We have set up medical tents staffed with trained personnel to provide First Aid should that become necessary
-We are supporting local businesses and tourism and have seen a steady and drastic increase in visitors and activity in the area
Because we are a movement of the people, for the people, and by the people, the people are at the heart of Occupy Dallas. We have daily General Assemblies, where all participants are encouraged to express their opinions, concerns, and suggestions. We strongly believe in the democratic process, and the greater good drives everything we do and everything we believe in.
As one of the largest cities in the nation (and, in our humble opinions, the greatest city in the nation), eyes across the country and the globe have been watching Occupy Dallas. Occupy movements around the nation have expressed their appreciation and respect for Dallas Police Department, who have thus far worked with us in mutual cooperation. Reporters from every local news outlet and several national news outlets have either visited our headquarters or published stories, photos, and eyewitness accounts of Occupy Dallas. Dallas is being hailed as one of the most successful Occupy locations, and we are hopeful that, with your support, this will continue.
We humbly ask that you come down and visit our headquarters to see our movement for yourself. Come take a walk throughout our campsites and talk with the citizens of Dallas to see for yourself what Occupy Dallas is about. Visit our Food Tent, filled to the brim with donations from local supporters and local businesses. Come play with the children at the Occuplay tent. Visit the Medic Tent and speak with the doctors and nurses who have volunteered their time. Visit the media tent and speak with the writers, bloggers, and journalists who are covering our cause. Attend a General Assembly and see direct democracy in action. Most importantly, come shake hands with our marchers and protesters, and find out for yourself what it is that we stand for.
Many other cities have gotten their city mayors and councilmen involved as active supporters (most recently the Los Angeles City Council passed a resolution supporting the Occupy LA movement), and we would very much like for Dallas to be added to that list. We have thousands of supporters in the city of Dallas and the surrounding areas, and our movement is quickly growing every day. We hope that you, as representatives of the people of Dallas, will stand with us and support our constitutional right to peacefully assemble and protest.
For more information, contact Michael Prestonise at 214-293-0548 or news@occupydallas.org. More information, can also be found at www.occupydallas.org.
The OccupyDallas movement began Thursday, Oct 6 with a march from Pike Park to the Federal Reserve building. Over 1,000 people gathered to protest corporate greed and money influencing the government. The movement currently has more than 150 members occupying Pioneer Plaza in downtown, with hundreds more joining in daily for marches to various corporations and banks throughout the city. The movement stands in solidarity with similar Occupy movements happening across the nation and the world, including the original Occupy Wall Street protest that featured tens of thousands of marchers and continues to grow
"together we can ensure that these banking institutions will ALWAYS remember the 5th of November!! If the 99% removes our funds from the major banking institutions on or by this date, we will send a clear message and give the 1% a taste of the fear that we experience every day when we aren't able to pay for our rent, food, medication, utilities, student loans, etc
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