The one thing we all have in common is that We Are The 99% who will no longer tolerate the greed and corruption of the 1%." OSM Code of Ethics
Preamble:
The most important goal of OSM is to spotlight how corporate and personal greed have had a detrimental effect on our society. Examples:
Corporate Personhood
Lack of representation of the people’s will in all levels of government-local, state, and
federal. Student loan burden
Lack of jobs
Healthcare disparities
Financial discrimination
Home foreclosures and farmland takeover
Pollution and harmful products (a form of consumer fraud)
Lack of bank regulation
All levels of our lives are touched by the overwhelming presence of greed; our young adults leave school burdened with thousands in student loans and the slowly evaporating hope of finding a job in their field, health care and insurance plans are designed to benefit the CEO’s rather than the sick or injured, credit scoring and egregious penalties, illegal home foreclosures, marketing of products not fully tested that turn out to be harmful and lack truth in labeling, pollution resulting in increased mortality and disease rates, and total lack of regulation for banks resulting in more policies that take advantage of the 99%. Almost all individuals and families are struggling to simply survive due to the biggest economic disparity in the history of America. The top 1% currently holds 43% of the wealth, and the next 4% holds another 29%. As OSM members we do not seek a handout, but rather a way to strike out nonviolently against those individuals and corporations that would actively support the further growth of this disparity. The American Dream is slowly dying, and we would seek to nourish her back to life because all human beings deserve to thrive through hard work and a system that offers justice for all, not just the few who can afford it. We will strive to replace greed with hard work and compassion, replace violence with compromise, replace net worth with personal worth, and replace silence with calls to action. Purpose for a Code of Ethics
The following four principles that constitute our code of ethics are meant to reflect not only the ethical standards to which we hold ourselves, but those we wish to see expressed more often in the world. By holding ourselves to these standards we show our community that change is not only possible, but is already present. Non‐violence
OSM members strive for nonviolent resolutions to each conflict that arises; internal and external to the group. We recognize that violence does not just present in the form of a fist, but flows from our words, actions and values. We assert our commitment to nonviolence. We choose to remind ourselves, and one another, that violent thoughts, words and deeds are tools used by those undeserving of power, when they cannot justify their position through legitimate means. Justice
We commit ourselves to seek justice at every opportunity. We will accomplish this by demonstrating real democracy through exercise of our First Amendment right to peaceable assembly; and also by shining a light on injustices happening in our community and throughout the world. We will rally our support for those left behind and forgotten by the 1%. Inherent personal worth
We will strive to treat our members, as well as those outside our group with respect. We recognize that voices have been silenced, homes and jobs have been taken, and many people are in dire need of being treated as the equal and worthwhile citizens they are. Further, we will not discriminate against individuals on the basis of difference; these include age, race, religion, national origin, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, OR socio‐economic status. Personal responsibility
We are all responsible for our own words and actions; OSM does not seek to regulate the behavior of any members as this is neither our right, nor our responsibility. We have confidence that every member will remain aware of our code of ethics as we continue our campaign, with our eye on the goal of social and economic justice, in solidarity with one another. These key points highlight our Code of Ethics as Occupy Springfield MO. We are an open group, always willing to listen to your ideas and input. Join us if you wish to learn more, or feel that you have something to contribute to the movement.
“You must be the change you want to see in the world” ~Mahatma Ghandi
