Occupy Philadelphia Looks To The Future

Statement by Occupy Philadelphia December 2, 2011:

"The change we seek cannot be evicted. About two months ago, Philadelphia was one of the first cities to join what is now a global movement for economic equity. We were inspired by occupations around the world, from Tahrir Square to Wall Street, from London to Madison, Wisconsin. For 55 days, Occupy Philly transformed Dilworth Plaza into a vibrant, living community from which we launched protests, direct actions, and experimented with exciting forms of direct democracy. We also captured the imagination of the entire city. On November 30, with an overwhelming demonstration of excessive use of force and incidents of police violence against non-violent occupiers, the city destroyed our tents and physical resources. They retook the physical space, but they misunderstood the source of our strength. What propels this movement forward is the power of our ideas, including the ideas that political and economic structures should serve all of us. The change we seek cannot be evicted. This eviction has now given us double the drive, double the energy, to continue this movement. Our terrain has shifted from one public square to the entire city. Before their bulldozers moved in, we had already begun to move on. In the hours just before our eviction from Dilworth Plaza occupiers defended Florence Mason’s family home from a violent eviction. And we will only continue to expand our networks, and to organize more broadly throughout Philadelphia. The power of our ideas is unstoppable. We are stronger than ever. Occupy Everything!"