Discuss
The Occupy Forum exists to provide a space to discuss issues of economic inequality and social justice. The Forum will meet in a comfortable indoor location and discuss one political topic per session. We will learn, share experiences, and talk about how we can effect change in relation to the issue discussed. By participating in Occupy we learned how strangers can come together in convers
ation and alliance in a beautiful and powerful way. We want to continue that process as the basis for continued political action, but we want to separate the conversation from the action so it can reach its full potential. Learn
We come together to deepen our critical understanding of the world. We believe that thinking and political analysis is a precondition of political success. We all have much to learn, from each other, from history, from books and films, from scholars, and from people with deep experience in social justice movements past and present, here and around the world. A deeper understanding of our situation will help us to know what we struggle against. It should help us discover how to make that struggle effective. Commune
We build community through conversation across difference, and through the formation of autonomous affinity groups. We imagine broad coalitions linking smaller, tightly knit groups, based on shared interests and understandings. That may be the best way to weave together what is different and what is shared. The Forum hopes to be a place where people can find others they feel comfortable working with. It is equally important that it is a place where people can express differences–to argue and debate–in an atmosphere of respect. We must acknowledge the differences of experience and of analysis that are part of our movement. We also need to make a place where people can come to bridge differences and discover common goals. Act
We make alliances that serve as the basis for working together in political action to transform our society. We want to encourage action, but we want that action to be thoughtful action, and we want it to be action that is carried out by people with the experience of real affinity. We believe that is the precondition of political success. We would like to see networks of affinity groups developing new tactics and readying themselves for the continuation of the struggle. The development and coordination of autonomous action, however, is a separate concern. By focusing on conversation and community building, we are laying the groundwork for future action.
