Statement of tactical non-violence for St. Louis. This is adopted from Occupy Pittsburgh:
In solidarity with Occupy Wall Street and other occupations across the country, Occupy St. Louis has adopted the strategy of Tactical Nonviolence.
We are calling this approach Tactical Nonviolence because it limits itself to actual tactics that we will be using, at this time and in this place. It does not demand acceptance of any specific religious, philosophical or political world-view, and though compatible with the ideas of nonresistance and pacifism, it does not ultimately require them; nor is it taken quite so far as those sometimes are. Tactical Nonviolence does not, for instance, rule out all forms of personal self-defense, civil disobedience or direct action, and there is no simple formula covering every possible set of circumstances.
However, Tactical Nonviolence does remain a practical and effective way to empower the disempowered in asymmetrical conflict by concentrating all our efforts toward addressing the real issues, where violence tends to obscure them, and itself becomes the issue.
THEREFORE, to foster unity across the broad spectrum of views held by those here assembled, to promote the safety of every member of this community, and to help reduce the distortion or dilution of our message to those of the 99% who are not yet with us, we agree to the following points, while at or near Occupy St. Louis’s encampment or actions:
• not to initiate physical violence with members of the police, Occupy participants and supporters, or public,
• if attacked by either, to respond in ways that seek to minimize harm to persons, and
• to abstain from provocative destruction of property.
The General Assembly retains the power to clarify or modify this statement as needed.