Occupy Wall Street is an ongoing demonstration in New York City to protest economic and social injustices. Participants have moved into a park in lower Manhattan near Wall Street and have marched through the city; on October 1, 700 protesters were arrested on the Brooklyn Bridge. The protests have spread to other cities, including Washington, D.C., San Francisco, Los Angeles, Boston, Chicago, Miami, Denver, and many smaller communities. On October 1, the NYC General Assembly issued a "Declaration of the Occupation of New York City," stating:

"As we gather together in solidarity to express a feeling of mass injustice, we must not lose sight of what brought us together. We write so that all people who feel wronged by the corporate forces of the world can know that we are your allies.

"As one people, united, we acknowledge the reality: that the future of the human race requires the cooperation of its members; that our system must protect our rights, and upon corruption of that system, it is up to the individuals to protect their own rights, and those of their neighbors; that a democratic government derives its just power from the people, but corporations do not seek consent to extract wealth from the people and the Earth; and that no true democracy is attainable when the process is determined by economic power. We come to you at a time when corporations, which place profit over people, self-interest over justice, and oppression over equality, run our governments. We have peaceably assembled here, as is our right, to let these facts be known."

"We, the New York City General Assembly occupying Wall Street in Liberty Square, urge you to assert your power. Exercise your right to peaceably assemble; occupy public space; create a process to address the problems we face, and generate solutions accessible to everyone. To all communities that take action and form groups in the spirit of direct democracy, we offer support, documentation, and all of the resources at our disposal. Join us and make your voices heard!"

The following litany uses statements from that declaration. And so we pray this news:

A Litany for Economic and Social Justice
by Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat
with quotes from the Declaration of the Occupation of New York City by the NYC General Assembly

Lord of Justice, The Hearer of the Cries of the Oppressed, this is what we are experiencing:

"They have taken our houses through an illegal foreclosure process, despite not having the original mortgage."
Lord, have mercy. Let justice reign for all peoples.

"They have taken bailouts from taxpayers with impunity, and continue to give Executives exorbitant bonuses."
Lord, have mercy. Let justice reign for all peoples.

"They have perpetuated inequality and discrimination in the workplace based on age, the color of one's skin, sex, gender identity and sexual orientation."
Lord, have mercy. Let justice reign for all peoples.

"They have poisoned the food supply through negligence, and undermined the farming system through monopolization."
Lord, have mercy. Let justice reign for all peoples.

"They have profited off of the torture, confinement, and cruel treatment of countless animals, and actively hide these practices."
Lord, have mercy. Let justice reign for all peoples.

"They have continuously sought to strip employees of the right to negotiate for better pay and safer working conditions."
Lord, have mercy. Let justice reign for all peoples.

"They have held students hostage with tens of thousands of dollars of debt on education, which is itself a human right."
Lord, have mercy. Let justice reign for all peoples.

"They have consistently outsourced labor and used that outsourcing as leverage to cut workers' healthcare and pay."
Lord, have mercy. Let justice reign for all peoples.

"They have influenced the courts to achieve the same rights as people, with none of the culpability or responsibility."
Lord, have mercy. Let justice reign for all peoples.

"They have spent millions of dollars on legal teams that look for ways to get them out of contracts in regards to health insurance."
Lord, have mercy. Let justice reign for all peoples.

"They have sold our privacy as a commodity."
Lord, have mercy. Let justice reign for all peoples.

"They have used the military and police force to prevent freedom of the press."
Lord, have mercy. Let justice reign for all peoples.

They have deliberately declined to recall faulty products endangering lives in pursuit of profit."
Lord, have mercy. Let justice reign for all peoples.

"They determine economic policy, despite the catastrophic failures their policies have produced and continue to produce."
Lord, have mercy. Let justice reign for all peoples.

"They have donated large sums of money to politicians, who are responsible for regulating them. They continue to block alternate forms of energy to keep us dependent on oil."
Lord, have mercy. Let justice reign for all peoples.

"They continue to block generic forms of medicine that could save people's lives or provide relief in order to protect investments that have already turned a substantial profit."
Lord, have mercy. Let justice reign for all peoples.

"They have purposely covered up oil spills, accidents, faulty bookkeeping, and inactive ingredients in pursuit of profit."
Lord, have mercy. Let justice reign for all peoples.

"They purposefully keep people misinformed and fearful through their control of the media."
Lord, have mercy. Let justice reign for all peoples.

"They have accepted private contracts to murder prisoners even when presented with serious doubts about their guilt."
Lord, have mercy. Let justice reign for all peoples.

"They have perpetuated colonialism at home and abroad. They have participated in the torture and murder of innocent civilians overseas."
Lord, have mercy. Let justice reign for all peoples.

"They continue to create weapons of mass destruction in order to receive government contracts."
Lord, have mercy. Let justice reign for all peoples.

Amen


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