Principles

Statement of Values

It is our duty to fight for our freedom. It is our duty to win. We must love each other and protect each other. We have nothing to lose but our chains. —Assata Shakur

We believe that our actions best reflect our purpose when we are rooted in our values. In that spirit, we commit ourselves to these values as we continue to develop and grow as a collective:

  • Lead With Love: We believe that this moment calls for us to express and commit to a radical love for our communities, our families, ourselves and our earth.
  • Transformative Solidarity: We commit to being accomplices for our collective liberation. We are committed to be in solidarity with each other, and in particular, with folks who have been politically targeted and especially vulnerable in this era of Trump: Women, Black, Muslim/Southeast Asian, LGBTQ, People of Color, Workers, Students, People With Disabilities, Seniors, Migrants and their Families.
  • Right to Stay: We believe that in this time of displacement, deportation, and gentrification, that cities in the Bay Area should be sanctuaries where folks are supported, dignified, respected and able to remain.
  • Deep Democracy: We commit to creating deeper participatory politics in our movement and our society.
  • Grassroots Leadership: In the process of advancing new ideas and politics we need to listen to and support the leadership of our members.
  • Frontline Leadership: We respect the power of frontline communities who are directly under attack to lead the resistance to those attacks and welcome allies to join us as partners in struggle.
  • Collective Action: We commit to collective action across communities, sectors, identities and cities across the Bay Area, recognizing we are stronger together.
  • Transformative Justice: We commit to dismantle and divest from systems of oppression, criminalization and militarism, and reinvest in community practices of resilience, self determination and dignity.
  • Strategic Nonviolence and Self Determination: As a network, we will mobilize using strategic nonviolent actions while respecting the value of self determination for communities to protect themselves under attack.
  • Power Across Difference: We commit to building relationships that strengthen our collective power, while valuing the differences across our network of diverse communities, sectors and tactics.
  • Be Bold: While this moment requires us to resist hateful acts and policies and support and protect our communities, we also commit to use this crisis to fight for and strive towards our broadest visions of justice and the world we want to create.