Dear People of Chicago, Chicago Aldermen, Superintendent McCarthy, Mayor Emanuel, Governor Quinn, and President Obama:

We, as faculty members, students and workers at the University of Chicago, are writing to express our support for the Occupy Chicago movement to hold peaceful and democratic assemblies in our public parks.

We endorse this movement’s call to recognize and redress fundamental injustices in this country, including the high and rising inequality of income and wealth, the lack of accountability on the part of the financial institutions that caused the crisis of 2008, the undue political power of wealthy corporations and individuals, and the failure to tax the wealthy at fair rates in order to help protect the jobs and living standards of millions of Americans. We recognize that as members of a privileged institution, we also share a role in confronting these injustices, whose elimination is a prerequisite not only for a just society but also for a well-functioning democracy.

On Saturday October 15, our elected leader used the Millennium Park curfew as a pretext for suppressing the free speech rights of ordinary American citizens. Over 175 people were arrested, including around 30 members of the university community.  As members of the academy we take free and open discourse, along with critical inquiry and examination, to be fundamental to any healthy democratic society. And yet, the actions taken by the City of Chicago sought to achieve precisely the opposite. As such, we write to condemn the actions of the City of Chicago in the strongest possible terms.

We impel our elected officials to respect the free speech rights of participants of the Occupy Chicago movement and we ask that you immediately allow them to hold their events at any place and time of their choosing. We want to remind you that dissent itself can be an important means towards achieving patriotic ends.  We believe that the preservation of first amendment rights take precedence over local statutes and bureaucratic practices.

We also want to point out that other major cities, including Minneapolis and Dallas, have worked with the Occupy movement by finding solutions that accommodate both the rights of the protestors and the responsibility of local government to ensure orderly conduct in public spaces. If the leaders of the City of Chicago want to retain the good repute as America’s “Second City,” we believe it should follow the model set out by these cities rather than the repressive and unconstitutional example of cities such as Boston and Denver. If the elected officials refuse to cooperate, we encourage the participants of Occupy Chicago to take legal action against the city.


Sincerely,

(In the comments field, please indicate how you are affiliated with the University of Chicago, e.g. "Professor of Art History", "Staff Member/Administration", "Undergraduate", "Graduate Student in Philosophy", "Alumnus/Alumna + Year")

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