Amid arson, abandonment and economic crisis in NYC in 1977, GOLES was born. It began with a simple idea: that tenants could organize to exercise their legal rights, defend their homes and their neighborhood. It was also an expansive idea: that people together could organize building to block; block to neighborhood; neighborhood to city. GOLES’ name reflects its hope, stretching beyond the struggle for legal rights and personal security to a struggle for collective security, for the gamut of people and cultures, spaces and institutions that historically made the Lower East Side one of the most unique, politically energetic neighborhoods in the world.

Remembering the movers and shakers and the dreamers who went before us, we value in living color, with justice and possibilities for all people in our streets, this country, and the world.

• We see oppression every day, and we want to shift the balance of power toward the people of the Lower East Side.
• We believe in collective action, and we believe in social consciousness.
• We believe that these are our streets and it will take our hands and feet to make the future we want.
• We believe in thinking critically about the systems that keep us down, and in organizing to bring us up, working in alliance with others who share our beliefs.
• We believe we each have a role in bringing our community together and building our organization.
• We believe that the market doesn’t have all (or even most) of the answers.
• We honor the gritty, rebellious, multiracial, immigrant history of the LES, and believe that a lively knowledge of the past helps us deal with the present and envision the future.
• We believe we all need to discuss the issues that affect our lives, educate ourselves about the solutions and respect others even when we disagree.
• We believe in developing grassroots leaders from the community and actively supporting them.
• We believe in all being responsible for our commitments.
• We value the historical memory of our elders and the idealism of our youth, and we believe in unity across generations in making decisions about the direction of our community.
• We believe in creating the space for youth to take leadership.
• We believe that sustaining our organization is all of our responsibility: Put your money where your mouth is.
• We believe that liberty is central to the identity of the LES, and that freedom for artistic, linguistic, sexual, spiritual, cultural and political expression is our birthright.
• We believe that housing, education, healthcare, a livelihood, are human rights; that workers rights, and immigration rights are also fundamental to self-determination.

We seek justice, and we seek equality.