City leaders sign Mayor Holt’s Declaration Against Political Violence

Published on October 31, 2025

This week, a cohort of 230 Republican, Democratic and Independent mayors across the United States joined Mayor David Holt in signing a declaration(PDF, 134KB) to de-escalate politics and reject violence and dehumanizing rhetoric.

Titled the Oklahoma City Declaration, the agreement, written in September by Mayor Holt, was unveiled at the Oklahoma City National Memorial & Museum as the leadership of the U.S. Conference of Mayors gathered in Oklahoma City for their annual fall meeting.

“This declaration from America’s mayors comes at a pivotal time in our nation’s history,” Oklahoma City Mayor and U.S. Conference of Mayors President David Holt. “If everyone in American political life affirmed their commitment to the principles found in this Declaration, we would see a dramatic shift in this country overnight. Mayors are best positioned to set the example, and with this Declaration, I hope we inspire others in positions of responsibility to consider making similar public commitments.”

In the ten-point declaration, the mayors celebrate America’s democracy as “an outlier in human history” and an “alternative to political violence” that has “unleashed unprecedented freedom, prosperity and innovation upon the entire world.” However, the declaration also acknowledged its fragility, saying it requires three fundamental values: pluralism, compromise, and persuasion through debate. Without a commitment to these qualities, our unique form of government drifts toward dehumanization and, ultimately, violence.

Through the declaration’s tenets, Mayor Holt and his/her fellow signatories condemn violence, defend civility, reject dehumanizing language, refuse to demonize groups, and vow to avoid apocalyptic rhetoric. They promise to defend the truth and celebrate restraint. Together, America’s mayors underscore everyone’s shared humanity, saying “we are humans first, Americans second, and partisans last.”

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