by Carl W.

In the Year of Our Lord 2026, the vibes are extremely fucked. They are disgusting.

Oh say can you see, from the rancid green Reflecting Pool, to the open construction pit of the Crypto Bribe Ballroom in the ruins of the White House, next to the Monster Energy Drink sponsored UFC octagon where CTE-addled transphobes bludgeon each other into oblivion; we come to the last sad vestige of this pathetic, limping “celebration” of the empire: the Freedom 250 Great America State Fair.

It’s kinda perfect, isn’t it? It’s like they built a physical metaphor or something.

There are more people in our General Meetings than at this Fair. The cheap plaster hides an empty, hollow affair celebrated by no one; the simulacrum of dignity and power. Just like Trump’s fake golden Oval Office, bought at Home Depot and spray-painted. A fake on a fake, it’s fugazis all the way down.

This entire affair reeks of desperation, of AI-generated fantasy crashing into the reality of the moment. The banks are out of money, the oil well are running dry, and the people of this country are finally seeing the empire for what it is: a casino run by pedophiles ripping the copper out of the walls, meanwhile half a million don’t know where they’ll sleep tonight. The decrepit rapist president makes over a billion dollars in Pisscoins while people pay $5 a gallon and go bankrupt from toenail infections.

Nationally, the decaying facade has gone stupid, a pathetic display of cheap white masculinity, the imperial combover hiding the growing bald spot. Wait until the Cybertruck with the Joker car wrap shows up. The rants from the front seat about woke Star Wars will be epic.

We made it, chat. 250 years of pretending this isn’t some failed experiment: a dead strip mall with crypto billboards built atop a mass grave. The liberal impulse is that Trump is some uniquely destructive force, and everything before that was great, hunky-dory, and the Bad Orange Man ruined everything! A DANG CHEETO ruined it! The centrists and liberals of American think he’s some kind of video game boss, and if we can just beat him, all the fascists NPCs will despawn. 

Nothing could be further from the truth. This implosion was always built into the making, a straight line from theft, rape, and murder to international laughingstock. It was rotten from the start; the thieves arriving on these shores eager to grab everything they could, slap down a clapboard world, and kidnap people from the across the ocean to do all the work. Then a constant string of war, coups, economic sabotage, and mass exploitation of the entire world. Every right that the working class has gained has cost lives, we’ve had to retcon rights for women and people of color in every generation into a framework that was intentionally designed to exclude them. Every battle for worker rights has been costly, its victories temporary, and the results stolen by the liberal political class as trophies. 

And now, the forces of AI want to take the final ounce of power we have left: our labor and our literacy. They want drones, a calcified underclass of powerless, illiterate consumers living in tents at the edge of their gated communities.

There is a certain romanticism to the story of American progress, however, some fantasy of the ideal America of freedom, truth, and justice that belies an uncomfortable truth: any rights granted by this rotten structure can be taken away just as easily.

Another uncomfortable truth lays unspoken, that the foundations of this building are rotten, an open construction pit paid for with bribes, the Reflecting Pool liner is being stripped away, meanwhile the front lawn is a Monster Energy drink ad.

Yet the liberal fantasy of democratic renewal is not coming, there is no Obama 2.0 waiting in the wings to be the dumpster of our hopes and dreams. For all of MAGA’s revanchist frothing, the cosmopolitan capitalism of American liberalism is equally as farcical. Competent imperial management is not the answer. Some techno-utopian vision of “capitalism with guardrails” is concept art, nothing more.

You can’t build a lasting stable society of democratic values while the entire economic under-girding is about ripping as many people off as possible and hoarding gold like Scrooge McDuck. You can’t have a permanent underclass of invisible, exploited workers and precarious castoffs and then expect them to turn around and sing God Bless America.

The death rictus grin of denial is slipping, the spell of the empire is fading. The contradictions are intensifying to a shrill degree, the capitalist veneer peeling off in chunks, just like the bottom of the rotting Reflecting Pool. And the people in charge are just dumping single bottles of bleach into it. There’s something so perfectly emblematic of the Reflecting Pool debacle, something that illustrates a greater crisis. Demand a fix to something that wasn’t broken, go for cheap, hollow spectacle, overpay a corrupt ally to do a shitty job, and when it goes terribly, pay another crony to an equally bad job as twice the price.

A core function of the American bureaucracy is to transfer as much public money into private pockets as humanly possible. That is the purpose of all wars, all projects, and all technology: to take as much as quickly as it can.

America as a political institution is becoming more and more a society of empty gestures, failed promises and half-assed attempts to do a landlord special and paint the veneer of strength and respectability when $36 billion of war money floats at the bottom of the Strait of Hormuz. There goes your school, your healthcare, your housing, your roads, your future. The National Anthem is now a rusty toilet flushing sound.

This spectacle is also exhausting and boring. No one’s buying this shit anymore. And for many, especially black and brown folks, the decay of the empire never bothered them because the empire wasn’t meant for them anyway. 

Do you think those who bled and died for their rights and freedoms would feel celebrated by the Fourth of July Monster-themed energy drink? Which rumpled, overpriced football jersey speaks to the soul of America? What Freedom Truck best represents the spirit of… whatever?

But a sinking ship drags everyone down, even those in third class. And we’re all drowning just the same. Yet still, the discontent remains. The feeling continues, doesn’t it?

Hello, it’s us, your friendly neighborhood socialists. We’ve got some good news: it doesn’t have to be this way. We’ve got answers to your questions, and even answers to question you may not have thought to ask.

The answer is not “better capitalism”, because there is no such thing. A varying shade of shit is still, well, shit. A New Deal 2.0 would be nice, but capable of the same dismantling that the current New Deal has undergone. It’s not enough. We should fight for those benefit and then keep going. Everything good about America is because of the working class, its greatest force for change and its greatest victim of the empire’s abuses. 3% tax credits and Trump Bad platitudes are over.

A tectonic shift is necessary. A reckoning with the sins of this country’s past and present.

The accelerating extremism of American fascism, now automated in technology with AI slop and outrage farms, powered by the full faith and power of the American police state, would laser target a tepid reformist agenda just like it has wiped away decades of legal precedent, benefits, and rights most people thought were settled.

This Fourth of July, everything must go. We’re holding a fire sale on the White House lawn, next to the demolition zone, passed-out podcasters and the discarded vape cartridges. DSA is the most promising vehicle for socialism that we’ve seen in our lifetimes; the best, most vibrant chance for a real future to believe in.

Socialism isn’t the answer because it’s just any alternative, it’s the answer because of what it does. A working class movement understand the truth: that your power comes from your labor, your body, yourself and melds it together with countless others who share the same truth. Capitalism rips us apart, makes us tiny little specks, powerless in front of the machine. Socialism binds us together in that amazing human family of an entire class of people.

It’s not just about universal healthcare and winning elections, it’s about demanding tomorrow and the possibility that it holds.

DSA is now over 116,000 members, growing every day with every victory, making it officially the largest socialist organization in American history. Now that’s something worth celebrating.

We’re workers just like you, tired of the mess we’ve been handed, tired of the failed promises and clownish spectacle, so fucking goddamn tired of the static and bullshit being pumped into our brains. We’re tired of being powerless. And we know you are too. So join up. The future is out there waiting.

So Happy 250th Birthday America, we got you a little something: class consciousness. Hope you like it.

The post Happy Birthday, America? appeared first on Democratic Socialists of America.

Remarks from Mayor Zohran Mamdani on the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence emphasize the U.S. as a site of diversity and radical reinvention.

The post “Here, Nothing Is Fixed Into Place” appeared first on Democratic Left.

I am writing to Chicago DSA members about a disappointing failure of democracy in the elections for at-large Executive Committee members for 2026–27. In a measure brought to it by the Internal Election Committee, the current EC has disqualified my candidacy to be one of the five at-large EC members for the next term. I was given the option of resigning as the incoming Political Education Coordinator, a position I won in a chapter-wide election several weeks ago, in order to be permitted to run for an at-large position. I have no intention of resigning from a position that I look forward to filling for the next year.

I was disqualified from running for an at-large EC member position under Article IX Section 3 of the chapter bylaws. The article covers elections to the EC, and Section 3 covers the process for electing “Chapter Officer EC Members” and “at-large candidates.” It bars chapter officers from holding two seats on the EC (as an officer EC member and an at-large EC member). But as Political Education Coordinator, I am *not* a “Chapter Officer EC Member.” Under the newly amended bylaws, the Political Education Coordinator and several other positions elected chapter-wide are no longer EC members.

This is the very reason I decided to run for one of five at-large EC seats. As I wrote in my candidate statement for at-large EC member: “I don’t see how our committee can accomplish its goals for integrating political education in all parts of the chapter without full participation in the body that coordinates chapter work. In addition to the general contribution I would hope to make on the EC, I want to represent this important aspect of the chapter’s work in the same way that other areas, like membership engagement, labor, and now electoral work, are represented.” (The rest of my statement can be read here.)

I was not informed that my candidacy was in question until an hour before the EC began voting. No one from the IEC or EC who questioned my candidacy contacted me to discuss this, before or since. I was allowed to make an email statement to the EC after voting had already begun, but nothing more.

Had I been allowed to speak to this question, I would have asked what comrades think the purpose of Article IX Section 3 is. From what I’ve heard secondhand (again, no one who objected to my candidacy has contacted me about this question), the argument is that the Political Education Coordinator is listed in the article (A-V.S8) about local officers, and therefore I am barred from holding an at-large position. But Article IX is about elections to the Executive Committee, and the specific section being cited begins with a sentence defining the election method for “Chapter Officer EC Members.” The Political Education, Communications, and Campaigns Coordinators are local officers but *not* EC members. 

At the very least, there are conflicting interpretations here. In which case, we should consider if there is a good political reason for the interpretation of the bylaws that applies the A-IX.S3 restriction to the Political Education Coordinator position. I understand the need to bar Chapter Officer EC Members from also holding an at-large seat. But I will not be an EC member by virtue of being Political Education Coordinator, so I would not be holding multiple EC seats if elected. The Membership Engagement Coordinator and now the Electoral and Labor Coordinators will be Chapter Officer EC members while also having responsibilities in a committee, working group, or branch, so that can’t be it. I think one other at-large member candidate is a leading officer of the chapter’s Electoral Working Group; does that merit disqualification? If I were to win an at-large seat, I would not be adding to the size of the EC and affecting the “efficiency” of the body. 

I have not heard and cannot conceive of a single reason of substance for *why* the bylaws should be interpreted this way. What aspect of democracy would be violated?

As things stand after the current EC vote on my candidacy, any member of Chicago DSA who has been a member for four months is qualified to run for an at-large EC member seat and to hold that seat if elected — except for two other comrades and I who went through a chapter-wide election for non-EC-member local officer positions. This is undemocratic, creating a special membership status for three non-EC-member officers who are excluded from running for election to hold a seat and have a voice on the chapter’s highest decision-making body in between GCMs.

During the convention debate on amending the bylaws, I and other comrades warned that the unamended base amendment could lead to a lack of input from important parts of the chapter and reduced debate and discussion. If I am disqualified from running for at-large EC member, I think this would be a failing of democracy in the chapter and a poor start for the new structure established under the bylaws amendment.

As I also wrote in the candidate statement for the at-large EC position from which I’ve been disqualified, I bring a lot of experience in the socialist movement, especially in finding common ground among socialists despite political differences. I believe my record in Chicago DSA bears that out, including my relationships with comrades who have disagreed with me on many issues. Beyond representing the area of work I will be coordinating, I think I could contribute positively to the EC based on my experience and record. 

The EC can still reconsider its decision; the at-large elections don’t begin for a week and a half at this writing. I urge all comrades who agree with the points I’ve made to contact EC members and call on them to change their undemocratic decision. 

The post A Failure of Democracy in the At-Large Elections appeared first on Midwest Socialist.

I remember watching the 2014 FIFA World Cup final between Germany and Argentina, hanging off the edge of my couch, watching a grueling, almost 120-minute match between the two teams. Finally, around the 113th minute, Mario Götze scored Germany’s goal: I jumped up, screaming and cheering. I knew I had just witnessed a historic match, with this having been Germany’s first World Cup win since reunification.

Growing up in the Midwest, I played soccer for most of my childhood through high school. I played striker on the left and right wings, as well as attacking midfielder at times. Soccer has been ingrained in my life, as a player and spectator, whether on TV or in person, like the Bayern Munich v. AC Milan match at Soldier Field in 2016 and the 2018 Tournament of Nations in Bridgeview, Illinois.

So why does this World Cup feel different? With the global rise of fascism that has taken place since 2016, the morale for the U.S. men’s national team (USMNT) for U.S. fans has been mixed. And with the reelection of Donald Trump and the men’s team openly associating with the Trump regime, it’s a no-brainer why so many on the left, like myself, or the average American are rooting for teams that aren’t the United States. 

“The socialism I believe in is everyone working for each other, everyone having a share of the rewards. It’s the way I see football, the way I see life.”

— Bill Shankly, Legendary Liverpool FC manager & Scottish football player

Let’s start with the bad and the ugly of the 2026 FIFA World Cup. The matches are played across three countries (Canada, Mexico, and the United States), which are also co-hosting the tournament. There are 48 teams from all over the globe. Some countries, like Cape Verde, Curaçao, Jordan, and Uzbekistan, are making their debuts, while countries like Haiti and the Democratic Republic of Congo are returning after long absences. You can feel the excitement for the tournament from countries in the Global South that have been oppressed by the U.S. and through other forms of Western imperialism. And while Israel and the UAE did not qualify this year, they are still part of FIFA, which has led to protests against the killing of Palestinian athletes by the Zionist State. Fans have also criticized ties between UAE businesses and FIFA, including ADI Predictstreet’s partnership with the World Cup.

However, with the U.S. being one of the co-hosts, we as fans and leftists have seen U.S. hypocrisy on full display. First, with ICE at airports harassing players and fans alike, with players like Iraqi striker Aymen Hussein being interrogated for seven hours while the team’s photographer was denied entry at O’Hare. FIFA official Omar Artan, a Somali national and referee, was also denied entry and held for 10 hours. Artan said no real explanation was given despite him having the proper documentation. A White House official stated that his detention was due to “affiliations” with terrorist organizations, but did not provide evidence for this claim. Meanwhile, the Iranian national team also has restrictions when playing in the U.S. venues, with same-day arrival and departure requirements to return to their home base in Mexico, having been denied permission to stay overnight in this country.

Other World Cup controversies include climate change, labor, ticket pricing, and even Haiti’s national uniform having to be changed to avoid sending a “political message” celebrating the Haitian Revolution. Labor disputes have been present in all three host countries, but they have been particularly acute at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles, where Unite Here! Local 11 asked FIFA to bar ICE from the stadium due to the safety concerns for the workers. The union was prepared to strike before FIFA agreed to the deal on June 8th. Finally, the ticket pricing for the matches raised additional controversy. FIFA said they would use dynamic pricing for this particular World Cup, despite fans’ anger and dismay at the decision. Both Mayor Zohran Mamdani and Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum called this out.

Despite these injustices and controversies, soccer has shown international solidarity in one of the world’s biggest sporting events. Our first stop is John Brown’s old stomping ground of Lawrence, Kansas, where the Algerian national team has chosen to make their home base during the Cup. A clip circulated online of an American man being asked why he supported Algeria, and he responded because the team “chose” Lawrence to host them. Since then, there have been cultural exchanges, bar meet-ups, and even the Lawrence youth getting to practice with the Algerian team at the Jayhawks’ Rock Chalk Park.

Our next stop is in Canada with the Bosnian national team, featuring players like Edin Džeko, who was 6 years old when the Siege of Sarajevo began. Džeko, on June 11th, wrote an open letter about why this Cup means so much to him. One quote that stuck with me was Džeko saying that when he sees wars happening today, he feels sick and that “…For some reason, adults never learn.” The Bosnian fans have also shown their support for Palestine, waving Palestinian flags and chanting for Palestine in the streets of Toronto.

Our final stop is Boston, where Scottish fans have flooded the city. This is the dreaded Gaelic alliance (Bostonians, Irish, and Scottish fans descending on a single city) that Unionists and Tories in the colonial United Kingdom would have nightmares over. The Scots discover the infamous ‘Cop Slide’ in Boston, which became a viral meme after a police officer sustained minor injuries on it in 2023. A Scottish fan rode the slide, playing the bagpipes on the way down. Seeing these teams being embraced by the average American has given me hope for a better world, and that something like soccer can show international solidarity.

What does this World Cup mean for international solidarity? It shows the U.S. (& Western) hypocrisy when it comes to labor, immigration, and other issues like climate change. But it also shows that no matter where one comes from and what atrocities they have faced growing up, there is a chance to show their nation and culture on a world stage unlike any other. And understanding the common bonds of basic humanity, from the players to fans.

For myself, I’m rooting for everyone other than America: Algeria, Bosnia, Colombia, the DRC, Haiti, Germany, Iraq, Iran, Scotland, and Turkey.* I love underdog stories; what can I say?

*Updates on the teams have been eliminated since the Cup started: Bosnia, DRC, Haiti, Germany, Iraq, Iran, Scotland, and Turkey. 

The post Soccer & Solidarity: How the World Cup brings International Solidarity to the forefront appeared first on Midwest Socialist.

As the country marks its semiquincentennial, Americans are right to feel something has gone deeply wrong. We will need courage to confront the crisis.

The post At 250 Years, the U.S. National Project is in Trouble appeared first on Democratic Left.

After a car bomb killed her brother, a prominent opponent of the Pinochet dictatorship, Fabiola Letelier fought back for three decades and transformed human rights law in the process

The post Fabiola Letelier:  Face and Force of the Chilean Human Rights Movement appeared first on Democratic Left.

The problem of anti-religious bigotry on the secular Left

As the calendar moved toward Donald Trump’s birthday on June 14 and the summer solstice on June 21, leftist political commentator and comedian Francesca Fiorentini invited astrologer Chani Nicholas to give her  Bitchuation Room podcast audience some insight into how the stars might be impacting the United States and its current authoritarian leader.

It was all done in a spirit of lighthearted fun, and while Chani might be a different kind of guest than the politicians or activists that often visit The Bitchuation Room, Fiorentini is no stranger to quirky and irreverent takes on the news of the day.  Lord knows we all need a laugh now and then to help us cope with the deadly serious news in the daily headlines. I giggled along with Fiorentini and Nicholas as I listened to the segment on my way to work, but then I made the mistake of looking at what people in the comments had to say. 

I think very little of right wingers because of their nonsensical views and their inability to see reason past their culturally enforced beliefs. I think the same for astrology weirdos. 

Space/birthday bigotry. No thanks. We have enough scientific illiteracy killing us already. 

Stop that nonsense. You can’t practice astrology and be a socialist. The two are mutually exclusive. 

Some secular leftists tend to view both organized religion and any spiritual “woo woo” as illogical and therefore symptomatic of the anti-intellectualism that characterizes U.S. fascism. This categorical rejection of all so-called “nonsensical” beliefs betrays a fundamental misunderstanding of spirituality, as well as a deep, often unchallenged bigotry among secular socialists against the vast majority of working-class people in our country. 

In a nation where 82% of people identify as religious and/or spiritual, anti-religious prejudice must be discarded by socialists who want to draw more people into the fight against capitalist exploitation. These rationally minded people would do well to learn more about religion from both scholars and everyday practitioners, in order to understand what the many diverse forms of healthy spirituality can do for human beings. 

Rationality and empiricism, I would argue, are irrelevant to the function of spirituality. Humans are emotional, psychological beings who have emotional, psychological problems that can’t be addressed purely through the tools of the scientific method. Spiritual systems help us navigate everything outside of our higher cognitive functions–the emotional storms brewing beneath our conscious intellectual processes. Spirituality helps us become conscious of our unconscious drives and our embodied, emotional experience of life, the fathoms-deep shadow side of human consciousness to which none of the factual statistics in the world can ever speak.

Spirituality gets a bad rap for removing humans from reality, but I believe everyone needs a form of spiritual practice in their lives to be able to fully accept and logically address the (increasingly illogical) realities of our society. I define spiritual practice broadly, and for atheists, agnostics, or anyone else who has no desire to engage with theistic beliefs or organized religion, a spiritual practice can be therapy, meditation, or intentional engagement with art or nature. These practices touch the irrational and emotional parts of our human experience that, left unexamined, can blind us to our own prejudices, limitations, and harmful habits. These spiritual practices can also come from Islam or Christianity or Hinduism or reading tarot cards or practicing astrology. We can’t judge people’s spirituality based on its logical premises. We can only judge it based on its outcome for human flourishing. 

The oppressive systems that co-opt spirituality to hold power over people, whether that’s the Christian Right or a manipulative “counter-cultural” cult, are the problem when it comes to religion, and I fully support the strongest criticisms of those exploitative powers. But we can’t throw out the baby with the bath water if we want to stay self-aware and grounded in reality. (Woke, if you will.)

I’ll give an example from a spiritual perspective that I myself am prone to look down my nose at. Jessica Lanyadoo describes herself as an astrologer, psychic medium, and animal communicator. Claims of psychic perception certainly strain logical credulity for me, and I’m wary of the con artists that walk among the sincere believers. But on Jessica’s Ghost of a Podcast, she recently used her “nonsensical” spiritual framework to provide very helpful guidance to an emotionally vulnerable woman in need of help. 

The guest was seeking an astrologer’s advice in navigating her “relationship” with an AI chatbot. Using their shared spiritual beliefs, Jessica guided her guest toward a path I think most socialists would agree with–she backed off AI use in favor of real human connection and got a reality check about the unsavory motivations of the capitalists who profit from our use of LLMs. 

The guest’s animistic beliefs about the spirits of the minerals that make up technological hardware would probably have been viciously mocked by the people who left the YouTube comments quoted above, but Jessica, an ethical person who shared her spiritual framework, was able to engage with her and help her escape her (in my opinion) unhealthy delusions about the “personhood” of her AI chatbot. She was helped, not harmed, by spiritual counsel that most secular skeptics would dismiss as irreconcilable with reality. 

I sympathize with my secular comrades who are sincerely troubled by the wobbly nature of reality in our unstable, “post-truth” society. And I agree that any form of religion or spirituality that urges us to turn away from the material problems our world faces is no more than an opiate for the overwhelmed masses. But the idea that socialism and spirituality are mutually exclusive is both historically false (see Dorothy Day, Oscar Romero, or the DSA’s own Zohran Mamdani) and politically disastrous. 

Eliminating religious and spiritual people from the ranks of our potential allies means never achieving a socialist majority in this country. Instead, we should take the advice of someone who both atheists and people of many different spiritual paths can agree had some solid ideas. How do we divide helpful spirituality from harmful spirituality? “By their fruits you will know them.”

The post Can Socialists Use Astrology? appeared first on DSA Religious Socialism.

Class podcast interviews Jalil Muntaqim and Sid C.W. to discuss the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence and the Spirit of Mandela’s July Fourth Mobilization Against Genocide.

The post The Fourth of July: Against Genocide, for Democracy and Liberation appeared first on Democratic Left.

DSA backed Melat Kiros in the June 30 Democratic primary for a Denver U.S. House seat. Updated with remarks from Kiros's victory speech.

The post LIVE BLOG: “DSA Difference” Mass Call July 2 appeared first on Democratic Left.

Events & Actions

Tuesday June 30 (5:30 PM – 6:30 PM) Drink-in for Good Jobs & Union Beer! (BuzzWorks, 365 11th St)

Tuesday June 30 (6:30 PM – 7:30 PM) Ecosocialist Bi-Weekly Meeting (zoom and in person at 1916 McAllister St)

Tuesday June 30 (7:00 PM – 10:00 PM) Tenant Organizers Social (1600 17th St)

Wednesday July 1 (5:30 PM – 7:30 PM) Phonebank for the Affordable Housing Guarantee Act (zoom and in person at 1600 17th St)

Thursday July 2 (12:00 PM – 1:00 PM) Housing Guarantee Act Turn Signature Turn-In Rally (San Francisco City Hall, Van Ness steps)

Thursday July 2 (6:00 PM – 9:00 PM) Housing Guarantee Act Signature Gatherer Happy Hour (Zeitgeist, 199 Valencia St)

Thursday July 2 (6:00 PM – 7:00 PM) Education Board Open Meeting (zoom)

Thursday July 2 (7:00 PM – 8:00 PM) Immigrant Justice Regular Meeting (zoom and in person at 1916 McAllister St)

Friday July 3 (5:00 PM – 6:30 PM) Delaney Hall To Adelanto! Solidarity Rally with the Hunger & Labor Strike (Turk Street & Taylor Street)

Monday July 6 (6:00 PM – 7:30 PM) Labor Board Meeting – Office Hours (zoom)

Monday July 6 (6:30 PM – 8:00 PM) Homelessness Working Group Regular Meeting (zoom and in person at 1916 McAllister St)

Wednesday July 8 (6:45 PM – 9:00 PM) DSA SF General Meeting (zoom and in person at Kelly Cullen Community, 220 Golden Gate Ave)

Thursday July 9 (6:30 PM – 7:30 PM) Public Bank Project Meeting (zoom)

Thursday July 9 (7:00 PM – 8:30 PM) ICE: Emergency Planning (1916 McAllister St)

Sunday July 12 (5:00 PM – 6:00 PM) Tenderloin Healing Circle Working Group (zoom)

Monday July 13 (6:00 PM – 8:00 PM) Tenderloin Healing Circle (Kelly Cullen Community, 220 Golden Gate Ave)

Monday July 13 (7:00 PM – 8:00 PM) Labor Board Meeting – Existing Union Support (zoom and in person at 1916 McAllister St)

Check out https://dsasf.org/events for more events and updates.

Drink-In for Good Jobs and Union Beer!

When Anchor Brewing reopens, workers deserve good, union jobs.

Join us to call on the new owners to offer workers their jobs back, and sign a neutrality agreement with the union!

Attendees will receive a UNION BEER poster!

Buzzworks SF, 365 11th st, on Tuesday Jun 30 at 5:30PM. RSVP here!

Tenant Organizers Social

Meet tenants organizers from across the Bay. Come to Thee Parkside, 1600 17th St on Tuesday, June 30 at 7:00 PM for one final time before it closes its doors for good. 

The same forces of rampant speculation and gentrification responsible for destroying local culture spaces (like Thee Parkside) are causing the massive displacement of tenants throughout the Bay Area. Please come and share your experience as tenants organizing in the face of finance capital’s agenda to build their “luxury city”.

The Affordable Housing Guarantee Act is Headed to the Ballot!

BIG NEWS!! In just two short months, we’ve reached our signature goal and the Affordable Housing Guarantee Act is headed to the ballot!

Thank you to everyone who helped us so far to get us to this point. Hundreds of volunteers gathered signatures, donated, fundraised and secured endorsements. If you haven’t donated yet, here’s the link. We’ve got two ways to celebrate coming up on Thursday, July 2nd:

• 12PM: Rally to turn in signatures at City Hall (Van Ness Steps) — RSVP here!
• 6PM: Signature Gatherer Appreciation & Social Housing Happy Hour at Zeitgeist (199 Valencia)

You don’t even need to have gathered a single signature to join us at the happy hour, you just have to want a beautiful future where housing is permanently removed from the speculative market and treated as a human right!

In case you missed it, here’s how we got here: Since 2020, the transfer tax approved by voters has generated more than $500 million for affordable and social housing. San Franciscans made it clear where they wanted that money to go, but City Hall has refused to use it for its intended purpose and is now trying to gut the tax altogether. Not on our watch!  This ballot measure is going to make sure those funds are used the way voters intended: to build social housing and make San Francisco a more affordable place to live.

Stand with Strikers in Immigrant Detention: Solidarity Rally

Friday July 3, 5 PM

Turk & Taylor

Immigrants in detention in Adelanto, California and in Delaney Hall in New Jersey, facilities run by the private prison corporation GEO Group, have had enough and since last month have been on hunger strike, while at Delaney Hall, they have also been on a labor strike, refusing to work for pennies per hour. 

Strikers at Delaney Hall are demanding the immediate release of all detained people, starting with the elderly, pregnant, children and those with serious medical conditions. They are also calling for fair review of immigration cases, and an end to pressure to sign “voluntary” deportation orders. They are also demanding a meeting with New Jersey Governor Mikie Sherrill so she can observe conditions and hear directly from detained people.

Meanwhile, in Adelanto, hunger strikers are protesting inhumane conditions, including mold, substandard food, lack of medical care and retaliation against hunger strikers. 

To win, strikers will need community support from coast to coast. Come join us in solidarity at the site of the historic Compton cafeteria riots, the first well-documented trans and queer uprising against police violence, which is now a carceral facility run by GEO Group.

Come tell GEO Group and ICE: Free them all, and GEO Group out of our city!

EWOC Fundamentals of Workplace Organizing Course

Sign up here!

EWOC holds a regular training course to help you build your union from the ground up alongside workers in your industry. It doesn’t require an organizing background to understand the material, which covers topics including mapping and charting, building an organizing committee, uniting over common concerns, and how to take action. If you’re interested in becoming any level of organizer for EWOC, this course is mandatory.

This course will in person at the DSA office (1916 McAllister). We’ll watch the EWOC lecture together and then go through the discussion activities. If you can’t make all of the sessions, reach out to Caitlin Stanton (SF EWOC local lead coordinator) for accommodations.

SCHEDULE:
Week 1: Developing Leadership
Tuesday, July 14 (7-8:30PM)

Week 2: The Organizing Conversation
Tuesday, July 21 (7-8:30PM)

Week 3: The Arc of the Campaign
Tuesday, July 28 (7-8:30PM)

Week 4: Inoculation and the Boss Campaign
Tuesday, August 4 (7-8:30PM)