Resolution to Prohibit Police Presence in CLTMDSA
As voted on at the June 7th Meeting of the Charlotte Metropolitan Democratic Socialists of America, the voting body has adopted the the following resolution:
Therefore, be it resolved, employment as a law enforcement officer is in opposition to the principles of the organization as outlined in DSA constitution article II. “Law Enforcement officer” shall be defined as “an individual who is sworn, badged, and arm-able by the government to enforce the law, or a prison guard; or individuals who are members, operators, or supporters of police associated union organizations”(Whether employed by the government or a private company). Persons employed as law enforcement are therefore excluded from membership in Charlotte Metropolitan DSA. Whereas, law enforcement agencies operate to promote the interests of capitalist institutions and to suppress organized dissent against their control of American society; and Whereas, oppressed groups with whom the DSA seeks to organize such as people of color, sex workers, and the homeless have immediate reasons to be afraid of the police, and uncomfortable in their presence.
Chief Evans Defends BCPD
In an interview with the Gavel, BCPD Chief Evans DEFENDED sending BCPD officers to Franklin Park Tuesday evening. Roxbury and Dorchester are majority Black neighborhoods of Boston. Under no circumstance should BCPD be doing anything, ever, in Roxbury or Dorchester. Particularly not policing a protest against police brutality.
Evans says sending officers to police the protest is”by no means political” This is outrageous. Sending police to oppose protesters at a rally against police brutality and the murder of Black people by police is absolutely political. Boston College must immediately end any involvement in policing protests in Boston. YDS of BC reiterates our call for Evans to resign or be removed as Chief of the Boston College Police department. No institution that employs him has any concern for systematic racism of the police or the criminal justice system. All the statements in the world cannot outweigh his presence on BC’s campus.
Petition to remove Evans can be found here.
PETITION: Ordinance To Explicitly Condemn Police Brutality & Implement A Zero-Tolerance Policy Towards Abusive Policing
High Peaks Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) seeks to express our collective horror at the cold-blooded murder of George Floyd by officers in the Minneapolis, Minnesota police force and our solidarity with the black Americans and citizens of all races who have taken to the streets to peacefully protest police brutality and state-sanctioned racism in our country.
While High Peaks DSA recognizes that the Saranac Lake police department maintains a relatively positive relationship with the village community, we call for the Village Board to adopt an ordinance that explicitly condemns police brutality in light of the murder of George Floyd and implements a zero-tolerance policy towards abusive policing. By explicitly condemning police brutality, the Village of Saranac Lake will signal itself as a safe space for diverse communities.
High Peaks DSA also calls for the Village Board and Police Department to partner with village residents to establish a system of community oversight to ensure cooperation, accountability, and justice for all.
Fill out the form below if you’d like to sign the petition:
The post PETITION: Ordinance To Explicitly Condemn Police Brutality & Implement A Zero-Tolerance Policy Towards Abusive Policing appeared first on High Peaks DSA.
Fuck the Police: Disarm, Defund, Disaffiliate
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Metro Atlanta DSA stands with the nationwide anti-racist uprisings
Over the past few days, Atlanta has seen an organic, spontaneous working class uprising inspired by the uprisings in Minneapolis and elsewhere around the country. Mayor Keisha Lance-Bottoms has joined forces with Governor Brian Kemp to launch a brutally authoritarian crackdown on the protests, invoking the national guard and hostile military tactics. This looks like war because it is war. This is class war being waged by the ruling capitalist class and their jackboot cronies against Atlanta’s Black working class.
The Metro Atlanta Democratic Socialists of America (MADSA) unequivocally supports the working class uprisings developing in Atlanta and across the country led by the anti-racist Black working class. We support the #BlackLivesMatter movement and the efforts of the leading Black working class to defeat mass incarceration and the neo-fascist police state. We stand in solidarity with George Floyd, may he rest in power, with his family, and with the millions of Black people who fear death because of the violence of white supremacy in the United States.
The racist and white supremacist institutions of capitalism that oppress people of color must be immediately dismantled, and they can only be dismantled by a mass movement. Over the past few days, our members have been on the ground working to build this movement, standing side by side with the working class in its struggle for Black liberation and racial equality. Over the coming weeks, we will do our best to play a principled and helpful role in this non-violent anti-racist movement.
The images and videos of police officers brutalizing Atlanta workers are sickening. No amount of “administrative leave” can change the inherently oppressive nature of the Atlanta Police or the police at large. There is a pattern of injustice and impunity that’s survived decades of elections, all under Democrats. The racist policing system itself must be totally upended.
We demand that Mayor Bottoms and Governor Kemp immediately:
- Remove the National Guard
- End the city curfew
- Restore MARTA services
- Release everyone arrested during all protests
- Demilitarize, disarm, and defund the police
The sign outside the CNN Center has already been repainted, but the life of George Floyd can never be replaced. Instead of addressing the needs of the Black working class, Mayor Bottoms has chosen to lecture the people of this city about property rights. She has shown that she values property over human life, and that her allegiance lies with the ruling class, not the working class majority of Atlanta.
We’re exhausted with the blame games. “Outside agitators,” organized crime, “thugs,” even foreign intervention! We are living in unprecedented times but this isn’t a gaudy spy novel. There is no sinister plot – we are seeing the natural, organic response of the working class to capitalism in crisis. Of course there are uprisings when there is nearly 30% youth unemployment and when the police are wantonly killing innocent people.
All footage of the protests clearly show that the police are the instigators of violence, in Atlanta and elsewhere across the country. The killings of George Floyd and so many others are inexcusable. The brutally militaristic police response to peaceful protests is unjustifiable. In the face of state violence, the working class is simply defending itself. The only way for this violence to stop is for the police to stop being violent.
Unfortunately our rulers are determined to make us disbelieve our own eyes and ears. They are inventing boogeymen and scapegoats. They demand more brutality against the people whose labor makes the world run. They threaten arrest, imprisonment, disfigurement and death to people across every age, race, and gender who just want to live in peace and be free of police brutality.
Atlanta has a history with the civil rights movement, but the struggle for civil rights and racial equality is clearly unfinished. We have a chance now to write our own history and set an example for unity and clarity in a time of injustice and uncertainty. We strive to build a new world rooted in justice, liberty, and peace for all people.
The Metro Atlanta DSA has officially endorsed and calls on our members to attend the Protest March & Rally for Justice for Black Lives on Sunday, June 7th at 12pm. We echo the organizers’ demands:
- Pass the Hate Crimes Bill
- Repeal the Citizen’s Arrest Law
- Bring Killer Cops and Lynchers to Quick Justice
- Criminal Punishment Reform
- Stop Police Brutality & Militarized Policing
No Justice, No Peace
Metro Atlanta DSA Executive Committee
Photo credit: Steve Eberhardt
George Floyd Solidarity Statement
June 02, 2020 00:49
The Racial Solidarity Committee of the Sacramento, Democratic Socialists of America stands in solidarity with our comrades fighting for Black liberation across the country and world. We stand in solidarity alongside Sacramento’s Black working class leadership as they organize and demand justice on our streets. We rebel in the name of Stephon Clark, Darrel Richards, Marshall Miles, Tony McDade, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, George Floyd, and all victims of police violence, domestic and abroad. Mayor Steinberg would have you believe we’ve made progress. Yet we do not believe the continued targeted policing and murder of Black people constitutes “progress.” As socialists, we understand that capitalism depends on the racialized division of the working class and necessitates state violence to enforce those divisions.
Therefore, we support all those who righteously stand empowered, and demand as a bare minimum:
- The city listens to and enacts all demands listed by our comrades with Decarcerate Sacramento and the Anti-Police Terror Project .
- There be no funding taken from the CARES Act to fund the police in any capacity, and ensure that the CARES Act funds are distributed with a racial equity analysis and justification. 1
- COVID austerity measures should begin with our city’s largest budget, the police. The 2020 -21 overall police budget should be reduced by at least 20%, not including the restoration of the looted $10 million from the Measure U funding. Furthermore, any lawsuit settlements with the police department should also be deducted from police budgets. 1
- Mayor Steinberg and Governor Newsom not only call for the charging of all 4 officers involved in George Floyd’s murder, but actively advocate to apply pressure on the Govenor and DA in Minneapolis to bring these charges.
- Tangible policy changes that address the ongoing murder of and violence against Black people, by divesting from the school to prison pipeline, creating affordable housing, investing in mental-health resources, and the active engagement with and empowerment of community by establishing citizen oversight review boards with subpoena power.
- Governor Newsom and the State of California must lift the protections for police officers that unfairly provide them impunity granted under articles such as the Peace Officers Bill of Rights. Impunity Black people are never granted. The police should be accountable to the people they serve.
- Continued demilitarization and defunding of the police. The militarization of police signifies that they are at war with the communities that they purport to protect. By defunding the police we free up money and resources to support institutions, organizations and resources that will truly serve our communities.
- Cancel any funds the city would contribute to bring Major League Soccer to Sacramento
We call on our fellow Sacramentans to get organized, support all Black lives, Black healing, and support Black liberation from this fascist police state. This is not a riot, it’s a rebellion.
In solidarity,
Racial Solidarity Committee, Sacramento DSA
1 Credit to Dr. Flojaune Cofer.
George Floyd Protest Statement & Resources
A statement from Charlotte Metro DSA:
Over the past few days there have been many local events circulating on social media to protest the murder of George Floyd at the hands of the Minneapolis Police Department. Nationally and locally there is concern that some of these have been created by bad-actors – or at least disorganized actors that place our most vulnerable groups in danger. Many people in Charlotte are looking to us to help discern which protests are legitimate. We have compiled the following information to share with the Charlotte community. This information best reflects our knowledge of local events at this time. We would also like to issue general guidance for anyone interested in joining a protest and information on the events of Friday, May 29th.
Right now we should protest the murder of George Floyd and fight for the abolition of the police state. Capitalism is killing and exploiting workers right now. It always has, and the police state props this up. We must listen to black communities and their leaders for direction with these protests.
Local Protest Information
It Ends Now: Marching in Unity for Racial Justice
Hosted by It Ends Now Charlotte
Sunday, May 31st | 1:00 PM | First Ward Park
It Ends Now is comprised of local community leaders and clergy people. The organizers are, and have historically been, active in Charlotte and the surrounding areas. They are taking precautions to ensure social distancing and protester safety. We have talked to the organizers, and they are people we trust. While this is affiliated with local Christian groups, people of all faiths and backgrounds are welcome to attend.
Please be aware that police will be present at this event, including plainclothes officers.
They are asking attendees to do the following:
Wear white
Make a sign
Wear a mask
Bring water & walking shoes
Social-distance at the park and while marching
They have stated that kids are welcome. However, we advise against this due to reactive and aggressive actions of Charlotte Police at the protest on Friday night. We believe the protest will remain peaceful, but we want to ensure the safety of children especially.
They have created a Facebook event where they are providing updates and answering questions. Their willingness to engage with community members online and with transparency further strengthens our trust in them.
Link: https://www.facebook.com/events/635259977059332/
T.H.U.G.L.I.F.E. Protest
Hosted by Mahagony Rose and Mariah Davis
Sunday, May 31st | 1:00 PM | Romare Barden Park
The protest has been organized by local college students who have stated that they connected online. While we are less familiar with these organizers, they have demonstrated a willingness to communicate online and have been transparent with their identities and in their planning. It is also being supported by the Southeast Asian Coalition, a local and active social justice group. Organizers are taking precautions by requesting volunteers to help make the event run smoothly and are requiring attendees to wear masks. We therefore feel a certain measure of confidence in recommending people to attend this protest.
They have also created a Facebook event where they are providing updates and answering questions.
Link: https://www.facebook.com/events/250687152810708/
Protest Guidelines
Only attend protests when they are organized by people who are local and active in the community! Above all, keep each other safe, even if it is organized locally.
Wear a mask - to prevent the spread of COVID-19 and protect your identity.
Go with people you know and use the buddy system.
Familiarize yourself with the area - plan parking and meetup spots in advance.
Dress in comfortable and non-restrictive clothing. Wear close-toed shoes. Wear non-identifiable, nondescript clothing. Match other protesters if you know what to wear in advance.
Cover tattoos and other identifiable features.
Bring a backpack: pack water and snacks.
Be cautious about bringing and using your phone.
At the very least, turn off location data and turn off Face ID and Fingerprint ID. Police cannot force you to enter a passcode into your phone.Consider using encrypted messaging apps like Signal to communicate.
Be cautious of taking photos of those around you. Blur faces before posting to ANY social media including Instagram or Snapchat stories.
Statement on the Event of Friday, May 29th
This protest was organized by an extremely reckless group, who while believing they have the best interests of the working class in their hearts, appear truly indifferent to the suffering they face. The organizing of the protest on Friday night is proof of this. There was very little leadership. The only leaders present were using the anger of the moment to incite violence and provoke police, for which they had planned no protection or backup plan to protect the most vulnerable of this community. We saw no riot medics, no marshals, no organization whatsoever. Charlotte Uprising sprung into action to secure bail for the protesters who were arrested during this protest to limit contact with the police and COVID-19. Charlotte’s jails are filthy, and limiting people’s time in these jails is essential.
This protest was brought to an already vulnerable community with a heavy police presence. We critique these protests because of the negligence it shows towards the community in Beatties Ford that is already suffering. This however does not undermine the anger, and mourning felt in these communities. Charlotte’s black and brown communities have long been over-policed and underfunded. Because of this, we must look to the direction of these communities and their leaders, especially when we are putting people at risk.
Bail Funds
Charlotte Uprising has organized a bail fund for protesters. You can donate via the following apps:
Cash App: $WereStillHere
Venmo: @ResistanceisBeautiful
Alternate Venmo: @communityjustice
If you would like to donate to the bail fund for protesters in Minneapolis you can do so here: https://minnesotafreedomfund.org
06:54 PM Edit: We have just learned that the Minnesota Freedom Fund does not have a Venmo account. Please only donate through their official website.
07:13 PM Edit: We have learned that the MFF is now asking people to donate to Black Visions instead of the MFF.
We are also linking the GoFundMe created by George Floyd’s family: https://www.gofundme.com/f/georgefloyd
Abortion on Demand
You’re listening to Revolution Per Minute on listener sponsored WBAI in NYC broadcasting at 99.5 FM and streaming on your favorite podcast app. To connect with us after the show you can email us at revolutionsnyc@gmail.com. You can find us on our website revolutionsperminute.simplecast.com or on twitter @nycRPM
Metro Atlanta DSA Voter Guide for 2020 Democratic Primary
Our Local Electoral working group has been hard at work to create a handy democratic voting guide for Georgia residents! It’s a fantastic resource for first time voters, experienced voters, and those simply trying to keep up with the sometimes overwhelming world of electoral politics!
Want to get involved with the Local Electoral working? We meet every Monday evening! Learn more at madsa.ga/electoral.
