Organizing at Amazon and Beyond
Portland DSA’s Statement Against Collaboration with Police
Portland DSA reaffirms our chapter’s commitment against collaborating with police.
In 2017, when our chapter was less than a year old, Portland DSA participated in the Portland United Against Hate coalition to counter-protest rising far-right activity in our region. The coalition asked Portland DSA to act as police liaison; two members of our chapter joined with one other coalition partner to fill that role.
After this event, our chapter developed a non-collaboration policy for police engagement to guide our membership and keep our community safe. This policy remains in place today. The key points are:
- Portland DSA does not coordinate with the police in direct actions and rallies without explicit permission from our steering committee
- DSA members should not speak to the police about DSA without explicit permission from our steering committee
- DSA members may not volunteer to act as police liaisons in coalition events unless explicitly authorized by a chapter co-chair
- Any authorized interactions with police should be documented and reported for transparency and accountability
- No law enforcement officer or prison guard is permitted to be a member of Portland DSA
As socialists, we recognize that police exist as a tool of capitalism to maintain inequality and protect the interests of the ruling class. In the name of “safety,” police oppress, criminalize, and terrorize the most marginalized people in our community — especially communities of color, the houseless, the undocumented, the disabled, queer and trans people, and people experiencing mental illness. We affirm that none of us are safe while others live under the threat of police violence.
Since we launched the Portland chapter of DSA, our membership has actively organized against police and private security in varied ways. We have mobilized hundreds of community members to testify against continued police investment and community disinvestment at City Council budget hearings. We worked in coalitions to divest from police and private security. During the summer 2020 uprisings, we distributed more than $10,000 worth of gas masks and protective gear to the Portland community. We stood among thousands of our neighbors night after night — many experiencing physical violence firsthand — to demand justice and an end to the military occupation of our city.
As we persist in this fight, Portland DSA vows to continue demonstrating our commitment through not only statements but also action. We are proud to stand in solidarity with the many organizations, coalitions, and community members working to abolish the police and establish a world where every person is healthy, cared for, and truly safe.
Solidarity with Buffalo
Our condolences to all who were close to Roberta Drury and all the others murdered by the white supremacist at a Buffalo grocery store. The attack on the Black community of Buffalo is horrific.
We must oppose the spread of racist ideas, racist conspiracy theories, racist myths of history, and the implementation of racist political and economic policies, which all reinforce each other. Whether the killer technically acted alone or not, he was taught and supported by large sections of the US and global political spectrum. We must elevate movements that empower and unite people of the multiracial working class and build relationships of solidarity, especially those targeted by the Right, such as Black and Brown communities, LGBTQ+ people, disabled people, and women.
Please support by donating to mutual aid and mental health support efforts organized by Black Love Resists in the Rust in Buffalo who are partnering with community organizations to link people to and pay for ongoing mental health services.
The post Solidarity with Buffalo appeared first on Syracuse DSA.
Milwaukee DSA Statement on the City of Milwaukee Curfew
In the aftermath of last night’s multiple shootings, with many wounded, the City of Milwaukee has issued an 11 pm curfew for people 21 and under in the Deer District and surrounding neighborhoods. Mayor Cavalier Johnson has stated that officers will target teens who are loitering or acting unlawfully, and those people will be issued a citation including a $691 fine.
The Milwaukee DSA believes that curfews are a powerful tool of oppression rooted in racism and classism. This curfew invites increased police presence to the streets of Milwaukee, and certainly police presence is a lead up to increasing violence against citizens at the hands of the police who enforce laws with impunity.
Would a curfew have prevented this tragedy from happening? These shootings occurred despite an already large police presence in the area, indicating that the Milwaukee Police Department, despite having a massive, bloated, budget, does nothing to protect Milwaukeeans from gun violence. This is part of a feedback loop where city politicians fail to address the root causes of crime, and then respond to all crime with more police, more restrictions, more institutional violence, all without evidence of their effectiveness, and despite evidence to the contrary.
A blatantly racist curfew only serves to justify police profiling of young, Black men in the Deer District. What steps is the mayor’s office taking to ensure that Black teens are not profiled for these crimes? Based on Milwaukee Police Department’s racist history, this curfew will only make Black residents feel less safe than they already do.
CVT DSA Statement on Abortion
Reproductive Justice and Abortion Access
Illustration by @em_mulsify
For helpful links and info click to go to our Reproductive Justice section.
Milwaukee Socialist Organizer Class – Apply by May 13
A project of the Milwaukee DSA Education Committee
Are you interested in becoming the best organizer you can be? Do you want to expand socialism here in Milwaukee, but are unsure of where and how to start? Have you been involved but feel like the project did not go anywhere? If you answered yes to any of these questions, the Milwaukee Socialist Organizer Class is for you!
This nine week program will focus on holistically teaching you to be an unstoppable organizer who builds socialism, changes hearts and minds, and impacts our city. You will learn direct action organizing, as defined by Organizing for Social Change: Midwest Academy Manual for Activists, in which we organize actions, campaigns, and strategies to “1) win real, immediate, concrete improvement in people’s lives . . . 2) Give people a sense of their own power . . . 3) Alter the relations of power.”
Interested individuals will apply (apply here, due Friday, May 13), be interviewed, and enter the program if selected. DSA membership is not required to participate, but is encouraged.
This education program will be a combination of in-person events with virtual events if necessary. Each unit will be roughly a week, with a week break in the middle of the program. Each unit will consist of classroom-style instruction in the unit topic (no more than 2 hours, which is intended to be in-person), field work in organizing (which will be at least 3 hours and consist of having conversations, moving people to action, and building infrastructure for a strong socialist movement involving several types of campaigns), and time for personal reflection. Each participant must commit to the entire program and, unless excused, attend every unit instruction, and field work session. Missing more than two classes and field work sessions may result in removal from the program.
Time commitment per week:
Unit instruction: 2 hours
Organizing work: 3 hours
Miscellaneous tasks: 1 hour
Total time per week: 6 hours
Weekly schedule:
There will be two “sections” of class held each week and participants will choose and commit to attending one section during the program.
Choose…
Section 1 class: Tuesdays from 7:00 p.m. until 9:00 p.m. (for the 9-5 crowd)
Or…
Section 2 class: Fridays from 10:00 a.m. until 12:00 p.m. (for the second and third shift crowd)
Field work will be held at regular intervals over the week, with options to organize at several points during the week:
(tentative schedule, subject to change)
Saturdays, 9:00 a.m. until 12:00 p.m.
Saturdays 12:00 p.m. until 3:00 p.m.
Sundays 12:00 p.m. until 3:00 p.m.
Mondays 5:30 until 8:30 p.m.
Program timeline:
- Friday, May 13: Application deadline – apply here
- Tuesday, May 17: Start of nine week program (First Section 1 class held, 7:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m.), location TBD, but in City of Milwaukee
- Friday May 20: First Section 2 class held 10:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m., location TBD, but in City of Milwaukee
- Monday, June 13 to Monday June 20: Week Break
- Monday, July 18: Completion of program
Units:
Each unit helps to answer the question: what is organizing?
Welcome: what is organizing?
- Get to know participants and instructor
- Define scope of class and intentions
- Determine goals and desired outcomes
Organizing is one-on-one Conversations
- Learn the 7 point organizing conversation
- Practice the conversation and its elements
Organizing is building the committee and the campaign
- The importance (or not) of the committee
- Power Mapping the campaign
- Strategy Chart
Organizing is holistic productivity
- Traction versus distraction
- Time management and its importance
- The Reverse Calendar
- Overcoming blocks to action
Organizing is a mindset
- Acknowledging hurdles and setbacks
- Failure is a great option
- Develop a practice to keep you going
Organizing is raising money and managing it
- Why money is OK
- How to bring energy and money to your campaign
- The basics of campaign budgeting and finance
Organizing is communications
- What does “messaging” mean?
- The power of media
- Writing workshop
Organizing is bringing it all together
- You’ve got momentum – now what?
- Recap of unit themes
Reviews:
Here is what previous students have to say about the Milwaukee Socialist Organizer Class:
“[Before the class] I had no idea about the actual work of organizing. Now I feel confident that I would be able to become a leader in a campaign setting…”
“I loved the practical application of socialism… [and] I loved the far-reaching application of some of the class content.”
“This is a great way to move into the world of socialism… thank you so much for offering this course”
“This [class] is a great first step for anyone looking to start organizing.”
“I radically grew in my comfort around being upfront and simply being able to approach a complete stranger with a potentially controversial topic.”
“New organizers and experienced organizers can benefit from this class.”
“Generally speaking my confidence level just interacting with people about socialism has gone through the roof. I have been given a phenomenal overview of how to organize and I feel confident that I can find out what works best for me in the future.”
“It was great to grow as an organizer within the confines of a welcoming community/instructor.”
“I feel more confident organizing outside of an electoral context.”
Meet your instructor:
Alex Brower is a labor leader, socialist organizer, and the chapter treasurer of the Milwaukee Democratic Socialists of America. In his organizing work, Alex has saved jobs from privatization, helped workers win a union voice on the job, defeated a temp agency, organized against a proposed iron-ore mine, helped bring comprehensive sex education to Beloit Public Schools, and won workplace healthcare for many uninsured MPS Substitute Teachers. As an MPS substitute teacher and former Milwaukee Rec. Department instructor, Alex brings a host of experience teaching others. Alex has also been a candidate for Milwaukee City Comptroller and School Board, running both times as a socialist.
Questions?
Contact Alex Brower at 414-949-8756 or alexbrowermke@gmail.com
Apply now!
Click here to apply, or copy and paste this URL into your web browser:
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSflxv_mIGyd3gwfCwdxbPXPCPJ-RWy-8cbQr-25u0Cntu-fwQ/viewform
Milwaukee DSA’s Statement on the Impending Decision on Roe V. Wade
Milwaukee DSA is deeply saddened and disappointed by the Supreme Court’s regressive decision to repeal Roe V. Wade. As an organization, we stand in solidarity with all abortion-seeking people, whose rights to reproductive autonomy are being threatened by the state. We affirm our commitment to fighting alongside our community in pursuit of reproductive justice for all people.
As a socialist organization, we recognize that the fight for reproductive justice is inextricably connected to the struggles for economic justice, racial justice, and the abolition of the prison industrial complex. This decision is a form of class warfare intended to punish and criminalize working-class people, particularly poor, disabled, people of color. This violent attack on reproductive autonomy is done in the service of maintaining the patriarchal social order and the (often invisible) reproductive labor that capitalism relies on.
We believe that reproductive justice is essential for building a world in which working-class people are liberated and have access to what they need to live dignified and fulfilling lives. Every person deserves the right to bodily autonomy, to have children or not have children, and to parent in safe and well-resourced communities.
On Saturday (5/7) at 3 pm, Madison DSA is holding a rally in support of reproductive justice, abortion, and bodily autonomy at the Wisconsin State Capitol. We encourage our members to support these local actions taking place and to contribute to grassroots abortion funds. As an organization, we have contributed $250 to the Women’s Medical Fund to continue assisting those in need of abortion in our state. Donations can be made here: wmfwisconsin.org/donate
Our demand is now, and always: free abortion – on demand – without apology.
With love and solidarity,
Milwaukee DSA
For the Many with Kristen Gonzalez
Socialist Song of the Month – Talking Union Blues, Almanac Singers
“Talking Union Blues” – Almanac Singers
In commemoration of May Day, this month’s Socialist Song of the Month is Talking Union Blues by the Almanac Singers, originally formed in 1940 by Millard Lampell, Lee Hayes, and Pete Seeger, and later joined by Woody Guthrie. This song was more or less a group effort. It was released on the album Talking Union in 1941, which included the well known song Union Maid.
The origins of May Day, or more formally, International Workers Day, had its origins in the fight for an eight hour work day. A mass strike in support of this first occurred in Victoria, Australia, on April 21, 1856, and this became an annual event. Agitation for an eight hour day eventually spread to the United States, leading to a mass strike in many cities starting on May 1, 1886. In Chicago, this ended with the Haymarket Square massacre on May 3. In spite of this, the Federation of Organized Trades and Labor Unions, (later the American Federation of Labor, or AFL), the organizer of the strike, called for another one on May 1, 1890.
On July 15, 1889, an international convention of labor and socialist organizations gathered in Paris, calling itself the International Workers’ Congress, later to become known as the Second International. The eight hour day was high on its priorities. A member of the French delegation proposed an international labor stoppage on a given day. The American delegation proposed May 1, 1890 as that day.
While May 1 continues to be a public holiday in most countries, in the United States, the officially recognized day is the first Monday in September, established officially in 1887, fearing May 1 would become a commemoration of the Haymarket massacre. In further attempts to grind out the association of May 1 with working class agitation, May 1 was also designated as Loyalty Day in 1921 and Law Day in 1961.
For a more thorough retelling of the history of May Day, see here. For an account of the first meeting of the Second International, see here.
Lyrics
Now, if you want higher wages let me tell you what to do
You got to talk to the workers in the shop with you
You got to build you a union, got to make it strong
But if you all stick together, boys, it won’t be long
You get shorter hours, better working conditions
Vacations with pay. Take your kids to the seashore
It ain’t quite this simple, so I better explain
Just why you got to ride on the union train
‘Cause if you wait for the boss to raise your pay
We’ll all be a-waitin’ ’til Judgment Day
We’ll all be buried, gone to heaven
St. Peter’ll be the straw boss then
Now you know you’re underpaid but the boss says you ain’t
He speeds up the work ’til you’re ’bout to faint
You may be down and out, but you ain’t beaten
You can pass out a leaflet and call a meetin’
Talk it over, speak your mind
Decide to do somethin’ about it
Course, the boss may persuade some poor damn fool
To go to your meetin’ and act like a stool
But you can always tell a stool, though, that’s a fact
He’s got a yaller streak a-runnin’ down his back
He doesn’t have to stool, he’ll always get along
On body takes out of blind men’s cups
Well, You got a union now, and you’re sittin’ pretty
Put some of the boys on the steering committee
The boss won’t listen when one guy squawks
But he’s got to listen when the union talks
He’d better, be mighty lonely
Everybody decide to walk out on him
Suppose they’re working you so hard it’s just outrageous
And they’re paying you all starvation wages
You go to the boss and the boss would yell
“Before I raise your pay I’d see you all in hell.”
Well, he’s puffing a big cigar, feeling mighty slick
‘Cause he thinks he’s got your union licked
Well, he looks out the window and what does he see
But a thousand pickets, and they all agree
He’s a bastard, unfair, slavedriver
Bet he beats his wife
Now, boys, you’ve come to the hardest time
The boss will try to bust your picket line
He’ll call out the police, the National Guard
They’ll tell you it’s a crime to have a union card
They’ll raid your meetin’, they’ll hit you on the head
They’ll call every one of you a goddam red
Unpatriotic, Japanese spies, sabotaging national defense
But out at Ford, here’s what they found
And out at Vultee, here’s what they found
And out at Allis-Chalmers, here’s what they found
And down at Bethlehem, here’s what they found
That if you don’t let red-baiting break you up
And if you don’t let stool pigeons break you up
And if you don’t let vigilantes break you up
And if you don’t let race hatred break you up
You’ll win, What I mean, take it easy, but take it