Impeach Cuomo
Yesterday, March 2, New York City DSA issued a statement calling for New York State governor Andrew Cuomo to resign or face impeachment. This comes in the wake of weeks of political turmoil regarding Cuomo’s cover-up of nursing home deaths due to COVID and new testimony about his gendered workplace abuse. The organized left in New York state has known for a long time that Andrew Cuomo is far from a “Resistance Hero”, as the liberal media has cast him. On tonight’s show, we’ll hear from RPM correspondent Michael Carter and Alexandra Walling of our Socialist Feminist Working Group on Cuomo’s persistent disregard for the lives of working-class New Yorkers and what this means for our socialist movement. We also check in with NYC-DSA’s newly-elected Assemblymember Marcela Mitaynes of Assembly District 51 on her first weeks in Albany and our fight to tax the rich and invest in our New York.
Burlington City Elections — Letters to the Editor on our Endorsed Candidates
Written by Mark Hoppmann, Champlain Valley DSA member and organizer with the CVDSA Electoral Working Group
Max Tracy
Max Tracy has been a longtime leader in Burlington with a particular focus on policies that benefit the multiracial working class in Burlington such as fighting for livable wages for city employees, pushing for robust walk/bike infrastructure,and restructuring public safety to redirect funds away from armed police officers.
Since becoming the President of the Burlington City Council in 2019 , Max Tracy has taken a leading role in the fight to ensure police accountability, supporting the establishment of an independent Police Accountability Board (a proposal which Mayor Weinburger has vetoed). He has also supported the reduction of the Burlington PD’s budget, instead seeking to fund and empower people and institutions which focus on helping those suffering from mental health crises, substance use disorders, and homelessness. For too long these sensitive issues have been entrusted to untrained, armed police officers: Max knows it is time to let the professionals get to work.
As a member of the State Committee of the Vermont Progressive Party, I’ve had the good fortune to hear Max Tracy speak a number of times: each time I was impressed by his depth of knowledge on the issues facing Burlington, as well as the energy and passion with which he set about solving those issues. Max is the kind of leader Burlington needs right now: both radical and practical. A Mayor who aims to amplify the voices of the oppressed and the poorest, creating a city for everyone.
Perri Freeman
Perri Freeman, who is running for reelection to the Central District seat on the Burlington City Council, began their first campaign for City Council in 2019 hoping to bring fresh energy to City Hall. As part of the Progressive majority on the Council they have led on racial justice issues, the fight for public housing, and supported the implementation of a livable wage. Perri also supports the creation of a free public transportation network, as a way to decrease carbon emissions and ensure a just transition in Burlington.
Perri has been an exemplary municipal leader. Perri asks, once again, for your vote on March 2nd.
Jack Hanson
Councilor Hanson has prioritized the fights against climate change and police brutality during his first term representing the East District on the City Council. As one of his first acts on the Council, Jack helped to shepherd the Zero Energy Roadmap through the City Council, which aims to greatly reduce Burlington’s dependence on fossil fuels, with the goal of total energy independence by 2030. Councillor Hanson is eminently qualified to lead on environmental issues- he received a degree in Environmental Science from UVM in 2016, where he organized against UVM's investment in fossil fuels and founded UVM's Renewable Energy Network. He has led summer canvases at the Vermont Public Interest Research Group to educate and push for statewide climate policy, and currently works at UVM's sustainable transportation department.
Jack Hanson approaches the issues of racial justice and police brutality with an activist’s commitment, as well as a sincere desire to see his constituents, his neighbors, lead prosperous and tranquil lives, free of the blight of an overbearing and, all-too often, openly hostile Police Department. To this end, Jack has co-sponsored resolutions to shift funding away from the Police Department and towards social services which serve the BIPOC community and our most vulnerable citizens. He supports the establishment of a Police Accountability Board, to provide independent community-based oversight of the Police Department.
Over the last two years, Jack Hanson has served his constituents ably, blending expertise with neighborly good will. He is a fantastic Council member, and I hope the voters of the East District will return him to office this year.
Kienan Christianson
Kienan Christianson knows the value of community. At a time when we are all more-or-less cloistered at home due to the Pandemic, Kienan’s skills as a community builder are just what is needed. Kienan has advocated for his neighbors on the most important issues facing the NNE and city at-large: housing affordability, police reform, economic development and climate change. These issues are terrifically complex, with effects which reach deep into the community. Solving them will take a collaborative approach. Kienan has pledged to bring ALL voices into the conversation, especially working to amplify the voices of those on the margins, the people who, all-too-often, are not heard from at all: BIPOC voices and the economically disadvantaged. It is my hope that the citizens of the North District will send Kienan Christianson to City Hall on March 2nd to fight for his neighbors, as he has always done.
Grace Ahmed
A long-time community organizer, Grace Ahmed now has her sights set on City Council, hoping to represent the people of the South District. Grace has focused her campaign on the issues of police reform and housing availability. Regarding police reform, Grace unequivocally supports the proposal of a Police Accountability Board by the City Council as well as the hiring of trained professionals to handle situations, such as those involving mental health, for which police officers have little training. On housing, she supports Just Cause eviction, which limits the grounds on which a tenant may be evicted.
I believe that Grace Ahmed, because of her tireless advocacy against oppression and her respect for different lived experiences, would bring a jolt of new energy to the Council.
Tuition Strike Actions Survey + Voting Form
We are planning a series of escalating actions for the next month to pressure Columbia to give us a concrete plan for how they will meet our demands. If you are interested in coming to any in-person actions, please fill out this form to let us know which actions you think would be most effective and which you’d be most comfortable participating in.
You can read the notes from our action-planning town hall if you want more context behind the different options.
Unnatural Disasters: Killer Cuomo & Texan Tundra
While the increasing rate of vaccinations is a rare bit of good news, the pandemic is still raging in New York and Cuomo is yet again throwing workers under the bus by dangerously opening indoor dining. But restaurant workers are organizing to build power that will last beyond just this crisis. Gary Inman from the Restaurant Organizing Project will update you on these crucial efforts. Restaurant workers aren’t the only ones who have suffered from Cuomo’s wrath as thousands died in nursing homes while his friends raked in profits. Alice Murphy (@rosaceabitch) joins us to discuss the protest outside Medgar Evans against the governor this past Monday. Later in the show Madeleine Pelzel from Houston DSA will share with us her on the ground perspective about man-made disaster in Texas and how local socialist have responded to the crisis.
Follow @HoustonDSA @MutualAidHou, @SayHerNameTX and @MadsPelzel who are doing work on the ground right now in Texas. https://powerfortexas.org/
Tuition Strike Update 2/24 – Registration Holds & Action-Planning Town Hall
Columbia has started imposing registration holds on strikers’ accounts. What this means is that you won’t be able to register when it’s your designated time, if the strike doesn’t end before then. You can find a full list of registration times here—the earliest registration date for the summer is March 8, and fall registration doesn’t begin until April 5. There will be another billing deadline on March 18, and we’ll reassess whether to continue to strike at that point. For the time being, we’re asking everyone to continue to withhold tuition for as long as possible.
It’s important to keep in mind that you can still register for classes as soon as you pay tuition (the administration claims it’s instantaneous that holds are removed after paying tuition), so you could still register even if you miss your first scheduled registration time. If you are flexible about what classes you register for, or if the classes you want are widely available, then there are minimal risks to continuing to strike.
For students who are graduating this year, commencement begins on April 27, meaning a diploma hold will come into effect on March 27. As with the registration holds, this is not permanent but rather will be lifted once you pay. As mentioned above, we will have held a vote on whether to continue the strike before the March 18 deadline, and will continue to be in touch about how we want to move forward.
If you are considering dropping out of the strike, please reach out to columbia.ydsa@gmail.com to talk more.
Lastly, we want to emphasize that Columbia will do everything in their power to keep us in school and get us to pay tuition again. The administration aims to intimidate us with this retaliation, but we still have power. Over the next month, we’re going to be doing everything we can to force the administration to concede. We’ll need all the help we can get. If you’re interested in getting involved, you can join one of our working groups! We’re also hosting a town hall meeting this Thursday, 2/25, at 8 pm EST where we’ll be discussing potential in-person actions and other next steps.
Solidarity,
Columbia YDSA
Labor Rights and the American Catholic Church
SJDSA Labor Working Group Statement on Camden Public School Closures
The members of South Jersey Democratic Socialists of America stand in solidarity with the families and teachers of Camden, New Jersey as they continue to fight against the closure of Wiggins, Sharp, Cramer, and Yorkship schools. Our principles reject policies that put profit over people. Furthermore, this decision will lead to increased inequality, uncertainty, and pain for predominantly Black and Latinx working-class families of Camden that we cannot accept.
Superintendent Katrina McCombs called these school closures “painful, but necessary.” We agree that these closures are painful, but there is nothing necessary about them. Camden City School District recently announced a $40 million deficit for the fiscal year of 2022. Meanwhile, the American Water Corporation, the 76ers, and Subaru won’t pay full property taxes for almost 20 more years. But the roots of these school closures lie in the 2012 Urban Hope Act that sought to punish “failing” urban public schools by replacing them with charter schools and “renaissance schools” – a giveaway to corporate nonprofit management. The damage wrought by ”economic development” and “education “reform” has gone hand in hand.
Education “reform” is being used to propel George Norcross’s “Camden Rising” – a land grab that seeks to gentrify the city of Camden for prospective affluent white residents. This plan blames minority and low-income residents and prioritizes the interests of wealthy property developers over the needs of the community. The destruction of community schools and family support systems will be left in the wake of “Camden Rising.”
Closing public schools in Camden will only decrease enrollment in the city’s remaining schools and deepen the district’s budget deficit. Austerity is not the answer. We demand an end to public school closures. District administration must actively communicate with parents and teachers to meet their needs and increase enrollment. New students should be welcomed into Camden Public Schools rather than be used as pawns for gentrification and real estate development. Most importantly, corporations and the wealthy must pay their fair share to the public.
New Jersey Democratic Socialists of America Solidarity Statement with Amazon Alabama Workers
Currently, 6,000 warehouse workers in Bessmer, Alabama are doing something historic: voting to unionize an Amazon workplace. Over the last decade, Amazon has become one of the most powerful and profitable companies in the world, but this was achieved through the exploitation of their workers. Amazon has subjected their workers to brutal and humiliating conditions from exhausting physical labor that leads to long term injuries, to unreasonable workplace quotas that force employees to take such measures as urinating in bottles, to widespread tracking and surveillance by computers. Already in Europe, many Amazon warehouse workers have unions to guarantee their health, safety, and job security; in America, Jeff Bezos has increased his wealth by $75 billion while leaving American Amazon workers to rely on Medicaid and SNAP to make ends meet during a global pandemic. We also know that Amazon engaged in a brutal union-busting campaign, including changing traffic lights to prevent organizers from speaking with employees about the union.
Historically, unionization efforts have always gone hand-in-hand with racial justice. In the 1940s, the CIO’s “Operation Dixie” sought to connect wage increases with dismantling Jim Crow segregation. It failed due to opposition from segregationists and McCarthyism, but it reemerged again during the Civil Rights Movement the 1960s. This culminated in the 1963 March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom and the 1968 Memphis sanitation workers’ strike where Martin Luther King Jr. was fatally assassinated. The New Jersey Democratic Socialists of America views the current unionization efforts at Amazon in Alabama as an extension of this legacy, and stands in solidarity with workers voting to unionize. Any effort against this unionization effort must be viewed as a de facto defense of white supremacy. This unionization vote and organizing effort will not only boost and uplift the Amazon warehouse’s predominantly black workers in Bessmer but also serve as a precedent for other workplaces in America to fight for better conditions, and fair, just labor rights for all.
In Solidarity,
North and South Jersey Democratic Socialists of America
Charlotte Metro DSA for M4A
On January 3rd, 2021, Charlotte Metro DSA held its monthly meeting in the midst of the #ForcetheVote on Medicare for All debate that was raging online amongst the American Left. While the weeks since that meeting have diverted our attention, it is important for the chapter leadership to revisit what was discussed at the meeting and report on the debates and decisions that the chapter made as a democratic organization in regard to #ForcetheVote.
Members displayed their passion and commitment to socialism and building working class power in one the longest debates in chapter history. Many fantastic questions were raised about how we build power, the nature of organizing work, and how we can effectively reach our friends, family, coworkers, and neighbors in the working class. Ultimately it was decided to not endorse the #ForcetheVote effort, but instead to use this as an opportunity to reaffirm our commitment as a chapter to Medicare for All organizing.
Through the debate we were able to reach a consensus as a chapter that healthcare is at the top of everyone’s mind, especially in the midst of a pandemic and economic crisis. Since healthcare intersects with every aspect of our lives - labor, housing, education, race, and gender, to name a few - it is also one of the easiest ways for us to start talking to and organizing with the people in our lives. So, instead of simply voting “no” on endorsing the #ForcetheVote effort, we want to use this as an opportunity. An opportunity to recommit to supporting Medicare for All organizing within Charlotte Metro DSA and in the Carolinas, as a way to reach and recruit new members, as a vehicle to building an effective organizing body in the region, and as a way to positively impact the lives of workers in our community and state.
As we launch this renewed effort in Medicare for All organizing, please join us for our Medicare for All Campaign Kickoff on Saturday, February 20th at 1:00 PM.
RSVP here. Campaign news, updates, and actions will be posted on our M4A Campaign launch page.
Medicare for All now. Solidarity forever.
The Charlotte Metro DSA Steering Committee
SJDSA Mutual Aid Statement On The Treatment of Our Unhoused Neighbors in Camden
“I have no mercy or compassion in me for a society that will crush people and then penalize them for not being able to stand up under the weight.” -Malcolm X
In a report from TapInto from Camden’s February 9th city council meeting, homeless activists spoke out about the lack of action taken by the city to assist the many unhoused individuals living in Camden, especially in the cold winter months. Camden County Commissioner Carmen Rodriguez had this to say in response (emphasis added):
“The intent of Code Blue [is to be a] life-saving measure, not a comfort measure. It’s a life-saving measure. When we do warm warming sites, we’re not here to invite the homeless in to feel comfortable, to give all kinds of haircuts and baths and feed them lasagna and things of that nature. We just want to make sure that they stay alive and encourage them to go in for services, encourage them to seek the services that they want.”
South Jersey DSA is appalled and disgusted by Commissioner Rodriguez’s inhumane response. The unhoused are not a burden, they are our neighbors, friends, and family. One in two hundred people will become homeless in a given year. For those below the poverty line, that number can fall to as low as 1 in 25. Camden’s poverty rate was about 30% in 2017. Homelessness is an artificial problem, created by governments and capitalists eager to exploit their communities. There are more vacant homes available than there are people without homes. Beginning with the Reagan administration, cuts to public housing and the social safety net have decimated impoverished communities and left millions of people without affordable housing. Rather than actually solve these problems, governments typically use victim-blaming and neoliberal reform. Public spaces are over-policed, hostile architecture is installed, and County Commissioners claim that they only need to provide a warm room in order to fulfill their moral duty to the public.
Indeed, in recent memory no community in New Jersey has been exploited as much as Camden. The Democratic Party in South Jersey that includes Commissioner Rodriguez famously wrote a tax break law to funnel over $1 billion directly to party boss George Norcross and his associates. The Victor apartment complex received millions in tax abatements to rent units for upwards of $2100 in a city once called the poorest in America. While some in the city suffer to even have clean water or adequate heat, let alone a place to sleep at night, a billion dollar waterfront “revitalization” that claims to bring jobs to Camden has cost hundreds of thousands of dollars to taxpayers per new job created. Not only could Camden County provide haircuts, baths, and even lasagna to everyone who requested them in warming sites, they could very easily provide homes for all of them just with the Norcross cartel’s ill-gotten riches. To do anything else with that money is condemning countless lives to death.
We stand in solidarity and action with the community organizers who are taking care of their community and speaking up about the inadequacies of our systems. You can support these efforts by following Compassion for Camden and responding to the needs of the community, donating at one of South Jersey Mutual Aid’s dropoff sites, or volunteering your time with a code blue shelter.