On Friday, Sept. 27, MADSA, Extinction Rebellion and 10 other local organizations participated in the Global Climate Strike, calling for “rebellion against the government for criminal inaction in the face of climate catastrophe and ecological collapse,” saying: “The science is clear. The planet is steadily warming as carbon is released unabated into our atmosphere. Ice caps are melting, ecosystems are collapsing, and natural disasters are becoming more and more common. Meanwhile, in the shadow of this unprecedented threat to life on earth, the rich and powerful continue business as usual, upholding the status quo of the economic system that depends on the unlimited and unsustainable use of our planet’s resources. Our goal is to stand against those who wish to ignore the evidence and continue business as usual.”

MADSA member Michael Roberts reported:

Today MADSA comrades joined over 100 protesters in a climate strike. The strike began at the Buckhead MARTA station, then quickly moved across much of north Atlanta in an attempt to stay ahead of the police, who were prepared with a small army equipped with bikes,trucks, and buses. The police prevented access to the streets and even arrested many protesters, including some MADSA members. Despite being out-matched by the police, the protesters held strong and lasted the day, constantly asking the police “Who do you serve?” as a reminder and a call to action.

MADSA stands in solidarity with any group of grassroots activists who are willing to highlight and call into question the unquenchable greed that has brought on this climate crisis, and stand ready to defend all oppressed people to prevent further victimization while trying to hold back the exctinction of the human race.
Photo: Michael Roberts

See also AJC report and Channel 11.

Comrades Daniel Hanley and Lorraine Fontana were among 20 demonstrators arrested (all have been released). Donate to the bail fund: https://actionnetwork.org/fundraising/extinction-rebellion-mass-action-bail-fund

“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 or sign-up for our newsletter to get links to what we talk about on the show. You can do that on at our website revolutionsperminute.simplecast.com. You can also find us on twitter @nycRPM.

By Julian Prados Franks

In early September, Metro Atlanta DSA’s Immigrant Rights Working Group organized a second solidarity visit to the infamous Stewart Detention Center in Lumpkin, Georgia. Even compared to other ICE detention centers, Stewart, a private prison owned by CoreCivic, has a particularly gross penchant for abject cruelty and abuse. With the solidarity visit, we intended to provide some of the detained immigrants, especially those without family members to visit regularly, one hour of open conversation outside of the monotony of life inside Stewart. A group of four DSA members (Julian Prados Franks, Kaitlyn Barnes, Daniel Hanley, and Israel Tordoya Henckell) met at the Edgewood MARTA station before sunrise to make a two-and-a-half-hour trek to Lumpkin.

Before arriving at the detention center, however, we received a house tour and orientation from volunteers at El Refugio. El Refugio, which coordinates the visits with the men detained in Stewart, is a nonprofit established in the late 2000s by members of Georgia Detention Watch for the purpose of providing safe lodging and warm meals free of charge to families and individuals wanting to spend the weekend with their loved ones detained by ICE.

After orientation, our members waited multiple hours in processing, allowing us to experience the grueling wait that immigrant families will endure to spend one hour in direct contact with the men at Stewart. We each spoke to one man. Many of the personal details shared with us must remain confidential, but we can confirm that they were in good spirits during our conversations and felt excited to speak with new people from outside the prison. Some acknowledged the deplorable conditions inside, while others wanted to focus on happier things.

El Refugio encourages volunteers to debrief and decompress after the visits, so we made our way back to their lodging house to share our thoughts and feelings. Additionally, El Refugio provides volunteers with the information necessary to write letters and send gifts to the people they visited.

Reflecting on the experience, our own Daniel Hanley said, “El Refugio does incredible work to connect families and friends with their loved ones detained at Stewart, giving otherwise isolated immigrants an appreciated connection to the outside world. Detainees confirmed accounts of torture (such as solitary confinement and tasers), routine human rights violations, psychological trauma, years of valuable time wasted. Despite these abuses, we met with detainees who are resilient and hopeful they will emerge from detention to pursue their dreams, possibly with the assistance of popular mobilization outside the facility. One friend inside the detention center recounted a grueling intercontinental journey to escape threats to their life. They described an inspiring sense of unity, solidarity, and mutual aid among fellow migrants, and they were welcomed with smiles and open arms throughout the countries of Latin America, until they encountered scowls along the U.S. border. Now they struggle in Stewart for greater access to education as months of their life are pointlessly wasted in a privately owned cage.”

We left the house feeling a deeper connection with the immigrant community and a heightened sense of concern for their future. We also felt a little more hopeful experiencing the radical love of the volunteers at El Refugio and observing the perseverance of the immigrant families visiting Stewart.

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 or sign-up for our newsletter to get links to what we talk about on show. You can do that on at our website revolutionsperminute.simplecast.com. You can also find us on twitter @nycRPM.

By Jeff C.
On September 13, 2019 members of the Metro Atlanta Democratic Socialists of America and the North Georgia Socialist Rifle Association met up in Atlanta to car pool to Dahlonega to protest the white supremacist rally taking place there. We did not arrive as outside agitators but as invited guests of the community, led by the Socialist Coalition of North Georgia and faith leaders from local places of worship. We were proud to be part of a united front against fascism and white supremacy, putting up a non-violent counter protest to the Nazis who intended to take over the square in the center of town. While at least two comrades were arrested, we were able to outnumber the fascists by at least 2 to 1 during the entire day, making it a victory for antifascism. The counter protesters numbered over 100, while the fascists began with under a dozen and could only marshal fewer than 40 to their cause by the end of the day. Solidarity today. Solidarity forever! Always Antifascist. Photos by Steve Eberhardt.

Last week, public ownership of utilities got serious time at two hearings on ConEd’s summer blackouts and a CNN Climate Town Hall. Today, we’ll talk with Amber Ruther and Aaron Eisenberg of the NYC DSA Ecosocialist Working Group about how organizing for public power in NYC is gaining momentum and how Democratic presidential candidates’ “Green New Deal” plans look through an Ecosocialist lens.

Photo by Michael Roberts

On Sunday, September 8th members of Metro Atlanta DSA took to the streets and canvassed Atlanta neighborhood Cabbagetown to rally support for Senator Bernie Sanders for president in 2020.

“Senator Sanders is the only candidate who will stand up for our right to healthcare, to a voice on the job, and to a liveable planet,” said chapter leader Alexander Hernandez. “He’s also the only one with the vision to fix the damage done by Trump’s GOP, his parrots like Kemp, and conservative Democrats. But he’ll need our help even after he’s elected. That’s why we’re in the community building a working class movement for not just 2020, but beyond.”

Metro Atlanta DSA is just one of dozens of DSA chapters all over the country who knocked on doors this weekend to support Sanders. “We want to help Bernie win, full stop” said newly elected DSA National Political Committee member Megan Svoboda. “He’s the best chance we have to beat Donald Trump. But we’re also organizing to build a bigger base for democratic socialist politics, because it’s going to take a movement to win a Green New Deal, support union organizing, and make sure this country is no longer dominated by millionaires and billionaires. Senator Sanders is the only candidate who has stood consistently with working-class people and who knows that a mass movement is needed to change this country.”

Senator Sanders’ message is resonating with working people across the United States who recognize that the billionaire class is standing in our way. Metro Atlanta DSA is holding a Debate Watch Party on Thursday, September 12 7:30-11 pm at Noni’s Deli. 357 Edgewood Ave SE. Atlanta, GA 30312. MADSA will hold its next canvass for Bernie on Sunday, September 22nd in East Atlanta

By David H.
Metro Atlanta DSA, through its Ecosocialists working group, joined a
broad coalition of organizations to rally in response to the call by the
Indigenous Peoples of Brazil to protest the right wing Bolsonaro Government.

The Amazon Rainforest is burning. Fires have almost doubled compared
to last year. These fires are destroying the homes of indigenous
people who have had to strive persistently to protect the land, their
rights, and their very lives. These fires are eliminating wildlife and
their habitats too swiftly and broadly to allow for recovery. When
healthy, the vast Amazon cleans air and draws down carbon dioxide from
the atmosphere, benefiting the rest of the world. But instead this
rainforest is being incinerated at an alarming rate.

These fires are no accident. Beef and soy companies — with the support
of companies like Costco, Cargill, and BlackRock, with permission from
the Bolsonaro government — set fires to clear away forests for
industrial agriculture.

The National Articulation of the Indigenous Peoples of Brazil (APIB) has
called for international solidarity in response to the fires and
ever-increasing threats. Amazon Watch and Extinction Rebellion have lead
the call for a Global Day of Action for the Amazon.

In Atlanta, at noon on Sept. 5 outside the Brazilian consulate, a
broad coalition of organizations gathered in solidarity with the
Indigenous People. Signs saying “Bolsonaro stop Cargill’s fires” spoke
to the deadly alliance formed between Bolsonaro’s government and big
corporations like Cargill and called upon Bolsonaro to end these
atrocities.

Much pressure is needed to win this fight. This became even
more clear when the protesters engaged with the Brazilian Consul.

Unexpectedly, he turned up at the demonstration and engaged in
conversation with us. Not surprisingly, however, he iterated the
government’s perspective, emphasizing that the Brazilian government does
everything it can to stop the fires and falsely stating there were fewer
fires than in the past. When corrected upon the false numbers the Consul
stated that we would do better to get our information from
Brazilian media outlets. It was soon clear that his ears are deaf to any
facts, reminding us very much of our own current government. Suitably, Bolsonaro
has been nicknamed the Trump of Brazil. in many ways these two
governments are aligned, and we know that their political ideology, which
is dangerously close to fascism, will just bring destruction to the
world. With the burning Amazon we see it right in front of our eyes.

Today we showed the Brazilian government that the world is watching! We
hope that the Consul of Brazil will deliver the message conveyed to him
by the protesters: The world is watching and demands that the Brazilian
government stop facilitating big agribusinesses’ destruction of the
Amazon, now! The Bolsonaro government must act upon the calls of the
Indigenous Peoples of Brazil and must stop the destruction of one
of our world’s major carbon sinks. It must stop destroying
indigenous livelihood and jeopardizing humanity’s future by exacerbating
climate change.

Supporting organizations:
Extinction Rebellion, Amazon Watch, Mighty Earth, Sierra Club – Beyond
Coal, Metro Atlanta Sierra Club, Metro Atlanta Democratic Socialists of
America, Science for the People Atlanta, Dogwood Alliance, Rainforest
Action, XL Dissent, Georgia Interfaith Power & Light, Friends of the
Earth U.S., Stand4Forests, Fulton County Democrats, The Climate Reality
Project: Atlanta, Center for Sustainable Communities – Atlanta.

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You’re listening to Revolutions Per Minute on WBAI, a socialist radio show and podcast from members of New York City Democratic Socialists of America.The Democratic Socialists of America is the largest socialist organization in the United States, with 56,000 members nationwide and NYC-DSA is its biggest chapter. We are run by our 5,500+ members and organizers who are working together to build democratic socialism in all five boroughs.

To connect with us after the show you can email us at revolutionsnyc@gmail.com or sign-up for our newsletter to get links to what we talk about on show. You can do that on at our website revolutionsperminute.simplecast.com. You can also find us on twitter @nycRPM.

To get involved with DSA's effort in Bernie 2020: https://bernie.dsausa.org/