This is a special meeting of the GRDSA Chapter to consider a proposal to endorse and support several ballot initiatives.

We will have reps from each campaign to give a brief presentation and answer any questions. Then chapter members will present a proposal to endorse and circulate these petitions as a chapter.

Michigan for the Many (M4M) is an alliance between the MOP Up Michigan (Money Out of Politics) and the Invest in MI Kids (wealth tax to fund education).

Rank MI Vote (RMV) would amend the Michigan Constitution so that we would use Rank Choice Voting (instant runoff) for elections.

Join us Sunday, October 19, 4pm, on Zoom to hear how these initiatives can empower the working class of Michigan.

The post Special Chapter Meeting: Campaign Proposal Town Hall appeared first on Grand Rapids Democratic Socialists of America.

Last night, Wilmington City Council voted 4-3 to enact the Luke Waddell-sponsored “anti-camping” ordinance, which bans camping or sleeping on public property between the hours of 10PM to 7AM. It is no secret that this directly targets the unhoused population in our city, specifically in the downtown area. While there were some positive amendments to the ordinance to make it less punitive towards the unhoused, Wilmington DSA condemns this vote in the strongest possible terms, and applauds council members Andrews, Spears, and Barnett for their votes against it. 

A variety of mental health professionals, community activists, and shelter workers spoke out against this ordinance. They all stated — correctly — that it offers no solutions to the housing problems in Wilmington, and that a cycle of punishment, even if lowered from misdemeanors to infractions, only further traps those experiencing homelessness in  their present condition. It would also exacerbate the problems for unhoused Wilmingtonians dealing with mental health issues or addiction. Councilman Joyner and Mayor Saffo – both Democrats who will likely be asking you to “Vote Blue No Matter Who” in the near future – were the deciding votes on passing the ordinance. Their betrayal of the causes they campaigned on must be noted and remembered. 

We want to be clear: anyone framing this as a grand compromise, or a victory, is lying to you. Any politician or political party that describes this as a positive example of reaching across the aisle to get things done is counting on you being too busy, or bored, or uninterested, to really look at what this ordinance does. This is not a bi-partisan compromise, it is a capitulation to those attacking the most vulnerable among us in the name of protecting downtown businesses and real estate value. No wonder, then, that so many of our City Councilors come from the world of real estate, and openly ignored the advice of the experts who had spent months trying to explain to them why this ordinance would not solve the housing problems in Wilmington.

City Council and the County Commissioners need to work together on a comprehensive plan to create more resources, shelters, and affordable housing in Wilmington and New Hanover County. Policies to control rent, build affordable housing, and create alternatives to police-first interactions are key. These are supposed to be our politicians — we should expect them to enact political change. If they cannot find it in the current laws to do so, they need to write new laws or appeal to the state legislature to do the same. Pretending the problem will simply go away through infraction punishment — which can still require fines or community service from unhoused citizens who often have no means of fulfilling those obligations — is a distraction thought up by those who believe that punishment and heavy policing are the only ways to fix our city’s shortcomings. That future changes and plans for a more compassionate response were promised with no plan for implementing them — despite this issue not being a new one — shows the contempt the city government has for those who organized or showed up at yesterday’s meeting to protest this ordinance. 

We can imagine a better future for ourselves and our citizens. While homelessness has no magic fix, there are examples of working solutions to combat it all across the globe. Our inability to enact them here is a failure of willpower and general disinterest in the actual problems facing our city. Wilmington deserves better. 

Image credit: WECT

When did prisons become the primary method of justice? What future should abolitionists be working towards? In her short but powerful book, Angela Davis carefully maps out the origins of the prison system, explains the haphazard merging of interests that created the Prison Industrial Complex, and uncovers the inner workings of its racist and misogynistic structures that continue to evade reformation.

Join us for a collective conversation using this landmark book! This will be an open discussion. So bring your unanswered questions, your concerns, and your personal stories. Feel free to join even if you didn’t get the chance to read.

The post Greenville Book-Talk: “Are Prisons Obsolete?” by Angela Davis appeared first on Grand Rapids Democratic Socialists of America.

October 7, 2025 marks two years of genocide in Gaza. That is two years of bombings and massacres that have killed at least 67,000 Palestinians – 3% of the pre-war population, who were already living in an open-air prison under an illegal occupation prior to October 7, 2023. The vast majority of those killed have been innocent civilians, including over 20,000 children. This amounts to one child killed every hour. On top of this, one in every 14 Palestinians in Gaza has been injured, many in life altering ways, and that is before we even consider the mental and emotional injuries living through a genocide inflicts. It is estimated that 3-4,000 children have lost one or more limbs. It must be noted that the official death statistics only count those bodies that have been recovered, identified, and have a cause of death directly related to an attack. There are likely thousands still under the rubble, unidentifiable, or who died by starvation, dehydration, disease, or lack of normally accessible care for pre-existing medical conditions. Determining the true toll will only be possible via an extensive, comprehensive study – something Israel has made impossible both through its relentless onslaught of attacks and its refusal to allow foreign press, investigators, and officials into the Strip. As ghastly as the official numbers are, there will come a day when we learn the situation was much worse all along.

Israel has also manufactured the mass starvation of Palestinians in Gaza by blocking humanitarian aid. Instead of allowing the passage of the thousands of tons of food and medical supplies waiting at the border ready to be distributed, Israel has solely authorized the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation to carry out this task. This supposed humanitarian organization is well-documented to be a front for the IDF and foreign mercenaries to systematically humiliate and massacre the people who are forced to travel long distances through hostile territory in the hopes of collecting a meager bag of flour for their starving families. Last week, the Global Sumud Flotilla attempted to break the Israeli blockade and deliver food, medicine, and baby formula to the people of Gaza. Israel illegally intercepted the 42 civilian vessels in international waters and kidnapped 462 activists. Those kidnapped were taken to an Israeli prison where many were beaten and abused. As of writing, six remain in captivity. 

In the West, massive censorship and free speech violations have been employed in an attempt to cover up the genocide that is being live streamed to all of us and to suppress our righteous dissent. This includes the unconstitutional ICE kidnappings of green card and student visa holders who have dared protest against Israel and the buy-out of TikTok by tech billionaire, mass surveillance zealot and ardent Israel supporter Larry Ellison. While these actions can most immediately be connected to the genocide in Gaza, we can also see that they serve a larger purpose in the advancement of fascism at home, the war against the enemy within. Just as policing techniques and surveillance technologies first used abroad are inevitably deployed within the heart of empire, so too will fascist tactics used first to defend Israel be extended to support the total suppression of freedoms in the United States. We are already seeing this happen across the country, including in LA, Chicago, Portland, and now Madison as well. In many ways, we can view October 7, 2023 as the day the thin veneer of liberalism was finally shattered, laying bare the two options before us: socialism or barbarism.

Living in this reality, it is easy to give up hope and cower in fear. That is what the Trump regime is betting on – that you will eventually lie down and accept barbarism. The capitalists and their mouthpieces will tell you the other option is impossible. We know that isn’t true – socialism is winnable, but only through solidarity, organization, and our collective resolve to fight for the world we deserve. If you are feeling hopeless and scared in this moment, remember that you are not in it alone. In this week’s newsletter you will find a number of events where you can learn, protest, organize, and most of all, build the community we all need to fight fascism and win socialism, together. Check out the highlights below, and check your inbox for the full newsletter or click here to subscribe.

Tue. October 7, 6:30pm: Copaganda Book Talk with Author Alec Karakatsanis

Thu. October 9, 6:30-8pm: Marx’s Capital and Global Capitalism Today

Sun. October 12, 11am-12:30pm: Wretched of the Earth Reading Group

Sun. October 12, 5-9:00pm: Halloween Carnival & Queer Liberation March Fundraiser

Wed. October 15, 6:30-8:30pm: October General Membership Meeting

Sat. October 18, 12-5pm: No Kings! No Bosses! No Billionaires!

Mon. October 20, 6:30-8pm: Virtual New Member Orientation

Thu. October 23, 6-8pm: Organizing 101

Tue. October 28, 6:00pm: Madison Community Town Hall