Seattle DSA and a broad coalition of working class organizations helped deliver Renton the highest minimum wage in the country through the passage of Measure 23-02. Now, South King County DSA organizers are forming a branch and expanding a socialist presence in a multiracial, working class city. 

Tonight, Seattle DSA is celebrating a historic win for the working class in Renton. Voters have overwhelmingly decided to raise the minimum wage to $20.29/hour for the largest employers in town.  This victory will facilitate a wealth transfer of tens of millions of dollars a year from the capitalist class to working class Rentonites.

We’re grateful for our coalition partners who were crucial in this campaign. Our progressive ally and Renton City Councilmember Carmen Rivera has been a champion of raising the wage from the beginning, despite constant outside pressures from business interests. The Transit Riders Union are the architects of Tukwila’s minimum wage initiative, and their guidance was a huge factor in getting this initiative passed. The Renton Education Association also played a crucial role: three REA members served on the Raise the Wage Renton steering committee and helped lead this campaign to victory. Contributions from labor and individuals sustained the campaign for over 13 months.

Membership mobilized at an unprecedented scale for our chapter, showing the power of a member-driven DSA Difference campaign. Raise the Wage Renton’s steering committee and PAC board were comprised entirely of DSA members. Most of these members, including everyone on the PAC board, live and work in Renton, and were fighting alongside fellow workers for greater economic freedom. The campaign knocked on 25,000+ doors, canvassed 59,000+ voters, made 14,000+ phone calls, and had 15,000+ conversations with Renton voters in the field or on the phone. Over 100 DSA members mobilized for 90% of these canvass attempts and 75% of these phone calls. Working at this scale established a new socialist organizing presence in Renton, and we’re excited for what the future holds for Seattle DSA and our soon to be formed South King County Branch.

The post Renton Raises the Wage! Workers win $20.29/hour starting in July 2024 appeared first on Seattle Democratic Socialists of America.

The unionization rate in the United States remains at around 10% after decades of deindustrialization in the Northeast and Midwest as well as anti-worker policies from corporations and the state, but labor organizers are fighting back. Across the country the UAW is attempting to organize non-union auto plants while here in New York service workers are building collective power. Last year we spoke with organizers from Barboncino’s who successfully organized a union at the pizza restaurant where they work. Today we’re joined by members of Nitehawk Workers Union Organizing Committee as they prepare for an National Labor Relations Board Election.

Does Initiative 83 pose a threat to the District's left-wing electoral project? A Minnesotan expatriate shares their perspective on the proposed system.

Upcoming Events

Wednesday, 2/14 (6:45 p.m. – 9:00 p.m.): February Chapter Meeting (In person at UNITE HERE Local 2, 209 Golden Gate Ave)

Friday, 2/16 (12:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.): Office Hours (In person at 1916 McAllister)

Friday, 2/16 (6:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.): Cross-Bay Mixer with East Bay DSA (In person at Arthur Mac’s Tap and Snack, 4006 Martin Luther King Jr. Way, Oakland)

Saturday, 2/17 (12:00 p.m. – 2:00 p.m.): Field Trip to the Museum of International Propaganda with EBDSA (In person at 1000 5th Ave, San Rafael)

Tuesday, 2/20 (6:00 p.m. – 7:30 p.m.): What is DSA? (In person at 1916 McAllister)

Wednesday, 2/21 (6:30 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.): HWG Reading Group – Mean Streets (In person at 1916 McAllister; Zoom)

Thursday, 2/22 (6:30 p.m. – 9:00 p.m.): February Tech Workers Meetup (In person at 1916 McAllister)

Friday, 2/23 (12:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.): Special Edition Office Hours with DSA’s National Political Committee (In person at 1916 McAllister)

Friday, 2/23 (5:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m.): Gumbo Dinner with the NPC and Dean Preston (In person at 1916 McAllister)

Saturday, 2/24 (11:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.): February Office Cleaning/Organizing (In person at 1916 McAllister)

Saturday, 2/24 (11:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.): Homelessness Working Group (HWG) Office Hours (In person at 1916 McAllister)

Saturday, 2/24 (1:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.): HWG Sock Distro (Meet in person at 1916 McAllister)

Saturday, 2/24 (7:00 p.m. – 9:30 p.m.): [Hosted by East Bay DSA] Social: Meet Your National Political Committee! (In person at 2344 Webster Street, Oakland)

Check out https://dsasf.org/events/ for more events.

Events & Actions

Nominate Co-Chairs for the Palestine Solidarity Working Group

The Palestine Solidarity Working Group will be holding elections for the working group’s co-chairs at the February 14th chapter meeting tomorrow! The new co-chairs’ term will last from February through June. Members can nominate themselves or a comrade by emailing steering@dsasf.org with their nominations before the February chapter meeting.

Show Your Smolidarity at the February Chapter Meeting

The Priority Mutual Aid Working Group will be providing childwatch at the chapter meeting tomorrow, February 14th!

Parents and caregivers can fill out this form before the meeting to help ensure we have enough volunteers and supplies on hand. Volunteers interested in providing childcare can let us know on the #priority-mutual-aid Slack channel or via the form. We hope to see you and your kiddos there!

DSA SF and East Bay DSA Cross-Bay Mixer

Join us this Friday, February 16th at 6:00 p.m. for an evening of community-building and connection with our comrades! We will be meeting at 4006 Martin Luther King, Jr. Way in Oakland.

DSA SF and East Bay DSA are co-hosting a Valentine’s cross-bay mixer. Come for a comradely take on “speed dating” where we’ll chat, mingle, and make new friends! Hope to see you there!

Field Trip to the Museum of International Propaganda with East Bay DSA

EBDSA is organizing a  field trip to the Museum of International Propaganda on February 17th from 12:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m. in San Rafael. They’ve invited us to join them!

If you’re interested in tagging along, message ellie or Jenna L on Slack.

Apply to Join the 2024 Convention Planning Subcommittee!

The 2024 Convention Planning Subcommittee is tasked with setting the timeline, putting together the agenda, leading the coordination, and handling the logistics for the chapter’s 2024 Annual Convention in June. We are starting early because its a big operation! The cadence will be light at the beginning of the process and naturally pick up the pace as we get closer to the main event!

Comrades with event planning experience are especially encouraged to apply! This is also a great place for newer members who are interested in jumping into the chapter to get involved. You’ll have plenty of support and see how the sausage is made for one of the biggest productions and most important cornerstones of our chapter’s democratic practice.

Behind the Scenes

The Chapter Coordination Committee (CCC) regularly rotates duties among chapter members. This allows us to train new members in key duties that help keep the chapter running like organizing chapter meetings, keeping records updated, office cleanup, updating the DSA SF website and newsletter, etc. Members can view current CCC rotations.

To help with the day-to-day tasks that keep the chapter running, fill out the CCC help form.

Questions? Feedback? Something to add?

We welcome your feedback. If you have comments or suggestions, send a message to the #newsletter channel on Slack.

For information on how to add content, check out the Newsletter Q&A thread on the forum.

By Vanessa Bartlett and Oscar Strzalka

CAMBRIDGE, MA – About 30 cafeteria workers at Meta’s Cambridge offices staged a walkout on Friday, escalating their ongoing fight for a fair contract. The food service workers, members of UNITE HERE Local 26, have been working without a contract since Meta replaced their subcontractor with Yarzin Sella in December. Workers walked out to demand that Yarzin Sella adopt the contract that workers had with their previous employer, Flagship Facility Services. 

Last December, Yarzin Sella took over dining operations at the Cambridge Meta office, and refused to acknowledge the contract that workers had negotiated with their previous employer. Their contract expired on December 31, 2023, and workers have been demanding recognition from Yarzin Sella since. 

The Yarzin Sella workers who serve @Meta Cambridge have been members of @UNITEHERE26 since 2022. They had a contract with the previous operator, Flagship Facility Services, that expired on December 31, 2023. pic.twitter.com/GZj9lSjNZN

— UNITE HERE Local 26 (@UNITEHERE26) February 9, 2024

Unite Here Local 26 President Carlos Aramayo said that dining workers “down the street” at Google, also represented by Local 26, make substantially more than the dining workers at Meta, despite the fact that Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg is the fifth-richest person in the world.

“So we’re here today to demand Yarzin Sella, the contractor, and Meta, do the right thing, to recognize the contract that these folks have and bargain a new contract that meets the standards of Google,” Aramayo said. 

Rank-and-file dining worker Maria Pineda said that she has experienced the precarity of working in non-union workplaces. 

“We worked hard in a lot of different jobs in the 20 years that we’ve been in the U.S., in a chicken factory and also as cleaners at Flagship before we started working as dishwashers here. In most of that time, we didn’t have respect from our bosses or benefits unless they just wanted to give it to us,” said Pineda. Having a union contract meant no longer having to rely on a benevolent boss to receive fair compensation for her labor.

“When Yarzin Sella came in, they were putting in danger the benefits, job protections, and wages that we won when we got the union last year,” said Pineda. 

Shawn Fain, the President of UAW, was also present at the picket line. 

“We hear about cafeteria workers here – they’re not asking to be millionaires, none of us are asking to be millionaires. We just want a fair share of the fruits of our labor,” Fain said during his speech. 

The dining workers were joined by DSA members and union members from Harvard, MIT, and other union siblings in the Greater Boston area, making up a crowd of roughly a hundred picketers. 

Fain addressed the cross-union working class solidarity that was evident at Friday’s picket, where Unite Here members were joined on the picket line by many other unions and community groups. 

“This is how we win. We stand together – it doesn’t matter what industry you’re from, what union you’re from, or even if you’re union. Our fight is the same,” Fain said. 

Vanessa Bartlett is a staff organizer for UAW, and a member of Boston DSA. She has a background in print and radio journalism, but please don’t hold that against her.

Oscar Strzalka is a Boston native, former union staffer, and longtime labor advocate in the Boston area.

Photo Credit: Terry A./ Working Mass

Twin Cities Democratic Socialists of America Little Red Letter #123 Putting Our Office To Work, Sending YDSA Members To Conference, and A Ceasefire Remains Critical Putting Our Office To Work Before anything else, let’s start off with an invitation to our upcoming office open house.  Details are further below, but as we have mentioned, last […]

As Americans tuned in to the Super Bowl on Sunday night, Israel mercilessly bombed Rafah, the last major city in Gaza that had yet to be seriously touched by Israel’s genocidal onslaught. In just over an hour, the Israeli Defense Forces killed an estimated hundred civilians in rocket and bomb attacks, escalating the government’s ongoing effort to ethnically cleanse the Palestinian people. As citizens in the U.S. woke up on Monday morning, more and more became aware of what had happened the previous night in Gaza, and quickly organizers in Maine and across the U.S. did what they do best: they organized.

In Chicago, they took to the streets near Federal Plaza. In New York City, they shut down the tunnel to Grand Central. Here in Portland, with less than 12 hours to organize, the Maine Coalition for Palestine rallied roughly 200 to Monument Square on a chilly Monday night, reiterating calls for an immediate ceasefire and decrying the incomprehensible crimes against humanity being committed by the state of Israel. As folks with signs and noise makers lined Congress Street and passing cars gave supportive honks, others gathered around the square’s statue, ready to hear the night’s featured speakers.

Seven speakers addressed the crowd, backdropped by messages projected onto the statue and nearby building, like “Never Again is Now,” and images that stressed the atrocities taking place. Paige from the Maine Coalition for Palestine reminded the crowd that the world has “been letting Gaza die for five months now.” Contrasting the celebration of sports in America with the horrors faced in Rafah, they left the audience with the final thought that there had been “109 killed in one hour, and that was our halftime show.”

Tim, from Maine Voices for Palestinian Rights noted the cowardice of President Joe Biden in the face of what the world is increasingly coming to see as a genocide. “If Genocide Joe wants things to change, then stop sending 2,000 pound bombs to incinerate the rest of Gaza!” And Nick from Maine Students for Palestine spoke on the decimation not only of Palestinian life, but of Palestinian knowledge. “All universities in Palestine have either been significantly damaged or completely destroyed,” he said before listing names of Palestinian scholars and professors killed by Israeli forces in these last five months. 

Speakers Anna and Lily came up together. Anna, of Jewish faith, invited other Jewish attendees to come stand with them up front. About twenty people came forward, showcasing that this isn’t about religion, but about standing up against genocide and fighting for the human rights of everyone, everywhere. “When I think of those murdered in this genocide,” she said, “I think of my Oma, who fled genocide in Nazi Germany.” And Lily sang a Jewish song of mourning to remember those Palestinians who have been killed. 

Finally, Niko from the Party for Socialism and Liberation brought the message of the night full circle. They emphasized that this genocide does not exist in a vacuum. It has been allowed to continue with the blessing of the global West, because Israel is important to its continuing imperial project; and noted how its weapons sales have been profitable for merchants of death, like Lockheed Martin and General Dynamics. But, they made sure to end with a call to action and agency. “Don’t let anyone tell you that you cannot change this, because we are changing the narrative right now.” Lastly, Niko led the crowd in a growing, echoing cry, “Money for jobs and education, not for war and occupation!” With a growing chorus of protests across the world, and the growing cries of those being killed in Gaza, there’s no doubt U.S. and world leaders hear peoples’ desire for peace. Now, it’s a matter of making them care.

The post Portland Rallies for Palestine After Rafah Bombed appeared first on Pine & Roses.

To the management of Index Media,

Well, this is an easy one.

Workers at various Index Media properties, like The Stranger, Portland Mercury, and Everout, are unionizing with CWA-News Guild. As Seattle residents and fans of The Stranger, we have some earnest advice for the higher-ups at Index: you gotta recognize the union. For your own sake.

The Stranger has stood with working people, and with unions, in their fights for justice in Seattle and beyond. Their endorsements highlight pro-union candidates, and shame assholes endorsed by Seattle Chamber of Commerce and other anti-union groups. The Stranger’s excellent reporting lets Starbucks workers tell their stories, correctly calls union-busting CEOs like Howard Schultz “brats”, and exposes nonprofits who hire union-busting law firms.

So, Index Media, you might not think a bunch of socialists from Seattle DSA would be on your side, but we’re being sincere here. You’ve got a newsroom full of energetic reporters whose entire body of work is about being on the side of the common person against the bosses and landlords who run Seattle. These troublemakers come to you saying you should voluntarily recognize their union.

They’re going to get their union, because they already are a union, and you know it. If you voluntarily recognize their union, you get to skip a bunch of bullshit, save a ton of money in legal fees, and get straight to the part where you negotiate a contract. If you don’t, you get an angry group of people whose job is literally writing about how you suck. If they weren’t good at getting a massive audience of Seattlites to read about unfair bosses, they wouldn’t be working at The Stranger.

So, what’s it gonna be? Will you skip to the part where you negotiate a contract with your writers, or do you want them to use that creative energy on clever picket signs? Should your social media team do their jobs of promoting your paper, or should those viral tweets be about how you’re trying to bust the union?

Honestly, it would be way more fun for us at Seattle DSA to plan actions with the union and be at their picket lines, so arguing that you should voluntarily recognize them isn’t even in our best interests. If you’d rather listen to us leading chants outside your fancy offices instead of listening to us telling you to recognize the union, we can do that, too.

Signed,

Seattle DSA Labor Working Group

The post Index Media: Recognize the Union! appeared first on Seattle Democratic Socialists of America.

by Gregory Lebens-Higgins; Published in collaboration with Boom Town Press

Rochester Downtown Development Corporation’s (“RDDC”) Economic Growth Series: Vision~Future 2023 took place on December 5, 2023, featuring presentations from Mayor Malik Evans and County Executive Adam Bello alongside remarks from members of RDDC.

“I want you to imagine,” begins Mayor Malik Evans before launching into an idyllic depiction of a gentrified downtown Rochester: “storage factories and warehouses that have been converted into artists’ lofts, studios, and apartments. Picture the Genesee River flowing between the Corn Hill and the South Wedge neighborhoods, [and] on the banks on both sides crowds are on lawn chairs and blankets watching a concert on a floating stage.”

We are at Rochester Downtown Development Corporation’s Economic Growth Series: Vision~Future 2023, and Mayor Evans is taking the property owners, developers, and investors filling the conference room at Rochester Riverside Convention Center on a journey of economic opportunity.

“Imagine twenty-two acres of brand new real estate where the Inner Loop North has been converted into residential neighborhoods, boutique shopping, and greenspace,” he continues. “Imagine Main and Clinton, at the historic part of Rochester, no longer a visual abomination that insults the eye.”

“Imagine the day when Rochester’s economy is once again driven by the most powerful economic resource in the world: Imagination itself.” But certainly no economy runs on imagination and it is in fact profit that Evans is thinking of.

The son of a minister, Evans frequently uses poetic refrains. Here, “imagination” alludes to the “dream” invoked by Martin Luther King Jr. With Evans, this dream is contorted in the service of extreme materialism, “encourag[ing] us in the greed and exploitation which creates the sector of poverty in the midst of wealth,” as identified by King in his address on the “three evils of society.” Though Evans wants us to dream big in transforming downtown, the best he can offer is a limited vision for the material benefit of Rochester’s owner class.

No Option for Opposition

The vision of Mayor Evans and RDDC countenances no opposition to their dream to turn downtown Rochester into an entertainment district and center of investment for the wealthy. Speaking prior to Evans, Joseph Rizzo, Manager of Economic Development at NYSEG and RG&E, described a career of moving economic development programs forward in a “swift and nimble manner.” RDDC seems poised to do the same with the planned Business Improvement District (or “BID”).

RG&E’s role as lead sponsor of Vision~Future is a perfect pairing. Hoping to ward off calls for a public utility, RG&E is attempting to improve public relations with spending throughout the community, including events to promote the BID. Under a public utility, similar spending would be subject to democratic control with recipients selected by and for the benefit of the community. RG&E’s quasi-government partnership—in effect a corporate expansionary program—is the perfect blueprint for the BID’s designers.

According to the Draft Downtown Rochester Business Improvement District Plan, the BID would levy a special assessment (or additional tax) on downtown properties. These funds would be controlled by a board of directors, the majority of whom “must represent property owners within the BID boundary,” and would be used for services including event promotion, supporting small businesses, maintenance and beautification, and supplementing social services. Importantly, these funds may only be used within the footprint of the BID.

How best to collect and distribute funds for Rochester are major decisions deserving of input by the entire community. However, RDDC’s demonstrated intent is to limit democratic engagement on the issue by implementing the BID without proper scrutiny. As early as February 2022, Bob Duffy, who is on RDDC’s Board of Directors and receives more than $200,000 annually from RG&E, spoke of “moving rapidly toward the approval” of the BID.

Although RDDC’s guiding principles include “community centered,” it has failed to ask whether the BID is something the community wants. Galin Brooks, President and CEO of RDDC, claimed to gather community input from speaking to “thousands of people.” But such interactions have been a fig leaf to hide the undemocratic nature of the process.

The limit of these interactions are exemplified by the Downtown Rochester BID Survey (which remained open for only one month after the Draft District Plan was released). There are no options for opposition—only the ratification and prioritization of programs and services that have already been decided on by RDDC. NO BID ROC, a coalition opposed to the BID, reports:

“Public engagement and feedback overseen by the RDDC has been far from genuine. RDDC members and BID affiliates filled feedback sessions and ‘Walkshop’ events. Board members routinely swayed discussions and mentioned pro-BID talking points. Consultants recorded them as general feedback. The RDDC filled their sessions with leading questions. As concerns about the BID grew, the RDDC canceled and failed to reschedule promised events, effectively silencing and keeping dissenting voices undocumented.”

Speaking at Vision~Future, County Executive Adam Bello encouraged attendance at an upcoming public input session—not to give feedback on whether or not a BID is desirable, but “so you can see all the benefits that the BID can bring.”

The Benefits of BIDs

But what benefits would the BID bring? “You’ve heard how over a thousand of these exist across the U.S.,” said Galin Brooks. “That’s because they work,” she asserted.

Perhaps BIDs are effective for RDDC’s purpose—as a “tool that displaces small businesses and heavily favors property owners.” But the noticeable effects for most Rochestarians will be to raise prices, decrease democratic control of downtown, and exacerbate heavy-handed policing.

BIDs are permitted to raise revenue through a special assessment levied on property owners. These costs will be passed onto residential tenants and small business owners in the form of increased rents. Businesses, in turn, will be forced to increase prices for food and entertainment. Those unable to make ends meet risk replacement by giant retailers and chain stores.

While tenants pay more to remain downtown, they will have limited input on the BID’s decisions. Although the BID’s governance body promises representation by at least two non-owner tenants, one small business owner, and a handful of other community members, a majority of board members must be property owners. There is no guarantee that they even live in the district they govern.

Once in power, these bodies are incredibly difficult to dissolve: “either a majority of property owners must turn against the BID, or there must be a direct decree from the City Council or Mayor.”

Incidentally, the BID would also achieve another purpose for RDDC by guaranteeing its budget. Unlike other not-for-profit organizations, RDDC would never have to fundraise or ask members (mostly large developers) to pay annual dues again.

The focus on investing additional funds downtown, while neglecting more impoverished areas of the City, is described as a form of 21st century redlining by anti-BID activists. Redlining is the practice of closing off minority neighborhoods to investment, while providing preferential loans to white property owners. The BID, by levying an assessment on downtown property owners that is not distributed into poorer areas, is premised on the same principles of racial exclusion.

BIDs also contribute to the “coercive exclusion of marginalized people.” As rising prices make downtown unaffordable for the poor, increased security will ensure it also remains inaccessible. A study from UC Berkeley Law School’s Public Policy Clinic found that BIDs in California “habitually harass the homeless,” referring to them as “homeless exclusion districts.”

Homelessness is targeted using vagrancy laws passed at the insistence of business owners. These laws are harshley enforced through public-private coordination with the police, or using private security to patrol downtown. Such private security is empowered to function in ways typically reserved for state actors, i.e., controlling public space.

Given Rochester’s history of doubling-down on policing, one cannot doubt that these inequitable security aspects would be a major component of the BID. “It starts with safety,” said Malik Evans at Vision~Future, while Executive Bello’s presentation touted his excessive investments in policing. The groundwork for increased surveillance and criminal enforcement downtown can be seen with Evan’s failed attempt to conflate opioid settlement funding for people in need with RDDC’s concierge service known as the “ambassador program.”

BID Buzzwords

Vision~Future’s sales pitch for the BID is littered with vacuous phrases. Echoing the guiding principles of RDDC’s Draft District Plan, Bello spoke of “vibrant, thriving neighborhoods,” while Evans called for a “safe, equitable, and prosperous Rochester.”

These terms contain vastly different interpretations. For Bello, “vibrancy” does not describe a vision of integrated communities, but of marketable spectacle. Mayor Evans’ references to “safety” speak of militarized police forces rather than protective social welfare.

“We must move from a ‘poverty mindset’ to a ‘prosperity mindset’ in our City,” Evans proclaimed. Following the tenants of the pseudoscientific law of attraction, Evans believes we will manifest our desires merely by thinking of them. Perhaps if we ignore those in poverty, they will simply disappear.

Instead, we must focus on the visionaries, believers, investors and innovators:

“Innovators who look at a problem and see a solution. The visionaries who embrace their imagination and dare to hope. … Investors with the resources to make innovation possible … [and] believers with enough imagination to provide opportunity and turn hope into reality.”

Evans has an incredible talent for discovering provocative ways to say nothing. Yet we can count on the “divine serendipity that happens when visionaries and believers come together. When hope and opportunity collide.” Once again, Evans is reaching for God and scripture like laments to deliver for the upper class.

This vision demonstrates a disinterest in meaningfully addressing segregation and poverty. It is merely a retreading of the failed policy of trickle-down economics. The result is always the same—the rising tide lifts only a few yachts, not all boats. RDDC’s Draft District Plan provides no details for addressing poverty in downtown Rochester, and the section on “Social Services Supplement” is noticeably its shortest.

Who is “We”?

Despite these blind spots, Evans claims “we’re bringing people from all walks of life, from every economic spectrum, together.” A “downtown for everybody.” Likewise, Galin Brooks spoke of “a future for Downtown Rochester we can all embrace.”

But who is the “we” being described?

Clearly, “we” is not those unable to afford inflated costs for apartments, retail space, and events. When speaking of stakeholders, RDDC is referring to those present at Vision~Future who can expect to profit from the BID. Rochester’s impoverished residents, rather than a target for their own revitalization, are viewed primarily as a pliant workforce for outside investors.

Greater attention is focused on students attending the area’s universities and colleges. “When they graduate,” says Bello, “we want them to know our community, not just their campus. We want Rochester and Monroe County to not just be a stop on their journey, but a place to call home and raise their families.” As impoverished Rochester and Monroe County residents are denied basic social services, graduates are offered lump-sum payments to live and work in Monroe County.

Mayor Evans may speak of “visionaries in every neighborhood with a vision to change the world,” but it is clear that only certain visions are valued. Ultimately, RDDC views downtown as a play place for the rich. Somewhere “where people will continue to flock for shows and other entertainment,” in Bello’s words. Similarly, Evans speaks of “a Rochester that values a quality of life.” However, it is clear that quality of life under the direction of RDDC is restricted to upscale restaurants, shows, and high-end apartments, rather than guaranteed food and housing, reliable healthcare, and robust education.

“Nothing Goes Quietly in Rochester”

Trickle-down economics is the theory that increasing the wealth of those at the top of the class hierarchy will lift the economic fortunes of those at its bottom levels. But its implementation has only led to growing wealth inequality and stagnating wages. By steering funds into the hands of wealthy property owners who will reinvest them only for their benefit, a BID in Rochester will create the same results.

Mayor Evans speaks of “bringing people of every economic spectrum together.” But they cannot enjoy his gentrified fantasy of downtown Rochester collectively, since many will be priced-out, and others shuffled away by police and private security. The only “bringing people of every economic spectrum together” will be to provide an exploitable working class fully available for the needs of Mayor Evans’ rich friends and campaign donors.

Referring to the property owners, developers, and investors in the room, Joe Rizzo described a “unified front.” It is clear that the capitalists have organized as a class to maximize their control over downtown, and are coalescing to ensure the BID is implemented according to their careful watch.

But as Joel Frater, Past Chair of RDDC, said at Vision~Future: “nothing goes quietly in Rochester.” The NO BID ROC campaign—supported by a coalition including the NY Working Families Party, City-Wide Tenant Union of Rochester, Rochester Democratic Socialists of America, VOCAL-NY, and others—promises that neither will the implementation of the BID. By organizing a coalition that can confront the owner class, we can construct a Rochester that truly works for the benefit of all, rather than lining the pockets of property owners.

Calls for public housing, accessible healthcare, and robust education are so often depicted as out of reach. The American Dream is dead, but the dreams of the rich are always achievable. Mayor Evans pushed back on suggestions that his vision is “pie in the sky.” While “we have our eyes on the stars,” he said, “our feet are planted firmly on the ground.”

Evans spoke of believers “looking for something to hope for. A vision they can share and be a part of.” But those that cannot afford to invest in his vision will participate only as providers of labor and as consumers.

Instead of the limited, profit-driven vision offered by a BID, we must imagine a Rochester focused on meeting the needs of its community. We must imagine a downtown under the control of its residents, not property owners. We must imagine a community tied together by meaningful social connection, rather than economic relations. This vision is a more desirable, and in many ways more achievable, future for Rochester.

The post RDDC’s Limited Vision for Downtown: A Rising Tide Lifts a Few Yachts… first appeared on Rochester Red Star.

by Gregory Lebens-Higgins

The following commentary represents a summary of DSA’s February Co-Chairs Fireside Chat. It does not necessarily represent the views of the chapter. It is intended to highlight national-level discussions for rank and file membership, and seek strategic alignment.

On Wednesday, February 7, National Political Committee Co-Chairs Ashik Siddique and Megan Romer held an address to hundreds of DSA members tuning in from across the country. Broadcast over Zoom, the event was termed a ‘Fireside Chat’ in a 21st century ode to Roosevelt’s famous radio communications to the public. Like the tone of Roosevelt’s communications, the Co-Chairs demonstrated resolve, reassuring membership in a period of financial uncertainty and uneven transformation.

Following introductions, the Co-Chairs shared that they have been busy visiting chapters. Romer mentioned her visit to the Harriet Tubman House alongside members of the Rochester and Syracuse chapters this past October.

The pair is “getting into the rhythm of reaching out more.” It seems likely this will not be the only fireside-style chat. Members were told to expect more communication than they had become used to under the previous NPC.

The Co-Chairs discussed the need to develop a long-term plan for DSA. We cannot just “ride the coattails of Bernie Sanders into power.” But DSA is studying the lessons of its failures as much as its successes. We are finding our identity as a “broad-spectrum” socialist organization, and discovering how we can effectively engage in critical battles on multiple fronts.

Last Saturday, the DSA Trans Rights and Bodily Autonomy Mass Kickoff Call had more than 600 individual attendees, along with chapter watch parties. The Co-Chairs highlighted the prominence and contributions of queer activists within DSA, and the organization’s visibility in fighting for queer liberation in an era of repressive targeting.

With the censuring of Rashida Tlaib, DSA electeds are also under attack. The Co-Chairs expressed the need for the organization to support them against challengers from the right of the Democratic Party. Turning to the executive branch, the Co-Chairs described the upcoming Presidential election as depressing. They said the electoral focus should be on “building the bench” locally, and elevating socialists into positions of power.

The Co-Chairs described DSA as becoming “increasingly coherent.” The organization is now more explicitly socialist than it had been, and is becoming better at identifying the working class and moving toward a working class orientation. Although National Director Maria Svart recently resigned from her role, the Co-Chairs described the opportunity to understand her broad job duties and evaluate how they can best be accomplished by the organization. Once this is done, a new director can be selected and set up for success.

Romer asserted that her and Ashik have been working well together, despite coming from different political tendencies. More broadly, the need to rise to the occasion in opposing the genocide of Palestinians has encouraged members across the organization to unify across tendencies.

Finally, the Co-Chairs addressed the elephant in the room—DSA’s budget deficit. The Co-Chairs expressed confidence that this can be overcome. They have “crunched the numbers,” and believe that overall, we are in an okay spot. The deficit is an “organizing task” for DSA; one that can be resolved by membership rising to the occasion.

The Co-Chairs believe that focus on this task will help us grow in numbers and strength. DSA has been “punching below its weight,” and there is a lot more we can do to organize new dues-paying members. Lately, we have seen a bump in membership in relation to Palestine solidarity.

We must also retain current members by keeping in contact with them and encouraging lapsed members to renew. The Co-Chairs claimed that phonebanks to lapsed members have paid off exponentially, bringing a high rate of return to the organization for each hour spent making calls.

Significant emphasis was placed on Solidarity Dues, an initiative passed at the 2023 Convention. These are income-based dues billed monthly, and a portion is shared with the local chapter. Members are encouraged to contribute “1%” of their income “for the 99%.” This helps offset low-income dues, enabling people with less resources to become members. So far 1,850 members have switched to Solidarity Dues, at a rate that has increased in recent weeks.

The Co-Chairs believe in the future of DSA, and are confident it can accomplish major tasks and empower the cause of socialism. There is an obvious effort to grow the organization—Romer called for “one million members by 2030.” There is also an effort to engage existing members, and to provide support from the NPC.

I believe that if members continue to hear from the NPC and can see that dues are being responsibly managed, they will be willing to dedicate money and energy toward the organization’s further success. As DSA demonstrates its ability to hold mass protests, articulate popular demands, and achieve political victories, it will be taken increasingly seriously and attract the momentum needed to accomplish our goals.

It is worth quoting at length from an article by Ross Barkan published in The New York Times on February 7, the day of the Fireside Chat:

The largest volunteer-run, electoral organization committed to the anti-Zionist project is not, however, Jewish Voice for Peace Action but the Democratic Socialists of America. Not since the Sanders presidential campaigns has there been so much fresh interest in D.S.A. It is one of the few unapologetically pro-Palestinian and anti-Israel organizations to endorse candidates in Democratic primaries this year, even though some longstanding D.S.A. members have publicly recoiled at its condemnations of Israel. In the last decade, D.S.A. had made support for, or at least tolerance of, B.D.S. a litmus test for candidates. After losing volunteers for much of the Biden era, D.S.A. is now increasing its ranks. According to Chris Kutalik, a communications director for D.S.A., it has added at least 2,400 new dues-paying members since October for a total of about 78,000 members.

Each of DSA’s constituent chapters must play its part in holding the NPC to the standard it has set, improving upon the strategy by democratic means, and collectively contributing to its overall success.

The post Socialism in Perspective: DSA Co-Chairs Host a Fireside Chat first appeared on Rochester Red Star.