Tiffany Caban’s campaign for District Attorney of Queens has sparked a movement to decriminalize poverty in a borough of 2.3 million people after 28 years of the punitive reign of former DA Dick Brown and the Queens Machine. In this episode we’ll stalk about the stories of those affected by criminal injustice in Queens and the movements response envisioned by the Tiffany Caban campaign.

The tenant movement in New York State is approaching a critical crossroads. Hear from experts and affected communities about the Housing Justice for All campaign and how to get involved.

Here's what to do!
Call your state-level representatives and urge them to pass all 9 bills. Even if they are sponsors, it’s important to show that the public supports this.
To find out who your assembly person and senator is go to mygovnyc.org/ and enter your address
Today is #tenanttuesday - join the discussion on housing rights on your favorite social media platform - remember to tag your elected officials: many of them are on twitter/facebook/instagram too
Donate at housingjusticeforall.org and follow
the housing justice for all campaign on twitter and facebook @housing4allNY

Sex work is work and we must protect sex workers by decriminalizing their work. We talk to Jessica Raven, steering committee member for Decrim NY, along side Tracy and Maya, sex workers who are organizing within the sex trade. This effort is targeting Albany now, but pushing further not just for decriminalization of the sex trade, but decarceration of sex workers who are already in jail, vacating the sentences of people who have already been prosecuted and de-stigmatizing sex work.

To find out more you can go to decrimny.org or to volunteer you can email steerco@decrimny.org.

Today we’re discussing how the struggle for immigrant justice continues as the forces of reaction continue to demonize and terrorize our most vulnerable neighbors in our city. Throughout the episode we’ll speaking with Pamela, an organizer from the Immigrant Justice Working Group, about organizing against the deportation apparatus and for the empowerment of immigrant communities. We’ll also be hearing an interview with Elijah, another organizer with the Immigrant Justice Working Group, on canvassing for the Protect our Courts Act alongside the Tiffany Caban campaign.

Good evening Mayor Harmon and city council members. My name is Ethan Stan, and I am speaking this evening on behalf of the San Luis Obispo chapter of the Democratic Socialists of America, or SLO DSA.

Earlier this year, our chapter made a statement regarding the City’s overnight car camping ban. We’ll say again what we said then—we believe housing is a human right, and that a housing-first approach should be at the core of our City and County’s efforts to eliminate homelessness and housing insecurity in our community.

That we now have to comment on an ordinance that, if not passed, would likely create exactly the sort of homelessness the car camping ban punishes is shockingly unfair and unjust.

The housing crisis has gotten so extreme that the state government has had to step in and pass the incredibly moderate tenant protections enshrined in AB 1482. These include:

• Rent stabilization—not rent control—that caps increases at 5 percent plus inflation
• The elimination of most “no fault” evictions that allow landlords to kick renters out on a whim
• And does not even apply to units put on the market in the past 15 years
• It doesn’t even apply to single-family homes unless they’re owned by a corporation—which, it should be added, many are due to private equity firms buying foreclosed properties in the wake of the Great Recession

AB 1482 does not apply to small-time landlords. It is not a form of rent control. And as many housing justice advocates across the state argue, it won’t go far enough, only covering a portion of the state’s millions of renters. It wasn’t even opposed by landlord lobbying groups like the California Apartment Association.

That landlords in our community are still seeking to make an extra buck or kick their tenants out in the time between the bill’s signing and when it goes into effect is beyond the pale. These actions are not just counter to our community’s values—they are against the values of a humane society.

Renters make up over 60% of our city’s population. The hourly wage needed to afford a one-bedroom unit in our city without becoming rent-burdened is estimated to be over $25; our minimum wage is still at $11–12. There are already countless people sleeping under bridges and in their cars across town, and the rainy season starts tonight.

Please, pass this emergency ordinance. Thank you.

Celebrate May Day with the New York City Democratic Socialists of America. Host Jack Devine speaks with Emmy and Ariel, two of our street protest marshals, otherwise known as the "Red Rabbits." We discuss how organizers work to keep our comrades safe and make sure our direct actions are effective, especially in the aftermath of Charlottesville. Additionally we dive into the origins of May Day here in the United States in the aftermath of the Haymarket affair and how history shows how important it is for socialist to stand in solidarity with immigrants.

May Day NYC: Workers + Immigrants, We Rise Together
Tomorrow at 5:30 PM – 7:30 PM
Columbus Circle
10 Columbus Circle, New York, New York 10019 - maydayny.org

This is one of our "Life in DSA" series in which we will examine internal organizational structures that exist to bolster our organizing.

Host Desiree Joy Frias talks with Annie Levin and Josh Feintuch about Sing in Solidarity, the New York City Democratic Socalists of America's Chorus about why music is a powerful part of organizing. We also get to hear a couple songs from the chorus.

We hope you enjoy and come out to join us!

In part two of our two hour Earth Day special we’ll talk about what a Green New Deal could look like at a state level and right here in New York City.

We’ll have Thomas Niles in the studio to talk about New York City Democratic Socialist of America Ecosocialist working group’s new People Power NYC campaign. Our discussions highlights the absurdity of private ownership of our collective resources and how democratically owned energy is necessary for a sustainable future. Additionally we’ll also hear from climate reporter Alexander Kaufman about the historic Climate Mobilization Act that the City Council passed last week.

In part one of our two hour Earth Day special we’re talking about what everybody is talking about these days, the Green New Deal and how it relates to the broader movement for democratic socialism.

We begin with a historical analysis of the original New Deal and how class struggle forced capitalists to give in to workers’ demands for a more just society. Then we’ve got Sarah Lyons in the studio with us right now to break down a recent Green New Deal town hall that happened in the Bronx with Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. We’ll also be hearing from Tom Pike, a Democratic Socialist of America organizer in Los Angeles about their campaign to shut down fracked gas power plants.

The Pittsburgh Democratic Socialists of America recommends its members and the Allegheny County Community vote for Turahn Jenkins for District Attorney in the May 21st Primary Election.

Incumbent District Attorney Stephen Zappala has caused irreparable damage to the people of Allegheny County, especially Black and Brown communities, who face higher rates of incarceration and a terrifying lack of justice regarding police brutality in Allegheny County.

As a direct consequence of Zappala’s work, the Allegheny County Jail imprisons more than 2,000 people, and sees upwards of 100 new arrests per day. Zappala has also chosen to prosecute sex workers, as well as those charged with so-called “crimes of existing” such as loitering, public urination, and other behaviors necessary for survival that have been criminalized under the capitalist system. If re-elected, Zappala would continue and deepen the harms faced by Allegheny County’s most marginalized residents.

If we had a District Attorney committed to rehabilitative justice, communities all across Allegheny County would see improvements in their day to day lives. A District Attorney who believes that Black lives matter and is committed to abolishing cash bail, decriminalizing sex work, holding police accountable for their crimes, refusing to cooperate with ICE, and stopping the school-to-prison pipeline could save thousands from being forced into the criminal justice system and save lives.

The Primary Election on May 21st is our opportunity to choose that District Attorney by voting for Turahn Jenkins.

In his responses to our endorsement questionnaire and during the Q&A session at our meeting, Mr. Jenkins pledged to implement a slew of policies that would reduce the criminal justice system’s destructive role in Allegheny County communities.

First and foremost, he pledges to massively reduce cash bail through a presumption of release policy. He views cash bail as “essentially criminalizing poverty.” Additionally, Turahn Jenkins plans to create a conviction review unit to identify wrongful convictions and free the innocent, and to end the practice of overcharging defendants in order to secure plea deals. He promises to never cooperate with ICE or any other immigration enforcement agency. Further, he has pledged to help unhoused people access treatment and other non-carceral services, and to interrupt the school-to-prison pipeline by opposing police presence in schools and favoring restorative justice initiatives in cases involving juveniles.

Turahn Jenkins is committed to the decriminalization of sex work, and promised to examine the predatory practices of the Pittsburgh PRIDE court.

Mr. Jenkins wants to expand the Citizen’s Police Review Board to be county wide, and says that he would handle cases of police brutality much differently than Zappala’s office has. Mr. Jenkins believes that no profession makes you above the law, and that being a police officer is not an exception to this rule. In regards to the recent trial of Michael Rosfeld, Mr. Jenkins has said that he would have done a number of things differently than Zappala’s office. Zappala did not try the case himself, and Mr. Jenkins said that he would have handled the case personally. He also would have called in an expert on police use of force, which Zappala’s office failed to do.

During our chapter Question & Answer session with Turahn Jenkins, many of our members expressed concern around Mr. Jenkins’ hurtful comments towards the LGBTQ+ community last year. Our members asked whether Mr. Jenkins had taken deliberate steps to educate himself around issues impacting the LGBTQ+ community, and whether he would support policies important to the LGBTQ+ community. He answered “yes” and shared with us how he has been educating himself and seeking education from the queer community. Turahn told us that he opposes conversion therapy and is committed to using his position as District Attorney to pressure Allegheny County Jail to treat LGBTQ+ people with the basic respect they deserve. This includes policies that improve the material conditions of those currently incarcerated, such as housing trans people in prisons that match their gender. Mr. Jenkins also pledged to have queer people on his staff and understands that he will be a better District Attorney with the queer community having a seat at the table.

Turahn Jenkins apologized to our LGBTQ+ members who were harmed by his remarks and actions. He acknowledged that he still has lots of learning to do and is actively working to do so. Because we know so many of Allegheny County’s LGBTQ+ community have felt torn deciding how to approach this race, we are hopeful that Turahn Jenkins will share publicly the steps he has taken to unlearn homophobia and transphobia, and the ways that as District Attorney he could reduce harm done to the LGBTQ+ community – in particular, because we believe it is important and commendable that those entrusted with power in an unjust justice system demonstrate an ability to recognize wrong in themselves and work to change, as he is doing and has done. With so much at stake for all of Allegheny County’s marginalized and oppressed communities in this election, we hope that everyone will get to hear about his commitment to justice that our membership so appreciated.

Turahn Jenkins understands well that the present criminal justice system and its old guard leadership like Zappala have undermined and incapacitated the poor and marginalized, thus sabotaging safety, solidarity, and justice. Together, his policies and stances reflect a  commitment to push back against this system of criminal injustice, institutional racism, and mass incarceration. As socialists, we admire a candidate who shares these commitments with us.

Electing Turahn Jenkins is the moral choice, one that would reduce the daily and ongoing violence waged upon the people of Allegheny County by Stephen Zappala’s unjust and racist term as District Attorney, particularly for the Black community.

For the past year, our streets have seen protest after protest demanding change, demanding justice, and making clear: Stephen Zappala has got to go. We do not believe one election or a different District Attorney will bring total justice. We do believe that District Attorney Turahn Jenkins would materially improve the lives of everyone in Allegheny County, particularly those disproportionately targeted by a white supremacist police and prison system.

We strongly encourage our membership to vote for Turahn Jenkins.

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