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

Events & Actions

Events with a are especially new-member-friendly!

Tuesday, October 7 (8:00 AM – 4:30 PM): ICE out of SF courts! (in person at 100 Montgomery St)

Tuesday, October 7 (6:00 PM – 8:00 PM): Watch party: “Documenting Genocide: Gaza, Before and After October 2023” (in person at 1916 McAllister St)

Tuesday, October 7 (6:00 PM – 7:30 PM): Ecosocialist Bi-Weekly Meeting (Zoom)

Wednesday, October 8 (6:45 PM – 9:00 PM): October General Meeting (Zoom and in person at Kelly Cullen Community, 220 Golden Gate Ave)

Thursday, October 9 (5:30 PM – 6:30 PM): Education Board Open Meeting (Zoom)

Thursday, October 9 (7:00 PM – 8:00 PM): Immigrant Justice Court Action Orientation (in person at 1916 McAllister St)

Friday, October 10 (8:00 AM – 4:30 PM): ICE out of SF courts! (in person at 100 Montgomery St)

Saturday, October 11 (10:00 AM – 2:00 PM): No Appetite for Apartheid Training and Outreach (in person at 1916 McAllister St)

Saturday, October 11 (12:45 PM – 4:00 PM): Homelessness Working Group Outreach and Outreach Training (in person at 1916 McAllister St)

Sunday, October 12 (11:00 AM – 1:00 PM): Physical Education + Self Defense Training (in person at William McKinley Monument)

Sunday, October 12 (5:00 PM – 7:00 PM): Capital Reading Group (Zoom and in person at 1916 McAllister St)

Monday, October 13 (6:00 PM – 8:00 PM): Tenderloin Healing Circle (in person at Kelly Cullen Community, 220 Golden Gate Ave)

Monday, October 13 (6:30 PM – 8:00 PM): Homelessness Working Group Regular Meeting (Zoom and in person at 1916 McAllister St)

Wednesday, October 15 (6:00 PM – 7:30 PM): What Is DSA?  (in person at 1916 McAllister St)

Thursday, October 16 (7:30 PM – 9:30 PM): “Housing the City by the Bay: Tenant Activism, Civil Rights, and Class Politics in San Francisco” – TOWG Reading Group (in person at 1916 McAllister St)

Saturday, October 18 (6:00 PM – 8:00 PM): Homelessness Working Group Food Service (meet at Castro St & Market St)

Sunday, October 19 (3:00 PM – 5:00 PM): Palestine Study: Understanding Zionism and Imperialism (in person at 1916 McAllister St)

Sunday, October 19 (5:30 PM – 7:15 PM): Homelessness Working Group Reads  “Capitalism & Disability…” (Zoom and in person at 1916 McAllister St)

Monday, October 20 (7:00 PM – 8:00 PM): Labor Board x Divestment Priority Meeting (Zoom and in person at 1916 McAllister St)

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

ICE Out of SF Courts!

Join neighbors, activists, grassroots organizations in resisting ICE abductions happening at immigration court hearings! ICE is taking anyone indiscriminately in order to meet their daily quotas. Many of those taken include people with no removal proceedings.

We’ll be meeting every Tuesday and Friday from 8:00 AM to 4:30 PM at Immigration Court at 100 Montgomery. We need all hands on deck. The 8:00 AM to 10:00 AM window is when we most need to boost turnout, but if you can’t make that please come whenever works for you. 1 or 2 hours or the entire time! We’re also holding orientation sessions for folks, but that is not required to attend. See the Immigrant Justice Court Action Orientation event for more details.

IFPTE Local 21 Comrades Protest Airbnb

Local 21 comrades have asked for our support in protesting Airbnb this Wednesday, October 8 at 12:00 PM at 888 Brannan St.Tech giant Airbnb is suing San Francisco for $120 million while using our city as their personal playground and not paying their fair share. At a time when public services are crumbling and budget cuts run rampant, Labor Board is endorsing this campaign in support of our workers. A pledge to boycott Airbnb will be soon to come, and our very own DSA member Firas will be a speaker at the protest.

Immigrant Justice Court Action Orientation

Come one, come all to 1916 McAllister St for our court watch orientation! You’ll learn how we are resisting ICE , how you can help, and participate in a biweekly art build. Bring questions and anti-ICE slogans! This event will take place every other week on Thursdays starting at 7:00 PM and the next one is October 9th!

No Appetite for Apartheid Outreach Training & Canvassing

No Appetite for Apartheid is a campaign aimed at reducing economic support for Israeli apartheid by canvassing local businesses to boycott Israeli goods. Come and canvass local businesses with the Palestine Solidarity and Anti-Imperialist Working Group!

On Saturday, October 11 from 10:00 AM to 2:00 PM, we will be doing a training on how to talk to stores in your neighborhood, then going out and talking with stores together! Meet at 1916 McAllister St. RSVP here.

DSA SF Tenant Organizing Reading Group – “Housing the City by the Bay: Tenant Activism, Civil Rights, and Class Politics in San Francisco” 

San Francisco has always had an affordable housing shortage, but solutions outside of the private sector have long been neglected or overlooked. Join us as we learn about the history of one proposed solution: public housing.

Our four-part reading group will meet every other Thursday at 7:30 PM to 9:30 PM hybrid in person at 1916 McAllister and Zoom with RSVP to discuss John Baranski’s book “Housing the City by the Bay”. The next meeting will be Thursday, October 16.

If you wish to join please RSVP here!

DSA SF Homelessness Working Group Reads: Capitalism & Disability: Selected Writings by Marta Russell

Join DSA SF’s Homelessness Working Group as we read through Capitalism & Disability: Selected Writings by Marta Russell. We’ll be meeting every other Sunday evening starting in September for 4 or 5 sessions at 1916 McAllister. The next session is Sunday, October 19. For more info, register here: bit.ly/martacd and check the events calendar for latest details.

Palestine Study on Zionism: Understanding Zionism and Imperialism for Palestine Liberation

Join DSA SF on Sunday, October 19 from 3:00 PM to 5:00 PM at 1916 McAllister St for the upcoming Palestine Study exploring the foundations of Zionism and how we fight imperialism for Palestinian liberation. We will equip ourselves with a precise understanding of the history, foundations, aspirations, and contradictions of Zionism in order to fight for Palestinian liberation. Participants will walk away from this first session with a precise understanding of the forces that propelled the colonization of Palestine and how US imperialist interests continue the efforts today. This curriculum is designed especially for those new to DSA, the Palestine movement, or those deepening their commitment to being anti-zionist. RSVP here!

Reportback: EWOC Fundamentals of Workplace Organizing

The Emergency Workplace Organizing Committee (EWOC) ran the four week Fundamentals of Workplace Organizing course this past September. Just like we did back in May, we got a group to take the course together and benefit from in-person discussions and activities (at 1916 McAllister). The four weeks covered developing worker leadership for Organizing Committee formation, the steps of the Organizing Conversation, what actions can constitute the arc of a campaign, and how to inoculate workers against the boss. Each plenary featured stories from ongoing organizing, with the discussion section giving time for participants to share about their own organizing experiences, ask questions about the material, and share strategies.

One of the sessions focused on Collective Action and Escalation, where we heard from comrades Elce R. and Phoebe G. about an ongoing campaign at Sesame Street Workshop, the nonprofit production company which produces Sesame Street and other programs for children. We learned that the workers at SSW didn’t want to run a confrontational campaign, preferring instead to organize around principles at home on Sesame Street such as inclusivity, playfulness, creativity. As a result, the first action in the campaign was a March on the Boss framed as “Delivering the Good News”—the good news being the existence of the union. Subsequent actions included gatherings and block parties to build community and show how the boss couldn’t celebrate their own decisions. Earlier this year, SSW workers voted to form their union and are currently in contract negotiations.

Our final session this past Monday (September 29th) focused on inoculation and responding to anti-union talking points from management, anti-union consultants, and coworkers. In the plenary session, we heard from comrades from Starbucks Workers United and Kickstarter United on how they inoculated their coworkers against anti-union propaganda from their bosses. We went through the most common anti-union strategies and talking points, such as framing the union as a third party, captive audience meetings, and fearmongering about union dues. We learned how important it is to respond to these common talking points with your coworkers before management even starts their anti-union campaign. After the plenary session, we talked through how we would respond to common anti-union talking points if they were raised in our workplaces.

If you’d like to get involved with the SF local chapter of EWOC, reach out to the lead coordinator Caitlin S or email labor@dsasf.org. The EWOC meetings of the Labor Board are the first Monday of every month at 7:00 PM, both in-person at 1916 McAllister and over Zoom. Anyone is welcome to attend, and we’re always looking for people interested  workplace lead canvassing, organizer trainings, and volunteer outreach. And if you’re interested in organizing your workplace and would like to be connected with an EWOC organizer, fill out the request form here.

Reportback: DSA SF at Oakland Arms Embargo March

This past Saturday, DSA SF, EB DSA and YDSA marched in Oakland to demand an arms embargo and an end to the genocide in Gaza. We also gathered 14 pages of signatures for the No Appetite for Apartheid consumer pledge!! Thank you to everyone who showed that the Bay Area will keep fighting back against genocide and Israeli war crimes, free Palestine

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 publishing the weekly newsletter. Members can view current CCC rotations.

Interested in helping with the newsletter or other day-to-day tasks that keep the chapter running? Fill out the CCC help form.

by R.K. Upadhya

It is the two year anniversary of October 7th, of Palestine’s al-Aqsa Flood and the beginning of Israel’s genocidal response. Only two years; has it not felt like a lifetime? And is there anything left to say? It has been two years of mass murder and indiscriminate killings, with full backing from our government. Our protests and mobilizations have failed to halt the genocide, even as public opinion has shifted dramatically. Today, we are even more on the defensive, with domestic repression ratcheting up to unprecedented levels. 

How do we maintain our sanity, our courage, and our commitment to the struggle in such times? How do we maintain hope when faced with such insurmountable evil? 

I have never much liked poetry. But somehow, it has been poems that have brought me the most emotional and spiritual clarity over the past two years. I think this has less to do with the poems themselves, than who they were written by: refugees, prisoners, martyrs. Despite being written in the most unimaginably harsh conditions, their words are still somehow infused with hope and love – and a source of strength for all of us.   

This poem, “I Grant You Refuge”, was written by the Palestinian poet, novelist, and teacher Hiba Abu Nada, on October 10th, 2023 – a few days after the al-Aqsa Flood, as an indiscriminate hail of missiles, bombs, and shells from the IDF were falling across Gaza:

I grant you refuge
in invocation and prayer.
I bless the neighborhood and the minaret
to guard them
from the rocket

from the moment
it is a general’s command
until it becomes
a raid.

I grant you and the little ones refuge,
the little ones who
change the rocket’s course
before it lands
with their smiles.

[…]

I grant you refuge
from hurt and suffering.

With words of sacred scripture
I shield the oranges from the sting of phosphorous
and the shades of cloud from the smog.

I grant you refuge in knowing
that the dust will clear,
and they who fell in love and died together
will one day laugh.

Ten days after she wrote this poem, Hiba was killed in her home in Khan Younis by an Israeli airstrike.   

Countless hundreds of other prominent Palestinian writers, poets, artists, and teachers have been murdered by Israel over the last two years. Thus, one small means of resistance is to defy this attempt at cultural erasure, and to protect and reproduce Palestinian art. In San Antonio, one effort around this that I was pleased to be a part of was the Palestine Cinematheque, which showcased documentaries, films, and shorts produced by Palestinians. On February 25th, 2024, we showcased “Where Should the Birds Fly”, a documentary produced in Gaza, centering on a young girl and her experiences during Israel’s 2008-2009 assault on Gaza. It was a harrowing film, with raw uncut images of death and destruction from Israel’s bombs; but also, of survival and resilience.

The final shot of “Where Should the Birds Fly” is of a little girl, an orphan, who the director met during the course of the filming. She’s playing on the beach with other orphans. The director closes out the movie reminiscing about her own childhood memories of the beach, and a simple poetic conversation that was about nothing – and yet, everything:  

I remember when I played on the beach. Life seemed simple. We had fun. My dad would carry me on his shoulders. 

Once I asked him, ‘where does the sun go?’ He told me, ‘the sun just shines somewhere else, so that others may see. A sunset here does not mean the sun is gone.’

Out of necessity, Palestine has developed an incredible culture of resistance and resilience, particularly around its martyrs. It is very different here in the US, where we can struggle to talk openly about death. But things shifted on that day that we screened the documentary. February 25th was also the day that Aaron Bushnell, an active-duty member of the US Air Force, self-immolated in protest of US complicity in Israel’s genocide. His succinct words about what the genocide in Gaza meant rang out around the world: “This is what our ruling class has decided will be normal”.   

Of course, Aaron was not just another soldier, but an anarchist and a member of San Antonio’s mutual aid network. Some of Aaron’s close friends and comrades were there during the screening that day. I still remember glancing over and seeing their stunned faces as they shared the news with each other. I wouldn’t know until later what had transpired, but I knew it was devastating.

It wasn’t until some time later that I realized I had known him too. I met him once, right when he was getting involved with the Left. He had come to the opening of a local socialist space, and we had struck up a conversation. I learned about his background and interests, and I gave him a quick spiel about the different niches of the Left and different things he could get involved in around the city, such as mutual aid work. I didn’t see him again, or think about him – until he became an international news story. 

This is part of what we can expect, as the flames from Gaza spread, as repression deepens and our movements come under increasing fire. People you know may one day disappear forever; others you met once and forgot about, will suddenly re-emerge in headlines. This is where, as with many things, Palestine has been ahead of the curve; as Alex Birnel said at a speech at Aaron Bushnell’s vigil, Palestinians have always “celebrated, cherished, and remembered their martyrs”. We will have to learn to do the same, to embrace our martyrs, those among us who give up everything for the struggle.  

Aaron had once planned to have a uniform-burning ceremony when he was able to finally quit the military. He wanted to recite the poem “The Empire Raised Me”, from Anansi’s Library:

I was a soldier for her before I knew her name
Raised to die before I fully knew mine
Crafted by hand for eternal war
Raised for combat as the empire’s ward
[…]
Now the muzzle is at my back
The boots are at my door
The guns are all racked
And like my ancestors before
A hail of bullets will set me free
Express one day delivery
From your state god to thee
Expect from your lord no loyalty
For I was raised a soldier.

On September 25th, 2025, Assata Shakur passed away in Cuba, where she had been in exile since 1984. Her time in the revolutionary ‘60s and ‘70s was of an intensity that is hard to imagine in today’s US: a veteran of the Black Panther Party and the Black Liberation Army, godmother to Tupac Shakur, imprisoned for allegedly shooting down a police officer, broken out of jail by a communist militia. There can often seem a world of difference between Palestine and the US; but the truth is that the parallels have always been here. 

Assata died free. But her vision of freedom and liberation never came to fruition. Was the vision even clear in her youth? Even if it wasn’t, she nonetheless gave the struggle her all. And this is the question we must ask ourselves as well: are we prepared to give the current struggle our all, even if victory will not happen in our lifetimes? Even if we can’t even imagine victory?  

Assata might have posed the question a different way. She may have asked us if we believe in living. From her poem “Affirmation”, from her autobiography:

I believe in living.
I believe in the spectrum
of Beta days and Gamma people.
I believe in sunshine.
In windmills and waterfalls,
tricycles and rocking chairs;
And i believe that seeds grow into sprouts.
And sprouts grow into trees.
I believe in the magic of the hands.
And in the wisdom of the eyes.
I believe in rain and tears.
And in the blood of infinity.

[…]

I have been locked by the lawless.
Handcuffed by the haters.
Gagged by the greedy.
And, if i know any thing at all,
It’s that a wall is just a wall
and nothing more at all.
It can be broken down.

I believe in living
I believe in birth.
I believe in the sweat of love
and in the fire of truth.

And i believe that a lost ship,
steered by tired, seasick sailors,
can still be guided home
to port.

On March 14, 2025, federal agents arrested Leqaa Kordia.  She was a Palestinian student who had attended pro-Palestine protests at Columbia University, and the second one to be arrested, after Mahmoud Khalil. She was born in Jerusalem; over 100 of her family members have been killed in Gaza since October 7, 2023. She has now been imprisoned for over six months in the Prairieland Detention Facility, about a half-hour drive south of Fort Worth.

On July 4, a small group of anarchists and antifascists staged a noise demo outside of the prison. Something went awry, and shots were allegedly fired; now 17 comrades have been jailed, facing spurious terrorism charges. On September 22nd, Trump signed an executive order declaring “antifa” as a domestic terrorist organization. A few days later, Trump signed National Security Presidential Memorandum 7, declaring a national counter-terrorism initiative for the FBI to uncover and disrupt “anti-fascist” networks.

Five years after the George Floyd uprisings, and two years after the al-Aqsa Flood, there should be no more doubt: we all live under the same Empire. The savagery of the war against Palestine has spread far beyond the region; in the US alone, it is impossible to keep proper track of the pace and scale of state violence, and how quickly basic rights and norms once taken for granted are disappearing. There is no more pretense of human rights or the rule of law; no more pretense of the ruling class wanting to negotiate. As President Gustavo Petro of Colombia – a former guerrilla fighter and revolutionary – said earlier this year at a meeting of the Hague Group: “Gaza is simply an experiment by the ultra-rich…on how to respond to humanity’s rebellion.” Put differently: one way or another, the fate of Gaza is the fate of humanity.      

On June 4, Leqaa wrote a poem and statement from her prison cell. I’ll end with her words. They speak for themselves. As all of our martyrs’ poems do.  

Peace be upon you, and the mercy and blessings of God.
Peace be upon you, O Palestine.
Peace be upon Gaza, the steadfast and proud.

Peace be upon a people who taught the world
the meaning of patience, dignity, and resilience.

Peace be upon the mothers
who buried the remains of their children on street corners
—and still chose to keep Living.

Peace be upon the fathers
whose eyes wept for the first time
—and oh, what a brutal first time it was.

[…]

Peace be upon our noble martyrs, precious and beloved.
Peace be upon our free, glorious prisoners who are
charting the path to freedom.

[…]

To you, the free people across the world,
the rebels, the defiant, the unwavering
—peace be upon you and my deepest respect.

I write to you from a cold place, hoping my words
may carry a little warmth amid the tragedies, the suffering
and the unimaginable stories I witness here.

Still, I write with full certainty that we will all be freed
from this cruel injustice. And I believe, with all my heart
that I will meet you soon as a free woman—God willing.

From me—a granddaughter of the Nakba—to you,
the generation of return and the makers of freedom.
Accept my greetings and reverence.

The post Poems From Our Martyrs first appeared on Red Fault.

Chapter & Verse: a summary of chapter news for September 2025

The post DSA Electeds Arrested Outside Immigration Court, Labor Support Mapped, and More appeared first on Democratic Left.

Author: Julie C

The purpose of this piece is to notify Cleveland DSA members that there are now two local caucuses in our chapter and to give some brief history of internal politics in our chapter from a personal and limited perspective. These caucuses do not hold any formal positions of power within our chapter, and in fact are not “officially affiliated” with DSA Cleveland, but they were created in order to bring comrades together based on shared identities and vision.

The Black and Brown (B&B) Caucus was announced at or around the time of the June 2025 General Meeting. Inspired by Detroit DSA’s Black & Brown Alliance, as well as DSA’s national Multiracial Organizing Committee, the purpose of the B&B caucus is to bring together members of color and focus on ways to increase our diversity within the chapter, and working class power in Northeast Ohio’s communities of color. The caucus is not exclusive to members of color and there is no formal leadership or approval process for planning events for the B&B Caucus. If you are interested in this caucus, please reach out to Shay or Emma B on our member Slack.

The Praxis Caucus was announced at the September 2025 General Meeting and its Points of Unity can be found here. This caucus was formed with the intention of bringing members together to form a long-term and proactive vision for DSA in Cleveland and the surrounding areas. While the founding members have ideas on where to start, the current goal is to bring more members together to help develop the vision for our chapter in a way that aligns with our Points of Unity. All Cleveland DSA members are welcome to join meetings and events held by Praxis. If you are interested in this caucus, please reach out to Justin E or Julie C on our member Slack.

Background

When I joined Cleveland DSA (fall 2020), our chapter was very focused on local issues and local organizing. We were not fully plugged into the national org structure or any particular working group/committee in any serious or noticeable way. Also, from my perspective, while there were some political differences among comrades, our membership seemed rather homogeneous and came to consensus regularly. The most obvious difference was the approach to electoral politics and our biggest political “battle” was whether or not to endorse Nina Turner in 2021. This issue drew our largest General Meeting crowd at that time (over 60 members) and the motion failed with about 63% of the vote (it needed 66%).

Since then our chapter has experienced sizable growth in our membership which has naturally magnified the differences in perspective of how to achieve our shared goals. The national organization is more visible and connected to the work that we do through the use of resources available to us as well as some of our members being plugged into the work of different national committees. We also have at least close to a dozen members who belong to various national caucuses. At our October 2024 General Meeting, we passed a much more rigorous endorsement policy and that policy was put to the test this year. A substantial amount of work was put into a project proposal that would see a local DSA member endorsed in their run for city council. That proposal failed 64 nay vs 51 yea after a zealous debate at our May General meeting (5/8/25). The Praxis caucus formed with core members who voted yea on endorsement.
During and after the May General meeting, the political strategies among Cleveland DSA members have been more clearly outlined through internal debates and discussions. To be clear, DSA is a socialist organization. We believe in transitioning our society from capitalism to socialism and our “political” differences stem from what is the best way to do that. And even more specifically at our chapter level, what should our focus be in order to contribute to that outcome. While the differences in political opinion at times seem great, we are very much working towards the same goal.

1.  There are many lists and articles about the national caucuses but I am not linking any here since there is no “official” list that broadly summarizes them.

The post Caucuses in Cleveland DSA appeared first on Democratic Socialists of America.

By Tiffany P

“Gather around, kids! I’m going to show you how to use drugs.” – Terrance Zdunich

I watched Repo! The Genetic Opera (2008) when it first released. Back then, I enjoyed the music, wacky characters, and gore. Today, the movie hits different. The movie takes place in the not-too-distant future. That future has arrived.

GeneCo is a company that specializes in organ transplants. At first, the organ transplants were necessary because of a pandemic that caused mass organ failure. GeneCo harvested organs from the dead and sold them to the living. Many could not pay for the surgery so they signed a payment plan with the company. Rotti Largo is the founder of GeneCo and should look very familiar to many of us today. He is your typical selfish sadistic billionaire. He lobbied a bill through Congress to make it legal for this private company to murder citizens if they are 90 days late on
their payments. By the time the movie starts, the people are tired of living in fear. Prop 598 would make it illegal for GeneCo to repossess organs. GeneCo gaslights the citizens and says they need the ability to murder your neighbor or else they might run out of organs to save your life. This is a typical billionaire tactic that keeps citizens divided and voting against their own interests.

Working for GeneCo is a more extreme version of what it’s like to work in corporate America today and certain members of government are trying to get us even closer to this dystopian reality. They are attempting to give more power to the employer, less power to the worker, reduce safety in the workplace, and even want to
eliminate child labor laws.

The Repo Man is the one who legally murders citizens to reclaim stolen property. By property, they mean someone’s heart, spine, or any other organ. You would think anyone who would do a job like this must be a monster. Far from it. The movie does a very good job making the Repo Man a sympathetic father. However, his current job of cutting out someone’s heart with no anesthetic while it’s still beating has taken a major toll on his psyche. He develops a split personality to hide behind to do much of the dirty work. This reminds me of slaughterhouse workers of today. They murder animals who struggle and scream for their life all day long. They are paid very little and are often times undocumented workers. This allows the company to abuse and threaten them. Because of the violent and cruel nature of the job, slaughterhouse workers will either quit because of extreme PTSD or develop violent tendencies outside of work. Meat packing factories are also often times staffed by undocumented workers. They have very few safety standards and finger and hand amputations are common there.

Genterns are a type of female worker at GeneCo. You see them perform various jobs such as surgery and inventory. They are expected to perform sexual acts for their employer, dress in very skimpy clothing, and can’t complain if their co-worker is suddenly murdered in front of them. Clearly, Genterns need to form a union. It is not unusual in today’s workplace for a woman to feel pressure to be more sexualized or even perform sexual favors to get promoted. Harassment and abuse are swept under the rug and employees are expected to suffer in silence. Employees at GeneCo can be forced into contracts that prevent them from leaving the company alive. They are in a type of indentured servitude. They work for the company in exchange for a surgery, but if they leave then the Repo Man will kill them. Today, companies want their employees to sign contracts which prevent them from leaving. This type of contract emboldens the employer to abuse their employees, and if the employee chooses to leave then the employer will steal their paychecks.

We are not shown this world’s economy directly, but we get a sense there is the very poor and the very rich with not much in between. GeneCo spends a lot of money advertising for cosmetic surgeries. They encourage people to buy a name brand spine or spleen as a fashion statement. Despite being poor, many people have these surgeries because they sign up for a payment plan. This makes the surgeries more affordable. This is reflected in the Labubu craze going on today. In previous decades, cosmetic sales would rise during financial turmoil and depression. Labubus make you look cool to your friends at a relatively affordable price. People nowadays understand they will never afford a house or have financial security so why not buy a $30 toy? It’s not as if saving that $30 will suddenly allow them to buy a house. Many buy Labubus because they are depressed and these little toys provide a glimmer of joy in their day.

The Genetic Opera in the movie itself is a massive advertising campaign. It is a yearly event that is run like a mega church. There is a band and a lot of spectacle. People testify on live TV to how GeneCo helped them. A single mom needed a kidney transplant and said the company showed her sympathy, but the company will have no problem turning her children into orphans if she is late on her payments. This reflects the constant flood of propaganda we see today. Companies spend millions to develop brand loyalty to keep their customers coming back for decades. None of us are immune to propaganda. Remember, they need us more than we need them.

Repo! The Genetic Opera will be playing at Hyperreal Film Club in Austin on October 6th at 7:30pm.

The post The Goth Rock Opera of Our Present first appeared on Red Fault.

Offshoring threats are common but damaging to campaigns. Learn how secure the facility is and how important it is to the overall company structure.

The post 6 questions to ask if your boss threatens to offshore your job appeared first on EWOC.

This opinion is part of a series debating what, if any, endorsements Maine DSA should consider in 2026. We welcome contributions. You can read the first in the series arguing in favor of endorsing Platner and Troy Jackson here, What’s at State in Maine in 2026?

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“[I]t is not sufficient to attach a “vanguard” label to rearguard theory and practice.” — V. I. Lenin, What is to be Done?

Since launching his senatorial campaign in August, 2025, Graham Platner has quickly gained national attention. Graham has presented himself as a progressive candidate, criticizing the Republican Party for its extreme reaction, but also criticizing the Democratic Party for its utter fecklessness. This hardline progressive and anti-oligarchy position has earned Graham much praise within the progressive movement of the U.S., even earning Graham a speaking opportunity at Bernie Sanders’ 2025 Labor Day Rally in Portland, Maine.

This has predictably led to discussion within Maine DSA about whether the organization should endorse Graham, of which this article is a part. I do not deny that there is much to like about Graham. There are many provisions in his platform which Maine DSA was already fighting for. I do not deny that there are ways in which Maine DSA can and should support Graham’s campaign, but I am also of the opinion that it would be political suicide for Maine DSA to endorse Graham. Hence why I am arguing for “support without endorsement” in this article.

My argument against endorsement rests upon the following premises: 1) to endorse something is to give said thing one’s stamp of approval; 2) it is the job of all self-identified/self-described socialists and their organizations to advance a socialist agenda; 3) Maine DSA is a self-identified/self-described socialist organization; 4) it is, therefore, incumbent upon Maine DSA to advance a socialist agenda; 5) Graham Platner’s platform in its entirety is not only not a socialist platform, but is arguably an anti-socialist platform; 6) Maine DSA would, therefore, not be advancing a socialist agenda by endorsing Graham Platner; 7) Maine DSA should, therefore, not endorse Graham Platner.

How can we be sure that Graham’s platform is not a socialist one? My, admittedly only, proof comes from the section of Graham’s platform titled Take on Waste and Corruption at the Pentagon; Rebuild American Shipbuilding, which includes the following articles:

“We need to take the funds currently paying for mansions in Virginia and Maryland for defense contractors, and reinvest them into closing the massive shipbuilding gap.

I’ve seen under the hood. I know exactly how much money is wasted, and where. Send me to Washington and I will work tirelessly to rebuild the American military.” (Archived Platform)

There still appears to be much to like in these provisions at first glance, but closer examination reveals content which is highly problematic when considered from a socialist perspective.

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In my larger critique of Graham, I argued that any plan to close the US-China shipbuilding gap would be economically unfeasible without deepening the United States’ already unprecedented imperial exploitation of the globe, and that this would likely entail imperialist war. The project of expanding US shipbuilding to where it could compete with China would likely dwarf the construction of the interstate highway in the US; a project which was undertaken at the peak of the US empire in the 1950s, whereas now the US empire is in a period of steep decline, as is evidenced by the country’s shift from free trade to economic protectionism. The US currently accounts for only 0.1% of global shipbuilding whereas China builds more ships than the rest of the world combined. (Center for Strategic & International Studies).

Even if it were economically feasible, it still raises the question of what purpose there would be in closing the US-China shipbuilding gap? It’s easy to grasp why China now accounts for 53.3% of global shipbuilding (Ibid.). As the industrial capital of the world, China needs a substantial shipbuilding infrastructure to build the shipping capacity it requires to effectively export the commodities it produces for countries around the world, including the US. This is not only affirmed by the historical example of the British Empire, whose naval peak coincided with their industrial peak as the industrial capital of the world in the late-eighteenth and nineteenth century, but is also affirmed by the example of US ally South Korea, a country which also produces a great many goods for export and accounts for the second most global shipbuilding output at 29.1% (Ibid.).

The US, by contrast, while still being a very large exporter, is an overall net importer (Bureau of Economic Analysis). The US has a far smaller industrial capacity than China owing to its much smaller population. The ability of the US to be a competitive exporter is already hampered by the comparatively high cost of US labor, and this also means that expanding US shipbuilding might not translate to making the US a more effective importer either. And this is also before we even consider the effect that Trump’s tariff policy has on all of these factors.

Thorough study of the US-China shipbuilding gap leads one to the conclusion that the gap is simply insurmountable for the US for several reasons. Firstly, because the US simply lacks the manpower to facilitate the expansion of US shipbuilding that’s necessary to compete with China. Secondly, even if the shipbuilding infrastructure of US allies like South Korea and Japan are counted as part of the US shipbuilding infrastructure, it’s still unclear that the US would be able to close the resultant 11% gap between the US and China, as China is likely to continue expanding its shipbuilding capacity during this same time. Thirdly, building a newer, more modern, and more efficient shipbuilding infrastructure in the US would likely require the deconstruction of the existing infrastructure to create a clean slate to build on, further allowing China to expand its lead over the US. Fourthly, even ignoring the military utility and all other logistical problems, it’s simply unclear what purpose is served by expanding the US’ shipbuilding capabilities.

As I currently understand the prevailing state of US shipbuilding, expanding the existing infrastructure would, at best, make for a good jobs program, but shipbuilding for the sake of job creation is a different matter than shipbuilding to close a competitive gap with another country. As I will explain later, socialists have no interest in competing with other countries anyway.

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The section of Graham’s platform which is most objectionable from a socialist perspective is the clause on rebuilding the US military. Socialists, including moderate socialists, have always been resolutely opposed to war between countries and service in the militaries of capitalist countries. This is due to the socialists’ adherence to the concept of internationalism—the concept that the working class has no country and is therefore international, if not anti-national—which rests on the following premises, as we have summarized elsewhere: 

1) under capitalism, individuals make money by selling commodities; 2) the thing that distinguishes the working class from all other classes is that they sell their ability to work to an external consumer as a commodity; 3) as a commodity, the price of labor power is subject to the same basic laws as any other commodity; 4) the price of labor power therefore decreases when workers compete with each other for work or when there is an increase in the availability of labor power; 5) workers should not compete with each other for any reason because all it accomplishes is the mutual immiseration of workers to the benefit of capital owners; 6) workers should cooperate or unite with each other for the mutual benefit of all workers; 7) this idea extends to workers of different national origins because competition between workers of different nations has the same mutually destructive effects on workers as competition between workers of the same nation, especially as labor markets become increasingly globalized in step with the rest of the economy (The Revolutionist). 

From these premises, it follows further that since socialiststs do not support workers competing with each other, we also do not support workers killing each other, which is the inevitable result of war between countries. This is stated explicitly and succinctly in the Resolution on Militarism adopted by the Socialist International at its 1907 congress in Stuttgart, Germany, which says,

“Wars between capitalist states are, as a rule, the outcome of their competition on the world market, for each state seeks not only to secure its existing markets, but also to conquer new ones. In this, the subjugation of foreign peoples and countries plays a prominent role. These wars result furthermore from the incessant race for armaments by militarism, one of the chief instruments of bourgeois class rule and of the economic and political subjugation of the working class. 

Wars are favored by the national prejudices which are systematically cultivated among civilized peoples in the interest of the ruling classes for the purpose of distracting the proletarian masses from their own class tasks as well as from their duties of international solidarity. 

Wars, therefore, are part of the very nature of capitalism; they will cease only when the capitalist system is abolished or when the enormous sacrifices in men and money required by the advance in military technique and the indignation called forth by armaments, drive the peoples to abolish this system. 

For this reason, the proletariat, which contributes most of the soldiers and makes most of the material sacrifices, is a natural opponent of war which contradicts its highest goal—the creation of an economic order on a Socialist basis which will bring about the solidarity of all peoples.”

In this regard, in the sense that it can be said that Graham is actively supportive of the US military and its expansion, it can be conclusively said that Graham Platner’s platform is an anti-socialist one. To endorse Graham would therefore be to endorse his platform, and endorsing a platform which clearly expresses explicitly anti-socialist values would constitute more than a simple failure to advance a socialist agenda, it would constitute the advancement of an anti-socialist agenda. This would be especially damaging for Maine DSA since it has already demonstrated that it understands the importance of internationalism by forming a working group specifically dedicated to internationalism, meaning that the organization should know better than to endorse a platform like the one currently being advanced by Graham.

It would be one thing if Graham’s platform was ambiguous on such core aspects of socialist politics, in which case we would be unable to offer a strong argument against endorsement, as the rest of Graham’s platform consists of fairly milquetoast social-democratic policy initiatives which socialists have historically supported with the cynical goal of showing the limits of social-democracy by removing any barrier to it. But as shown above, any self-described socialist organization cannot endorse/approve of Graham’s platform in its current state. If Graham is interested in obtaining the endorsement of Maine DSA, he should be made to earn that endorsement by changing his platform to one which conforms to socialist values.

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DSA is the largest socialist organization in the country, and Maine DSA is the biggest socialist organization in the state of Maine. This means that it is the vanguard of the working class struggle regardless of the discomfort moderates in the organization may feel toward the label of vanguard. We have built that political capital through our own hard work and perseverance, and part of that has meant taking the correct position even when it would be easier not to. While building that political capital has been quite difficult, losing it by making unforced errors is quite easy, and giving Graham our endorsement without making him earn it would be one such unforced error.

By endorsing Graham, Maine DSA would be committing the error of workerism, that is, the tailist error of supporting whatever is popular with the working class, even when what the working class wants is not in its interests as a class.

While I speak very strongly against endorsing Graham, I do not deny that he is by far the strongest candidate in his race. I do not deny that Graham, if elected, would be a definite improvement over Susan Collins in the US Senate—though that could also be said of any completely inanimate object. We want to be quite clear that I support Graham. There are many individual articles in Graham’s platform which do not contradict a socialist agenda and are or have already been advanced by Maine DSA. In these regards, I cannot argue in good faith against supporting Graham in some form, I only argue that support must not come in the form of endorsement. Such alternative forms of support could be things like doorknocking, phonebanking, and other forms of volunteer work which will support Graham’s campaign much more materially than a formal endorsement while also allowing Maine DSA to maintain a critical orientation towards Graham. I recognize that socialist organizations need to be flexible in their tactics, but history shows that socialist organizations cease to be socialist when that same flexibility is extended to the socialist program. Hence why I argue here for support without endorsement for Graham Platner, as I feel this exemplifies the kind of programmatic rigidity and tactical flexibility that must be at the core of any socialist politics.

The post Support, but don’t endorse Platner appeared first on Pine & Roses.