Today is day 158 of Israel’s genocidal assault on the Palestinian people in Gaza and also primary day for voters in Georgia, Mississippi and Washington.  

Over the last several weeks, hundreds of thousands of people across the country have voted "uncommitted" in the presidential primaries, to send a message to President Biden calling for an immediate and permanent ceasefire in Gaza.  Tonight we’re joined by Ali and Tzara to talk about DSA’s role in the Vote Uncommitted campaign and what comes next to achieve a lasting ceasefire and the liberation of Palestine.  

To become a member of the Democratic Socialist America: https://www.dsausa.org/join

To follow Ali & Detroit DSA: @alihallalmi and @detroitdsa

Contact: info@columbusdsa.org

COLUMBUS — The Columbus chapter of the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) issues the following recommendations to residents of Central Ohio voting in the March 19, 2024, Democratic primary election.

1. In Delegates-at-Large and Alternates-at-Large to the National Convention, LEAVE BLANK.
   
2. In For U.S. Senator, LEAVE BLANK.
   
3. In For Representative to Congress (3rd District), LEAVE BLANK.
   
4. In For Representative to Congress (15th District), vote ZERQA ABID.
   
5. In For Justice of the Supreme Court (Unexpired term ending 12-31-2026), vote TERRI JAMISON.
   
6. In For State Representative (10th District), vote SARAH POMEROY.
   
7. In For Judge of the Court of Common Pleas, vote STEPHANIE HANNA.

A detailed rationale for each recommendation follows. Additionally, see our addendum about the race for Franklin County Prosecutor.

Disclaimer: No recommendations made here are endorsements. Columbus DSA has not endorsed any candidate in this upcoming election. To our knowledge, there is no candidate that comes close to sharing our vision of democratic socialism as will be necessary to establish a free and just society. These recommendations are tactical considerations meant to minimize the harm likely to occur to the working class here and abroad as a result of this election.

Do you lament the lack of socialist, abolitionist, and pro-BDS candidates running for office? You can be a part of changing that, whether by running for office yourself or helping us to discover and cultivate future socialists-in-office. To advance the democratic socialist movement in Central Ohio, join DSA today: www.columbusdsa.org/join/.

Recommendation 1

In Delegates-at-Large and Alternates-at-Large to the National Convention, LEAVE BLANK.

DSA’s National Political Committee (NPC), our elected leadership, alongside DSA-endorsed U.S. Rep. Rashida Tlaib, supported an “Uncommitted” vote in the Michigan Democratic primary. The Listen to Michigan campaign to convince Democratic voters to vote “Uncommitted” was a remarkable success, earning over 100,000 “Uncommitted” votes in the primary. Campaigns in Hawaii, Minnesota, and other states have yielded similar successes.The Listen to Michigan campaign sent a clear message to President Biden: “Recant your support for Israel’s crimes, or you will lose reelection.” We stand by this message wholeheartedly. 

Show the Democratic Party that Biden’s support for Israel’s crimes will cost Democrats the presidency if he fails to reverse course and repair the harm he has aided and abetted.

Because our primaries lack the option to vote “Uncommitted,” we recommend that Columbus voters simply leave this field blank. Unfortunately, unlike in some states, blank votes are not counted in Ohio. Meaning, these votes will not be tallied for or against Biden.

We note that Dean Phillips, the only other candidate on the ballot, has suspended his campaign and endorsed Biden. Therefore, if voters would like their vote to be tallied against Biden, they can safely mark their ballot for Phillips without actually lending support to Phillips in the election.

Recommendation 2

In For U.S. Senator, LEAVE BLANK.

Sherrod Brown has a strong record of support for organized labor, LGBTQ+ rights, and other progressive causes. We commend his recent decision to voluntarily recognize his campaign staffers’ union.

At the same time, Sen. Brown also has a strong record of support for Israel. Brown opposes the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) movement and supports the Israel Anti-Boycott Act, a proposed federal law that would make it easier for states to promulgate BDS bans. Further, he objected to UN Security Council Resolution 2334, which found that Israel’s settlements in the West Bank and the Golan Heights violated international law.

Brown will be the Democratic nominee for the general election. We recommend that voters not mark their ballots for him in this primary to demonstrate that his continuing support of Israel is unacceptable.

Recommendation 3

In For Representative to Congress (3rd District), LEAVE BLANK.

Joyce Beatty retracted her signature from a letter to President Biden calling for a ceasefire in Gaza, claiming it was added in error. At a joint session of Congress welcoming Isaac Herzog, President of Israel, on July 19, 2023, Beatty said: “We are proud to celebrate Israel’s 75th anniversary and strengthen the ironclad relationship between the U.S. & Israel.” The U.S. Campaign for Palestinian Rights gave Beatty a score of “F” in its 2024 scorecard tracking Congressional Democrats’ records on Palestine. For 2024, Beatty has been endorsed by the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) and Democratic Majority for Israel.

Despite constant overtures from community organizers and members of her constituency over the past months and years, she has refused to recant her previous statements labeling Israel a U.S. ally, or to join the calls for a ceasefire led by DSA-endorsed Reps. Cori Bush and Rashida Tlaib. While we recognize that Rep. Beatty has recently voted against new apportionments of aid to Israel, these votes are too little too late, and Rep. Beatty has not signaled any change in her stance on long-term political and financial support of Israel.

Beatty will be the Democratic nominee for the general election. We recommend that voters not mark their ballots for her in this primary to demonstrate that her continuing support of Israel is unacceptable.

Recommendation 4

In For Representative to Congress (15th District), vote ZERQA ABID.

Zerqa Abid is founder and president of MY Project USA, a non-profit organization providing youth-focused community services in Columbus. She is running to challenge the incumbent in this seat, Rep. Mike Carey, a Trump-endorsed former coal lobbyist and pro-Israel Republican.

Abid supports a $15 minimum wage, gun control, and abortion access. If elected, she has promised to vote to restrict U.S. military interventions and oppose funding any foreign government or other entity committing human rights abuses. She supports a permanent ceasefire in Gaza.

Her primary opponent, Ohio Rep. Adam Miller, has been endorsed by the Franklin County Democratic Party. Abid will need all the help she can get to take on the Democratic establishment.

Recommendation 5

In For Justice of the Supreme Court (Unexpired term ending 12-31-2026), vote TERRI JAMISON.

Terri Jamison is a former Franklin County public defender and a supporter of the Ohio Sentencing Data Project, which will provide the public with detailed knowledge of the state of criminal sentencing in Ohio. Jamison, formerly a West Virginia coal miner, is a supporter of reproductive rights and bail reform. If elected, she would be the third Black woman to serve in the Supreme Court of Ohio. We see merit in Jamison’s blue-collar background, a more diverse state supreme court, and a supreme court more friendly to progressive positions on issues of criminal law.

Recommendation 6

In For State Representative (10th District), vote SARAH POMEROY.

Pomeroy is a Senior Assistant City Attorney in Columbus, working in the Nuisance Abatement division. Her work entails prosecuting out-of-state landlords that abuse tenants. Having witnessed the scale of Central Ohio’s housing crisis, Pomeroy is running on increasing the affordable housing supply, stopping property purchases by out-of-state private equity firms, and encouraging occupancy of vacant housing.

If elected, Pomeroy has promised to fight to overturn H.B. 68 and push back against attacks on reproductive healthcare. She supports automatic and same-day voter registration, and politician-free redistricting.

Pomeroy has been endorsed by Sheet Metal Workers Local 24, the Ohio Environmental Council, and Ohio Rep. Munira Abdullahi, among others.

Recommendation 7

In For Judge of the Court of Common Pleas, vote STEPHANIE HANNA.

If elected, Hanna has promised to establish a reentry docket to help individuals released from prison reintegrate into society. Her campaign has stated that Franklin County is the only large county in Ohio still lacking such a docket, and Hanna sees the need for one here. We agree.

Hanna, who has served on the boards of the Children’s Hunger Alliance, YWCA Columbus and Mental Health America of Ohio, would be the first Egyptian-American judge in Franklin County, and the second in Ohio. Noting that less than a third of Ohio judges are women, Hanna wishes to redress that inequality.

Hanna was registered as a Republican from 2014 to 2021, and ran as a Republican in the 2016 and 2020 judicial elections. She voted as a Democrat from 2010 to 2012 and re-registered as a Democrat in 2022. She also previously served as a prosecutor in Tiffin. Still, we see merit in voting for her over her primary opponent, Ohio Rep. Richard Brown, who opposes establishing a reentry docket, on this single issue.

Addendum

There is no candidate in the upcoming prosecutorial election that meets DSA’s standards for criminal legal reform. Rather than recommending a certain candidate to voters, we will simply state what we know about each.

Pierson

Pierson currently serves as deputy chief counsel in the office of Franklin County Prosecutor Gary Tyack. He previously worked as an Assistant Attorney General under Dave Yost, where he oversaw the A.G.’s investigations into officer-involved critical incidents and shootings. Pierson has been endorsed by Tyack and Franklin County Sheriff Dallas Baldwin.

Writing in the Dispatch, Rev. Raymond Greene, Jr., executive director of Freedom BLOC, urged Columbus residents to vote against Pierson due to his failure to prosecute the officers who shot and killed 25-year-old Jayland Walker in 2022. Pierson oversaw the Attorney General’s investigation into that shooting. J.U.S.T. 614, a trusted community organization and core organizing partner of our chapter, has also called on residents to oppose Pierson’s candidacy. Pierson’s campaign is attempting to address concerns over lack of transparency in officer-involved shootings. If elected, Pierson has promised to mandate that the case file for any offer involved use-of-force case be posted publicly online within 48 hours of a grand jury’s failure to indict.

Pierson previously defended the Franklin County Prosecutor’s decision to recommend a bond of $400,000 for any defendant charged with possessing a firearm who was previously convicted of a first or second-degree felony for drug or violent offenses.

Given the grievances that members of our community have lodged against Pierson, we cannot recommend a vote for him.

Favor

We also cannot recommend Shayla Favor. Despite testimony before City Council by Columbus DSA’s Housing Campaign highlighting Blackstone’s abysmal housing practices and human rights record, Favor voted to permit the private equity firm and real estate developer to build in Columbus. Leaders within our chapter have continually expressed disappointment with Favor over the chasm between her behavior and rhetoric, as well as for her treatment of them in her capacity as a Councilmember, up to and including standing them up when they showed up for a pre-scheduled meeting.

When the Dispatch asked each of the prosecutorial candidates for comment following the mistrial in Jason Meade’s prosecution, Favor was the only candidate to decline to answer the question of whether she would retry the case. In lieu of an answer, Favor replied: “As an agent of change, I am committed to leading with transparency, prioritizing accountability, and honoring the dignity and respect of every Franklin County resident.” This vague moral posturing, rather than a conclusive response to questions posed by the community as to her positions, perfectly mirrors the way she has spoken on housing policy in her tenure as a Councilmember.

Favor supports death penalty abolition and opposes cash bail, calling it “the definition of an unjust and inequitable system.” Favor’s campaign website communicates pledges to not pursue incarceration for low-level offenses and to provide meaningful alternatives to incarceration. However, while these are remarkable promises, our previous experience indicates that she would fail to make good on them if elected.

Harris

The authors have little to say on Natalia Harris. Rather than taking political stances, her campaign has focused largely on highlighting her experience as the city attorney for Delaware, as well as her experience as a former prosecutor and Columbus city attorney. She has stated that her motivation for running is to address the backlog of unresolved murder cases in Franklin County, which she alleged in January to be at 251. Pierson, current deputy chief counsel for Prosecutor Gary Tyack, said that this number was “wildly” inaccurate, and that the backlog is actually at less than a third of that number.

Harris has said that she would be willing to seek the death penalty in a criminal prosecution, stating: “If there is a case that warrants it, then that is a tool that I will employ.”

###

The Las Vegas chapter of the Democratic Socialists of America announced their endorsement of Valerie Thomason, candidate for Assembly District 10. LVDSA played a significant part in Bernie Sanders’ sweep of the Nevada caucuses in 2020 and the election of the Progressive Slate that took over Nevada’s Democratic Party leadership in the spring of 2021. Thomason’s endorsement is the chapter’s first of its kind since its members adopted a more stringent endorsement process in the summer of 2021. LVDSA says it commits to turning out volunteers for Thomason’s campaign as it looks to lead a significant ground game for the Assembly District 10 seat.

Valerie Thomason is a Teamster, single mother, and organizer within the community. If elected, she would become Nevada’s first openly democratic socialist state legislator. Her campaign’s top priorities include rent control, universal childcare, and strengthening unions. She was an organizer for the Bernie Sanders’ 2016 and 2020 presidential campaigns, a Clark County Democratic Party Board Member from 2021-2023, and has served on the Steering Committee of LVDSA. Thomason has also earned endorsements from Run for Something and People’s Action PAC alongside Congress Members Ilhan Omar, Rashida Tlaib, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and other left-wing legislators. Learn more about Valerie Thomason at valfornevada.com.

Quotes:

• LVDSA Co-chair Shaun Navarro: “From her work on the Bernie campaign, to leadership in LVDSA and now with the Teamsters, Val has proven her commitment to her community and fighting for the working class  in Las Vegas. She not only has our endorsement but she lives the values that LVDSA is all about.”
• LVDSA Co-chair Anthony Lambert: “Val is a fantastic organizer and a great representative of our values. She understands what the working class is going through, and she’s not going to bend to corporate lobbyists or toe a moderate line.”
• Candidate Valerie Thomason: “I’ve been a member of the Las Vegas DSA for a long time. I am incredibly proud of the work we’ve done together and of the things this organization has accomplished. I believe that this is another step towards building real power for working class people in Las Vegas and I am thrilled to not only be endorsed but to work together towards this future.”

Editorial note: The Las Vegas chapter of the Democratic Socialists of America may be short-handed as “LVDSA”, “Las Vegas DSA”, or “Las Vegas Democratic Socialists”.

South by South-Which Side Are You On?

by Gumbo V.

Over two dozen artists who were scheduled to perform at South by Southwest in Austin, TX have announced that they are boycotting the festival in solidarity with Palestine and in protest of SXSW’s ties to military contractors. The artists include Squirrel Flower, Eliza McLamb, Proper, TC_Superstar, Mamalarky, The Curls, and many others, as well as author Dr. Devon Price.

The boycott announcements began flooding social media on Tuesday, 5 March 2024, just days before the festival was scheduled to kick off. The day before, the United Musicians and Allied Workers, a non-profit organization consisting of musicians and fellow travelers struggling for better pay and working conditions, announced their own demands of SXSW in solidarity with the Austin for Palestine Coalition’s  “War Mongers out of SXSW” campaign. The Austin for Palestine Coalition consists of Austin-based organizations including Austin Democratic Socialists of America, the Party for Socialism and Liberation – Austin, Jewish Voice for Peace – Austin, the Palestine Solidarity Committee at UT Austin, and Austin With Palestine.

Austin for Palestine Coalition’s “War Mongers out of SXSW” campaign began on 21 February 2024 with an instagram post articulating a list of demands and a call to action:

We are protesting the inclusion of Raytheon (RTX), its subsidiary Collins Aerospace, and BAE Systems at the South By Southwest festivals and conference. Raytheon (RTX) manufactures missiles, bombs, and other weapon systems for the Israeli military to use against Palestinians. Collins Aerospace provides crucial components for military aircraft used by the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF). BAE Systems has supplied weapons and equipment used in the occupation of Palestinian territories. We urge that SXSW take the following actions:

We are protesting the inclusion of Raytheon (RTX), its subsidiary Collins Aerospace, and BAE Systems at the South By Southwest festivals and conference. Raytheon (RTX) manufactures missiles, bombs, and other weapon systems for the Israeli military to use against Palestinians. Collins Aerospace provides crucial components for military aircraft used by the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF). BAE Systems has supplied weapons and equipment used in the occupation of Palestinian territories. We urge that SXSW take the following actions:

1. Disinvite Raytheon, Collins Aerospace, and BAE Systems from the festival
2. Reevaluate the inclusion of agencies in the Department of Defense in events and discussions hosted by the festival.
3. Use its platform to raise awareness about the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Gaza and advocate for peace, justice, and the protection of human rights.

The campaign began as a targeted email campaign directed towards the SXSW board of executives, including Co-President and Chief Programming Officer Hugh Forrest, Co-President and Chief Brand Officer Jann Basket, Chief Logistics Officer Michele Flores, Vice President of Film & TV Claudette Godfrey, and Chief Culture & People Officer Autumn Nicole Amuesca.

A material analysis of the festival’s conditions included understanding whose labor SXSW profits from, and how that labor might be wielded to amplify demands. Members of the Austin for Palestine Coalition representing Austin DSA and the Austin chapter of the Party for Socialism and Liberation thus reached out to United Musicians and Allied Workers and the Austin Federation of Musicians local 433 to determine how organized labor could stand in solidarity with Palestinian liberation.

This is far from the first time that artists have protested SXSW. Just last year, UMAW and AFM 433 began their Fair Pay for Fair Play at SXSW campaign due to stagnant pay rates for artists for over a decade. The stakes are even higher in 2024, as the entire world watches a genocide be livestreamed in real time and the companies that manufacture weapons to perpetuate it are invited to speak about their “innovations” at SXSW’s opening Startup Crawl on 8 March. In April 2021, SXSW was acquired by mass media conglomerate Penske Media Corporation, and the organized labor behind SXSW’s cultural legacy have drawn direct connections between the corporatization of SXSW, the festival’s refusal to pay artists a fair wage and provide labor protections, and its platforming of genocidal military-industrial companies.

Penske Media Corporation (PMC) is owned by founder Jay Penske, heir to father, Roger Penske’s, transportation company Penske Corporation, Inc. known for its truck rentals service and racing investments. Jay Penske has been compared to Rupert Murdoch and William Randolph Hearst for his amassing of media holdings, including Rolling Stone, Variety Magazine, Deadline, IndieWire, and over two dozen other brands. The comparison is especially prescient as both media moguls are notorious for their mass accumulation of capital at the direct expense of their workers, Murdoch for his forced displacement of the working class Wapping neighborhood of London and Randolph Hearst for being the target of the 1899 Newsies Strike

There is no small irony in the corporatization of South by Southwest. The shift towards being a “capitalist carnival for the young and energetic” has been decried for many years and is part and parcel with Austin’s rise as the so-called Silicon Valley of the South. Regardless of its corporatization, however, one is left to wonder: what place do military contractors and the U.S. Department of Defense have at a music and film festival?

As stated above, the musicians’, cultural laborers’, and Austin for Palestine Coalition’s demands are quite simple:

1. Remove and deplatform the companies with public and explicit ties to the Israeli genocide in Gaza;
2. Reflect on what the festival has become such that the U.S Army, DoD, CIA, NSA, and many others have decided to make it a vessel for cultural warfare; and
3. Use the global platform of SXSW for moral and material good

To contact that SXSW board with these demands at the click of a button, please visit: https://tinyurl.com/WarMongersOutSXSW
For more information about the Austin for Palestine Coalition, please visit https://austin4palestine.org/ and come to the Falasteen Street Museum during SXSW outside of Austin City Hall from 5pm-9pm on 8-10 March and 15-17 March!

The post Musicians, Culture Workers Boycott SXSW for Platforming Genociders first appeared on Red Fault.

by Sara G.

Tuesday night, we celebrated. At Hotel Vegas, as a live band played, we ate tacos and toasted democracy. The crowd chanted “four more years” as our District Attorney José Garza took the stage for his acceptance speech upon winning reelection with a remarkable 33% lead.

José campaigned on supporting survivors of sexual assault, prosecuting wage theft and abusive cops, and offering community-based justice solutions. His opponent Jeremy Sylestine didn’t speak about the issues, but a dark money group from Dallas called Saving Austin spoke for him. Fearmongering mailers featuring a dark hand clasped over a child’s mouth were sent to the most progressive districts in Austin. A group of bikers from Pflugerville followed volunteers for José from house to house to intimidate them on Sylestine’s behalf, much like they did during council member Mackenzie Kelly’s 2020 campaign. Silicon Valley billionaires donated heavily to Sylestine, and conservative media celebrities like Joe Rogan, Bari Weiss, and Libs of TikTok threw their weight behind his campaign. Austin’s most famous proponent of the Great Replacement Theory, Elon Musk, even tweeted his support, only to delete the tweet in shame once he saw the results. In total, Sylestine raised over $1.2 million compared to José Garza’s $200,000.

On José’s side, we had the power of people. José has a strong labor background, serving as  Executive Director of the Workers Defense Project and working with the Department of Labor and the NLRB. He received strong endorsements from local labor unions. Volunteers from our chapter of the Democratic Socialists of America, labor unions, University Democrats and other community groups all pitched in to spread the message of how crime has decreased with José Garza as DA. In one weekend, DSA knocked on over 1,400 doors for José. Where they had the money, we had the people.

Together we have proven that you can run as an open socialist, you can have all of the money of Silicon Valley, local billionaire elites and national right wing demagogues against you, and you can win. By building a mass movement from the bottom up, we can take on any opponent.

The post

José Garza Wins Overwhelming 2:1 Victory in DA Race

In order better to accommodate some of our members’ schedules, we have moved our monthly general meetings to the final Wednesday of each month. That means our March general meeting, open to members and non-members alike, will take place on March 27th. The time and place for the meetings will remain unchanged: 6:30PM at the Appalachian Liberation Library (419 W Market St in Johnson City) or by Zoom (ntdsa.org/meeting). See you there!

This January, Salt Lake DSA renewed its participation in the national boycott campaign of Israeli and Zionist foods called No Appetite for Apartheid, launched by the Palestine Solidarity Working Group in 2022, which is itself part of the Apartheid Free Zones campaign and the larger BDS movement launched by Palestinian civil society groups in 2005. We are canvassing local stores to see if we here in Utah can help add to the number of Apartheid Free stores nationwide, which will support the struggle for the liberation of Palestine. See the chapter calendar for biweekly meetings and canvassing update, follow the guidelines in the one-pager below, and join us!

The post Still No Appetite For Apartheid! first appeared on Salt Lake DSA.