Seattle voters passed Initiative 135 in February, creating the only radically democratic, tenant-led, publicly-owned social housing developer in the country. I sat down with Tiffani McCoy, Co-Chair of House Our Neighbors, the coalition who led the fight. Then I interviewed two leaders of Seattle DSA, Sydney Province and Ramy Khalil, to get their perspective on the fight ahead to fully fund social housing in Seattle. Both interviews were excellent, but went long, so we split this into a two-parter. Thanks to Luke Wigren for help recording this episode and to Jason Corey for editing it. Subscribe to get an alert when future episodes drop.

Although New York just became the 13th state to pass a bill designating this a sanctuary state for trans and nonbinary people and protecting gender-affirming care patients and providers, the attacks on trans youth and adults are only escalating nationwide. Media establishments like the New York Times are covering "debates" around access to gender-affirming care using bad science and faulty logic and without respecting the direct experience and analysis of trans people themselves. What are the social and political forces that are seeking to legitimize transphobia in the public sphere and restrict access to healthcare for gender non-conforming people? Join us for a panel discussion with Alex, a researcher and journalist, Quinnehtukqut, a social psychologist, and Jess, a therapist, on gender-affirming care and how Trans-Exclusionary Radical Feminists (TERFs) have partnered with the far-right to advance bigotry and restrict trans people's human rights. 

Hamilton College Young Democratic Socialists of American (HC-YDSA) officially became a branch of Syracuse DSA at our Sunday, June 18th General Meeting. HC-YDSA applied to become a branch earlier in May. Our Steering Committee unanimously recommended that general membership vote to accept their application. Our membership then approved their application at the June General Meeting

We are extremely excited to partner with HC-YDSA as we fight to bring socialism to The Hill and the rest of the Central New York.

Below you can find photos from HC-YDSA events below.

The post Welcome Hamilton College YDSA! appeared first on Syracuse DSA.

This Pride month, the LGBTQ+ community celebrates our fierce love while facing organized assaults on our very existence. With 2023 not even half over, Human Rights Watch reports a record number of anti-LGBTQ+ legal efforts. More than 520 anti-LGBTQ+ bills have been introduced in state legislatures. Of these, over 220 bills specifically target transgender and…

The post Chapter and Verse | YDSA Organizes Against Anti-LGBTQ+ Laws appeared first on Democratic Left.

One hundred years ago labor organizer A.J. Muste observed that the very structure of a union is inherently unstable and contradictory. I find many parallels in DSA. A union, or a democratic organization (think DSA), must be like an army, he said, with soldiers in the class war ready to act swiftly, in unison and…

The post DIRECTOR’S Report | Power and Contradictions appeared first on Democratic Left.

The post Major Work Stoppages, 1993-2022 appeared first on Democratic Left.

It’s already a hot labor summer, and the heat is turning up as DSA chapters across the country make themselves Strike Ready. The stakes are high, the opportunities many! At press time, the Writers Guild of America, representing 11,500 writers, is standing up for fair pay from residuals and more. Chapters from Los Angeles to…

The post Get Strike Ready! And Build a Better Future appeared first on Democratic Left.

By Cameron Orr

I applaud the city council for passing ordinances on Wednesday that establish the Right To Counsel and fees on developers to fund affordable housing and free legal representation for tenants. This is a big step forward, and will contribute to a more humane city and economy. I hope that the city will demonstrate urgency in fully implementing this program as soon as possible, rather than considering it satisfactory to simply meet the 2026 deadline.

However, I want to express my concern that while all our city council members ultimately made the right decision in passing these ordinances, some were upset that real-estate investors weren’t adequately consulted, or were worried about the effect these reforms will have on the “market” and developers’ “right” to make a return on their investment.

I’m afraid this shows a certain level of confusion. Perhaps we have allowed a corporate-dominated political environment to warp our mindset. Nobody has a “right” to make a profit. That’s a risk you take when you make an investment. But people should have the right to a home.

Property rights are not sacrosanct; human lives are. Housing, food, clothing, a quality education, healthcare — these things are basic needs and should be considered human rights. Many countries with far less resources than ours provide these things. The United States has more than enough resources to make them available to everyone; we simply choose not to. That shows who is really in control.

If those who control immense resources can be compelled by city, state, and federal government to make these basic human needs accessible to the general public, that is well and fine and good. But when those who control basic resources like land and housing fail to make them available to people, and even stand in the way of government measures to improve people’s lives, they prove themselves to be bad stewards and deserve to lose those privileges. If a slumlord or big developer is suddenly unable to collect huge rent checks, they’re still in a much better position than the ordinary worker who just lost their job. Many of us have already been there at some point in our lives, with little to no help on the way; so, it’s hard for us to show much sympathy for those with great wealth who cry poor.

Read “Letter: On Right to Counsel, Jersey City Made The Right Choice” at Jersey City Times