We're crossing the Hudson River once again to speak to our socialist comrades fighting for workers’ and tenants’ rights  in New Jersey. We’ll hear live from Isaac and Julia of the Right to Counsel campaign in Jersey City, now the priciest city in the nation, on their organizing to guarantee representation from an attorney for all tenants facing evictions and other housing issues. We also speak to Deepti, an undergraduate student at Rutgers University, and Sarah, a member of the grad union’s bargaining committee, on their recent and historic strike and what’s next for workers at the largest university in New Jersey.

To learn more and get involved with the Right to Counsel campaign in Jersey City, visit righttocounseljc.org.

Follow Rutgers AAUP-AFT at @ruaaup and Rutgers One Coalition at @r1coalition. 

An open letter of solidarity with Salt Lake City Public Library Workers United

April 22nd, 2023

To the Salt Lake City Public Library Board of Directors, and to library patrons,

The Democratic Socialists of Salt Lake (DSSL) is first and foremost a socialist organization formed in the spirit and practice of working class solidarity and labor organizing.  Workers’ unions and collective bargaining are foundational pillars that hold working class power stable. Along with these pillars, public libraries are also necessary for the survival of democracy and working class people. Because of this, the DSSL is writing this letter on behalf of the 400+ members of the chapter to show public and proud support of the Salt Lake City Public Library workers’ efforts to unionize with Local 1004 of the American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) as SLCPL Workers United.

Our chapter is an active and proud patron of the SLC Public Library (SLCPL). Since August, we have held each of our monthly hybrid general meetings at the main branch (including our next one on 4/24), we held our “Know Your Rights” tenant organizing trainings at multiple branches across the city over the past year, and our members have participated in events other community organizations have hosted at the library. Our chapter has several members who work with the SLCPL, and we have enjoyed utilizing the non-book materials, such as the button and sticker maker, that are accessible through the SLCPL.

Beyond the scope of our chapter, the SLCPL does vital work that this city would not be able to function without. The free Seed Library program is an imaginative success in the fight against food deserts and for sustainability across the valley. Hundreds of community members enjoy the book clubs, public forums, educational programs, youth programs, guest speakers, and author meet-and-greets the library puts on every year. But most importantly, the SLCPL is one of the last places in the city that every Salt Laker can go to and be welcomed, regardless of race, gender, class, ability, sexual orientation, immigration status, language, or age. The SLCPL is one of the only places in the state that is wholly democratic and equitable to all people. And it does all of this free of charge to everyone.

But it’s not “the entity” of the SLCPL who executes these wonders; the SLCPL would vanish in an instant without the intelligent, hardworking librarians, custodians, educators, and other workers who pour their heart and soul into their work and this city everyday. It is the workers that provide all the valuable resources there. It is them that create and execute all the innovative and world-class services and events the library puts on. These workers are positive examples to all people in our community; they embody the ideals the DSSL, and many Americans, hold very seriously: free speech, appreciation of the arts and humanities, community outreach, education, and social and economical justice. The SLCPL workers are the keepers of democracy and prophets of a better, more equitable and just, day.

The SLCPL is the embodiment of collaboration, so it is for these reasons and more that we demand that the SLCPL Board of Directors voluntarily recognize SLCPL Workers United upon demonstration of majority support and bargain in good faith with the representatives elected by the workers. We also demand that the Board passes resolution that solidify these collective bargaining rights and prevent any union busting any future board may consider. We also demand that the Board addresses the workers’ concerns regarding wages, benefits, equality, and their workplace democratic processes, as they know their own work situation better than anyone. The SLCPL workers are currently the only group of public employees in Salt Lake City who are not covered under any bargaining agreement, and this directly contradicts the main ideals this very institution stand.

The DSSL asks the Board to submit to workers’ demands, and will stand by the SLCPL workers’ through every success and struggle they endure; up to and including joining them on the picket line. Solidarity with the library workers now! And solidarity with them forever!

On behalf of our members,

The Democratic Socialists of Salt Lake Coordinating Committee

The post DSSL Proudly Supports the Unionizing Efforts of the Workers at the SLC Public Library first appeared on Salt Lake DSA.

It is with great joy and excitement that we celebrate Delaware becoming the 22nd state to legalize cannabis for recreational use. This is a revolutionary reform that decreases the power of the carceral state and empowers the working class.

One of the most important aspects of Delaware’s legalization of cannabis is the positive impact it can have on marginalized communities. The disproportionate impact of cannabis criminalization on communities of color has been well-documented, with unfair arrests, convictions, and harsh sentencing contributing to systemic racism and social injustice. Legalization presents an opportunity to correct these injustices by reducing the criminalization of cannabis and promoting social equity initiatives, additional assistance with expungement of past cannabis-related convictions and creating pathways for diverse ownership and participation in the cannabis industry. This is a significant step towards rectifying the harm caused by the War on Drugs and promoting equity and justice.

We send our gratitude and thanks to Zoe Patchell, Andrea Brown Clarke and all DECAN coalition partners. as well as the prime sponsor Rep. Ed Osienski and of course all of DEDSA’s endorsed state legislators and all other legislators who voted for these bills, for making this a reality. We also thank Gov. John Carney for putting the people of Delaware above corporations and special interests this time around.

As we celebrate this historic moment, let us recognize that Delaware’s decision to legalize marijuana is not just about adult use, but also about promoting social justice, economic empowerment, and equity in the cannabis industry. We must continue to advocate for responsible and equitable cannabis policies that prioritize the well-being of all individuals, especially those who have been disproportionately impacted by cannabis criminalization, such as automatic expungement of all nonviolent cannabis offenses, home-grow, and public cannabis consumption lounges. Together, we can continue to push for progress and strive towards a more just and inclusive approach to cannabis policy.

Many of us frequently interact with United Parcel Service (UPS) workers in our daily lives. You see them driving down your street in their emblematic brown trucks. You count on them to deliver birthday gifts to far-flung family members. You may even chit-chat with the UPS worker who regularly delivers packages to your door. UPS is the third largest company headquartered in Atlanta, and it employs nearly 400,000 essential workers who are responsible for transporting 25 million packages and documents daily, across 220 different countries and territories. Millions of us rely on the hard work of UPS drivers and warehouse workers. But did you know that these workers are currently gearing up for a critical contract fight to win better wages, hours, and respect on the job?

All 350,000 non-management UPS workers throughout the U.S. are covered under a national contract, known as the National Master Agreement (NMA), that the International Brotherhood of Teamsters (IBT) has with UPS. This contract governs their wages and working conditions.  Some UPS workers — but not all! — are also covered by a local “supplement,” which is a second contract negotiated by local or regional bargaining committees that often has stronger language than the NMA. So while all UPS Teamsters have some baseline protections, there is a lot of variation in the level of protection members receive depending on location. That’s why it’s crucial to have a strong NMA. 

And guess what? The NMA is currently up for renegotiation, which is a huge opportunity for UPS Teamsters trying to strengthen their contract. It will expire in just a few months, on July 31, 2023. This time around, IBT is being led by a newly-elected coalition of militant reformers, including General President Sean O’Brien. They’re done making concessions, and if UPS does not end two-tier driver jobs, raise pay for part-time workers, and give in on other key issues, the UPS Teamsters plan to strike nationwide on August 1, 2023. 

DSA is ready to go all in on this fight! Last weekend, DSA labor and electoral organizers from all over the country gathered in Chicago to announce that 71 and counting DSA electeds have signed on to support the UPS Teamsters this summer. Ahead of July 31, we’re gathering the support of members, our coworkers, and the larger community to stand with UPS Teamsters on the picket line when the time comes. We’re counting on YOU to get involved, sign the pledge, and take a moment to learn what this struggle is all about!

When was the last UPS Strike?

The last UPS Teamsters strike took place in August 1997, during which 185,000 UPS workers went on strike for a better contract. This was a pivotal moment for the U.S. labor movement. The strike lasted 15 days and cost UPS hundreds of millions of dollars. The company admitted that fears of even bigger losses led them to finally agree to IBT’s demands. In other words, the Teamsters showed their company and the world that, when well-organized and well-supported, workers hold the power. IBT won pay increases for part-time workers and drivers, secure pension plans and increased benefits, the conversion of 10,000 part-time jobs into full-time ones, and more.

Strikes have always played a vital role in the American labor movement, but striking actions have declined greatly in this country over the last four decades. Data from The Bureau of Labor Statistics shows that 1,796,000 workers were involved in major work stoppages in 1974. That number hit a low in 2009 with just 12,500 workers participating in major work stoppages. Major strike activity saw a 35-year high in 2018 and 2019, according to Economic Policy Institute. Most recently, in 2022, 120,600 workers were involved in 23 major work stoppages, which was a nearly 50% increase from 2021. Though striking is becoming more popular and union approval rates are increasing in the U.S., UPS hasn’t dealt with a strike in over 20 years. The company is likely unprepared, but the Teamsters aren’t. IBT is ready to stand firm on its demands.

Teamsters’ Contract Demands for UPS Workers

As members of DSA and the Atlanta community gear up to support UPS Teamsters in their contract fight, it’s important to know what workers are fighting for so we can uplift their demands and spread the word! Here are a few of the most urgent issues that will decide if the Teamsters launch the largest strike in recent American history and why each demand is meaningful.

No more two-tiered driver classifications

The 22.4 full-time worker tier was created by the IBT’s 2018 contract with UPS, which was negotiated by former IBT General President and business unionist, James Hoffa Jr. This tier is made up of mostly new drivers who do the same work as more senior drivers — classified as regular full-time package car drivers (RPCD). RPCD pay tops out at $41 per hour, but 22.4’s pay ceiling is $6 per hour less. In addition to lower pay, 22.4s have much less control over their schedules than RPCDs, which leads to high turnover rates. 22.4 drivers deserve the same pay and protections as RPCDs. 

Higher pay for part-time workers

Despite what you may assume based on how often you see UPS drivers out and about, most Teamsters at UPS are not drivers. Over half work inside distribution facilities, and many of those workers are part-time. These part-time workers play a vital role in making sure UPS runs smoothly, and they deserve to be compensated fairly for their significant contributions. Starting part-time pay must be increased to above $20 an hour and catch-up raises must be given to existing part-time employees. 

UPS must also end its use of Market Rate Adjustment pay discrimination against part-time workers. MRAs can take the form of hourly rate increases or weekly bonuses and can cover a whole geographic area, a single center, or just certain shifts. By using MRAs, UPS has raised the wages of some workers without implementing raises across the board. The use of MRAs divides unions by pitting senior workers against new hires and even members at one building against another.

More full-time jobs

UPS needs to create more full-time 22.3 jobs, which are inside jobs doing tasks like sorting packages, loading and unloading semi-trucks, and more for 8 or more hours a day. The many part-time workers who are so critical to how UPS runs should be afforded more opportunities for reliable, full-time work if they want it. 

No more excessive overtime

Package drivers need stronger 9.5 rights, or the right to cap work at 9.5 hours, three times a week. All people deserve a life outside of work. At UPS, however, employees are often forced into working six days a week. Workers refer to this as the forced 6th punch. Workers who want overtime hours and pay should have the choice to pursue that, but it should be just that — a choice.

Job security for feeders and package drivers

Feeder drivers are usually workers who drive semi-trucks from warehouse to warehouse. UPS sometimes diverts this feeder work to nonunion carriers. It’s time to put an end to the subcontracting of feeder work. 

There must also be stronger protection for the jobs that are being eliminated by Access Point and Surepost. Access Points are local businesses that serve as drop-off and pick-up locations for people sending or receiving items through UPS. The company utilizes Access Point as a tactic to cut costs. Surepost is an economy service offered by UPS that delivers items through the USPS. Both render UPS drivers unnecessary, which cuts back on potential jobs.

Video camera and harassment protection

In recent months, there has been a push from UPS to install driver-facing cameras inside vehicles. The introduction of surveillance systems is made even more egregious by the fact that many company vehicles are not even properly outfitted with air conditioning, which has led to hospitalizations for drivers, and in one case, even death. Stronger language to protect workers from this kind of company harassment — including financial penalties against UPS for any violations — must be put in place.

Why Atlanta DSA stands with UPS Teamsters

As socialists, we’re committed to standing with the UPS Teamsters every step along the way of their contract battle because we believe that building power in the workplace is essential to building a better, more democratic economy and society for all working people. The entire working class must stand together with rank-and-file UPS Teamsters in this historic fight to show large corporations like UPS that when workers overcome divisions and unite as a class, we win!

As this is the largest private sector contract in the nation, IBT’s upcoming fight is sure to have a ripple effect in union organizing across the country. Workers make up the majority of the population and create all value in society, but in the U.S., we are highly unorganized with only 11% of U.S. workers represented by a union. To ensure the momentum continues, we should bring everyone into this campaign and work to elevate workers’ demand in a way that helps grow class consciousness among all workers. This campaign is a crucial opportunity to win not just a great, hard-earned contract for UPS workers nationwide, but to send a message to the working class: strikes get the goods! If UPS refuses to concede to workers’ demands and they decide to strike, workers far and wide will see in real-time the power they hold. 

How to support UPS Workers

Just like the Teamsters, DSA is asking members and supporters to get STRIKE READY! Sign the Strike Ready pledge and commit to standing in solidarity with IBT UPS workers this summer as they prepare for the biggest potential strike this country has seen in decades. Get updates on upcoming #StrikeReady events this summer, including educational panels, picket line trainings, rallies, and phone banks. Plus, check out the information we’ve put together on the contract fight at atldsa.org/ups-solidarity.

Talk to your union members, coworkers, friends, family, and neighbors about the potential strike! Get them to sign the pledge, attend a phone bank, or join you on the picket line in August. When the working class stands together to fight, we win!

After you’ve committed to join striking workers on the picket line this summer, make sure to brush up on DSA’s Picket Line Do’s and Don’t’s to be prepared and helpful during the strike!

Finally, to get involved in DSA’s strike solidarity and labor organizing work, get plugged in with our Labor Committee by emailing labor@atldsa.org. 

The post UPS Teamsters Gear up for the Contract Fight of a Lifetime appeared first on Red Clay Comrade.

The New York State budget is now 18 days late and while the media focuses on the horse trading going on between Governor Hochul and Senate and Assembly leadership behind closed doors in Albany, there are of course, as there always are, workers keeping everything running behind the scenes. 

Tonight we’re joined live by two of those legislative staffers, Astrid and John. We’ll talk to them about New York State Legislative Workers United - an effort to unionize and improve working conditions for legislative staffers across the state. 

You can follow New York State Legislative Workers United on Twitter at https://twitter.com/NYSLWU

Updated on 4/20/2023 at 12:03pm

Our chapter’s annual convention is less than two weeks away, and with that comes the beginning of a new year in the DSSL. It feels like society has been crumbling before our very eyes the past 12 months, but DSSL has stood strong in the face of capitalist oppression in lots of exciting ways. Before the excitement and chaos that is our chapter convention and the corcom elections, campaign and resolution proposals, and putting the “social” in socialism at the park that come along with it, we would like to take a look at the past 12 months and celebrate the successes we as a chapter had.

Chapter Growth

Our chapter has grown like a weed as many Utahns become motivated to call out and fight the problem: capitalism. In the last 12 months:

• 72 new members have joined our chapter
• Over 100 people have joined our email list, meaning over 1,000 people throughout Utah receive frequent updates from our chapter
• 2,487 people viewed our website 5,391 times
• Over 500 people have followed our pages on Instagram and Twitter, and our posts and profiles were viewed by 119,117 accounts across the country and world

The DSSL also joined other revolutionary organizations in becoming a founding member organization of the Utah Coalition of Leftists and continues to work with groups such as the Communist Party of Utah, the SLC branch of the Party of Socialism and Liberation, and the Armed Queers of SLC, along with many more.

Along with all that, our members have talked with countless working class Utahns about the failings of capitalism and American bourgeoise politics. DSSL members know that socialism is the solution, and we look forward to continuing another year of working with our neighbors to realize that dream.

2022-23 Strategic Campaign: Housing Justice

At our 2022 chapter convention, members voted to focus on housing justice and tenant’s rights as the strategic campaign for 2022-23. The campaign was focused on organizing “Know Your Rights” trainings to inform renters of their legal rights and identifying groups that could potentially form tenants unions through frequent canvassing events.

Needless to say, the campaign committee knocked it out of the ballpark! In the past 12 months,

• The canvassing team knocked on the doors of over 900 renters across Salt Lake valley.
• We held 5 Know Your Rights trainings
• Over 100 community members attended those trainings throughout the year
• Members donated dozens of items to aid our unsheltered neighbors during the scorching summer and frigid winter

The hard work of our comrades in fighting the massive housing crisis (and in turn, the homelessness crisis) in Utah has paid off, and we are incredibly proud of the campaign’s success

Labor Work: Starbucks Success

In the past year, two Starbucks locations in Utah (Cottonwood Heights and 9th and 9th) voted to join the ever-growing Starbucks Workers United union, and our chapter is proud to have supported and celebrated the baristas sticking it to Howard Schultz and his unprecedented union-busting campaign. In the past 12 months

• We as a chapter showed solidarity with Starbucks workers by participating in 6 “sip ins” and drive-thru caravans at both unionizing locations, ordering our coffee “UNION STRONG!”
• Our members also joined the baristas on the picket line during all 4 strikes SBWU held, including the most recent one at 4th and 4th in March

Along with that, after Cottonwood Heights became the first unionized Starbucks in Utah, our chapter held a day in the park to celebrate their well-earned union win.

But Starbucks workers aren’t the only workers we’ve supported:

• Multiple members have organized/are in the process of organizing their workplaces in sectors such as healthcare, academia, retail and dining, and the public sector
• We canvassed for and supported the workers at Via Pizza in Utah County as they fought to form a union
• We stood in solidarity with workers at Clever Octopus as they continue to struggle against the company’s illegal and aggressive union busting practices
• We supported and continue to support railroad workers after Congress and Joe Biden assaulted the working class by forcing the workers to accept a contract they did not want. We still condemn the DSA members in congress who voted against the workers and the lack of action on National DSA’s part to hold these members accountable

As a socialist organization, DSSL will always stand with working people, and we will look forward to supporting the expansion of SBWU in Utah and work with all union workers throughout Utah.

Getting in Good Trouble: Protests, Rallies, and Dissent

Our chapter is proud to have either participated in or co-sponsored 16 rallies, marches, protests, and solidarity events in the past 12 months including:

• We protested SCOTUS’s undemocratic and human-rights-violating overturning of Roe v. Wade the day the decision was released, along with the UCL and thousands of fellow Utahns.
• Our chapter was an official co-sponsor of the Save Our Great Salt Lake rally in January
• The Armed Queers’ rally opposing the GOP’s genocidal gender affirming healthcare ban for minors in February
• UCL’s anti-war rally protesting the Russian war in April.
• The Stop Cop City protests in March to show solidarity with our comrades in Atlanta as they fight to prevent the tyrannical and violent police training facility from being built.

But socialists don’t merely participate in protests, we lead them. Chapter leaders spoke at multiple rallies and protests, including the Armed Queers’ trans rights and the UCL’s anti-war protest.

Protests are democracy. They get things done. DSSL will always practice this human right and will continue to help organize rallies and marches over the next year.

In Conclusion…

We are incredibly proud of our member’s work over the past 12 months. Our chapter is in a great place, and we can’t wait to continue this positive trend. DSSL is excited for the next twelve months, and we’re looking forward to our 2023-24 work, including:

• Sending delegates to DSAs national convention in August to represent our chapter and Utah on a national scale
• Standing in solidarity with UPS Teamsters during their contract fight that began April 16th and their potential strike this summer
• Mobilizing Salt Lakers for the 2023 SLC municipal elections this November
• And much more!

Thank you for a great year of socialist organizing. Solidarity forever, Salt Lake!

The post DSSL 2022-23 Year in Review first appeared on Salt Lake DSA.

A major housing bill is making its way through the Colorado legislature, SB23-213 – referred to as ‘land use’ – has driven much of the recent discussion over state housing policy. The bill, among other things, would enable greater housing density in municipalities around Colorado by compelling municipalities to change their land use regulations. In many cities, including Denver, it would effectively end single-family zoning and allow multiple units (currently up to 4) to be built on lots previously zoned for only one unit.

This legislation has much to like. Exclusionary and restrictive land use policy has made our housing and environmental crises worse, and it is important to use state power to break down this land use status quo. The rules to change occupancy limits are welcome, as are water audits, reforms to HOAs, and reduced parking requirements. We also recognize the importance of encouraging development patterns that are environmentally sustainable, promote housing density, and push cities away from suburban sprawl. We know that the status quo of single family zoning primarily serves to protect the interests of wealth and property values, not the interests of tenants. We do need more housing, and ultimately, housing for all. While this bill can inch us closer to housing for all, it is only one piece of a much larger puzzle.

Denver DSA’s support for SB23-213 is conditional. We demand that this land use bill passes together with two other critical housing bills: local control of rents (HB23-1115), which would enable municipalities in Colorado to enact rent control (aka local control of rents), and just cause eviction protections (HB23-1171). These bills are absolutely essential to defending tenants at a time of ever-increasing housing instability and exploitation from landlords. 

Through this legislative session, we have seen attention and support diverted away from these bills and towards land use, leading to a situation in which land use is upheld as a magic bullet for the state’s housing crisis. We reject this framing and demand that land use is passed together with local control of rents and just cause eviction protections. Otherwise, lawmakers are abandoning the immediate needs of tenants and instead opting for a legislative track that avoids direct confrontation with capital – namely the developer and landlord interests that wield substantial power over Colorado’s politics and that are invested in policy “solutions” to our housing crisis that prioritize their profits, not the needs of tenants. This imbalance of legislative attention, typical in prior sessions, is unsustainable in a context where renters are more cost burdened than ever while owners reap record profits. 

This legislation could very well be beneficial to our state in the long run. However, we have to temper our expectations for what it can achieve. We can’t rely on market-rate housing to solve our housing crisis. Moreover, the slogan of this bill, “More Housing Now” is misleading, as it will take many years, if not decades, for a significant amount of new housing to be built as a result of these policy changes to land use law. Without other major efforts to transform our housing system, including social housing, rent control, community land trusts, robust tenant protections, metro district reform, and tenant organizing — many tenants will continue to find themselves living in unstable, exploitative housing arrangements, and housing will continue to be financially out of reach for working people in our state. We are ultimately fighting for a transformation of our housing system to one in which enough housing is under democratic and community control to make housing a basic human right. It is imperative that we struggle for this transformation and build tenant power in all of our organizing and policy efforts. The land use bill does not, in any meaningful way, alleviate the necessity and urgency of this struggle. 

Land Use Reform is a good step, but its benefits are contingent on choices beyond the bill itself. 213 will not meaningfully address our housing crisis on its own, and must be implemented in conjunction with legislation that enables cities to pass rent control and just cause eviction protections, and must be amended to protect against displacement. Otherwise, we are continuing to neglect tenants and are missing an opportunity to bring about the fundamental changes that we so urgently need in our housing system.

Apr 27, 2023 08:00 PM in Eastern Time (US and Canada)

RSVP HERE

Join the Emergency Workplace Organizing Committee (EWOC) for a discussion about the timely new book Labor Power and Strategy, a rich reflection on how the working class can exercise its potentially mighty power in various industries and sectors. In Labor Power and Strategy, renowned labor historian John Womack advances a proposal that unions should focus on organizing workers in the strategic positions and “choke points” within the economy that have maximum potential leverage and power. The book’s editors invited responses from 10 of the most thoughtful organizers and scholars in the labor movement, with a diverse range of ideas on ways forward for labor. This discussion will feature Professor Womack, book editor Peter Olney, and respondents Melissa Shetler and Gene Bruskin. This event will be 90 minutes to allow for plenty of time. Register now for this lively and important discussion!

RSVP HERE

April 17, 2023

The Akron chapter of the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) denounces the decision of the special grand jury in question to not indict the eight officers of the Akron Police Department (APD) who killed Jayland Walker last year on June 27, 2022. We furthermore denounce the current state of affairs, in Akron and across the entire United States, where police continue to have the power to murder people–especially Black and working-class people–with near-impunity; where police continue to assume the role of judge, jury, and executioner in people’s streets, communities, and homes; and where our current institutions continue to be unable to defend us against police violence.

On the aforementioned date, Jayland Walker, a 25-year-old Black man, was shot and killed by APD officers while fleeing from the officers on foot, following a car chase for an alleged traffic violation. According to an autopsy from the Summit County Medical Examiner, Walker suffered 46 gunshot wounds as a result of police gunfire. While police claim that they found a firearm in Walker’s car, Walker was unarmed as he fled from and was killed by police. Despite this evidence, and despite the egregious nature in which Walker’s life was taken by the police, the grand jury found it appropriate to not indict the officers who killed Walker.

In addition to being a grave injustice in its own right, the killing of Jayland Walker is a local manifestation of a much larger societal problem. On average, more than 1,000 people across the United States are killed by police each year. Disturbingly, 1,176 people were killed by police in 2022, the deadliest year on record for police killings in this country. Also disturbing and relevant to the case of Jayland Walker is that 24 percent of all people killed last year by police were Black, despite only comprising 13 percent of the general population, and nearly one-third of all people killed last year were fleeing from police. Collectively, these killings represent a national and ongoing crisis.

The grand jury’s decision to not indict the officers who killed Jayland Walker also highlights a systemic problem within the criminal legal system. Statistics show that while grand juries will overwhelmingly make indictments in most cases brought before them, a stark exception exists in the form of cases involving police killings. The decision rendered for Jayland Walker joins other unjust decisions in high-profile police killings, including those of Michael Brown, Eric Garner, Tamir Rice, and Breonna Taylor.

Despite the unjust decision from the grand jury, Akron DSA remains unmoved in its basic commitment to educate the community in Akron and beyond on the ongoing crisis of police violence and the underlying problem of the repressive power of police as an institution. We continue to struggle for a future world where no police anywhere have the power to harass, assault, and murder people with little risk of facing consequences; where the incentives to call upon police violence to respond to social problems are eliminated; and where the need to rely upon a grand jury to hold police forces accountable for their violence is rendered moot.

Sources

Jim Mackinnon. “Akron to release body cam footage Sunday of Jayland Walker fatal shooting by police.” Akron Beacon Journal, July 1, 2022. URL: https://www.beaconjournal.com/story/news/2022/07/01/akron-police-shooting-jayland-walker-bodycam-video-ohio/7785675001/ 

Stephanie Warsmith. “What to know about the special grand jury convening Monday on Jayland Walker’s shooting.” Akron Beacon Journal, April 2, 2023. URL: https://www.beaconjournal.com/story/news/2023/04/02/jayland-walker-police-shooting-akron-ohio-grand-jury-to-meet/70046836007/

N’dea Yancey-Bragg, et al. “Grand jury to weigh if Akron police officers should be charged in Jayland Walker’s death.” USA Today, April 10, 2023. URL: https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2023/04/10/jayland-walker-shooting-special-grand-jury-officer-charges/11621046002/ 

Sam Levin. “‘It never stops’: killings by U.S. police reach record high in 2022.” The Guardian, January 6, 2023. URL: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2023/jan/06/us-police-killings-record-number-2022 

Ben Casselman. “It’s incredibly rare for a grand jury to do what Ferguson’s just did.” FiveThirtyEight, November 24, 2014. URL: https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/ferguson-michael-brown-indictment-darren-wilson/ 

James Pinkerton. “Hard to charge: investigation raises questions about whether grand jury system in Harris County favors police” (Part 3 of Bulletproof series). Houston Chronicle. URL: https://www.houstonchronicle.com/local/investigations/item/Bulletproof-Part-3-Hard-to-charge-24421.php 

By Claire Smallwood

During the 20th century, art was a powerful tool for protesting political injustice, as wars and revolutions made conflict and oppression visible around the world. With the onset of the Cold War, much of this oppression was imposed on leftists in particular through militarism, often with the support and assistance of the U.S. government. The violent character of these U.S. foreign affairs as well as their byproducts gave rise to a wave of protest art, one which criticized the perpetrators and honored their victims. Artwork of this sort emerged alongside the growing expressionist movement in the 20th century, though it remains prevalent in contemporary art as well. Looking at works by Oswaldo Guayasamín and Dadang Christanto, we can reflect on this history of anti-communist violence in the Cold War era, U.S. leadership within it, and how this state-of-affairs has been fought by artists then and now.

Oswaldo Guayasamin

Oswaldo Guayasamín was born in Quito, Ecuador in 1919. He was a painter and sculptor whose work was primarily in the expressionist style with cubist influences. He was largely inspired by Mexican muralism and his work was particularly influenced by José Clemente Orozco. He frequently criticized social and political issues in his artwork, “portraying rampant oppression, poverty, and political strife.” This was largely a result of his childhood experiences — as he lived through a violent coup and civil war in Ecuador in the early 1930s — and the inequity he saw during his travels across the Western hemisphere.

These sentiments are clearly reflected in La edad de la ira (the Age of Wrath), his “most expressive and politically-charged” period which he began in 1952. Guayasamín was a known leftist famously acquainted with Fidel Castro, and his opinions are made evident by his series. In it, he depicted major events from the 20th century, including the Vietnam War, World War II, and the Spanish Civil War as well as various dictatorships and militaristic neo-colonialism around the world. He “saw his works as rejecting ‘…all the violence that the incalculable forces of money have created in this world.’”

In attempting to capture the essence of this artistry, this article will analyze two paintings from this period: Reunión en el Pentágono I-V (Meeting at the Pentagon I-V) and Los torturados (The Tortured), both of which criticized United States involvement in Latin America during the Cold War era and reflected the horrors of the anti-communist violence caused by such interventions.

Reunión en el Pentagono I-V

In the polyptych painting Reunión en el Pentágono I-V, created in 1970, Oswaldo Guayasamín presents a criticism of US militarism and foreign policy during the Cold War, one which strived to fight the spread of communism. Guayasamin does this by depicting a scene of malicious US government officials meeting at the Pentagon — the headquarters of the US Department of Defense — a notable center for planning these efforts.

In the scene, five men are sitting at a table with one man situated in each panel, thus maintaining Guayasamín’s expressionist style as well as the cool-toned color scheme of his Edad de la Ira. The contrast between positive and negative space in the painting draws attention to the men, as the background is painted black while the figures and the table are painted in light gray, blue, white and beige. He creates texture by layering colors unevenly and applying his oil paints smoothly in certain places while scoring and scraping it off in others. This creates a rough and almost grotesque finish, emphasizing the abstracted depiction of the men.

The subject matter of this painting is exposed in the title, as it translates to Reunion at the Pentagon, indicating that these are militaristic men meeting at the headquarters of the United States Department of Defense. Guayasamín in particular is known for criticizing US involvement in Latin America, an act clearly executed in this work. Of course, these motivations were by no means unjustified, as the period from the 1940s to the early 1990s — otherwise known as the Cold War era — “the United States deployed military force or otherwise sought to overthrow a Latin American government whenever it felt ideologically threatened by the prospects of communism.” This intervention took many forms, including the financial support of parties that opposed leftist governments, the backing of right-wing military coups, the providing of arms to anti-communist groups, and the spreading anti-communist propaganda. Several of these destabilization efforts led to violent conflicts within the countries, as their impacts aided the establishment of brutal dictatorships and even instigated civil wars. Guayasamín himself said that “the attitude of the [US] government has been quite tragic for Latin America. There are repeated examples: Panama, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Mexico.” From his leftist Ecuadorian perspective, he believed that “we have all been more or less victims, in one form or another, of the U.S. government,” a belief which influenced the painting Reunión en el Pentágono significantly.

Guayasamín’s distorted and almost comical presentation of the US militarists aims to evoke a feeling of disgust in the viewer. Small details such as the addition of sharp teeth and fingernails have been manipulated to project the maliciousness of the characters. The blocky shape of the men’s bodies and their bland color palette make them seem inhuman and convincingly stone-like. Through these components, it seems Guayasamín is commenting “that these figures of the oppressors, in this case… the United States…, do not have human interests in mind for they themselves are hardly even human, so emotionless and lifeless are they.”

He presents the men leaning forward onto the table with their hands placed in front of them, implying “a sense of activeness and control,” while simultaneously reflecting how the US military overbearingly forced itself into Latin American affairs. Each man is painted with different expressions and body positions, in line with their respective titles. For example, painting V is titled El Político, which translates to The Politician and includes a man glaring menacingly and wearing a military style hat, perhaps symbolizing the US government’s willingness to use military force to satisfy political interests. The men also appear “larger than life”, as the upper half of the men’s bodies alone takes up almost all of each canvas. All together, the panels make up a massive work, with each panel measuring 184 x 184 cm (over 6 by 6 ft). These proportions signify “the enormous power [the men] wield,” making the viewer feel small and powerless in comparison, thus echoing the immense power of the US military over Latin American people and their politics.

The clear purpose of the painting is to provoke criticism of the US government and portray them negatively, emphasizing in particular their anti-communist militarism in the Cold War. Such a notion fits within Guayasamín’s overarching goals as an artist, as he stated in an interview that “this is my form of fighting, I cannot take up a rifle but, damn it, I fight this way.”

Los torturados

In his 1977 work, Los torturados (The Tortured), Guayasamín presents a more specific example of US military involvement in Latin America, this time placing an emphasis on the victims rather than the perpetrators. The work specifically tackles the 1973 military coup in Chile, which was followed by extreme anti-leftist violence nationwide.

This oil painting is a triptych work depicting a stylized skeleton in each of its three panels. The bones of the skeletons are painted in dull shades of yellow but they are outlined in a bright red-orange color, centering the viewer’s focus on the skeleton. Red is frequently a symbol of danger, creating a feeling of urgency and concern for the skeletons in the viewer. The depiction of bones, rather than flesh, insinuates that the people are barely alive. However, the warm colors of the skeleton and its red outline, in contrast to the dark, cool toned background, emphasize that the skeletons are the only ‘human’ aspect of the painting. Thus, the people depicted are “stripped first of all material things and then even of their very own skin, so that we feel we are looking more at their flayed insides than their outer appearance, we immediately recognize them as living and suffering beings.”

The use of dark, blue toned colors in the background presents the location in which the skeletons exist as a cold and uncomfortable space. Similarly, the overlapping of limbs between the panels and the large size of the skeletons compared to the space provided in each panel gives the impression that the skeletons are confined in a small space. According to Leonard Folgarait, “the compression of the figures into the space of the picture plane [was] a ‘…torturous compression,’” turning the panels into a “prison for these figures, which portrays them as condemned to the situation they are in.”

At first glance, this painting resembles a crucifixion, as the skeletons’ bodies are positioned with their arms outstretched and bloody. The mouth of each skeleton is opened wide, as if they are screaming in agony. They are on their knees, seemingly begging for mercy. In the first two panels, the skeletons have bowed their heads, a sign that they are weak and defenseless against this violence they are experiencing. In the last panel, the skeleton looks up as they scream, perhaps reflecting a final cry for the pain to end. The bodies are dismembered and abstracted using cubist-style harsh lines and fractured shapes, with detached limbs and exposed bones, overtly demonstrating that the subjects are (as the title suggests) being tortured.

Considering these artistic descions within the context of 1970’s Latin America, this painting is a “commentary on the torture of civilians at the hands of military regimes.” According to Guayasamín, it refers especially to the 1973 US-backed military coup in Chile which overthrew democratically elected, socialist president Salvador Allende and instated General Augusto Pinochet, beginning his 17 year dictatorship.

The US government aided in the establishment of this dictatorship through a variety of methods which began in the early 1960’s, and were accelerated in 1970 when Allende was beginning to acquire power. As the Senate Select Committee to Study Governmental Operations report on covert action in Chile explains:

“On September 4, 1970, Allende won a plurality in Chile’s presidential election. Since no candidate had received a majority of the popular vote, the Chilean Constitution required that a joint session of its Congress decide between the first- and second-place finishers. The date set for the congressional session was October 24, 1970. The reaction in Washington to Allende’s plurality victory was immediate… On September 15, President Nixon informed CIA Director Richard Helms that an Allende regime in Chile would not be acceptable to the United States and instructed the CIA to play a direct role in organizing a military coup d’etat in Chile to prevent Allende’s accession to the Presidency… U.S. Government efforts to prevent Allende from assuming office proceeded on two tracks. Track I comprised all covert activities approved by the 40 Committee, including political, economic and propaganda activities. These activities were designed to induce Allende’s opponents in Chile to prevent his assumption of power, either through political or military means. Track II activities in Chile were undertaken in response to President Nixon’s September 15 order and were directed toward actively promoting and encouraging the Chilean military to move against allende.”

To the disappointment of the US government, Allende still managed to take power in October. However, US efforts toward a military coup continued between 1970 and 1973, as the US government maintained its connections with the Chilean military and was in direct communication with contacts that were planning a coup. It was already clear from Track II efforts that the US supported anti-Allende military action, which emboldened coup-planning groups to take action in 1973.

The US government also sponsored a massive propaganda campaign “in order to foster a ‘coup climate’ in Chile.” The main tool used during this time was the financial support of opposition media. One of the main recipients of US funding was El Mercurio, a newspaper which regularly published attacks against Allende, along with editorials which were “exhorting opposition against — and at times even calling for the overthrow of — ” Allende’s government. This spread of information was controlled by the US government, which was “putting reporters and editors on the payroll, writing articles and columns for placement and providing additional funds for operating expenses.” The goal of this campaign was to increase distrust of and unhappiness with the Allende government, to ultimately inspire military intervention. Although the CIA supported several other media outlets as well, El Mercurio had the largest impact; and “according to CIA documents, these efforts played a significant role in setting the stage for the military coup.”

Immediately after the successful 1973 coup, 6000 prisoners were brought to the Estadio Nacional in Chile where many were tortured and killed for supporting Allende’s government. This continued for months, and the total amounted to an estimated 20,000 prisoners. Among them was a singer named Victor Jara, who faced brutal treatment until he was eventually killed, because his songs were part of the nueva canción movement — an artistic movement which supported socialism. Many sources have suggested that Los torturados was inspired by this event and Víctor Jara’s death, as Guayasamín dedicated the painting to him. Like Guayasamín, Jara used art to oppose violence and express socialist thought. Thus, this painting emphasizes that artwork is a powerful weapon against injustice, but that it is not immune from suppression.

It is clear through this emotive work that Guayasamín intended to criticize anti-communist violence in Chile, imposed by a US-backed military regime, while emphasizing the suffering it caused on a more personal, individual level. With the historical context of Chile in mind, the heart-wrenching scene presented in Los torturados is far more powerful. In Guayasamín’s own words: “My painting is to hurt, to scratch and hit inside people’s hearts;” which Los torturados certainly does.

Dadang Christanto

Dadang Christanto was born in Central Java, Indonesia in 1957. He is an artist whose “body of work encompasses painting, drawing, sculpture, installation and performance” art; and his work regularly depicts “human suffering and communal grief.” More specifically, he has several pieces which were made to honor victims of political violence and crimes against humanity. As he explains, “my works can be confrontational, they can be stark reminders about dark chapters in a nation’s history, but ultimately, this kind of art is also about finding a certain peace, a more somber reflection on human suffering and grief.”

His passion for this subject is largely a product of his childhood experiences in 1965 in Indonesia. That year, his father was kidnapped from his home by soldiers for being a communist sympathizer and was never seen again. It is assumed that he was a victim of the anti-communist massacres which were occurring at the time, with the covert support of the US government. “As an eight year-old boy, Christanto was heavily affected by his father’s disappearance, thus his art has become inseparable from this tragedy.”

Christanto incorporates his emotions and experiences into his work through a recurring motif of graphic, stylized human heads and bodies. His paintings and drawings are frequently done on raw linen, and take the form of large scale installation work that makes use of multimedia applications. His use of unique materials is almost always symbolic, such as in his installation piece Slaughter Tunnel, in which he painted portraits of victims of the 1965 massacres in Indonesia on cardboard to represent how they were treated as “disposable” or meaningless. Repetition is another important aspect of his artwork. For example, Slaughter Tunnel and his piece Red Rain include repeated portraits while They Give Evidence includes 16 nearly identical statues holding clothes. Christanto’s piece M I S S I N G, which will be analyzed in this article, also maintains these themes.

M I S S I N G

Dadang Christanto’s M I S S I N G is a work of art created in 2018 to commemorate the victims of the US-backed, anti-communist mass killings in Indonesia in the 1960s. It is composed of 110 charcoal and acrylic portraits, each on individual rectangles of raw canvas which were pieced together to create a floor-to-ceiling installation. Each portrait depicts a human head on a dark background, with the faces appearing injured and bruised. While Christanto’s signature repetition is prevalent in this piece, each portrait clearly portrays a different person with varying injuries and facial expressions.

Christanto leaves a border of blank canvas around the portraits, keeping each separate from the rest — -despite them all being a part of the same artwork — perhaps emphasizing that each of the people depicted in the piece have individual identities. Only the faces of the individuals are visible in the painting, and they are covered in bruises and wounds, making them almost unrecognizable. As a person’s face is usually associated with their identity, focusing the subject of each portrait on their facial injuries could symbolize how the violence these individuals endured stripped them of their own identity.

The injuries endured by the individuals are emphasized by the color red, the only vibrant color present in the piece which is used sparingly in each portrait to depict blood. All other elements of the work are neutral, painted in a beige, gray, tan and black color scheme. These muted colors also add to the somber, lifeless tone of the work. The installation itself is massive — each of the portraits is 90 x 80 cm — totaling nearly 15 feet in height and 58 feet in width. Such proportions have the effect of overwhelming the viewer as they try to take in the piece as a whole.

The story behind Christanto’s M I S S I N G stems from the mass killings in Indonesia in 1965 and 1966 — which resulted in the deaths of anywhere between 100,000 to 2 million Indonesians — this is an approximation, as lack of documentation complicates the estimation of the total deaths. These massacres were a systematic effort to exterminate communists and anyone who was deemed an affiliate of the communist party. They were orchestrated by General Suharto, the Indonesian dictator who came to power via a coup in 1965. These anti-communist actions, which were carried out by the Indonesian military, were covertly supported and even aided by the US government.

Prior to the massacres, which were called “Operasi Penumpasan — Operation Annihilation,” the US had developed a strong relationship with members of the Indonesian military, including General Suharto. The US government was therefore well aware of, and even excited about, the massacre of alleged Indonesian communists. This was made clear when the US ambassador in Indonesia expressed that the “army has nevertheless been working hard at destroying PKI [Indonesian Communist Party] and I, for one, have increasing respect for its determination and organization in carrying out this crucial assignment.” The US also directly assisted the Indonesian military effort to “destroy [the communists] down to their roots,” a framing which had become the operation’s slogan. The US also provided small weapons to the military during this time, though their most significant contribution was intelligence, as the CIA provided “lists with the names of thousands of communists and suspected communists, and handed them over to the Army, so that these people could be murdered and ‘checked off’ the list.”

The massacres were characterized by a veil of secrecy, as they remained unofficial and never occurred in public. This meant that the victims simply went missing, leaving their family and friends with no information or sense of closure. The secrecy continued into contemporary times, as the Indonesian government had blocked public discussion of the massacres until 2016, when a tribunal found Indonesia guilty of crimes against humanity. The locations of mass graves from the massacres are still unknown, as is any confirmation of the victims’ identities. For Christanto, whose father was kidnapped during this period and never found, the lack of knowledge influenced the purpose of M I S S I N G. Its content was inspired by a news photographer who claimed to have accessed images of people who were tortured between 1965 and1966 but died before Christanto could contact him. Christanto “had always wondered if his father was amongst those in the photos”. This curiosity — and the subsequent search for the images — inspired him to depict the portraits of the 110 imagined victims in this piece.

Considering such a history, the overarching purpose of the piece is to oppose the silence surrounding these massacres and to commemorate its victims. This is most notably created by the overwhelmingly large size and number of portraits in the piece, both of which force the viewer to confront the extensive violence and suffering caused by the communist purges. The composition of the piece, which unifies the various portraits into one work of art, highlights how the victims of the 1965 tragedy are remembered as a group rather than as individuals with unique identities. Christanto’s emphasis on the individuality of each portrait draws attention to this lack of awareness and encourages the viewer to remember the individuals accordingly. This contrast between unity and separation creates a feeling of discomfort regarding the memory of the 1965 massacre and pushes the audience to criticize the limited attention it has received. Such is the case with many of Christanto’s works, which “are imbued with an aura of silence, precisely referencing the political silence that enveloped the injustices that have shaped his childhood.”

Though Christanto created M I S S I N G in 2018 — more than 50 years after the massacres — the piece functions as a reflection of the lasting impact this event had on both Christanto and the Indonesian community as a whole. It also criticizes how US-backed anti-communist sentiments led to unjustifiable violence and have since blocked the victims and their families from receiving well-deserved justice and closure.

In Reunion en el Pentagono, Los torturados, and M I S S I N G, a violent history of anti-communist militarism unfolds, notably one perpetuated by the US government during the Cold War era. Guayasamín and Christanto are only two of the many artists who used art as a means of resisting this violence. Yet, their works encapsulate the sentiments of the protest art category as a whole, always striving to criticize political violence, portray the suffering it causes, and honor its victims.

Art as Protest: Opposing Cold War-Era Anti-Communist Violence was originally published in The Michigan Specter on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.