Tampa DSA’s Abortion Rights City Council Resolution

Update: Motion to vote on language submitted by Councilmember Hurtak, Councilmembers Maniscalco and Gudes motion to postpone until 08/18/2022 at 5:00 PM. Maniscalco-Gudes motion carries 4-1, Hurtak votes no.

WHEREAS, the City Council of the City of Tampa honors the rights of pregnant people to bodily autonomy and control over their private medical decisions; and

WHEREAS, access to safe and legal abortion is a deciding factor in long-term health, safety, and quality of life; and

WHEREAS, the Supreme Court of the United States hasoverturned the 1973 landmark ruling, Roe v. Wade, which previously prevented individual states from directly banning such care; and

WHEREAS, on April 14, 2022, Florida Governor Ron Desantis signed into law HB 5, which effective July 1st, criminalizes access to abortion after 15 weeks of pregnancy; and

WHEREAS, Article I Section 23 of Florida’s State constitution guarantees all Floridians a Right of Privacy, a right that the Florida Supreme Court, in In re T.W., 551 So. 2d 1186 (Fla. 1989) ruled also extends to protecting the right to abortion. Article I Section 23 states, “Every natural person has the right to be left alone and free from governmental intrusion into the person’s private life…:”;

WHEREAS, anti-abortion clinics, commonly known as “crisis pregnancy centers” or “pregnancy resource centers”, use deceptive tactics and propaganda to dissuade people from seeking abortion services. These anti-abortion clinics don’t provide abortions, don’t offer a full range of reproductive healthcare, and are explicitly opposed to legal abortion;

WHEREAS, people have a basic human right to medical treatment, up to and including abortion; and

WHEREAS, eliminating legal access to abortion has been empirically proven to dramatically increase the risk of death, bodily injury, and infertility, especially within low-income communities and communities of color; and

WHEREAS, the resources of the City of Tampa must always be dedicated to the health and well-being of its residents; and

WHEREAS, the City Council has demonstrated its commitment to abortion access in Resolution No. 2019-837, wherein the City Council supported the Federal Medicare for All Act of 2019 which includes “reproductive care;” and

WHEREAS, the right to privacy should protect doctors, patients, and all others providing abortion-related medical care from any criminal investigation related to decisions made within the healthcare provider-patient relationship so long as those decisions occur without coercion, force, or negligence; and

WHEREAS, the City Council of the City of Tampa has a responsibility to protect its residents from any violation of their human rights and any criminalization of the free exercise thereof;

NOW, THEREFORE,

BE IT RESOLVED BY THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF TAMPA, FLORIDA:

That the City Council of the City of Tampa formally condemns any action intended to abrogate the fundamental liberties of its people and affirms its commitment to protecting the right of its residents to make reproductive health decisions, including abortion care, for themselves.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED:

That the City Council of the City of Tampa will not approve the appropriation of funds for any action or activity that would abrogate or criminalize the rights of its residents to make reproductive health decisions, including abortion, for themselves. This further includes but is not limited to;

● Storing or cataloging any report of an abortion, miscarriage, or other reproductive healthcare act;

● Providing information to any other governmental body or agency about any abortion, miscarriage, or other reproductive healthcare act, unless such information is provided to defend the patient’s right to abortion care or the healthcare provider’s right to provide that care; or

● Conducting surveillance or collecting information related to an individual or organization for the purpose of determining whether an abortion has occurred, except for aggregated data without personally identifying information.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED:

The policy stated above does not apply in cases where coercion or force is used against the pregnant person, or in cases involving conduct criminally negligent to the health of the pregnant person seeking care.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED:

That the City Council of the City of Tampa will not approve the appropriation of funds for any organization or entity operating a “crisis pregnancy center” or “pregnancy resource center” that is established with the explicit purpose of opposing legal abortion and dissuading pregnant people from seeking abortion services;

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED:

That the City Council of the City of Tampa’s approved appropriation of funds will reflect that the investigation or support for the prosecution of any allegation, charge, or information relating to any individual who seeks, provides, or supports abortion and abortion-related care will be the lowest priority for enforcement and the use of City resources and personnel.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED:

That all proper officials of the City of Tampa are authorized to do all things necessary and proper in order to carry out and make effective the provisions of this Resolution.

The post Tampa DSA’s Abortion Rights City Council Resolution appeared first on Tampa DSA.

Tonight we're joined live by the NewsGuild of New York's Chris Brooks and Stephanie Basile, two labor organizers on the front lines of some of today’s most exciting worker-led campaigns. We’ll be discussing trends in labor organizing, as seen in groundbreaking victories from workers at Amazon, Starbucks, Apple Stores, Trader Joe’s, and many more. What in labor history can help us understand this current moment, and how do we keep up the momentum?

 

Want to learn more about worker-led momentum organizing? Read Chris Brooks in In These Times: https://inthesetimes.com/article/amazon-starbucks-workers-organizing-unions-momentum-movement-moment

The membership of the Champlain Valley Democratic Socialists of America votes on the chapter’s endorsements. You can see three candidates’ responses to our questionnaire here. But since we didn’t endorse a candidate in every race, our electoral working group put together this guide to offer some unofficial recommendations and guidance on harm-reduction voting to help fill up the rest of your ballot if you’re so inclined. (Several candidates running for the Democratic nomination are members of the Vermont Progressive Party, whose own ballot does not feature any competitive races.)

US Senate

• We give Isaac Evans-Frantz credit for stepping up, when no one else would, to offer some kind of left-wing challenge to Peter Welch’s all but inevitable accession to the Leahy throne. Though he won the endorsement of the Progressive Party, Evans-Frantz’s campaign, based on a grab-bag platform of progressive policies, didn’t appear to find a popularly compelling point of focus or make any inroads with organized labor. Still, many of us may prefer to cast a ballot for an anti-war activist than for a longtime recipient of defense contractor donations.

US House of Representatives

• A few weeks ago, CVDSA endorsed the 27-year-old former congressional staffer Sianay Chase Clifford, based in part on her willingness to work directly with DSA to fight for socialist priorities on the federal level. Unfortunately, Sianay ran into fundraising challenges and dropped out on July 19, setting up a contest where outgoing  VT Senate Pro Tem Becca Balint gets to play the “progressive” against Molly Gray’s moderate. Since we tend to believe that either would end up a stock-standard Democrat in Congress, we’re not inclined to rescind our commitment to Sianay’s defunct campaign.

VT Lieutenant Governor

• Former Lt. Gov. David Zuckerman has represented the Progressive Party and, for better or worse, the left flank of Vermont politics for the past three decades. An organic farmer with a crunchy ideology to match, he is not a vocal socialist, but he has been endorsed by every labor union in the state. Patricia Preston and Kitty Toll are both candidates backed by the Dean-Leahy-Burlington Business Association faction of the Vermont Democratic Party that has previously fostered shining stars such as Molly Gray. Representative Charlie Kimbell is an ex-Republican and by far the most right-wing candidate in the race. CVDSA recommends Zuckerman.

VT Secretary of State

• While no candidates in the race have a left-wing or working-class ideology behind them, Montpelier City Clerk John Odum is pushing for the most good-government progressive reforms, such as ranked-choice, non-citizen, and 16- and 17-year-old voting. Odum also brings a fresh and rarely seen electoral perspective as an advocate for open-source technology and public ownership. Deputy Secretary of State Chris Winters has also voiced support for things such as ranked-choice voting and public financing of elections — as has Representative Sarah Copeland Hanzas, though while a chair of the State House’s Government Operations Committee, she has stood in the way of those reforms being passed.

VT Attorney General

• We have no real preference in this race. Charity Clark, chief of staff to former Attorney General and current Roblox employee TJ Donovan, seems likely to continue her boss’s policy of zero accountability for law enforcement in the state. Washington County State’s Attorney Rory Thibault at least has some detailed plans for police oversight in the state, but remains a skeptic of life-saving measures such as safe injection sites for opiate users. If you are the protest vote type, former DSA endorsee Scott Pavek and VT ACLU chief Jay Diaz’s names have both been thrown forward as possible write-ins.

Chittenden County State’s Attorney

• We’ve heard that Republicans are pulling Democratic primary ballots specifically to vote for Ted Kenney, who represents a local instantiation of a nationwide fascist surge of carceral politics, focused for now on punishing and removing reformist prosecutors for often largely imaginary post-pandemic upticks in violent crime. In reality, Sarah George is not the reformer we’d like her to be — she has refused, for instance, to take a stand against solitary confinement — but Ted Kenney should be stopped.

Vermont State Senate - Chittenden central

• State Representative and DSA member Tanya Vyhovsky has been one of, if not the strongest voice for the interest of the working-class in Montpelier. Now running for the State Senate, it is critical that she continue to do the work. Erhard Mahnke has been a longtime advocate for affordable housing in the state and is a staunch Progressive. CVDSA ENDORSES TANYA VYHOVSKY and recommends Erhard Mahnke.

Vermont State House  - Chittenden 16

• Asked why she joined the race in Chittenden 16, first-time candidate Kate Logan told us that she is “running for office because I believe that working class and/or oppressed people need to run for office and serve as policy makers. Running for office is one of the things I am doing to cope with how hard it is to live in the status quo and build movements for a complete transformation of society and economy.” She’s running against a hand-picked ally of House Speaker Jill Krowinski, who proved herself an enemy of Vermont’s public sector workers in the last legislative session. CVDSA ENDORSES KATE LOGAN.

Vermont State House - Chittenden 15

•  DSA member and incumbent State Representative Brian Cina is running in a non-competitive race, but we hope that his supporters will show up to demonstrate that he has a strong base of support in Chittenden 15. Brian is a true Champ of Socialism™ who has fought in the legislature for public banking, reparations, and drug decriminalization. He supports mustache champion Troy Headrick, the only other candidate in Chittenden 15, for the district’s other seat.  CVDSA ENDORSES BRIAN CINA.

Supporters of Palestinian rights around the world are taking action to prevent the imminent displacement of at least 1,000 Palestinians, including 500 children from the Masafer Yatta region of the occupied West Bank, an area Israel has declared a military firing zone. On May 4th, 2022, the Israeli High Court issued its final decision in a decades-long case, rejecting the residents’ petition and giving the army the green light to force an entire Palestinian community out of their homes at a moment’s notice. The Israeli military has already begun displacements since the ruling, demolishing nine homes and leaving 45 Palestinians homeless on May 11. The declaration of firing zones is a common tool used by the Israeli government to confiscate Palestinian land, with about 18% of the West Bank having been confiscated in this way.

According to Article 49 of the Fourth Geneva Convention, “[t]he Occupying Power shall not deport or transfer parts of its own civilian population into the territory it occupies.” The article also prohibits the “[i]ndividual or mass forcible transfers, as well as deportations of protected persons from occupied territory.” Forced displacement and transfer by Israel of Palestinians in Masafer Yatta would be a grave breach of the Fourth Geneva Convention and a war crime.

It is in this context that an Israeli military sniper intentionally assassinated Palestinian-American journalist Shireen Abu Akleh during a night of protest and resistance by Indigenous Palestinians.  On the night of her death, Shireen Abu Akleh was wearing a bright blue press vest emblazoned with the word “PRESS.”  This clearly denoted herself as a journalist and, thus, protected by international law.  

We, Silicon Valley Democratic Socialists of American (SVDSA), condemn the intentional assassination of Shireen Abu Akleh by settlers of an illegitimate state’s military.

We recognize the added attention that assassinated journalist Shireen Abu Akleh’s status as a member of the press, as an American citizen, and as a Christian has brought to the issue of Palestine at large. But we also mourn countless other victims of the occupation whose deaths did not make the international spotlight, who may not fit the easy narrative of the “innocent” victim, who have no supposed privileged status in the eyes of the world, who may have taken up struggle by violent means. The Israeli occupation is wrong not because it targets children, or journalists, or the unarmed. It is not wrong for contravening international law on the duty of occupiers to the occupied. It is wrong, in the final sense, because from 1948 to the present day, Israel’s foundational imperative has been to obliterate the Palestinian people from the land and from history. In the words of Steven Salaita, “The settler doesn’t kill simply to produce death; he kills to negate the native’s existence.” As we oppose Shireen’s killing and as we oppose particular acts of displacement, we oppose the apartheid settler state of Israel in favor of a just future for all those indigenous to the land.

Furthermore, we recognize that the human rights of journalists, especially non-male journalists, are under attack internationally as the ruling classes of nation-states seek to consolidate their power through force.  We uphold the rights of journalists everywhere, and, in particular, the rights of non-male journalists, to hold the ruling class to account without fear of state repression.

Concerted pressure is needed to ensure that Israel does not expel the indigenous Palestinian residents of the villages in the Masafer Yatta area. We condemn past Israeli displacements of Palestinian villagers in this area, condemn the assassination of Shireen Abu Akleh, and call on our elected congressional representatives (Anna Eshoo, Zoe Lofgren, Ro Khanna) to speak out against the forced displacement of Palestinians in Masafer Yatta as well as the assassination of Shireen.  

To take action, please use the following link to the petition: [ACTION ALERT] One of the Largest Expulsion of Palestinians Since 1967!

 

The post Statement on the assassination of Shireen Abu Akleh appeared first on Silicon Valley DSA.

TAMPA, FL — 

The Tampa chapter of the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) has developed a list of demands in response to the recent overturning of Roe v. Wade by the Supreme Court. This decision is an affront to bodily autonomy and democracy, and poses a mortal threat to the health and wellbeing of the working class. These demands are aimed at our elected officials and community members in positions of power, and we have called on members of the community to sign on to a petition for these demands. At the time of this press release, 208 local community members and organizations have signed on in support. 

Tampa DSA demands that:

• The City of Tampa refuse to enforce laws criminalizing abortion
• Mayor Jane Castor refuse to enforce laws criminalizing abortion
• Chief of Police Mary O’Connor instruct the Tampa Police Department to refuse to act against offenders of any laws criminalizing abortion
• State Attorney Andrew Warren uphold his statement pledging to abstain from prosecuting those who seek, provide, or support abortions
• Hillsborough County Sherrif, Chad Chronister, refuse to monitor or take action against offenders of any laws criminalizing abortion
• Various local institutions of power refuse to report any signs of miscarriage or self-managed abortion to the authorities, including public schools and healthcare institutions (Tampa General Hospital, USF Health, Advent Health, etc.)

“Many people in positions of power have come forward in opposition to stripping away reproductive rights, but they say very little about what they plan to do about it. Our mayor, city council, CEOs of hospital systems and clinics – they do have power and there are paths available to them to help protect our right to abortion despite this ruling. The question is: do they care enough about us to take a real stand and act?” – Alec J., member of Tampa DSA.
“Poor and working class people have long been criminalized by the local Tampa government,” said Sam M., member of Tampa DSA. “We cannot stand idly by and watch our communities face further persecution. We must demand that our local officials take action.”

The post TDSA Abortion Rights Press Release appeared first on Tampa DSA.

From New York to Los Angeles and everywhere in between socialists have been winning in local, state, and federal elections. Daniel and Mike from the National Electoral Committee join us to discuss recent victories, upcoming campaigns, and the challenges faced by the ascendent socialist movement in the years to come.

Last Wednesday, the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals voted to uphold the “Heartbeat” bill, signed into law by Brian Kemp in 2019, which effectively bans abortions after 6 weeks in Georgia. Atlanta DSA condemns this undemocratic, abhorrent assault on the right to healthcare and bodily autonomy for working-class people across the state.

The court’s enforcement of this 6-week ban represents a larger authoritarian campaign waged by a tiny right-wing minority against the American people, who overwhelmingly oppose abortion bans. We must demand that the US government take action to defend abortion rights for all, in addition to the right to universal healthcare, paid parental leave, living wages, childcare, college and more.

While this decision is horrific, working people have the power to win back our rights by getting organized! For this reason, we have worked alongside our progressive allies to resist the Supreme Court’s decision since its initial leak. We are mobilizing for pro-abortion protests, hosting workshops and trainings, and building public support for establishing a $300,000 city abortion fund in Atlanta to ensure that all who need abortion care can get it.

In order to win abortion rights for all people we must fight back against the extremist right wing and the capitalist class that supports them. Not only should we fight for bodily autonomy, but we must fight for a world where working-class people have real democratic power to shape policy and society around the needs of the many, not the few. Join us in the struggle for abortion rights and a democratic socialist society. We stand for free abortion on demand without apology, nothing less.

Fight back for abortion rights:

• Donate to ARC Southeast and Feminist Women’s Health Center.
• Sign on to demand Atlanta City Council create a $300,000 abortion fund and speak at a City Council meeting.
• Sign up to canvass for a city abortion fund this Saturday in Cabbagetown.
• Join DSA and organize with us!

For Immediate Release

Media Contact: 

Marina Roberts, mkelseyroberts@gmail.com, 228.238.5854

Austin DSA: Website — Twitter — Facebook — Instagram

San Marcos DSA:  Facebook — Twitter 

San Antonio DSA: Website — Twitter — Facebook — Instagram

AUSTIN, TX -- The Austin, San Antonio, and San Marcos chapters of the Democratic Socialists of America join forces this month around an Organized Labor for Reproductive Justice Rally and Resource Fair. The event will be held at the Federal Courthouse (501 W 5th St) in Austin, TX on Sunday, July 31st from 6:30-8:15 pm. 

This event will bring together labor unions, organizing workers, abortion funds, reproductive justice organizations, and community groups to rally around the demand for abortion rights. Information and resources about accessing abortion safely in the wake of the Supreme Court’s reversal of Roe v. Wade will be shared. The Resource Fair will offer information about joining and organizing unions to build economic and political power among working people. The growing list of groups participating includes Emergency Workplace Organizing Committee (EWOC), United Workers of Integral Care, International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) 520, Texas State Employees Union (TSEU), Restaurant Workers United (RWU), Tiff’s Treats organizers, UNITEHERE Local 23, Workers Defense Project, Austin Justice Coalition (AJC), and Sunrise Movement ATX. More will join in the coming days, watch the event page for updates.  

“The GOP, the political elites of Texas, and the Democratic Party are failing the working class,” said Austin DSA organizer Crystal Maher. “As the GOP criminalizes abortion, Texas already has the highest repeat teen pregnancy rate, among the highest maternal mortality rates, highest percentage of uninsured children of any state, soaring housing costs, and a serious childcare shortage. Working families here are struggling. The Democrats have offered no political solutions to any of this, only pandering. One minute Nancy Pelosi sends frantic emails to workers begging for their hard-earned money to defend abortion rights. The next minute, she travels to Texas to campaign for the lone anti-choice Democrat in the House, Henry Cuellar. Working people deserve solidarity and protection, not this hypocrisy.” 

“The dissolution of Roe v. Wade poses a problem that won’t be resolved by politicians alone,” said San Antonio DSA Co-Chair, Lexy Garcia.  “A majority of people in this country already support the right to abortion. What we need is an organized working class that can demand and win abortion rights for everyone. When workers claim our power through unions and organizing, we also claim power over the decisions that affect our lives. We do not have to be ruled by undemocratic, classist institutions like the Supreme Court.”

“A better world is possible when working class people have a voice and real political power through unions,” said San Marcos DSA organizer, Eden Ewing. “Many folks feel strongly about abortion rights, but don’t know how to fight back. Organizing offers us a way to do that. If workers join unions and organize in our communities, we can win abortion rights, free universal childcare, Medicare For All, environmental justice and more. Free abortion on demand no matter where you live is our goal, and we will not stop until the poorest among us can access abortion as freely as the rich.” 

Water will be distributed at the event, which will be held as planned pending extreme temperatures during the scheduled time.

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Earlier this week, a video showed Clark County District Court Judge Erika Ballou presiding over a case and speaking with a defendant. In the video, Judge Ballou told the defendant:

“You’re a Black man in America. You know you don’t want to be nowhere where cops are… cause I know I don’t, and I’m a middle-aged, middle-class Black woman. I don’t want to be around where the cops are because I don’t know if I’m going to walk away alive or not…[Y]ou should have walked away instead of staying. You needed to walk away because you knew you were on probation, you knew.” Judge Ballou then revoked the defendant’s probation due to a violation.

What we see here is Judge Ballou describing her experience as a Black woman while still upholding her duty as a judge.

Nonetheless, the Las Vegas Police Protective Association (LVPPA) quickly lived up to its name and worked to shield law enforcement from any forms of criticism, going so far as to call for Judge Ballou’s resignation. They were followed by a statement from Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department (LVMPD) Sheriff and gubernatorial candidate Joe Lombardo.

This is because Lombardo and LVPPA know the facts: 

• Black people are 2.6x more likely to be arrested by LVMPD than a white person
• Black people make up 29% of the incarcerated population, despite only being 8% of the state’s population
• Black people were the subject of 43% of LVMPD’s non-deadly-use-of-force incidents and 50% of LVMPD’s officer-involved-shootings in 2021
• Las Vegas and surrounding areas are significantly overpoliced compared to cities of a similar population, and mostly arrest for low-level (not serious) offenses
• Earlier this year, LVMPD killed a young Black man in the middle of the night while implementing a “no-knock” warrant which the victim was not associated with

This is not the first time that LVPPA has attacked Judge Ballou. In 2016, the police union’s executive director wrote a statement to object to Ballou, then a defense attorney, for wearing a Black Lives Matter pin, calling it “propaganda”.

LVPPA, LVMPD, and Joe Lombardo deflect from their own egregious, racist failures because they value protecting police from criticism more than they value preserving Black lives and the dignity and well-being of Black people.

We call on community leaders and elected officials to defend Judge Ballou’s statements, and condemn Joe Lombardo and the LVPPA for their continued attacks against a fair, honest judge elected to represent and serve her community. Their attempts to invalidate the experiences of Black people, especially as it relates to law enforcement, must be denounced.

We invite all to join us in our fight to dismantle the prison-industrial complex, defund and demilitarize police, and replace them with systems that actually keep people safe so that one day we can all live without fear of police.