Silicon Valley DSA NewsletterSilicon Valley DSA Newsletter[[PERMALINK_FULL_LINK]]Silicon Valley DSA. Branches: Lower Peninsula, San Jose [[link removed]][[link removed]]Now is the time for solidarity. We must fight with love and compassion for those most vulnerable to the effects of this pandemic.-Bernie Sanders [[link removed]]Hi John!

Our annual Chapter Convention is today! That’s Sunday, March 15. We will be holding it as a call due to the COVID-19 (Coronavirus) crisis.

We will discuss our goals and vision for this year, renew our working groups, hold breakouts on political education & organizing, and conduct our 2020 officer elections. (Now is the time to run! [[link removed]])



Silicon Valley DSA Chapter ConventionSunday, March 15, 2020. 3:30-6:30pm (call opens 3:15pm)Make sure to RSVP! [[link removed]]Agenda [[link removed]]

To call in, install Zoom and visit zoom.us/j/163327986 [[link removed]]. You can also call in by phone to 669-900-9128 with Meeting ID 163 327 986, but you will find it much easier to participate using the app so you can see video and the side chat.

Yesterday, we held an organizing call about our response to the Coronavirus crisis. More on this below, but we have an immediate ask: volunteer for South Bay Mutual Aid (SBMA) [[link removed]] and spread these links far and wide:



* bit.ly/sbma-intake [[link removed]] - request assistance (like grocery deliveries)
* bit.ly/sbma-volunteer [[link removed]] - help out as a volunteer



Finally, there is a major primary coming up on Tuesday - four more states will be voting! If you're stuck at home and have free time, that's three days to make calls [[link removed]] or send texts [[link removed]] for Bernie!

In Solidarity,
Your SV DSA Newsletter Team 🌹

Silicon Valley DSA is your local volunteer-run chapter of the Democratic Socialists of America [[link removed]].

2020 OFFICER ELECTIONS
Elections are here! Our elected officers organize the administrative side of the chapter. They plan general meetings, help with leadership and new member onboarding, handle membership data appropriately, and run chapter comms. Officers also vote on certain items on behalf of SV DSA, like endorsing external events.

Any member of our chapter can run. It’s OK if you’re new! If you want to help this chapter succeed and have time for admin work, please nominate yourself by 7pm tonight [[link removed]]. You will also have a chance to speak at this afternoon’s Convention.

The elections will be held electronically, with ballots distributed to members who RSVP [[link removed]] or attend via the call-in option. If you can’t make it, request a ballot [[link removed]].

If you are on the fence, please email us [[email protected]] and we’ll set up a time to chat! For more information, check out our election FAQ.



THE CORONAVIRUS AND MUTUAL AID
The novel coronavirus (COVID-19) is a serious threat to our community, with a total of 114 cases confirmed in Santa Clara County, including two deaths. Because testing is not widely available, the actual numbers are likely much higher.

To combat the pandemic, we need to take action both as individuals and collectively.

WHAT TO DO AS AN INDIVIDUAL
Even if you don’t have any symptoms, it is possible to still carry and spread the virus. We can’t rely on how we feel or whether we are in a high-risk group—we all need to take steps to stop or slow the spread of the virus.

* Wash your hands [[link removed]] frequently with an soap and water (or, if not available, an alcohol-based hand sanitizer).
* Maintain social distancing: avoid gatherings, and stay at least three feet away from anyone coughing or sneezing.
* Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth since these are the entry points for the virus to enter your body.
* Cover your mouth and nose when you sneeze. Dispose of tissues immediately.
* Stay home if you are feeling unwell. Seek medical care early if you have a fever, cough, or difficulty breathing. (Call ahead first!)
* If you have had contact with a confirmed case of coronavirus, quarantine yourself for 14 days since the most recent date of contact.

If the virus spreads quickly, it could overwhelm our healthcare system. If we slow the spread, it will save lives [[link removed]] (click the link to see why). This is especially true for our most vulnerable neighbors: the elderly, immunodeficient, and those with underlying health conditions.

Source: WHO [[link removed]]

WHAT CAN WE DO COLLECTIVELY?
The impact of COVID-19 is exposing the weakness of a society built for the profit and power of a few, not for people’s needs. Health is not an issue separate from economic inequality, the rights of workers, or the racism and violence of incarceration and deportation.

How can those that are homeless practice social distancing or self-quarantine? How can a worker living paycheck to paycheck stay home when they are sick if they risk losing their job or being evicted? How can we ensure the health of people held in prisons or immigration detention centers?

The dangers of COVID-19 are compounded by a cruel healthcare system that leaves 87 million people uninsured or underinsured. In Bernie’s words, “we are only as safe as the least insured person in America.”

Yesterday in SV DSA, we held an initial organizing call about mutual aid during the pandemic. Turnout was great, and we pooled our knowledge and began reaching out to communities and organizations to learn where our help is needed. Members are working as part of the cross-organizational project South Bay Mutual Aid to facilitate grocery/food deliveries and other immediate needs. Sign up here! [[link removed]]

If you’d like to help mobilize DSA members for mutual aid, let us know [[link removed]] (or, if you are already on our internal Slack, just join #x-mutual-aid)! We will also be holding a mutual aid breakout at today’s chapter meeting.

On Monday at 6pm, Build is hosting a training for DSA comrades across the country on COVID-19 community defense [[link removed]], open to all.

In addition to mutual aid, we are committed to pushing our local and state governments to take action to protect vulnerable groups. Stay tuned for more!



REPORT-BACK: YDSA BRAKE LIGHT CLINIC
Mutual aid is a key part of what DSA is about. For inspiration, look no further than our campus comrades from Stanford YDSA:

At the start of February, the Stanford Young Democratic Socialists of America (YDSA) held our first ever brake light repair clinic at the Ecumenical Hunger Program (EHP) in East Palo Alto. We ended up helping 16 cars, a very respectable number for a team our size! A huge thank you to the comrades from SV DSA who came to help us with our inaugural mutual aid event!

It was our first time doing any such project, and it was greatly successful, both in the number of cars helped, in the feedback received from East Palo Alto residents who have experienced police harassment firsthand, and from our hosts at the EHP. We’re hoping to continue coalition-building efforts with other community groups in East Palo Alto to help assist with the perpetually skyrocketing cost of living in the Bay Area.

Current issues we’re hoping to change going forward with our brake light program include publicizing the event more broadly to get more volunteers, and looking into non-brake light car problems, since a majority of our visitors requested help with license plate lights and/or headlights as well.

We are currently planning to hold another clinic at EHP in East Palo Alto very soon. Please spread the word that we’re looking for additional help in the future, both with brake lights and other mutual aid efforts, and if anybody knows any socialist mechanics or brake light veterans, please help us get them involved!

While the next brake light clinic has been delayed due to COVID-19 and the Stanford shutdown, DSA and YDSA are hoping to support EHP as they navigate the challenges of community support during a pandemic.



UPCOMING EVENTS
For upcoming events, check out our calendar [[link removed]]!

Normally, we duplicate upcoming events in this space, but due to COVID-19 we are still in the process of moving events online to avoid physical meet-ups. If you see an event listed as taking place in person, that means the event organizers are likely still in the process of setting up a call.



DSA is a membership organization. As a member, you can vote at our local meetings and run for leadership roles. We are funded by voluntary dues, but no donation is required to join.

Let's build socialism together!

Join DSA! [[link removed]](or renew your membership)

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Copyright © 2020 Silicon Valley DSA.
1346 The Alameda Ste 7-84. San Jose 95126-2699.