Comrades:

Thank you to those who joined us at our Monthly Meeting last Thursday. We discussed lots of important business, and this email follows up on two points from our discussion.

(1) Petition to cancel rent

We discussed a petition to cancel rent, focused on local representatives, in order to create pressure for measures at the state level. There is already a state-wide moratorium on evictions and foreclosures, but folks would still be on the hook for paying back the rent they missed during the crisis -- which doesn't work for all those who have lost their jobs. The petition would be circulated as part of Berkshire Service Worker Solidarity, a project we are launching to build power among workers in the service industry, particularly those who have lost their jobs due to the crisis. The petition is also coordinated with state- and national-level campaigns for the same goal, and will be translated to Spanish and Portuguese once we finalize the English.

-- Action item 1: Please review the text for the petition (which will be formatted into a more attractive presentation once we move forward). If you object to the spirit or letter of the petition, or would like to adjust the language, please voice your concerns by replying to this email within the next 24 hours.

(2) Alex Morse for Congress

As you may remember, Berkshires DSA has endorsed Alex Morse, who is running to replace Richie Neal as our Congressional Rep. It's a very important race, and many of Alex's policies align with the goals of DSA.

-- Action item 2: The campaign is really close to gathering the necessary number of signatures to get Alex's name on the ballot, but still needs a few more to make sure we're really over the line. They've put together an easy process that starts with this form. If you haven't already, please sign. There are also two opportunities to phone bank for Alex each week, on Sundays and Thursdays.

At our meeting, we discussed a number of other items, such as public statements and a call for action concerning front-line workers. We have updates on these coming down the line -- so watch this space!

In solidarity,

Sid