psst, hey kid, wanna do some organizing?

in this issue: reportbacks from the national convention, anti-ICE mobilization, imminent steering committee elections, & more
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**
THE
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twin cities
democratic socialists
of america


** Little Red Letter No. 48
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Join Us!
To become a dues paying member, please click here ([link removed]) .

To check if you're a current dues paying member, please (mailto:[email protected]?subject=Membership%20Status) click here (mailto:[email protected]?subject=Membership%20Status) . (mailto:[email protected]?subject=Membership%20Status)

To make a donation to TCDSA, please click here ([link removed]) .

To make a donation to or request aid from the Solidarity Fund, please click here ([link removed]) .

To join the TCDSA Slack, please click here ([link removed]) .

To grab some TCDSA stuff, please click here ([link removed]) . (And TODAY, Sunday 8/18, is the last day to buy limited edition convention fundraising swag ([link removed]) !)
Call to Action
Prison Abolition in the Park
Saturday, August 24 at 2-3 PM
Powderhorn Park (3400 S 15th Ave, Minneapolis, MN 55407) Meet outside of the recreation center!
What could a world free from prisons look like? What are ways we can build a world that heals, instead of punishes? The Prison Abolition in the Park summer series focuses on a future without prisons, the way the carceral system contributes to systemic racism, and steps we can take toward abolition -- all with a socialist lens.


** “Ask the teachers in West Virginia: Change comes fast when the risk becomes too great for those in power, and power shifts to the people when we act in unity.” - Sara Nelson on the convention floor
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Run for Steering Committee!
It's that time of year again, comrades: the September convention is just about a month away (tentatively scheduled for the last Saturday in September), and that means it's time to start considering whether you are the right person to run for Steering Committee. Find descriptions of the roles up for election here ([link removed]) , and submit nominations here ([link removed]) .
Upcoming Events:

Operations Committee Meeting
Mon, Aug 19, 7pm – 9pm
Mpls Central Library, N-402 (map ([link removed]) )

National Immigrant Rights Conference Call
Mon, Aug 19, 7:30pm – 8:30pm
RSVP for call info ([link removed])

No Cages MN Meeting
Tues, Aug 20, 7pm – 9pm
University of MN, room TBD (map ([link removed]) )

Budget + SocFems + others - Waffle Bar Planning
Wed, Aug 21, 6pm – 7:30pm
Walker Community United Methodist Church, meditation room (map ([link removed]) )

Housing Branch Meeting
Thurs, Aug 22, 6pm-8pm
Mpls Central Library, N-402 (map ([link removed]) )

Left Social Democrats
Thurs, Aug 22, 7pm-8pm
Location TBD

Prison Abolition in the Park
Sat, Aug 24, 2pm – 3pm
Powderhorn Recreation Center (map ([link removed]) )

Steering Committee Meeting
Mon, Aug 26, 6:30pm – 8:30pm
Mpls Central Library, N-304 (map ([link removed]) )

Socialist Feminist Branch Meeting
Mon, Aug 26, 6:30pm – 8:30pm
Merriam Park Library (map ([link removed]) )

Tech Action Reading Group
Weds, Aug 28, 6pm – 7:30pm
Merriam Park Library Room B (map ([link removed]) )

Waffle Bar Fundraiser
Sat, Aug 31, 9am - 12pm
Walker Community United Methodist Church (map ([link removed]) )

& keep an eye on our calendar ([link removed]) for more events as they're scheduled
What we're up to...
Convention reportbacks
Your delegates represented the chapter at the DSA National Convention earlier this month - hear how it went from Tim S. ([link removed]) , Kevin M. ([link removed]) , Nic R. ([link removed]) , Anders B. ([link removed]) , Tracy W. ([link removed]) , & Anne B. ([link removed]) (yrs truly, & my report includes an airtable of what votes the convention took and how some of your delegates voted!).

Find more reports from delegates as they're posted here ([link removed]) !
Image of delegates with fists raised & waving a flag with the DSA logo via Steve Eberhardt, The Nation
Fun(d)raising for convention delegates exceeds expectations - and there's even more!
Members of the budget / fundraising committee, under the able leadership of Treasurer Rob T., rose to the challenge of getting our delegates to the DSA Convention in Atlanta, August 2 through 4, 2019. Twin Cities DSA had an allocation of 22 delegates for the convention, and after a few dropped out for personal reasons, TCDSA sent 19 elected delegates to Atlanta. Sending our comrades several states away and lodging them to represent us is no trivial task, but our membership rose to the occasion... (Read More ([link removed]) )
- Deb R.
Taking Action Against Concentration Camps
On Thursday, June 8, shortly after noon, approximately 100 activists descended on Thrivent Financial Services—a local Lutheran investment bank that’s invested an estimated $4 million in companies that run ICE detention centers—to hold a public memorial for children killed in ICE custody over the last year... (Read More ([link removed]) )
- Elizabeth W-F.
DSA for Bernie 2020
The Twin Cities DSA for Bernie 2020 working group is ramping up! We kicked off with a debate watch party with 80+ people in attendance, then proceeded to prepare campaign infrastructure — getting more familiar with our new tech tools, canvassing scripts and creating literature... (Read More ([link removed]) )
- Tim J.
Do you have opinions? Hot takes? Cool things you've been doing with DSA or our allies? Write for us ([link removed]) !
For Further Review
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With so many great podcasts, articles, books and videos coming out, it's easy to miss something great. Here's a few things we've found and loved recently.
A Gathering of Comrades ([link removed])
Nathan J. Robinson goes to convention in his Willy Wonka lookin' ass velvet jacket and brings us this wholesome, heartwarming recap. I was there and it feels accurate. Maybe read this instead of the one in the NYT. - TMW

…And With The World to Win: DSA Convention 2019 ([link removed])
Are we still doing convention recaps? I’m still reading them. Michael Malloy’s is thoughtful and evenhanded; it has charts and an anecdote at the end that you shouldn’t miss. - TMW

DSA Is Leading the Charge ([link removed])
Why yes we are still doing convention recaps. My personal favorite is the first one, but might as well read this Jacobin one as well for another perspective. - ARB

The Little-Known Underground Railroad That Ran South to Mexico ([link removed])
Maria Svart posted this on Facebook and I and 100% of commenters had never known about this. Mexico refused US pressure to sign a Fugitive Slave Act such as that that bound northern states and made assisting fugitive slaves a criminal act. OH the ironies of history! - DR

The Michael Brooks Show: 102 - Hong Kong Protests ft. Elaine Yu + Return of Bernie's Press Secretary Briahna Joy Gray ([link removed])
Michael Brooks elucidates the ongoing Hong Kong democracy movement, and Briahna Joy Gray (Bernie's Press Secretary) talk about the importance of having a Socialist candidate as president and why having a systemic critique of our society is necessary to make change. - LH

Is the End Near? ([link removed])
Is the end near? There may be beer in your fridge when you open it, but that doesn’t mean we aren’t in the early stages of climate catastrophe. The crisis is now, this is a present threat, not a future threat, according to our guest on this episode, Jeff Nesbit. He compiled an attention-getting catalog of things unraveling around the planet in his book, This Is the Way the World Ends. Is Nesbit predicting the end of the world? - DR

Sara Nelson: “Solidarity Is a Force Stronger Than Gravity” ([link removed])
Sara Nelson, president of the Association of Flight Attendants union, spoke at the DSA convention earlier this month & it was one of the most powerful speeches I've ever heard. It was tremendous, and you should read or listen to it ([link removed]) ASAP - just remember to grab your tissues first. - ARB

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