Seattle Democratic Socialists of America

Capital and Capitol are the words of the week. With armed white supremacists storming the halls of Congress in what US outlets are calling by turns a “riot”, “insurrection” or a “coup attempt” that seemed to be as much about taking selfies with delighted police as it was planting pipe bombs in assembly rooms, it was almost easy to miss the news that Seattle’s favorite oligarch was unseated as richest man in the world by the guy who likes to pretend he invented the electric car while repeatedly failing to recreate a bus.

All this preceding yet another historic spike in COVID-related deaths on January 7th, with 4,112 reported dead and 280,000 new cases, out of the over 22 million total reported infections in the United States. Vaccine rollout continues to drag behind guidelines, with only 5.9 million people having received their first dose (about 1.5% of the approx. 382 million people who live in the US.)

In more local news, the Seattle Police Department has confirmed they repeated false information about extortion rackets in the CHOP, which would be big news if it weren’t eclipsed by their own press release two days later confirming at least two SPD officers were involved in the attack on Washington, D.C. Meanwhile, the president of the Seattle Police Officer’s Guild busied himself blaming Black Lives Matter for the attack, a statement as telling as it is preposterous.

Nationally, DSA has released a statement reaffirming our stance and detailing plans to further mobilize in order to fight right-wing extremism, white nationalism and the hegemony of the ruling class. The statement includes a list of demands: COVID relief payments of $2,000 a month; to defund the police and move toward abolition; for democracy and to abolish the Electoral College, expand electoral reform, and fight voter suppression; for Medicare for All; for workers’ rights and to pass the PRO Act; to win a Green New Deal, and to Abolish ICE and ensure that immigrants, undocumented people and incarcerated people are included in relief efforts.

Further, we echo the National Council’s call to support Rep. Cori Bush’s resolution to investigate and expel lawmakers who incited and encouraged Wednesday’s violence, as well as impeachment and removal of the president as proposed by Reps. Bush, Omar and Bowman. But there’s so much more work ahead than simply calling your representatives; as Socialists, we are dedicated to defeating the right through the creation of a system built for human need, run democratically by the working class. It’s a lot of work, and it needs many hands. Join DSA, and help us create a better world.

It’s been a real soul-grinder of a week, comrades, and not just because we’re watching capitalism defend itself with frequent, grotesque violence to BIPOC protesters seeking justice while simultaneously literally inviting white supremacists to trap and kill government employees in their workplace. Capitalism and white nationalism might seem insurmountable, but it’s our job as socialists not just to believe that a socialist world is possible but to work actively to ensure that belief is realized.

We were excited this week to see DSA recognized in the Seattle Times; the Black Reparations Fund was mentioned along with our Afrosocialist Caucus in an article about what reparations means in the short and long-term. If you’d like to get involved with the Afrosocialists and Socialists of Color, their next meeting is on Monday, January 11th from 6:00 - 8:00 pm.

We also held our January General Membership meeting and passed two resolutions, both to Support and Prioritize DSA’s National Campaign for a Green New Deal, as well as A Socialist Program for Seattle’s 2021 Elections. Read the full text here.

In Solidarity,

Seattle DSA

Here’s what’s happening in Seattle DSA this week: