When plunder becomes a way of life for a group of men in a
society, over the course of time they create for themselves a legal
system that authorizes it and a moral code that glorifies it.
-- Frédéric Bastiat
Comrades,
We were glad to hear that the Minneapolis police officer who killed
George Floyd was found guilty. There’s little comfort to be found in
our justice system, or in the state of policing that is as racist and
and out of control as it has ever been, but it’s right to call this
what it is – murder.
The result was only possible because of the demonstrations last
year, when crowds of people across America showed our grief and our
anger and our refusal to be intimidated in response to the murders of
Floyd and Breonna Taylor. For any of us who doubted the necessity or
the effectiveness of participating in the streets, this could be the
confirmation you need that mass action and solidarity are the only way
to be heard.
But we should also look hard at where our efforts have failed and
been undermined: slippery city officials keep making false promises
and delivering watered-down reforms. National politicians make bizarre
overtures to Black lives intended only to distract from the
preventable, ongoing deaths. These games aren’t new and those in power
can play them forever. If any of us – socialists, abolitionists,
anti-fascists, or even just concerned citizens – want different
results, we can’t just try the same approaches.
East Bay DSA’s 2021 Local Convention, when we’ll be making
important decisions about our future goals and direction, is less than
a month away. (Our amazing Convention website
(https://convention2021.eastbaydsa.org/) has all the information and
comradely spirit you’re looking for.) Here’s what’s urgent right now:
if you’re considering nominating anyone (for our own Steering
Committee or our National Convention delegation) or submitting
anything (organizational priorities or changes to the chapter
platform), your deadline is this Sunday, April 25. Don’t miss it – we
need your vision and participation more than ever.
Solidarity!
News and Information
Be sure to check out East Bay Majority
(https://eastbaymajority.com/) , East Bay DSA's news source with a
socialist perspective, for the latest news and information.
** TRANSIT CORRIDOR BULLETIN
#2
------------------------------------------------------------
Rather
than throw caution to the wind, we need to keep fighting for safe
conditions for transit workers and riders while the pandemic
continues.
Read more
(https://eastbaymajority.com/transit-corridor-bulletin-2/)
** LIBBY AND HER BILLIONAIRE FRIENDS ARE THE PROBLEM, NOT THE
SOLUTION
------------------------------------------------------------
Oakland
Mayor Libby Schaaf’s recently announced cash assistance program is the
latest attempt by billionaires to privatize government services and
destroy the welfare state, funded by many of the bosses who have
driven millions into poverty.
Read more
(https://eastbaymajority.com/libby-and-her-billionaire-friends-are-the-problem-not-the-solution/)
Featured
Events
While we are still unable to meet face-to-face, events are
still going on that you can be a part of. RSVP below to stay updated.
You can also keep track on our Events page
(http://eastbaydsa.org/events/) .
** (NATIONAL DSA) BUILDING THE RELIGIOUS LEFT: DSA RELIGION
& SOCIALISM VIRTUAL CONFERENCE
------------------------------------------------------------
Saturday
and Sunday, April 24–25 | 9–11 a.m.
Online – RSVP for info
(https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSc-80vsLxWMop5LNN7ElzRl6dqIOL7K4GFp2UVO0YJQfgISww/viewform)
♿️
This event is hosted by National DSA and takes place over two days.
RSVP here for the Zoom link!
(https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSc-80vsLxWMop5LNN7ElzRl6dqIOL7K4GFp2UVO0YJQfgISww/viewform)
From April 24–25, join your religious socialist comrades for two
days of panels, workshops, and skills training as you work to build
the religious left. Hear from Andrew Wilkes, Sarah Ngu, Charles
Howard, George Lakey, Matthew Sitman, Fran Quigley, Jewish Currents
magazine, the DSA Muslim Caucus, the Institute for Christian
Socialism, Megan Romer, Nicole-Ann Lobo, Imaan Javeed, and many more
local activists and theologians. Come to learn, to share, and to be
re-energized. A complete program outline will be sent in mid-April so
that you can sign up for panels, workshops, and skills training.
RSVP
(https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSc-80vsLxWMop5LNN7ElzRl6dqIOL7K4GFp2UVO0YJQfgISww/viewform)
** LABOR COMMITTEE MEETING
------------------------------------------------------------
Sunday,
April 25 | 6–8 p.m.
Online via Zoom – RSVP for info
(https://www.eastbaydsa.org/events/1650/2021-04-25-labor-committee-meeting/)
♿️
Please join the East Bay DSA Labor Committee for our regular
monthly meeting. It's open to all DSA members who are interested in
getting involved in labor work with their comrades! Learn more about
how to get involved in the committee, our ongoing projects, and
upcoming solidarity actions!
If you'd like to submit an item for the agenda, please email
[email protected] (mailto:[email protected]) .
RSVP
(https://www.eastbaydsa.org/events/1650/2021-04-25-labor-committee-meeting/)
** SUBMISSION DEADLINES FOR 2021 EBDSA LOCAL CONVENTION
------------------------------------------------------------
Sunday,
April 25 | 11:59 p.m.
https://convention2021.eastbaydsa.org/
♿️
The East Bay DSA 2021 Local Convention
(https://convention2021.eastbaydsa.org/) will be held this year on
Saturday, May 15, 1–4 p.m. and Sunday, May 16, 1–3 p.m. on Zoom. But
even sooner than that – this Sunday, April 25 – we’re coming up on
four important submission and nomination deadlines. Don’t miss them!
More info and full timeline
(https://convention2021.eastbaydsa.org/#timeline) at
https://convention2021.eastbaydsa.org/.
Sunday, April 25:
* Deadline for Steering Committee Nominations
(https://convention2021.eastbaydsa.org/#steering-committee)
*
Deadline for National Convention Delegate Nominations
(https://convention2021.eastbaydsa.org/#national-convention-delegate)
*
Deadline to submit changes to the Chapter Platform
(https://convention2021.eastbaydsa.org/#platform-priorities)
*
Deadline to Nominate Organizational Priorities
(https://convention2021.eastbaydsa.org/#platform-priorities)
**
------------------------------------------------------------
GAVIN KEEP YOUR PROMISE: GUARANTEE HEALTHCARE FOR ALL
Monday,
April 26 | 5:30–8 p.m.
California State Capitol, 10th and L
Streets, Sacramento
45,000 people die from not having health
insurance each year, even before the pandemic. It's time for those in
power to put an end to this unnecessary death and deliver on their
campaign promises. Join Sacramento DSA and East Bay DSA for a "die-in"
at the State Capitol demanding guaranteed healthcare for all in
California.
After several months of phone banking and canvassing, we are headed
to the Capitol to raise the stakes and up the pressure on our
legislators. Our Governor and state representatives must decide which
side they are on — will they keep taking dirty money from the
insurance industry, or will they side with working-class communities
demanding a better system?
Our campaign has three demands for Governor Newsom:
1. Publicly
support AB-1400 aka “CalCare”
2. Seek the necessary federal waiver
to fund a single-payer healthcare system
3. Refuse donations from
the healthcare insurance industry
Learn more about our campaign here: CAM4A.org.
RSVP
(https://www.eastbaydsa.org/events/1883/2021-04-26-gavin-keep-your-promise-guarantee-healthcare-for-all/)
** MEMBERSHIP ENGAGEMENT COMMITTEE MONTHLY MEETING
------------------------------------------------------------
Monday,
April 26 | 7–9 p.m.
Online via Zoom
(https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81869433453?pwd=RXpoRnYwR200K21STDkzYzlpM1NMdz09)
♿️
We need your help building a strong and active chapter! Join our
next Membership Engagement Committee monthly meeting and learn how you
can put your skills to work or grow new ones you never knew you
had!
The Membership Engagement Committee was created for the purpose of
initiating and sustaining our members' active and healthy
participation in the chapter's work. We cannot grow our movement
without engaging and fostering growth within our current membership.
We strive to grow confident organizers and leaders as well as strong
relationships between comrades in our chapter by supporting all
committees in their work and creating spaces for learning and
camaraderie.
Our committee builds and maintains projects such as (but not
limited to) our mobilizers program, planning and execution of chapter
socials, new member events, and Organizer's Toolbox Trainings, as well
as managing the onboarding of new members. As our chapter grows we
need to grow our efforts with it and would love to welcome new members
to our committee.
Contact us at [email protected]
(mailto:[email protected]) .
Join on Zoom
(https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81869433453?pwd=RXpoRnYwR200K21STDkzYzlpM1NMdz09)
RSVP
(https://www.eastbaydsa.org/events/1877/2021-04-26-membership-engagement-committee-monthly-meeting/)
** NIGHT SCHOOL: SOCIALISTS AND THE NON PROFIT INDUSTRIAL
COMPLEX
------------------------------------------------------------
Tuesday,
April 27 | 6:30–8 p.m.
Online via Zoom
(https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82065674829?pwd=Yjh4OFVveDNvRUFCSjFHNkVPRDlOdz09)
♿️
Many people work at nonprofits for the same reason they become
socialists - they see the ills of the world and want to have a hand in
changing them. Join us for this EBDSA Night School exploring the
relationship between the fight for socialism and nonprofits. We’ll
look at the limits of philanthropy and enacting change through
nonprofits, and explore what it means to build working-class power to
fight capitalism.
Readings
Non-Profits in the Coming Struggle
(https://midwestsocialist.com/2019/07/29/non-profits-in-the-coming-struggle/)
Against
Charity
(https://www.jacobinmag.com/2015/08/peter-singer-charity-effective-altruism/)
Audio
Not for Profit? The Nonprofit Industrial Complex
(https://wearemany.org/a/2018/07/not-for-profit-nonprofit-industrial-complex)
Join on Zoom
(https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82065674829?pwd=Yjh4OFVveDNvRUFCSjFHNkVPRDlOdz09)
RSVP
(https://www.eastbaydsa.org/events/1896/2021-04-27-night-school-socialists-and-the-non-profit-industrial-complex/)
** BAY AREA PASS THE PRO ACT TOWN HALL
------------------------------------------------------------
Tuesday,
April 27 | 7–9 p.m.
Online – RSVP for info
(https://www.eastbaydsa.org/events/1874/2021-04-27-bay-area-pass-the-pro-act-town-hall/)
♿️
As socialists, we know that capitalism is incompatible with a
livable planet, and as long as the twisted logic of the profit motive
rules, workers will face exploitation and low wages. For too long,
workers and the climate movement have been pitted against each other,
but the truth is we’re going to need a strong, militant labor movement
to win transformative reforms like the Green New Deal and secure a
future for each other and the planet!
The PRO Act is a bill that will dramatically improve labor laws in
this country. The PRO Act fights against Prop 22, closing the
contractor loophole. It ends right-to-work laws across the country,
enabling unions to collect dues from workers they represent. It
outlaws union-busting tactics and gives undocumented workers access to
the NLRB! The bill has already passed the house, and just 5 senators
stand in the way!
Bay Area chapters including San Francisco, Silicon Valley, and East
Bay DSA are coming together to host a big Bay Area Pass the PRO Act
Town Hall, where we’ll hear from local labor organizers, elected
leaders and environmental justice organizations about how you can get
involved in national phonebanks and a big May Day action!
RSVP
(https://www.eastbaydsa.org/events/1874/2021-04-27-bay-area-pass-the-pro-act-town-hall/)
**
------------------------------------------------------------
MEDICARE FOR ALL COMMITTEE MEETING
Wednesday, April 28 | 6–8
p.m.
Online via Zoom
(https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81235048894?pwd=RDZHcnRDQ0FpV3ZndzdUenVJZ3JaZz09)
♿️
With the pandemic and its multiple, intersecting crises, and the
polling popularity of Medicare for All, our commitment to the movement
is more important than ever. Come learn about our committee's efforts,
as well as local, state, and national initiatives around Medicare for
All and single-payer healthcare. All are welcome!
Join on Zoom
(https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81235048894?pwd=RDZHcnRDQ0FpV3ZndzdUenVJZ3JaZz09)
RSVP
(https://www.eastbaydsa.org/events/1628/2021-04-28-medicare-for-all-committee-meeting/)
** (NATIONAL DSA) STRATEGIC CAMPAIGNS 101
------------------------------------------------------------
Thursday, April 29 | 5:30–7:30 p.m.
Online via Zoom – RSVP for
info (https://act.dsausa.org/survey/strategic-campaigns-101/)
♿️
Strategic Campaigns 101 will walk through the process of how to
best choose and execute campaigns that will build long-term power for
DSA, YDSA, and the working class. You'll learn which questions to ask
when planning a campaign, as well as tools to assess your campaign
plan for maximum impact. Join us if you're interested in running or
are currently running a campaign that puts pressure on a decision
maker to pass transformative reforms in your area.
RSVP (https://act.dsausa.org/survey/strategic-campaigns-101/)
** MAY DAY HISTORY VIDEO AND THE PRO ACT
------------------------------------------------------------
Thursday,
April 29 | 7–8 p.m.
Online via Zoom
(https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81033161310?pwd=bmMrUzlaYlIzd0NxWVlQZ3paRmlPZz09)
♿️
Come to virtual screening of a half-hour video-in-progress, We
Mean to Make Things Over: A History of May Day, with filmmaker Fred
Glass, and speaker Daniel Dominguez, DSA DSLC Commissioner on the
“Protect the Right to Organize (PRO) Act.” Fred will say a few words
on the background of the video before it is screened, and there will
be time for a brief Q&A afterward. He is creating the video
together with the talents of artist Jos Sances, animator Paul Zappia,
and documentary filmmaker Rick Tejada-Flores.
The screening and discussion will be followed by a short
presentation on what DSA is doing to help pass the most important
pro-union legislation in decades. The PRO Act, which would restore the
ability of private-sector workers to organize unions, has passed the
House of Representatives but faces an uphill battle in the Senate.
National DSA has called for a Day of Action on May 1 to pressure
holdout senators to support the bill.
Find out about the long-suppressed labor and socialist history
behind May Day, a holiday celebrating the working class all over the
world but not in the United States, the country in which the events
that led to the holiday occurred. And then come out on May 1 to
continue the struggle for worker rights!
Join on Zoom
(https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81033161310?pwd=bmMrUzlaYlIzd0NxWVlQZ3paRmlPZz09)
RSVP
(https://www.eastbaydsa.org/events/1873/2021-04-29-may-day-history-video-and-the-pro-act/)
Upcoming
Events
** CLASSROOM JUSTICE MEETING
------------------------------------------------------------
Monday,
May 3 | 7–9 p.m.
Online via Zoom – RSVP for info
(https://www.eastbaydsa.org/events/1775/2021-05-03-classroom-justice-meeting/)
♿️
Join the Classroom Justice Campaign! Classroom Justice is a
locally-run campaign that seeks to fight against the injustices
happening in our public school system by a cabal of privatizers, whose
sole purpose is the dismantling of every public service in this
country. If you want to join in the fight against these gentrifiers or
merely have questions, sign up or send your inquiries to
[email protected].
https://classroomjustice.org/en/
RSVP
(https://www.eastbaydsa.org/events/1775/2021-05-03-classroom-justice-meeting/)
** GREEN NEW DEAL FOR TRANSIT CAMPAIGN MEETING
------------------------------------------------------------
Monday,
May 3 | 7–9 p.m.
Online via Zoom – RSVP for info
(https://www.eastbaydsa.org/events/1745/2021-05-03-green-new-deal-for-transit-campaign-meeting/)
♿️
This is our monthly meeting for the Green New Deal for Transit
Campaign. Join us to win power for:
* Free Public Transit
*
Greatly expanded service, accessibility, and schedule
* Protection
of union workers and expansion of union jobs
* Social equity to
overcome transportation discrimination
* Conversion of Public
Transit to Zero Emissions vehicles
RSVP
(https://www.eastbaydsa.org/events/1745/2021-05-03-green-new-deal-for-transit-campaign-meeting/)
CATCH UP ON NIGHT SCHOOL
With social distancing guidelines
still in place, now's as good a time as any to catch up on our
Socialist Night School.
Catch up on past night school readings and videos below.
Watch past Night School videos
(https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLeMYhhCCTFq1jGdOt6lcF8l7HQJwnJndD)
Catch up on Night School readings
(https://www.eastbaydsa.org/night-school/)
Not a Member Yet? Let's Fix That.
DSA now has 90,000 members
nationally, and we're still growing. There's never been a better time
to get involved than right now! Join our national organization by
clicking below and become an official socialist organizer.
Join DSA (http://dsausa.org/join?source=East%20Bay)
The US healthcare system is designed to maximize profit, not
patient care. But we can change it if we work together. Assembly Bill
1400 (AB1400) would create the California Guaranteed Health Care for
All program, or CalCare, to provide comprehensive universal
single-payer health care coverage for the benefit of all residents of
the state. Find out more at https://cam4a.org/.
Caucus Corner
Our caucuses organize events too! Check out
the Caucus Corner of our website
(https://www.eastbaydsa.org/about/caucuses/) to learn more about the
activities of East Bay DSA caucuses and how to participate.
Announcements
MEET WITH A MOBILIZER!
Are you a new DSA member? Or are you
looking to get more involved with East Bay DSA's projects and
campaigns? Sign up to talk to a mobilizer!
Here are three reasons to sign up to talk to a mobilizer:
1.
Meet a fellow socialist organizer
We want to build a movement of
millions of working class people and change the exploitative and
oppressive system in which we live, but we do that first and foremost
by building one-to-one connections with each other.
2. Answer your questions
Learn more about DSA, the local East
Bay chapter, and our different committees and projects.
3. Get more involved
The main thing a mobilizer will help you
with is getting more involved in DSA. Maybe there’s a campaign or
project you’re particularly interested in, or maybe you’re a blank
slate and you don’t really know what to do. Either way, a mobilizer
will help you figure it out.
Sign up to talk to a mobilizer!
(https://forms.gle/np21b7Jt225z4xmq5)
EAST BAY DSA 2021 LOCAL CONVENTION DEADLINES
The East Bay
DSA 2021 Local Convention (https://convention2021.eastbaydsa.org/)
will be held this year on Saturday, May 15, 1–4 p.m. and Sunday, May
16, 1–3 p.m. on Zoom. Please be aware of these deadlines running up to
the Convention, including the four submission deadlines this Sunday
night, April 25.
2021 Local Convention Timeline
(https://convention2021.eastbaydsa.org/#timeline)
* Sunday, April
25:
+ Deadline for Steering Committee Nominations
+ Deadline for
National Convention Delegate Nominations
+ Deadline to submit
changes to the Chapter Platform
+ Deadline to Nominate
Organizational Priorities
* Wednesday, April 28:
+ Deadline to
accept SC and National Convention Delegate Nominations
* Saturday,
May 1:
+ Release of Consent Calendar Poll & Call for
Amendments
* Friday, May 7:
+ Deadline for Consent Calendar Poll
and Amendments
* Sunday, May 9:
+ Full Convention Agenda with
Resolutions and Amendments Released Nominations
* Friday, May
14:
+ Deadline to submit Position Papers
* Saturday, May
15:
+ Local Convention Day 1
* Saturday, May 16:
+ Local
Convention Day 2
For more information about phonebanks and possible supplemental
events, please check eastbaydsa.org/events.
Whether it’s affordable
housing, or adequate mental healthcare, we need to make that the
center of any police reform agenda… Let’s redirect resources from
policing, from courts, from prisons, into the kinds of social programs
and economic transformations that will reduce the need for coercive
state action.
Alex Vitale
===========================================================