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In this newsletter:
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Sac DSA Files Court Statement Opposing The City's Blacklisting of Socialist Officials
Ever since socialist Katie Valenzuela joined the Sacramento City Council last year, the mayor and most other councilmembers have been relentlessly hostile to her advocacy on behalf of tenants, the unhoused, and anti-fascist demonstrators. But this week, the city took things to another level when the Council voted 8-1 to file a restraining order against Katie's newly-hired staff member Skyler Henry. Skyler -- co-host of the podcast "Voices: River City", community activist and DSA member -- was told that he could not enter City Hall due to his past comments defending non-violent protestors who demonstrate outside of elected officials' homes.
Sac DSA has joined other community groups and supporters by filing a declaration in court to oppose the City's vindictive and unconstitutional actions. Our declaration says in part:
The fact that [Skyler's] vocal support of an anti-fascist movement is a cause for concern by this council is an indictment of the dismal state of our electeds’ knowledge of world history and current events, and only further proves Skyler’s upstanding character. We, too, are proud to say we are Antifa. If eight members of our city council are against antifascists, it leads one to ask if they stand in support of fascists.
Make no mistake: The City and its coercive arm (the Sacramento Police Department) are trying to impose a chilling effect on the First Amendment rights of Sacramento residents who disagree with them. We recognize that, while it is Skyler’s name in this suit, City leadership is trying to place all of us on the Left on trial. We will continue to speak up and fight against the city’s terrorizing tactics.
The court denied the City's request for an immediate, temporary restraining order, ruling in part: "The evidence presented [by the City] does not meet the applicable legal standard and there are obvious First Amendment concerns. Moreover, some of the evidence provided by the city actually undercut its own position that a temporary restraining order is warranted.” The court battle is not yet over, as another hearing will be held next month on the City's request for a permanent restraining order.
DSA members joined Katie, Skyler and others for a press conference to denounce the City's repressive actions. Sac DSA co-chair Margot Rinaldo spoke at the conference and said, "While the suit specifically names Skyler, it is undoubtedly an attempt at defamation for some of Sacramento's most dedicated organizers and progressive champions. This attempt to restrain Katie and her staff is a blatant attempt to blacklist people who disagree with those most entrenched within city power."
You can read Sac DSA's full statement on the matter here. |
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Mutual Aid Opportunities This Week: Water & Cooling Centers for the Unhoused
As we’re sure you're aware, Sacramento summers can be the stuff of nightmares. Let's mitigate some of the side effects of these hot days by distributing water to our neighbors! Here is a working schedule for doing water drops, where, and on what days. Please sign up for a shift if you can and/or share with others who might want to support.
Here's a map of cooling centers and libraries that our comrade @knowyoukempa made. Share with anyone who might need respite from the heat.
Also, the Organize Sac office on Broadway has the A/C cranking for their pop-up cooling center! If you know of anyone in distress or who just needs a break please send them that way (1714 Broadway)!
And don’t forget that Sac DSA's Mutual Aid Committee hosts a food and supply distribution for the unhoused at Cesar Chavez Plaza every other Monday. Our next distribution is Monday, June 28, at 5:30 PM. All members are invited to attend or donate! We are seeking donations to support this work through https://www.patreon.com/SacDSAMutualAid. Email [email protected] for more information.
Finally, our Mutual Aid Committee is having an internal organizing/planning meeting tonight (Monday) -- all interested members are welcome and encouraged to attend! Zoom registration link is here. |
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2021 DSA Convention: What It Is, How To Watch - And Meet Our Delegates!
DSA is having its national convention this August (online of course, thanks to Covid). This event -- held every two years -- is a time for every DSA chapter in the country to come together and vote on our political priorities and internal organizing strategy. We will also be electing a new national leadership board for the next two years, known as the National Political Committee.
The major topic of debate will likely be the proposed DSA platform, which you can read here. This platform will mark the first time that DSA has ever laid out its philosophy and policy objectives in a single, comprehensive document. The current draft of the platform contains the following sections, each of which goes into detail on DSA's specific goals:
In addition to the platform, delegates will also be voting on a number of bylaw amendments and resolutions. These include things such as creating a 100-member policy-setting body for DSA, strengthening DSA's national infrastructure for labor and tenant organizing, and forming a national committee to advocate reparations to black people, among many other things. There are lots of these resolutions and bylaw amendments, and you can check them out here.
And if all this is a bit overwhelming and you'd prefer to just read a short summary, this article provides a nice cheat-sheet. (DSA Sac does not necessarily endorse the author's positions; we're just sharing it as a useful primer)
Sac DSA will be sending eleven delegates and one alternate to the convention; we voted for them at our general meeting last weekend. You can read more about our delegates here, including their thoughts on the most important priorities for DSA at the convention. Big thank you to each of them for giving so much time and attention to our organization!
The convention will be held online from August 1 - August 8, with most of the actual voting taking place on the final two days (the weekend of August 7-8). Members in good standing can also subscribe for e-mail updates on the convention here, which should include info on how to watch the convention via livestream. |
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Beer & Roses (DSA Happy Hour) Is Back!
Our monthly happy hour known as “Beer & Roses” has been on hiatus due to Covid. With pandemic restrictions easing, we are excited to start these in-person events back up again! However, we are aware that not everyone is comfortable with indoor events at this point. Because our usual spot to hold Beer & Roses (Cafe Colonial on Stockton) doesn’t have outdoor seating, this means we need to find new, temporary locations to hold these events.
Our goal is to have Beer & Roses two times a month -- once in Sacramento and once in another city within our large chapter jurisdiction. This month’s events will take place at the following locations:
Sacramento: Friday, June 25 from 6 - 9PM at Tower Brewing (1210 66th St STE B, Sacramento, CA 95819)
Elk Grove: Friday, July 9 from 6 - 9PM at Flatland Brewing (9183 Survey Rd #104, Elk Grove, CA 95624)
Come drop in to these relaxed events and say hello to your comrades! Drinking alcohol is not required, and people are always willing to help pay for the next round if your boss or landlord has been extra-stingy this week. New faces especially welcome! |
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TAKE OUR ORGANIZING SURVEY |
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Help us get to know our membership better by filling out this survey; this will allow us to get members in touch with campaigns and projects they are interested in, as well as find out what the priorities of members are. |
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Upcoming Sac DSA Meetings
All meetings taking place on Zoom, due to Covid. Open to all members! Some meetings require pre-registration so we can verify your DSA membership; just click the link and provide the email address you used when you joined DSA.
Mutual Aid Committee meeting, Monday, June 21 @ 6PM, Zoom link
Executive Board meeting, Wednesday, June 23 @ 7:00PM, Zoom link
Missed a Meeting? Here are the Notes!
Socialist Education committee meeting notes, 6/10/21
Healthcare committee meeting notes, 6/17/21
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What We're Reading (Or Viewing, Or Listening To...)
This is a space where we link to interesting articles, videos, podcasts -- whatever -- that our members have shared with each other on our chapter Slack. We are re-sharing them here in case others are interested; they do not necessarily represent “official” positions or endorsements of DSA.
"Land and Existence in Gaza" by Asad Haider (article)
"I’m glad we have scholars like Asad Haider who can draw out clear connections between histories of class struggle and national liberation as questions that also bear relevance for ecological sustainability."
"Analysis: graft and disaffection hits California’s state workers union" by Jonah Paul (article)
One of our members analyzes the recent election for SEIU 1000 leadership for the Sac News & Review. (Sac DSA takes no official position on the SEIU election)
"Sacramento Public Library Is Fine Free" (announcement)
Here's some exciting news about the Sacramento Library system! If you or anyone knows any students who are in this age range or know parents that have children this age that you think can benefit from this! Definitely direct them to these specific library locations for meals. On Tuesday and Fridays from 11am to 12pm.
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Copyright (c) 2021 Sacramento Democratic Socialists of America, All rights reserved. You are receiving this email because you expressed interest in updates from Sacramento DSA. |
