JusticeNews

Live from Death Row: A Conversation with Kevin Cooper

on February 12, 2018

On February 10th the DSA SF Justice Committee at Koret Auditorium hosted a Q&A and discussion with anti-death penalty activist Kevin Cooper to talk about his case, the barbarism of the death penalty, the racism of California’s justice system, and the agony of being innocent on death row.  Fourteen years ago, on February 10, 2004, Kevin Cooper came within minutes of being executed by the state of California for a crime he did not commit.

March 2018 will mark two years since Kevin’s petition for clemency hit Governor Brown’s desk. It’s long past time for the Governor to take action. Brown has been sitting on the clemency petition for the past 2 years. He has also received numerous letters from high profile names, including 9th Cir. Judge William A. Fletcher, Paulette Brown (President of the American Bar Association), Cruz Reynoso (former California Supreme Court Justice), John Van de Kamp (former California Attorney General) all who support Kevin’s claim to innocence and his petition for clemency. The sister of one of the victims also has signed on for the case for innocence. Despite pleas from numerous high profile supporters (https://kevincooper.org/people-speak-out/), Brown has yet to take action. We hope that this event can help re-invigorate the Free Kevin Cooper campaign and with mass support, we have a chance to convince Governor Brown to grant clemency before he leaves office. Help us free Kevin Cooper from his unjust death sentence!

Visit http://www.savekevincooper.org/index.html for more information.

News

DSA SF Joins the SF Public Bank Coalition

on February 5, 2018

The San Francisco chapter of the Democratic Socialists of America is pleased to announce that our members have voted to formally join the San Francisco Public Bank Coalition (SFPBC), a collaboration of local left and progressive groups working to promote and shape a public bank for San Francisco. The final vote count is 96 in favor, 0 against, and 4 abstained. This met our quorum requirement of 50% of eligible voters with 100 / 193 eligible, a voter turnout of 52%.

San Francisco has about $8.5 billion in financial assets. This is, essentially, OUR money — taxpayer funds and the proceeds of bond sales. Instead of working to improve the quality of life of San Franciscans, this money is invested in sectors that exacerbate negative environmental conditions and socio-economic disparities, including the fossil fuel industry, the prison-industrial complex, and defense contractors.

Today the Budget and Finance Committee begins a process to explore the viability and shape of a public bank for San Francisco. SF DSA is pleased to stand with the San Francisco Public Bank Coalition in promoting a public bank focused on equity, sustainability, and justice.

The SFPBC is a collaboration including the SF Defund DAPL Coalition, SF Rising, Alliance of Californians for Community Empowerment, SF Berniecrats, and the CA Faculty Association, as well as other activists, community leaders, and groups still becoming involved. The San Francisco chapter of the DSA is honored to work alongside to help build a San Francisco that works for its residents. Read more about the goals of the coalition on the Facebook page.