News and updates

Comrades,

We’d like to end the month of August by commemorating Black August, which honors the fallen freedom fighters of the Black Liberation Movement, and to call for the release of all political prisoners, abolition of all prisons, and to continue to build power for Black liberation.

Exactly 50 years ago on August 21, political prisoner George Jackson was assassinated by prison guards during a prisoner rebellion, which was a devastating loss to the movement. A year prior, his brother, Jonathan Jackson, led an armed attack as an act of resistance at the Marin County Courthouse to demand the release of his brother and two other prisoners. George Jackson was a field marshal of the Black Panther Party while incarcerated in San Quentin State Prison and was convicted of armed robbery 10 years prior to a term of “1-to-life”, nominally for robbing $70 from a gas station.

While the reasoning for his assassination was contested, it was clear from the beginning that this was a coordinated political attack. Novelist and activist James Baldwin famously wrote, “no Black person will ever believe that George Jackson died the way they tell us he did.”

With the commemoration of Black August expanding over the years, many observe it by wearing black armbands and reflecting on other struggles and milestones in the fight for liberation: the Nat Turner Rebellion, the Fugitive Slave Law Convention, the founding of the Underground Railroad, Emancipation of Caribbean Islands, the March on Washington, and the births of Marcus Garvey and Fred Hampton as well as the deaths of the Jackson brothers.

As abolitionists, we honor George Jackson and other political prisoners’ legacies as not only a symbol of resistance to the violent prison industrial complex, but to also recognize the overall importance of fighting against the white supremacist capitalist system, which hinders our journey towards liberation, on all fronts. We must also learn from the revolutionaries that are no longer with us on Earth while fighting for those held captive indefinitely, such as Mumia Abu-Jamal and many more.

Until all political prisoners are free, we will keep working to dismantle systemic racism and all of the other oppressive structures that uphold capitalism. If we can struggle together, we can win.

“They have learned that resistance is actually possible. The holds are beginning to slip away.” —George Jackson

Solidarity,

DSA SF Communications Committee

Upcoming Events

? Wednesday, 9/1 (6:30 p.m.): Intro to DSA (Zoom)

? Friday, 9/3 (7:00 p.m.): Tenant Solidarity Documentary Screening (Zoom)

? Wednesday, 9/8 (6:45 p.m.): September Chapter Meeting (Zoom)

? Saturday, 9/18 (3:00 p.m.): Conflict in China: 1949 to Now panel discussion (Zoom)

For more events, click here.

Regular Chapter Meeting

Mark your calendars – the next regular DSA SF chapter meeting is Wednesday, September 8 at 6:45 p.m.!  Be sure to RSVP for the meeting here.

Announcements

Join the Black Liberation/Indigenous Sovereignty Priority Campaign!

Calling all comrades: Black Liberation/Indigenous Sovereignty Priority Leadership are searching for comrades interested in joining our Priority Campaign.
This work needs a variety of hands on deck!

We are currently looking for comrades to join us as:

• Liaisons to the Labor, Electoral, Ecosoc, Justice, and AfroSOC committees.
• Members of our political education crew, which is searching for comrades interested in political education work around anti-oppression, racial capitalism, Indigenous sovereignty, abolition training, and other related areas. The political education crew will work on building a curriculum, planning educational events, and incorporating Black liberation/Indigenous sovereignty into our chapter materials (Points of Unity, zines, Intro to DSA/socialism, etc).
• DSA SF representatives to the DefundSFPDNow Campaign and the No New SF Jail Coalition

Are you more of an admin guru? Join us as a mobilizer and help us create a BLIS onboarding plan for our chapter and curate a calendar of events! Interested comrades should reach out to blis@dsasf.org and make sure to join our Slack channel #priority-black-liberation-indigenous-sovereignty

Intro to DSA is tomorrow!

Come learn what DSA is doing to build the socialist movement in San Francisco! Tomorrow, September 1 at 6:30 p.m. on Zoom, there will be an introduction to the mission of DSA, the socialist project, and what our organizers are doing locally. Join us and bring your questions and a friend! Register here.

Electoral Board Update: Join a Ballot Measure Committee!

The Electoral board wants you to get involved with a committee! We need people who are interested in fundraising, research, and outreach to help get our project off the ground. Committees are beginning to meet separately from the board as a whole – fill out a form and someone will tell you when the next one is.

• Fundraising committee: https://dev.dsasf.org/Fundraising-SignUp
• Outreach committee: https://dev.dsasf.org/Fundraising-SignUp
• Research committee: https://dev.dsasf.org/Research-SignUp

The outreach committee will be meeting this Wednesday, September 1 at 6:00 p.m.Meeting details are on the internal calendar.

Conflict in China Panel: 1949 to Now

Join the Education Committee on Zoom on Saturday, September 18 at 3:00 p.m. for a panel discussion on the social and political conflicts that have driven China’s history since the 1949 Revolution to develop a stronger understanding of China today. Speakers will be from China, Europe, and the US, covering labor and feminist struggles in China since 1949, political developments, and the contemporary situation. Register for the event here!

Fill out the survey about our future office garden!

The DSA SF Ecosocialist Committee is working with two awesome high school seniors who are dedicating their senior project to setting up our office’s *brand new garden space.* Your opinions will be the basis of how this project will be structured and how it will operate. Please provide input here!

Dear comrades,

Despite the media telling us the US military had been in Afghanistan to help the Afghan people, we know that’s not the case – the Afghan people have long suffered under US violence, and will now continue to suffer under the Taliban. The 20-year occupation – and the decades of interference and manipulation that preceded it – was profitable for weapons manufacturers, private military contractors and investors, and world banks, all at the grievous expense of Afghan lives and livelihoods.

That is why, as socialists, we must not only condemn US militarism, but also occupations, interference in foreign affairs, sanctions, and other unjust humanitarian practices. We must stand firmly in solidarity with the people of Afghanistan and call for an end to the Global War on Terror. We must also accept all refugees resulting from previous and current acts of war.

Read more in the latest statement by the DSA International Committee.

Please join us this Saturday, August 28 at 2:00 p.m. at Union Square, where we will make these demands and show our solidarity with the Afghan people. We hope you can join us!

Solidarity,

DSA SF Communications Committee

Upcoming Events

 Wednesday, 8/25 (6:30 p.m.): Everything You Wanted to Know About Lenin But Were Afraid to Ask (Zoom)

 Thursday, 8/26 (7:00 p.m.): Introduction to the International Solidarity Organizing Committee (Zoom)

 Saturday, 8/28 (2:00 p.m.): Stop Killing Afghans Protest (in person at Union Square)

 Monday, 8/30 (6:00 p.m.): Ecosocialist Book Club: Dina Gilio-Whitaker’s As Long as Grass Grows (Zoom)

 Friday, 9/3 (7:00 p.m.): Tenant Solidarity Documentary Screening (Zoom)

 Wednesday, 9/8 (6:45 p.m.): September Chapter Meeting (Zoom)

For more events, click here.

Chapter Accessibility

As part of its plan of work this year, the Steering Committee identified accessibility as a long-standing chapter need. For accessibility concerns and accommodation requests, or if you would like to join the Chapter Accessibility Task Force to help us implement a chapter survey and accessibility guidelines, please email steering@dsasf.org.

Regular Chapter Meeting

Mark your calendars – the next regular DSA SF chapter meeting is Wednesday, September 8 at 6:45 p.m.!  Be sure to RSVP for the meeting here.

Announcements

Introduction to the International Solidarity Organizing Committee

Join the International Solidarity Organizing Committee (ISOC) for their first Zoom meeting this Thursday, August 26, at 7:00 p.m. to learn how you can get involved in international solidarity work. You’ll hear from the internal education, chapter mobilization, and external outreach leads on what they’re planning, and they’ll be having a discussion on the current situation in Afghanistan. Register here!

Fill out the survey about our future office garden!

The DSA SF Ecosocialist Committee is working with two awesome high school seniors who are dedicating their senior project to setting up our office’s *brand new garden space.* Your opinions will be the basis of how this project will be structured and how it will operate. Please provide input here!

Education

Everything You Wanted to Know About Lenin But Were Afraid to Ask

Join the Education Committee on Zoom on Wednesday, August 25 at 6:30 p.m. for an interactive discussion of the ideas and classic texts of Lenin. It’s perfect for newcomers, but also a great way to dig deeper into Lenin’s crucial contribution to socialism, Marxism, and why he remains an important touchpoint for us today. Register here!  

Ecosocialist Book Club: Dina Gilio-Whitaker’s As Long as Grass Grows

Join the DSA SF Ecosocialist Committee’s book club biweekly on Mondays in August! The last session is on August 30 at 6:00 p.m.. We’re reading and discussing Dina Gilio-Whitaker’s As Long as Grass Grows: The Indigenous Fight for Environmental Justice, from Colonization to Standing Rock. Open to all! Register now using the link here.

Update from Dean Preston’s Office

Have an idea or want to schedule a meeting with your caucus or committee with Dean’s office? Write either PrestonStaff@sfgov.org or lexvonklark@gmail.com with details, mention you’re with DSA, and we’ll schedule a day!

Free MUNI For All Youth Begins

This Sunday, August 15, household income limits were eliminated for the Free Muni for Youth program. Fares for all youth 18 years and under are totally free! No application or proof of payment/Clipper card is required to ride Muni vehicles with the exception of Cable Cars – simply get on and ride. Thanks to everyone who worked tirelessly to make this happen. As the first universal (i.e. non-means tested) free fare program in San Francisco, this marks a major milestone in our campaign for Free Muni!

Proof of Vaccine Required for Entry to SF Restaurants and Bars

As of August 20, proof of vaccination is now required for all patrons of SF bars, restaurants, clubs, gyms, and large indoor events. This Health Order update does not apply to those ineligible for vaccinations, like those under age 12. You can not use a self-attestation of vaccination or a negative COVID-19 test. You must have proof that you are vaccinated. “Full Vaccination” means two weeks after your final dose of a COVID-19 vaccine. You can show your Vaccination Record Card (CRC) from the CDC, show an image of the card (if you have a picture on your phone), or use a digital COVID-19 vaccine record issued by the State of California. You can also use an approved private app to verify your vaccination status.

How are we doing?

^{Let us know how we can better communicate with the chapter. Submit your feedback about DSA SF communications, including newsletters, social media posts, or anything else published by the chapter. All feedback will be read and discussed by the Comms Committee.}

Comrades,

The chapter has been busy! At the August regular meeting, priority campaign leaders reported on what they’ve been working on, such as establishing subcommittees for the ballot measure campaign and presenting a plan of work for the next year to build a true multicultural working class. We also recently had an election to choose three leads for the International Solidarity Education and Mass Action campaign. Congrats to Mícheál M (International Education Lead), Bert K (External Outreach Lead), and Savannah K (Chapter Mobilization Lead) for getting elected to spearhead this effort!

Also, in case you missed it, we recently put out two explainers on the following topics: Israel-Palestine and the US Police State and Capitalism is An Engine, and We Are the Fuel.

More work from the chapter is underway – read on for more information and ways you can get involved!

In solidarity,

DSA SF Communications Committee

Upcoming Events

? Thursday, 8/20 (7:00 p.m.): Tenant Solidarity Documentary Screening: Homeless First and Couper was Here (Zoom)

? Monday, 8/30 (6:00 p.m.): Ecosocialist Book Club: Dina Gilio-Whitaker’s As Long as Grass Grows (Zoom)

? Wednesday, 9/1 (6:30 p.m.): Introduction to DSA (Zoom TBD)

? Friday, 9/3 (7:00 p.m.): Tenant Solidarity Documentary Screening (Zoom)

? Wednesday, 9/8 (6:45 p.m.): September Chapter Meeting (Zoom)

For more events, click here.

Regular Chapter Meeting

Mark your calendars – the next regular DSA SF chapter meeting is Wednesday, September 8 at 6:45 p.m.!  Be sure to RSVP for the meeting here.

Announcements

Join Tenant Solidarity for two upcoming documentary screenings!

The next two Tenant Solidarity Working Group and East Bay SHOP documentary screenings are coming up! The next one is this Friday, August 20 on Zoom at 7:00 p.m., with a double feature: “Homeless First” and “Couper Was Here.” We will be joined by DSA SF Homelessness Working Group members, who will talk about distribution of N95 masks, KN95 masks, and DIY air purifiers in preparation for fire season, and will also answer questions about their work with Hotels Not Hospitals and Common Humanity Collective.

Then, on Friday, September 3 on Zoom at 7:00 p.m., come enjoy a night of five short films followed by a panel to answer questions afterwards. Register for both documentary screenings here!

Join our Ballot Measure Campaign subcommittees!

The Electoral Board is looking for members to join our Ballot Campaign Subcommittees! We want members who are interested in fundraising, outreach, and research to help us get this campaign off the ground. Fill out our forms if you are interested and we will reach out to you and get you involved!

Fundraising team: https://dev.dsasf.org/Fundraising-SignUp
Research team: https://dev.dsasf.org/Research-SignUp
Outreach team: https://dev.dsasf.org/Outreach-SignUp

Reading Groups

Ecosocialist Book Club: Dina Gilio-Whitaker’s As Long as Grass Grows

Join the DSA SF Ecosocialist Committee’s book club biweekly on Mondays in August! The last session is on August 30 at 6:00 p.m.. We’re reading and discussing Dina Gilio-Whitaker’s As Long as Grass Grows: The Indigenous Fight for Environmental Justice, from Colonization to Standing Rock. Open to all! Register now using the link here.

Over the past couple weeks, we’ve seen our government carelessly allow the federal moratorium on evictions to lapse, all to have the CDC reinstate it through October 3 – an extension that will be challenged in courts. Will it survive potential challenges? What happens after October 3? Who knows?

We don’t, but we certainly know who wants to know – the millions of us who are tenants and still struggling with uncertainty, income loss, and health concerns from the pandemic. While the White House congratulates itself on saving millions from homelessness, those of us who live the crisis daily are left to cope with the anxiety of not knowing whether or not we’ll be able to stay in our homes through the end of the year, and knowing that our fates will be decided by a handful of landlords and bureaucrats we’ll likely never meet.

The moratorium extension is, such as it is, is welcome, but it is not what we are fighting for. Safe and stable housing means healthy people and healthy communities – it is not something that should be up to the courts to decide, and certainly not in the unfeeling hands of the market. We must remember that this housing precarity, and the anxiety that comes with it, is a capitalist creation – it is from a system that values financial health of the few over human health of the many. Any eviction moratoriums are little more than reminders that we live in a system that would allow millions to lose their homes.

Learn more about how the market intersects with police power at DSA SF Tenant Solidarity and East Bay SHOP’s next documentary screening on Thursday, August 12 at 7:00 p.m. on Zoom. We’ll be watching “The Fall of the I-Hotel” by Curtis Choy, which takes a close look at the significance of San Francisco’s famed International Hotel protests in the 1970s. There will also be a guest speaker on our panel after the film who was one of the many folks involved in the events shown in the documentary!

Please RSVP here if you are interested, and feel free to email tenantsolidarity@dsasf.org for more information!

Upcoming Events

? Wednesday, 8/11 (6:45 p.m.): August Chapter Meeting (virtual)

? Thursday, 8/12 (7:00 p.m.): Tenant Solidarity Documentary Screening: The Fall of the I-Hotel (virtual)

? Monday, 8/16 (6:00 p.m.): Ecosocialist Book Club: Dina Gilio-Whitaker’s As Long as Grass Grows (virtual)

? Wednesday, 9/1 (6:30 p.m.): Introduction to DSA (virtual)

For more events, click here.

Chapter Accessibility

As part of its plan of work this year, the Steering Committee identified accessibility as a long-standing chapter need. For accessibility concerns and accommodation requests, or if you would like to join the Chapter Accessibility Task Force to help us implement a chapter survey and accessibility guidelines, please email steering@dsasf.org. 

Regular Chapter Meeting

Please join us for our regular chapter meeting tomorrow, August 11 from 6:45-9:45 p.m.! We’ll have news from District 5 Supervisor Dean Preston’s office, and we’ll get updates on our chapter priorities. We will also discuss chapter plans for mass action and education around international solidarity with socialist movements around the world. RSVP for the meeting here, and take a look at the agenda here.

Announcements

NEW! Read DSA SF member Julian L.R.’s op-ed in Jacobin

The San Francisco Board of Supervisors have now committed to looking into creating a public bank for the City. In this Jacobin piece, DSA SF member and Equity Economics Lab founder Julian L.R. writes about why we need a public bank at the federal level.

Julian writes about why we need a public bank that will put control of tax money back in the hands of the people – not a government that keeps giving it to Wall Street and the military-industrial complex. Read up on why a public bank will help deliver more social housing and investment in our badly underserved BIPOC communities, then join us in the fight to win socialism!

Ballot Measure Campaign: Send us your ideas for 2022!

We’d like to hear from you! As part of our chapter priorities, we passed a priorities resolution to draft two ballot measures in 2022. We’d like to hear your ideas to build a San Francisco for all, not only the rich. Fill out the survey here.

Reading Groups

Ecosocialist Book Club: Dina Gilio-Whitaker’s As Long as Grass Grows

Join the DSA SF Ecosocialist Committee’s book club biweekly on Mondays in August! The remaining two sessions are on August 16 and August 30 at 6:00 p.m. -7:15 p.m. We’re reading and discussing Dina Gilio-Whitaker’s As Long as Grass Grows: The Indigenous Fight for Environmental Justice, from Colonization to Standing Rock. Open to all! Register now using the link here.

ICYMI: Continue the Positive Direction of DSA’s International Solidarity Work!

Three members of Red Star San Francisco, a revolutionary Marxist caucus in DSA SF, write in favor of DSA Resolution #14: Committing to International Socialist Solidarity, which will go before the DSA National Convention later this week. Read more on the Fog City Rose website.

Upcoming Events

? Wednesday, 8/4 (5:30 p.m.): Introduction to DSA

? Monday, 8/9 (5:30 p.m.): Ballot Measure Campaign: Electoral Politics 101

? Sunday, 8/8 (1:00 pm): Memorial for Yemen School Bus Attack

? Wednesday, 8/11 (7:00 p.m.): August Chapter Meeting

? Monday, 8/16 (6:00 p.m.): Ecosocialist Book Club: Dina Gilio-Whitaker’s As Long as Grass Grows

For more events, click here.

Announcements

Chapter Accessibility

As part of its plan of work this year, the Steering Committee identified accessibility as a long-standing chapter need. For accessibility concerns and accommodation requests, or if you would like to join the Chapter Accessibility Task Force to help us implement a chapter survey and accessibility guidelines, please email steering@dsasf.org.

Intro to DSA

Are you ready to build something bigger than yourself? Attending an Intro to DSA meeting is a great first step! Join us on August 4th at 6:30-7:30 p.m. to learn about what socialism means in San Francisco and how you can build a brighter future. Register here.

Memorial for Yemen School Bus Attack

Join us this Sunday, August 8, at 1:00 p.m. at Union Square to grieve the three-year anniversary of the loss of 40 Yemeni children whose lives were taken by a Saudi-UAE led bomb. We will be laying down 40 pairs of shoes and 40 backpacks to memorialize each life that was taken too soon. We come in solidarity and prepare any testimonials or condolences that you would like to share in the open mic. Learn more.

Ballot Measure Campaign: Send Us Your Ideas for 2022!

We’d like to hear from you! As part of our chapter priorities, we passed a priorities resolution to draft two ballot measures in 2022. We’d like to hear your ideas to build a San Francisco for all, not only the rich. Fill out the survey here.

Ballot Measure Campaign: Electoral Politics 101

DSA SF’s newly-elected electoral board is holding the first in a series of chapter discussions on our ballot measure campaign! This session will be on Monday, August 9th from 5:30-7:00 p.m. and will cover the nuts and bolts of ballot initiatives – both on what it takes to get them on the ballot and what it takes to win. Register here.

Regular Chapter Meeting

Our next regular chapter meeting will be on Wednesday, August 11 from 6:45-9:45 p.m. The agenda will be sent out soon, but please plan to attend – we’ll have an update from District 5 Supervisor Dean Preston’s office, and we’ll talk about our chapter priorities. RSVP for the meeting here.

Reading Groups

Ecosocialist Book Club: Dina Gilio-Whitaker’s As Long as Grass Grows

Join the DSA SF Ecosocialist Committee’s book club biweekly on Mondays in August – August 2, August 16, and August 30 at 6:00 p.m. -7:15 p.m. We’re reading and discussing Dina Gilio-Whitaker’s As Long as Grass Grows: The Indigenous Fight for Environmental Justice, from Colonization to Standing Rock. Open to all! Register now using the link here.

Dean Preston Casts Only Dissenting Vote on City Budget Which Increases Policing and Defunds Social Housing

Last week, Supervisor Dean Preston was the lone “no” vote on a city budget that increases police funding and defunds the social housing we won at the ballot box in 2020. Many politicians in San Francisco talk about the need to look for alternatives to the police, but Dean was willing to vote no on this budget because it gives close to a billion dollars per year to the system that exists to imprison and punish San Franciscans.

Police do not make us safer. This is clear to anyone who saw the police brutalize people in the streets last summer. Dean understands this, but many in City government are not willing to stop the militarized police from expanding.

And while rent relief is a short-term fix to the housing crisis, the long-term solution is building affordable social housing. Let’s be clear: the Mayor and other forces of capital are blocking affordable social housing that the voters already approved.

Dean is the only socialist Supervisor in City Hall, but he won’t be the last. If you want to see this City have more abundant affordable housing and a more compassionate and effective approach to public safety, join DSA to help elect more people like Dean.

Upcoming Events

? Friday, 7/30 (5:00 p.m.): National DSA Jumpstart Socialism for a New Tomorrow telethon

? Saturday, 7/31 (2:00 p.m.): Keep the Promise: Healthcare is a Human Right

? Monday, 8/2 (6:00 p.m.): Ecosocialist Book Club: Dina Gilio-Whitaker’s As Long as Grass Grows

? Monday, 8/9 (5:30 p.m.): Ballot Measure Campaign: Electoral Politics 101

? Wednesday, 8/11 (7:00 p.m.): August Chapter Meeting

For more events, click here.

Announcements

Send Us Your Ideas for 2022!

We’d like to hear from you! As part of our chapter priorities, we passed a priorities resolution to draft two ballot measures in 2022. We’d like to hear your ideas to build a San Francisco for all, not the rich. Fill out the survey here.

Check out National DSA’s Jumpstart Socialism for a New Tomorrow Telethon on July 30  

Ready for a socialist future? Step 1: Hold a National Convention to set our priorities. Step 2: Fund the work! National DSA is kicking off the National Convention with Jumpstart Socialism for a New Tomorrow, a telethon starting Friday, July 30 at 5:00 p.m.. We’re organizing to win and that’s worth celebrating! Join in, and use the link here to donate to fund the chapter’s work!

Keep The Promise: Healthcare is a Human Right

Join virtually this Saturday, July 31, at 2:00 p.m. to demand Governor Gavin Newsom to #KEEPTHEPROMISE of Medicare and to bring forward the single-payer solution. You can also attend in-person at the Lake Merritt Amphitheater in Oakland where they will build a memorial for lost loved ones. Register here.

Ballot Measure Campaign: Suggestion Form and Electoral Politics 101

DSA SF’s newly-elected electoral board is holding the first in a series of chapter discussions on our ballot measure campaign! This session will be on Monday, August 9th from 5:30-7 p.m. and will cover the nuts and bolts of ballot initiatives – both on what it takes to get them on the ballot and what it takes to win. Register here.

Reading Groups

Ecosocialist Book Club: Dina Gilio-Whitaker’s As Long as Grass Grows

Join the DSA SF Ecosocialist Committee’s book club biweekly on Mondays in August – August 2, August 16, and August 30 at 6:00 p.m. -7:15 p.m. We’re reading and discussing Dina Gilio-Whitaker’s As Long as Grass Grows: The Indigenous Fight for Environmental Justice, from Colonization to Standing Rock. Open to all! Register now using the link here.

Support the Rideshare Drivers’ Strike Tomorrow, July 21

March and rally with Uber and Lyft drivers who are going ON STRIKE all day long tomorrow to protest unfair wages and working conditions from rideshare app companies, and to call for the passage of the PRO Act, which would protect gig workers’ rights to organize. We need you to turn out and show that DSA SF stands with all workers, especially those in the highly precarious gig economy. Event details below:

11:30 a.m., Meet at Lyft HQ, 185 Berry Street
12:20 p.m., March and car caravan to Uber Mission Bay Building
1:00-2:30 p.m., Rally at Uber Mission Bay building, 1725 3rd Street

Upcoming Events

? Wednesday, 7/21 (11:30 a.m.): Rideshare Drivers United Strike

? Friday, 7/23 (7:00-8:30 p.m.): Tenant Solidarity documentary screening

? Sunday, 7/25 (11:30 a.m.): San Francisco Caravan: End the U.S. Blockade of Cuba – U.S. Hands Off Cuba!

? Friday, 7/30 (5:00 p.m.): National DSA Jumpstart Socialism for a New Tomorrow telethon

? Monday, 8/2 (6:00 p.m.): Ecosocialist Book Club: Dina Gilio-Whitaker’s As Long as Grass Grows

For more events, click here.

Announcements

Join Tenant Solidarity for a Documentary Double Feature

Join DSA SF Tenant Solidarity and East Bay DSA Social Housing for the second screening in our joint documentary series. We will be watching You a Nomad and Point of Pride: The People View of Bayview/Hunter’s Point on Friday, July 23 from 7:00-8:30 p.m., including a brief discussion. Register here!

San Francisco Caravan: End the U.S. Blockade on Cuba!

For 60 plus years, Cuba has remained under a brutal blockade of the United States government. The world sees the U.S. blockade of Cuba for what it is: an unjust and criminal attack on the sovereignty and rights of the Cuban people. Join us next Sunday, July 25 at 11:30 a.m. to call for an end to the blockade and show our solidarity for the Cuban people and their revolution. Details here.

Check out National DSA’s Jumpstart Socialism for a New Tomorrow Telethon on July 30

Ready for a socialist future? Step 1: Hold a National Convention to set our priorities. Step 2: Fund the work! National DSA is kicking off the National Convention with Jumpstart Socialism for a New Tomorrow, a telethon starting Friday, July 30 at 5:00 p.m.. We’re organizing to win and that’s worth celebrating! Join in, and use the link here to donate to fund the chapter’s work!

Reading Groups

Ecosocialist Book Club: Dina Gilio-Whitaker’s As Long as Grass Grows

Join the DSA SF Ecosocialist Committee’s book club biweekly on Mondays in August – August 2, August 16, and August 30 at 6:00 p.m. -7:15 p.m. We’re reading and discussing Dina Gilio-Whitaker’s As Long as Grass Grows: The Indigenous Fight for Environmental Justice, from Colonization to Standing Rock. Open to all! Register now using the link here.

Comrades,

As regime changes are forced in Haiti, protests in Cuba are amplified and distorted without context, and the socialist project in Venezuela is mystified by propaganda. It’s more important than ever to focus on the truth behind US interventions in these nations.

To the people who manage the U.S. empire, it’s necessary to impose ruthless sanctions and blockades to isolate and alienate Cubans, Haitians, Venezuelans, Yemenis, and others from us.

We must dedicate ourselves to solidarity across nations, to see the humanity in the people who suffer most from our country’s power, and to act together to free ourselves from that power!

Solidarity,
DSA SF Communications Committee

Upcoming Events

? Wednesday, 7/14 (6:45-9:00 p.m.): July Chapter Meeting (virtual)

? Friday, 7/16 (4:00 p.m.): Rally to Stop the Saudi-U.S. War on Yemen!

? Sunday, 7/18 (5:00 p.m.): National DSA Report Back on the delegation to Venezuela (virtual)

? Monday, 7/19 (6:30 p.m.): Everything You Wanted to Know About Lenin But Were Afraid to Ask (virtual)

For more events, click here.

Announcements

Join us for our July regular chapter meeting

Our July chapter meeting is tomorrow, July 14 at 6:45 p.m. on Zoom. Please join us as we debate and start voting on chapter priority campaign, committee, and working group leadership. We’ll hear from priority campaign leadership candidates (candidate statements here!), with online voting using OpaVote closing a few hours after the meeting. Steering committee will present a plan of work to the chapter, and we’ll discuss a chapter International Solidarity and Mass Action resolution from some comrades. Hope to see you there – RSVP here!

Rally to Stop the Saudi-U.S. War on Yemen

The Saudi blockade is killing civilians and the U.S. is not only complicit, but aiding Saudi Arabia in it. Congress can end the blockade and all U.S. participation in the largest humanitarian crisis in the world. Join us to rally in front of the SF Federal Building this Friday, July 16 at 4:00 p.m. for a Day of Action for the Yemen War Powers Act.

Everything You Wanted to Know About Lenin But Were Afraid to Ask

Join the Education Committee on July 19 at 6:30 p.m. for a virtual interactive discussion of the ideas and classic texts of Lenin. It’s perfect for newcomers, but also a great way to dig deeper into Lenin’s crucial contribution to socialism, Marxism, and why he remains an important touchpoint for us today. Register here!

National DSA Report Back on the delegation to Venezuela

This June, DSA sent a historic delegation to Venezuela in order to represent the organization in the Congreso Bicentenario de los Pueblos in Caracas. For two weeks this delegation traveled the country, engaging with various political formations and communes, speaking to political leadership at every level, and witnessing firsthand the construction of Venezuelan socialism as it struggled against crippling US sanctions in the time of COVID. For this special report back, join us on Zoom on Sunday, July 18 at 5:00 p.m. PT for a thoughtful and frank reflection as our delegates discuss US sanctions, socialist solidarity, and the many contradictions and triumphs they experienced during their time in the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela. RSVP here.

DSA SF is now on Tik Tok!

DSA SF’s Communications Committee has launched a chapter Tik Tok account! We will be churning out socialist propaganda, dog videos, socialist dog propaganda videos — the works. Follow us and tell your friends!

Reading Groups

Ecosocialist Book Club: Dina Gilio-Whitaker’s As Long as Grass Grows

Join the DSA SF Ecosocialist Committee’s book club biweekly on Mondays in August – August 2, August 16, and August 30 at 6:00 p.m. -7:15 p.m. We’re reading and discussing Dina Gilio-Whitaker’s As Long as Grass Grows: The Indigenous Fight for Environmental Justice, from Colonization to Standing Rock. Open to all! Register now using the link here.

Join us for Intro to DSA on July 7!

Ready to get started with DSA SF? Have questions about socialism or our chapter? Or have you been a member but haven’t found the right way to connect with the chapter? Attending an Intro to DSA meeting is a great first step. Join us on Wednesday, July 7 at 6:30 p.m. as we give a background on socialism and introduce you to some of the work being done in our committees and working groups. Hope to see new and old comrades alike there! Register for the meeting here.

Upcoming Events

? Wednesday, 7/7 (6:30 p.m.): Intro to DSA – Register here!

? Friday, 7/9 (7:00 p.m.): DSA SF Tenant Solidarity + East Bay DSA Social Housing documentary screening – Boom! The Sound of Eviction

? Saturday, 7/10 (1:30 p.m.): Rally to Recall Dandelion Chocolate Workers

For more events, click here.

Announcements

Join us for “Boom! The Sound of Eviction” Documentary Screening hosted by the Tenant Solidarity Committee

Come join DSA SF’s Tenant Solidarity Committee for the first screening of our bi-weekly documentary screening series on housing justice and homelessness! Our first screening will be this Friday, July 9 from 7:00-9:00 p.m. We will be watching Boom! The Sound of Eviction with a brief discussion with the directors after. Register here!

Join the Rally to Recall Dandelion Chocolate Workers!

Join us for a rally this Saturday, July 10, at 1:30 p.m. at Dandelion Valencia in SF to RECALL THE WORKERS!Last month, Dandelion Chocolate terminated or laid off 9 union supporters in retaliation and still has not recalled them. They have instead hired from outside to fill positions. Join us to stand with workers and let the bosses know – SF doesn’t stand for union busting!

DSA SF is now on Tik Tok!

DSA SF’s Communications Committee has launched a chapter Tik Tok account! We will be churning out socialist propaganda, dog videos, socialist dog propaganda videos — the works. Follow us and tell your friends!

Join DSA SF’s Communications Committee

Want to post for socialism? Looking for a great entry point to learn about the broad work being done in our chapter? Join DSA SF’s newly-formed Communications Committee! We’re expanding our purview to include video, long-form and educational content, and content in different languages. But we need help! We use a broad range of skillsets, from writing and editing, to social media posting, to graphic design, and various kinds of internal administrative support. If this sounds interesting, email comms@dsasf.org to get involved!

Reading Groups

Ecosocialist Book Club: Dina Gilio-Whitaker’s As Long as Grass Grows

Join the DSA SF Ecosocialist Committee’s book club biweekly on Mondays in August – August 2, August 16, and August 30 at 6:00 p.m. -7:15 p.m. We’re reading and discussing Dina Gilio-Whitaker’s As Long as Grass Grows: The Indigenous Fight for Environmental Justice, from Colonization to Standing Rock. Open to all! Register now using the link here.

Comrades,

Last week, DSA SF held our annual picnic and many new members finally got to meet their comrades in person for the first time. After more than a year of Zoom meetings and quarantine, times like these help us remember why socialism will win: comradeship. As San Francisco opens up, it is more important now than ever to forge strong bonds with our fellow socialists. We are trying to organize in the most alienated and segregated society in history, right after quite possibly one of the most alienating and lonely periods imaginable. As we emerge from our isolation, we each need to rededicate ourselves to meeting and connecting with comrades; not just to do our work better, but because we want to strengthen the bonds of this community against capitalists who want us atomized and living in fear of each other. Take heart and take care of one another.

Sincerely,

? DSA SF Communications Committee

Upcoming Events

? TODAY, 6/29 (5:30 p.m.): Weekly Tenant Organizing Phonebank | Email neighborsunitedsf@gmail.com or call Pat at 610-246-2552 to RSVP!

For more events, click here.

Announcements

Top Stories from SFIJ

? Over 50 Dandelion Chocolate employees, union members, city-elected officials such as Supervisors Dean Preston and Connie Chan, and union supporters rallied to demand CEO Todd Masonis hire the workers back for unionizing.

? The fight to make SF’s Muni free for riders has staunch supporters within City Hall, but failed by a single vote to overcome the Mayor’s veto. Supervisor Myrna Melgar was the only one voting “no”, despite 91% of her district supporting free Muni.

If you have committee work or another story you want to be publicized by a friendly outlet, please submit tips to editors@sfindependentjournal.com.

Support Local IAM 1546 Workers

The workers of Cummins, Inc. in San Leandro are being forcibly removed from their union health plan, and management wants to put them on a high-deductible HSA plan, with $8,000 and $11,000 deductibles for individuals and families respectively. The IAM technicians are receiving only $150 per week for strike support and are going to lose their healthcare coverage on July 1. Organizers say this strike, now entering its fourth week, is the culmination of 20 months of negotiations. You can learn more about this labor action in this Labor Notes article, or in audio report from KPFA (starting around minute 15). Our comrades in DSA East Bay have been showing support for these workers, and we can show them solidarity by donating to their strike fund. 

DSA SF is now on Tik Tok!

DSA SF’s Communications Committee has launched a chapter Tik Tok account! We will be churning out socialist propaganda, dog videos, socialist dog propaganda videos — the works. Follow us and tell your friends!

Join DSA SF’s Communications Committee

Want to post for socialism? Looking for a great entry point to learn about the broad work being done in our chapter? Join DSA SF’s newly-formed Communications Committee! We’re expanding our purview to include video, long-form and educational content, and content in different languages. But we need help! We use a broad range of skillsets, from writing and editing, to social media posting, to graphic design, and various kinds of internal administrative support. If this sounds interesting, email comms@dsasf.org to get involved!