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East Bay DSA Newsletter July 2, 2020
[T]he emancipation of society from private property, etc., from servitude, is expressed in the political form of the emancipation of the workers; not that their emancipation alone is at stake, but because the emancipation of the workers contains universal human emancipation.
Karl Marx
Comrades, so much happens between biweekly newsletters.

Two weeks ago, we participated in an unprecedented Juneteenth rally and work stoppage, when ILWU shut down the Port of Oakland and twenty-eight other West Coast ports to protest racism and police violence.

Last week, the Oakland school board voted unanimously to eliminate the Oakland Schools Police Department, adopting the George Floyd Resolution and acceding to widespread demands first raised by the Black Organizing Project.

And so much more still needs to be done. At our chapter’s online General Meeting, a week from Sunday, we'll be voting on endorsement proposals for East Bay city councils and AC Transit commission. In this time of crisis, we're focused on getting immediate relief for those who need it most; we may not be thinking of the future terms of accountable, DSA-backed local politicians.

But when it comes to exerting control over the police, ensuring eviction protections, and reinvesting in community goods—all the battles we're fighting and will still be fighting next year—accountable politicians will make it possible. And a surging socialist movement will make it happen.

Solidarity!
Don’t be daunted by the stature of the cranes or the scale of global shipping. Workers—our brothers and sisters, friends, neighbors, and comrades —make the ports run, and workers make them stop. A massive crowd turned out to the Juneteenth rally in the port to stand with ILWU against racism and capitalist domination.
News and Information
Here's some of the latest news and information from East Bay Majority, East Bay DSA's news source with a socialist perspective

IT’S TIME TO KICK POLICE OUT OF OAKLAND SCHOOLS FOR GOOD

Oakland has one of the only school police forces in the country. The Black Organizing Project is leading the charge to abolish cops in OUSD.

Read more

ONE UNION'S CENTURY-LONG FIGHT FOR JUSTICE

On Juneteenth, the International Longshore and Warehouse Union organized a shutdown of all West Coast ports. The action is of a piece with the union’s radical history.

Read more

OAKLANDERS DEMAND: DEFUND THE POLICE, REFUND THE PEOPLE

Oakland’s scandal-ridden police department has long sucked up money that could be going to public services. Community members are demanding that the city gets its priorities straight.

Read more

DON’T BUY JACK DORSEY’S PHILANTHROPY HUSTLE

Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey has publicly supported Black Lives Matter and pledged money to support Oakland schools. But Dorsey’s wealth has come from displacing Black and working-class residents and undermining public services.

Read More
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.

PLANET TO WIN READING GROUP – CHAPTER 4: INTERNATIONALISM

Tonight! July 2 | 7:30–9:30 p.m.
Online via Zoom ♿️
Members of the Green New Deal Committee will discuss chapter 4 of A Planet to Win. Anyone who has read the chapter is encouraged to attend.

RSVP

GREEN NEW DEAL COMMITTEE MONTHLY MEETING (VIRTUAL)

Wednesday, July 8 | 6:45–8:45 p.m.
Online via Zoom – RSVP for info ♿️ 
Our Green New Deal Committee meets on the second Wednesday each month. We will discuss eco-socialist issues, upcoming events and actions, committee priorities, and campaigns. All are welcome! Please RSVP to receive the URL to the meeting or email [email protected].

RSVP

VIRTUAL GENERAL MEETING

Sunday, July 12 | 1–3:30 p.m.

Online via Zoom – RSVP for link ♿️

Join us for a voting General Meeting of East Bay DSA! This month, we will hear from committees and hear several candidate endorsements. Virtual voting rules & procedures will be explained during the meeting. Please RSVP and invite other comrades to hear updates on our campaigns and events.

The agenda is available here. 

The meeting will be conducted via ZOOM. RSVP here and we will confirm your membership and you'll receive an email with the Zoom link. If you are not a member, the meeting will be available to stream via YouTube.

RSVP

TAX THE RICH TO FUND SCHOOLS AND SERVICES: PART 2 OF 3

Monday, July 13 | 7–8:30 p.m.
Online via Zoom ♿️
EBDSA members have the opportunity to help pass the largest tax increase in history on California's wealthiest commercial property owners, raising $10-12 billion per year for public education and social services. With the Movement for Black Lives uprising deepening into the call for defunding the police, it will be necessary to expand revenues required to build alternative, sustainable public services, and practices. Progressive taxation—especially taxing the rich—is an essential path to accomplish that goal.

"Schools and Communities First" (SCF), on the November 3 ballot, is backed by labor and opposed by the most reactionary sectors of capital. A three-part education series will provide background for EBDSA participation in the campaign. Part I reviewed the story of austerity politics and increasing inequality in California with Prop 13—which SCF proposes to reform—from 1978 to the present. Part II looks at the history of public-sector unionism and how a left-wing labor-community coalition won Prop 30, a 'tax the rich' ballot measure, in 2012. Part III will supply an overview of the SCF campaign, and explore how EBDSA members can plug in effectively. Biweekly on Zoom, beginning Monday, June 29, presented by labor historian Fred Glass for EBDSA Labor Committee.

RSVP

SOCIAL HOUSING COMMITTEE MEETING

Wednesday, July 15 | 7–9 p.m.
Online via Zoom – email [email protected] for info ♿️ 
Our Social Housing Committee meets on the third Wednesday each month. The first half of the meeting is dedicated to learning together about social housing and about the broader housing justice movement. The second part of the meeting we discuss campaigns and working group updates. All are welcome!

Email [email protected] for the Zoom link for this event.
Upcoming Events

STEERING COMMITTEE MEETING

Sunday, July 19 | 2–5 p.m.

Online via Zoom – RSVP for info ♿️

See how your elected leadership works as we deliberate on current chapter issues. This meeting is open to all DSA members to observe the proceedings. Please RSVP for the ZOOM link.

Agenda is TBA.

RSVP

RACIAL SOLIDARITY COMMITTEE MONTHLY MEETING

Monday, July 20 | 7–9 p.m.

Online – contact [email protected] for info ♿️

Join the Racial Solidarity Committee for our monthly meeting!

The Racial Solidarity Committee (RSC) is dedicated to fighting for the rights of BIPOC communities here in the Bay Area as well as around the world. We are committed to building a multiracial democratic socialist organization that reflects the diversity of the Bay Area working class. Our work ranges from immigration justice and open borders to workers' rights and access to fully-funded public education. In our general meetings, we hold political discussions and report on upcoming RSC campaigns and events. Join us and become a part of the fight for Racial Solidarity!

Racial Solidarity Committee is open to all, and we especially welcome self-identified BIPOC folx. BIPOC facilitators take progressive stack, and we maintain community agreements. 

RSVP

LABOR COMMITTEE MEETING

Sunday, July 26 | 6–8 p.m.

Online via Zoom – RSVP for info ♿️

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].

RSVP

TAX THE RICH TO FUND SCHOOLS AND SERVICES: PART 3 OF 3

Monday, July 27 | 7–8:30 p.m.

Online via Zoom ♿️

See the description above (the July 13 event) for this three-part education series, presented by labor historian Fred Glass for the EBDSA Labor Committee. Part III will supply an overview of the "Schools and Communities First" campaign, and explore how EBDSA members can plug in effectively.

RSVP
Catch up on Socialist Night School
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

Catch up on Night School readings
Not a Member Yet? Let's Fix That.
DSA now has 70,000 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
Defund the police. The Juneteenth procession marched past OPD headquarters on its way from West Oakland to Oscar Grant.
Caucus Corner
Our caucuses organize events too! Check out the Caucus Corner of our website to learn more about the activities of East Bay DSA caucuses and how to participate.
Announcements
JOIN THE CLASSROOM JUSTICE CAMPAIGN
📚✏️VOLUNTEERS NEEDED!!📚✏️ EBDSA’s Classroom Justice Campaign has been distributing coloring books with resources and information for parents and teachers during the COVID-19 crisis MONDAY and THURSDAY mornings at OUSD food distribution sites, which have doubled this summer. We're looking for more volunteers to help with distribution and printing!

Interested? Sign up using this Google form.

More info at classroomjustice.org.
In fact, neither nature nor social reproductive capacities are infinite; both of them can be stretched to the breaking point. Many people already appreciate this in the case of nature, and we are starting to understand it as well in the case of "care." When a society simultaneously withdraws public support for social reproduction and conscripts the chief providers of it into long and grueling hours of paid work, it depletes the very social capacities on which it depends.
Nancy Fraser

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[T]he emancipation of society from private property, etc., from servitude, is expressed in the political form of the emancipation of the workers; not that their emancipation alone is at stake, but because the emancipation of the workers contains universal human emancipation.

--Karl Marx

Comrades, so much happens between biweekly newsletters.

Two weeks ago, we participated in an unprecedented Juneteenth rally and work stoppage, when ILWU shut down the Port of Oakland and twenty-eight other West Coast ports to protest racism and police violence.

Last week, the Oakland school board voted unanimously to eliminate the Oakland Schools Police Department, adopting the George Floyd Resolution and acceding to widespread demands first raised by the Black Organizing Project.

And so much more still needs to be done. At our chapter’s online General Meeting, a week from Sunday, we'll be voting on endorsement proposals (https://docs.google.com/document/d/1VtY56ZaSksmbaFiSGh57TG0beMcHrD2kfnSpCVPDldc/edit) for East Bay city councils and AC Transit commission. In this time of crisis, we're focused on getting immediate relief for those who need it most; we may not be thinking of the future terms of accountable, DSA-backed local politicians.

But when it comes to exerting control over the police, ensuring eviction protections, and reinvesting in community goods—all the battles we're fighting and will still be fighting next year—accountable politicians will make it possible. And a surging socialist movement will make it happen.

Solidarity!


News and Information


Here's some of the latest news and information from East Bay Majority (https://eastbaymajority.com/) , East Bay DSA's news source with a socialist perspective


** IT’S TIME TO KICK POLICE OUT OF OAKLAND SCHOOLS FOR GOOD

------------------------------------------------------------
Oakland has one of the only school police forces in the country. The Black Organizing Project is leading the charge to abolish cops in OUSD.

Read more (https://eastbaymajority.com/ousd-school-police-oakland-bop-defund-opd/)


** ONE UNION'S CENTURY-LONG FIGHT FOR JUSTICE

------------------------------------------------------------
On Juneteenth, the International Longshore and Warehouse Union organized a shutdown of all West Coast ports. The action is of a piece with the union’s radical history.

Read more (https://eastbaymajority.com/juneteenth-protest-ilwu-labor-strike-blm/)


** OAKLANDERS DEMAND: DEFUND THE POLICE, REFUND THE PEOPLE

------------------------------------------------------------
Oakland’s scandal-ridden police department has long sucked up money that could be going to public services. Community members are demanding that the city gets its priorities straight.

Read more (https://eastbaymajority.com/oakland-defund-police-blm-george-floyd-protest/)


** DON’T BUY JACK DORSEY’S PHILANTHROPY HUSTLE

------------------------------------------------------------
Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey has publicly supported Black Lives Matter and pledged money to support Oakland schools. But Dorsey’s wealth has come from displacing Black and working-class residents and undermining public services.

Read More (https://eastbaymajority.com/twitter-dorsey-capitalism-racism-philanthropy/)
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/) .


** PLANET TO WIN READING GROUP – CHAPTER 4: INTERNATIONALISM

------------------------------------------------------------
Tonight! July 2 | 7:30–9:30 p.m.
Online via Zoom (https://us02web.zoom.us/j/88237561151?pwd=S0FocjZ3TjBzeU5vVE5ySHJDZVZTUT09) ♿️
Members of the Green New Deal Committee will discuss chapter 4 of A Planet to Win. Anyone who has read the chapter is encouraged to attend.

RSVP (https://www.eastbaydsa.org/events/1321/2020-07-02-planet-to-win-reading-group-chapter-4-internationalism/)


** GREEN NEW DEAL COMMITTEE MONTHLY MEETING (VIRTUAL)

------------------------------------------------------------
Wednesday, July 8 | 6:45–8:45 p.m.
Online via Zoom – RSVP for info (https://www.eastbaydsa.org/events/1324/2020-07-08-green-new-deal-committee-monthly-meeting-virtual/) ♿️
Our Green New Deal Committee meets on the second Wednesday each month. We will discuss eco-socialist issues, upcoming events and actions, committee priorities, and campaigns. All are welcome! Please RSVP to receive the URL to the meeting or email [email protected] (mailto:[email protected]) .

RSVP (https://www.eastbaydsa.org/events/1324/2020-07-08-green-new-deal-committee-monthly-meeting-virtual/)


**
------------------------------------------------------------

VIRTUAL GENERAL MEETING
Sunday, July 12 | 1–3:30 p.m.

Online via Zoom – RSVP for link (https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZwsfu6tpjIjHtOqDFlyX72uf64e5QR4MF6x) ♿️
Join us for a voting General Meeting of East Bay DSA! This month, we will hear from committees and hear several candidate endorsements. Virtual voting rules & procedures will be explained during the meeting. Please RSVP and invite other comrades to hear updates on our campaigns and events.

The agenda is available here. (https://docs.google.com/document/d/1VtY56ZaSksmbaFiSGh57TG0beMcHrD2kfnSpCVPDldc/edit?usp=sharing)

The meeting will be conducted via ZOOM. RSVP here and we will confirm your membership and you'll receive an email with the Zoom link (https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZwsfu6tpjIjHtOqDFlyX72uf64e5QR4MF6x) . If you are not a member, the meeting will be available to stream via YouTube.

RSVP (https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZwsfu6tpjIjHtOqDFlyX72uf64e5QR4MF6x)


** TAX THE RICH TO FUND SCHOOLS AND SERVICES: PART 2 OF 3

------------------------------------------------------------
Monday, July 13 | 7–8:30 p.m.
Online via Zoom (https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81851574731?pwd=Y1RITkRZQjZPSFRvQmxoMENXeXpGUT09) ♿️
EBDSA members have the opportunity to help pass the largest tax increase in history on California's wealthiest commercial property owners, raising $10-12 billion per year for public education and social services. With the Movement for Black Lives uprising deepening into the call for defunding the police, it will be necessary to expand revenues required to build alternative, sustainable public services, and practices. Progressive taxation—especially taxing the rich—is an essential path to accomplish that goal.

"Schools and Communities First" (SCF), on the November 3 ballot, is backed by labor and opposed by the most reactionary sectors of capital. A three-part education series will provide background for EBDSA participation in the campaign. Part I (https://www.eastbaydsa.org/events/1310/2020-06-29-tax-the-rich-to-fund-schools-and-services-part-1-of-3/) reviewed the story of austerity politics and increasing inequality in California with Prop 13—which SCF proposes to reform—from 1978 to the present. Part II (https://www.eastbaydsa.org/events/1311/2020-07-13-tax-the-rich-to-fund-schools-and-services-part-2-of-3/) looks at the history of public-sector unionism and how a left-wing labor-community coalition won Prop 30, a 'tax the rich' ballot measure, in 2012. Part III (https://www.eastbaydsa.org/events/1312/2020-07-27-tax-the-rich-to-fund-schools-and-services-part-3-of-3/) will supply an overview of the SCF campaign, and explore how EBDSA members can plug in effectively. Biweekly on Zoom, beginning
Monday, June 29, presented by labor historian Fred Glass for EBDSA Labor Committee.

RSVP (https://www.eastbaydsa.org/events/1311/2020-07-13-tax-the-rich-to-fund-schools-and-services-part-2-of-3/)


** SOCIAL HOUSING COMMITTEE MEETING

------------------------------------------------------------
Wednesday, July 15 | 7–9 p.m.
Online via Zoom – email [email protected] (mailto:[email protected]) for info ♿️
Our Social Housing Committee meets on the third Wednesday each month. The first half of the meeting is dedicated to learning together about social housing and about the broader housing justice movement. The second part of the meeting we discuss campaigns and working group updates. All are welcome!

Email [email protected] (mailto:[email protected]) for the Zoom link for this event.
Upcoming Events


** STEERING COMMITTEE MEETING

------------------------------------------------------------
Sunday, July 19 | 2–5 p.m.

Online via Zoom – RSVP for info (https://www.eastbaydsa.org/events/1323/2020-07-19-steering-committee-meeting/) ♿️
See how your elected leadership works as we deliberate on current chapter issues. This meeting is open to all DSA members to observe the proceedings. Please RSVP for the ZOOM link.

Agenda is TBA.

RSVP (https://www.eastbaydsa.org/events/1323/2020-07-19-steering-committee-meeting/)


** RACIAL SOLIDARITY COMMITTEE MONTHLY MEETING

------------------------------------------------------------
Monday, July 20 | 7–9 p.m.

Online – contact [email protected] (mailto:[email protected]) for info ♿️
Join the Racial Solidarity Committee for our monthly meeting!

The Racial Solidarity Committee (RSC) is dedicated to fighting for the rights of BIPOC communities here in the Bay Area as well as around the world. We are committed to building a multiracial democratic socialist organization that reflects the diversity of the Bay Area working class. Our work ranges from immigration justice and open borders to workers' rights and access to fully-funded public education. In our general meetings, we hold political discussions and report on upcoming RSC campaigns and events. Join us and become a part of the fight for Racial Solidarity!

Racial Solidarity Committee is open to all, and we especially welcome self-identified BIPOC folx. BIPOC facilitators take progressive stack, and we maintain community agreements.

RSVP (https://www.eastbaydsa.org/events/1101/2020-07-20-racial-solidarity-committee-monthly-meeting/)


** LABOR COMMITTEE MEETING

------------------------------------------------------------
Sunday, July 26 | 6–8 p.m.

Online via Zoom – RSVP for info (https://www.eastbaydsa.org/events/1195/2020-07-26-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/1195/2020-07-26-labor-committee-meeting/)


** TAX THE RICH TO FUND SCHOOLS AND SERVICES: PART 3 OF 3

------------------------------------------------------------
Monday, July 27 | 7–8:30 p.m.

Online via Zoom (https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81851574731?pwd=Y1RITkRZQjZPSFRvQmxoMENXeXpGUT09) ♿️
See the description above (the July 13 event) for this three-part education series, presented by labor historian Fred Glass for the EBDSA Labor Committee. Part III will supply an overview of the "Schools and Communities First" campaign, and explore how EBDSA members can plug in effectively.

RSVP (https://www.eastbaydsa.org/events/1312/2020-07-27-tax-the-rich-to-fund-schools-and-services-part-3-of-3/)
Catch up on Socialist Night School
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 70,000 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 (https://act.dsausa.org/donate/membership/)


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


JOIN THE CLASSROOM JUSTICE CAMPAIGN
📚✏️VOLUNTEERS NEEDED!!📚✏️ EBDSA’s Classroom Justice Campaign has been distributing coloring books with resources and information for parents and teachers during the COVID-19 crisis MONDAY and THURSDAY mornings at OUSD food distribution sites, which have doubled this summer. We're looking for more volunteers to help with distribution and printing!

Interested? Sign up using this Google form (https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfTbsYwKJFP5Aw-r937JdRTNtkWxT6eVAB0S5YVQ9OnJJ2BuQ/viewform) .

More info at classroomjustice.org.

In fact, neither nature nor social reproductive capacities are infinite; both of them can be stretched to the breaking point. Many people already appreciate this in the case of nature, and we are starting to understand it as well in the case of "care." When a society simultaneously withdraws public support for social reproduction and conscripts the chief providers of it into long and grueling hours of paid work, it depletes the very social capacities on which it depends.

--Nancy Fraser

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