Twin Cities
Democratic Socialists of America
Little Red Letter #101
Ruling Class Backlash and Movement Solidarity
Our last edition described major developments in the fight around the Roof Depot. The dynamic has changed, but the intensity of the ruling class hostility has not diminished.
Efforts to secure funding at the Minnesota Legislature have run into opposition, with Republican members trying to force through the City of Minneapolis plan while mirroring claims by certain City Councilors to demonize the entire effort. Later that week the City Council majority directed staff to pursue policies that create guidance for “lawful conduct at public meetings” and ask for tougher criminal penalties for threatening or assaulting a public official or employee. This needs to be seen in the context as an effort to put a chilling effect on protest, and further empower police and other officials to take action against community members raising their voice and standing against real violence and threats toward their communities.
The coalition in support of East Phillips and Little Earth has not let this demobilize them. The Minneapolis Federation of Teachers (MFT) and Educational Support Professionals (ESP) held a rally against the polluting development of the Roof Depot site (read the land acknowledgement from the meeting centering this effort).
That same day hundreds at least attended an anti-demolition block party and mutual aid festival at Cedar Field Park. Community mobilized to a committee hearing on March 1st in support of funding to make the East Phillips Urban Farm a reality. Mobilizations have continued over the week to shut down the Hennepin Energy Recovery Center (HERC), to oppose the demolition of the Roof Depot building, and to stand against the criminalization of protest.
Across the metro the wave of labor actions have continued. Workers organizing at the Minneapolis Institute of Art and at the Minnesota Historical Society have both reached tentative agreements, each of them being their first contracts. Graduate workers at the University of Minnesota Twin Cities and Duluth, just days after announcing their union drive, have obtained union cards from over half of the bargaining unit. Cub Foods workers at 30+ Twin Cities locations staged a “day of action,” with the union calling the offer made by corporate owner UNFI “off the mark,” “tone-deaf,” and “disrespectful.” And food service workers at Hastings Public Schools have been on strike for over a month. The workers are holding strong for the contract they deserve, and could use your support.
No Demo: Solidarity Continues in East Phillips
After a Hennepin County judge issued an injunction to temporarily pause demolition of the Roof Depot in East Phillips, momentum has continued to build in support of the community. Cynthia M. gives an overview of some of the events over the last few weeks that illustrate how fired up and committed community members and supporters continue to be.
MFT/ESP Solidarity Event with East Phillips Coalition
The fight to prevent the demolition of the Roof Depot building and to prevent the City of Minneapolis from installing a polluting truck yard and diesel fueling station in East Phillip continues, and the last two weeks have shown that the momentum is strong!
East St. Paul Immigration and Labor Walking Tour
On an icy morning Saturday, March 4, TCDSA members gathered at the East Side Freedom Library (ESFL) for an Immigration and Labor History walking tour of St. Paul’s East Side over the last 150 years with Dr. Peter Rachleff where they learned about the rich immigrant and labor history of Swede Hollow and the nearby Payne-Phalen neighborhood. Did you know that the city of St. Paul razed an entire community to the ground in the 1950s? Or that a strike by St. Paul rail workers in 1894 influenced the Pullman Strike and ultimately led to the creation of Labor Day in the U.S? Neither did we, and we’re thankful to Dr. Rachleff for educating us on this interesting and important history in our area (and to the political education committee for organizing the event)!
TCDSA committees and working groups need members to get involved in order to create the multi-racial, worker-powered socialist future we’re all aiming for. Below are some opportunities to be part of the exciting work going on in our chapter right now!
- Twin Cities DSA Communications Committee: Newsletter
The newsletter team is looking for volunteers to help create the Little Red Letter, our chapter’s bi-weekly newsletter. There’s a variety of ways to contribute–sample tasks include editing a fellow member’s submission, creating the Big Upcoming Events and Group Meeting and Events sections, writing a submission, or posting pieces to the web, to name a few! If you’re interested in getting involved, please drop a line in the #newsletter channel on our Slack.
- East Phillips Urban Farm
TCDSA has endorsed the East Phillips Neighborhood Institute’s (EPNI) Urban Farm initiative to resist the City’s Hiawatha Campus Expansion plan. Not only would this release high levels of arsenic into the environment and further pollute the neighborhood with diesel fuel exhaust from city fleet services onsite, but it would also dash the community’s plan to develop this site as a neighborhood hub (with socialist solutions such as cooperatively owned businesses, solar energy, and jobs for East Phillips residents). If you want to build power with other comrades opposed to environmental racism, reach out to Connor S (epni@twincitiesdsa.org) to become part of TCDSA’s EPNI Working Group.
- Ezra Ishman Solidarity Fund
The Ezra Ishman Solidarity fund is looking for members to help administer applications. This fund was established in and distributes one-time grants up to $200 to TCDSA members. It is meant to help meet immediate material needs and is a means of mutual support among people organizing together. If you are interested in helping to review these applications, please contact our chapter treasurer Tim H at tcdsatreasurer@gmail.com.
- Twin Cities DSA 101 – Register Here
- Saturday, 3/18, 10:00am – 12:00pm
Join us for the revamped introduction to Twin Cities DSA! Designed mainly for new members but any member might benefit. This event will acquaint you with the ideas behind socialism, the structure, culture, and history of Twin Cities DSA, its position in the national and local left ecosystem, and help you discern where you might find the most rewarding opportunities to get involved.
- Saturday, 3/18, 10:00am – 12:00pm
- Socialists in City Hall: Presentation and Panel – Register Here
- Monday, 3/20, 5:30pm – 7:00pm – UMN Lind Hall, Room 302
Join YDSA @ UMN Twin Cities, Twin Cities DSA, and Macalester YDSA for Socialists in City Hall, a presentation on the structures of the Minneapolis city government. We will be joined by three guest panelists: Minneapolis Councilmembers Jason Chavez & Aisha Chughtai, and Celeste Robinson, a policy aide for Councilmember Robin Wonsley. Afterwards, we’ll have a small group discussion. There will also be free pizza!
- Monday, 3/20, 5:30pm – 7:00pm – UMN Lind Hall, Room 302
- New Member Social
- Friday, 3/24, Location and Time TBD
For all members, new and old! Drop in for a casual hangout. This is an especially good time for new members and people considering joining TCDSA to get to know each other and ask questions! Details will be posted at tcdsa.org/events.
- Friday, 3/24, Location and Time TBD
- Twin Cities 2023 Endorsement Meeting – Register Here
- Saturday, 4/15, 1:00pm
At the endorsement meeting, candidates will have an opportunity to introduce themselves and their platform. After candidates have spoken, members will have the opportunity to discuss candidate endorsements, and how these races fit in with the chapter’s strategic goals. Our endorsement meetings require a quorum of 50 members to continue the endorsement process. We invite all TCDSA members to come and participate, as this is for the endorsement of the entire chapter.
- Saturday, 4/15, 1:00pm
- Tech Ops Committee Monday, 3/12, 7:00pm-8:00pm – Zoom Registration
- The Tech Ops Committee meets on the 2nd Monday of the month.
Sign up for email notification including upcoming events and meeting materials by contacting us at socfem@twincitiesdsa.org.
- The Tech Ops Committee meets on the 2nd Monday of the month.
- Internal Organizing Phonebank– Wednesday, 3/15, 6:00pm-7:00pm
- Join the Internal Organizing Committee for our bimonthly phonebank to call new TCDSA members.
We meet on Zoom to go over the script, mute ourselves and make phone calls to other DSA members, and then return to debrief how our calls went. A brief training is provided and no prior experience is required. These phonebanks are a chance to meet newer members to TCDSA, hear what they need from our chapter and what brings them to socialism. All are welcome to join, but new members should note that this is a group calling session where we will call you, not an event designed for new members.
IO phonebanks are held on the 1st and 3rd Wednesdays of the month. For more information about joining this meeting, see the #internal-organizing Slack channel. Not on Slack? Submit tcdsa.org/slack to verify you’re on the member list.
- Join the Internal Organizing Committee for our bimonthly phonebank to call new TCDSA members.
- Communications Committee Meeting – Thursday, 3/16, 6:00pm-7:30pm – Zoom Registration
- The Communications Committee meets on the 1st and 3rd Thursdays of the month.
For information on joining this meeting, see the #communications channel on Slack. Not on Slack? Submit tcdsa.org/slack to verify you’re on the member list.
- The Communications Committee meets on the 1st and 3rd Thursdays of the month.
- Street Corps Service Committee Meeting Saturday, 3/18, 2:00pm-3:00pm – CWA Local 7200
- Heard about our snow shoveling mutual aid program and want to chip in? Learn more about the Service Committee and how we’re expanding the scope and power of TCDSA’s mutual aid efforts!
We’ll meet at the CWA 7200 building at 3521 E. Lake St. in Minneapolis. Enter at the door by the parking lot!
We’ll also have a way to join remotely.
- Heard about our snow shoveling mutual aid program and want to chip in? Learn more about the Service Committee and how we’re expanding the scope and power of TCDSA’s mutual aid efforts!
- Steering Committee Meeting – Sunday, 3/19, 3:00pm-4:30pm
- Check #steeringcommittee for the zoom link and agenda. If you are a member and need access to slack, sign up at tcdsa.org/slack
- Street Corps WG Security Committee Monthly Meeting – Tuesday, 3/21, 6:00pm-7:00pm – Zoom Registration
- The goal of the Street Corps WG Security Committee is to increase overall security literacy for chapter members and build capacity to maintain security literacy within the chapter. Anyone interested in protest marshalling, antifascist action, self-defense, first aid, or infosec is welcome to attend no matter their experience level. Street Corps Security Committee meets on the 1st Monday and 3rd Tuesday of every month.
- Labor Branch Meeting – Tuesday, 3/21, 7:00pm-8:30pm – Zoom Registration
- The TCDSA Labor Branch meets on the 3rd Tuesday of the month. For information about this meeting, see the #labor channel on Slack. Not on Slack? Submit tcdsa.org/slack to verify you’re on the member list.
- St. Paul Branch Meeting– Thursday, 3/23, 7:00pm-8:30pm
- The St. Paul Branch of TCDSA meets on the 4th Thursday of the month. Stay tuned for specific details on how to join this meeting.
- Socialist Feminist Branch Meeting– Saturday, 3/25, 2:00pm-3:30pm
- Our monthly branch meetings are a space to talk about current organizing and how people can get involved! We also have discussion centered around political education on specific topics each month. All are welcome.
Sign up for email notification including upcoming events and meeting materials by contacting us at socfem@twincitiesdsa.org.
- Our monthly branch meetings are a space to talk about current organizing and how people can get involved! We also have discussion centered around political education on specific topics each month. All are welcome.
Go to tcdsa.org/events to see everything!
Rebellion in Peru Dispatch #2: Second Takeover of Lima – It’s time to turn over 500 years of colonization. The uprising of the people against the infamous regime instated by Fujimori and the US Embassy has many reasons. 500 years worth of reasons. But let’s try to see what is behind the coup today.
Centering the Roof Depot Struggle – This land acknowledgement by Kip H was read at the Minneapolis Federation of Teachers (MFT) and Educational Support Professionals (ESP) rally against the demolition of the Roof Depot to center us in this moment.
Language and Discourse in Leftist Communities — entry 1
A little musing on language among leftists from my Medium publication Wordkeepers.
from Debra K R.
So, a Top Guardian Editor Was Married to the Founder of Mumsnet
Even though I am duly gobsmacked by this piece on Medium about the TERF infiltration of UK media, I don’t feel I should add a personal comment. Unless you are trans yourself, show this piece to a trans person you care about and see what they say. (Spoiler: the author predicts what they will say.)
from Debra K R.
NLG and SPLC Statements on Arrest of Legal Observer
Just one little snippet of news in the wake of the arrests at the Stop Cop City concert. Police still claiming that Teran (Tortuguita) shot at them with absolutely zero evidence.
from Debra K R.
Marianne Williamson: “Anything Is Possible”
Campaign is good for the socialist movement. Her presidential campaign will raise issues Around neoliberalism and corporate democratic elites. We should support it but continually organize local institutions to build working class power.
from Robbie O.
How I-35W obliterated the Black cultural corridor of south Minneapolis
from Debra K R.
The Communes of Rojava: A Model In Societal Self Direction
A video on how the peoples councils of Rojava work, that form the government there. Something that may give insight into the more democratic Twin Cities we may seek to create.
from Shane M.
Norfolk Southern Donated $100,000 to Cop City
Because OF COURSE THEY DID!
from Debra K R.
How to stand up for yourself or your trans loved ones
A very important thread on Twitter.
from Debra K R.
See No Evil
CW: Discussion of Torture
A recent interview of a Guantanamo detainee detailing how DeSantis was complicit in torture at the facility.
from Shane M.
Ups and downs in public education outlook
Twin Cities DSA member Deb Ramage writes a biannual Education Supplement for Southside Pride, a local newspaper. This month’s issue covers the tumultuous time since last October in the Minneapolis Public Schools, a couple of major news items in Saint Paul, a little bit of suburban coverage, and, for higher education, the coming Graduate Labor Union at the U.
If you find something that should be shared, you can post it to the #linkroundup channel on Slack.
Members and newsletter subscribers should have received this in their email. If you did not and believe you should have, please check spam and promotion folders before contacting operations@twincitiesdsa.org.