Twin Cities
Democratic Socialists of America

Little Red Letter #105

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Worker Power, Endorsements, Corporate Threats and More!

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We are a week out from May Day, or International Workers’ Day. Though not officially observed in the United States, leftwing groups and labor unions have long kept the tradition alive, one that traces itself to the campaign for an eight hour workday and related strike that began in Chicago on May 1, 1886 and culminated in the Haymarket Affair. Twin Cities DSA joined the the May Day march alongside numerous other advocacy organizations, immigrants rights groups, and labor unions. Thank you to everyone who joined us for a day for working class people to protest, get in the streets, and march!

If you’re reading this as soon as you get it, you probably have enough time to make it to the May General Member meeting today at 2p. On the agenda will be updates about chapter activities, discussions about both the East Phillips Urban Farm and Rent Stabilization priorities, and presentations about the two internal elections which will happen for members this month, the special election for an At-large Steering Committee seat, and the Delegate election for the 2023 DSA National Convention, nominations open for both. Hope to see you there!

The Minnesota Legislative session ends this month, and the DFL trifecta will be concluding numerous pieces of business. Many are watching the marijuana legalization bill, slightly different versions having passed both chambers and now need to be brought together to enable a final passage. 

Another couple of bills, including one supported by Minnesota Nurses United, are facing corporate pushback. Mayo Clinic is threatening to pull investments over the Keeping Nurses at the Bedside Act, which would set up committees of hospital staff that, among other things, could set minimum staffing levels, and the creation of the Health Care Affordability Board, a consumer protection board to monitor healthcare costs. Governor Tim Walz has indicated he believes a compromise is possible, which feels oddly familiar, especially to our Saint Paul members who remember developer threats over the rent stabilization ordinance. The Saint Paul City Council ended up “compromising” – gutting – the ordinance, and it was the wrong move then too.

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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!

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• 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 could this release 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). 
  
  The coalition maintains a sheet with their current calls to action, links to stay informed, and their working group meeting schedule. The coalition has specifically asked our chapter for help with administrative tasks such as updating documents with video links for archival purposes and helping EPNI with tabling at some upcoming health and environmental events scheduled in the spring. Reach out to Connor S (eastphillips@twincitiesdsa.org) to become part of TCDSA’s EPNI Working Group and/or to express interest in these specific tasks.

• Twin Cities DSA Sports
  
  
  • Basketball
    Want to play some casual pickup basketball with comrades? We’ve been playing Sundays at 9:30 and are planning on doing so regularly throughout the spring and summer. Join the #socialists-play-sports-basketball Slack channel to stay in the loop! All skill levels are welcome! 
    
    
  • Disc Golf
    Disc golf is the golf of the working class! Most courses are in public parks and are free to play. Discs are inexpensive compared to most sporting gear and can be bought used, and many people who’ve been playing for a while have a collection of extra discs available to borrow. We’re organizing occasional TCDSA group rounds—join the #socialists-play-sports-disc-golf Slack channel for more info! All are welcome, regardless of athleticism.

• Call for Poster & Sticker Art Submissions
  
  Twin Cities DSA is seeking submissions for art for chapter recruitment posters and stickers. The theme is: Building a multiracial worker-powered socialist future. The submission window is from now until 11:59PM on Sunday May 7th. Find more details here.

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• Twin Cities May General Meeting – Register Here
  
  
  • Sunday, 5/7 – 2:00PM – Mpls Central Library
    
    Our May general meeting will include updates on ongoing chapter work, taking nominations for the 2023 DSA National Convention Delegate Election and TCDSA Steering Committee At-Large Special Election, and a broader discussion and visioning for DSA and the path forward.

• TCDSA 101 – Register Here
  
  
  • Saturday, 5/20 – 10:00AM – Zoom
    
    Join us for an 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.

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• Tech Ops Committee – Monday, 5/8, 7:00pm-8:00pm – Zoom Registration
  
  • The Tech Ops Committee meets on the 2nd Monday of the month. 

• Minneapolis Rent Control Working Group – Tuesday, 5/9, 6:00pm-7:00pm – Zoom Registration
  
  • Join the TCDSA Minneapolis Rent Control Work Group! This will be a space to discuss the proposals from the city’s working group on rent control and the strategy and tactics that lay before us in positioning TCDSA to bring the fight for strong rent control in Minneapolis into the public spotlight.

• Street Corps Working Group – Tuesday, 5/9, 6:00pm-7:00pm – Zoom Registration
  
  • The Street Corps Working Group works on addressing issues in the community through mutual aid, community building, and community defense initiatives.
    
    This group meets on the 2nd Tuesday of the month. For further information about joining this meeting, check out the #street-corps-working-group channel.

• Electoral Internal Phone Bank – Wednesday, 5/10, 5:30pm-6:30pm – Zoom Registration
  
  • We’ll be phone banking to ask members to activate for this year’s electoral work.

• Internal Organizing Committee – Wednesday, 5/10, 6:30pm-8:30pm 
  
  • All are welcome to join our monthly meetings of the TCDSA Internal Organizing Committee (IOC).
    
    This committee works to create the spaces, structures, and resources to initiate and sustain members’ active and healthy participation in chapter work. Through internal organizing, we strive to grow our capacity by developing confident and skilled organizers and leaders who are empowered to turn their resources into collective power to make socialist change. Join the #internal-organizing channel on Slack for more info.

• Political Education Meeting – Thursday, 5/11, 6:00pm-7:30pm – Zoom Registration
  
  • All members are welcome to join the Political Education committee or to attend any of our meetings to discuss the continuation of Socialism 101 and lifting up Pol Ed for new, curious, and established TCDSA members.
    
    This group meets on the 2nd Thursday of the month. For more information, check out the #politicaleducation Slack channel. Not on Slack? Submit tcdsa.org/slack to verify you’re on the member list.

• Steering Committee Meeting – Sunday, 5/14, 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

• West Metro / Wright County Working Group – Monday, 5/15, 6:00pm-8:00pm – Plymouth Library Conference Room or Zoom – Zoom Registration
  
  • Monthly meeting of the West Metro / Wright County working group. We’ll be talking about organizing ideas and goals.

• East Phillips Urban Farm Working Group – Monday, May 15, 8:00pm-9:30pm – Zoom Registration
  
  • The East Phillips Urban Farm working group meets weekly on Monday at 8p. TCDSA has endorsed the East Phillips Neighborhood Institute’s (EPNI) Urban Farm initiative to resist the City’s Hiawatha Campus Expansion plan.

• Labor Branch Meeting – Tuesday, 5/16, 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.

• Internal Organizing Phonebank – Wednesday, 5/17, 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.

• Communications Committee Meeting – Thursday, 5/18, 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.

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Go to tcdsa.org/events to see everything!

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If you find something that should be shared, you can post it to the #linkroundup channel on Slack.

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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.