Twin Cities
Democratic Socialists of America
Little Red Letter #109
What’s in the News, Making the Most of Summer, Finding Joy in the Fight, and More!
First off, something a little different in this edition. All the normal headlines you would find here are posted to this article, also in the featured news section. This includes the recent batch of awful Supreme Court rulings, DSA electeds in the news, and updates on local and national labor fights. This gives more space to bring you what DSA is doing in the newsletter, while ensuring we continue to highlight important stories as always.
We’re halfway through the year, and it is a busy summer at Twin Cities DSA. Upfront we want to remind members that the next Twin Cities DSA general meeting will be held Tuesday, July 11 at Minnesota Youth Collective at 6:30p. Join us to talk labor actions, the DSA convention, chapter campaigns, and the East Phillips Urban Farm victory! For more information and to register go to tcdsa.org/generalmeeting. |
Members were all over these last couple weeks at Twin Cities DSA and community hosted events. On June 18 members attended and tabled at the community celebration to honor the hard work that went into the Roof Depot Urban Farm campaign. This featured speeches from coalition leaders, a local native rapper, Little Earth Drummers, Father’s Day Round Dance, music, food, mutual aid, and more. |
Our softball team General Strike Three played two more games on June 19 and June 26 as part of the Minneapolis Open League, with comrades on and off the field making the most out of the summer, welcoming new comrades who attended, and enjoying a cold drink at the post-game social on June 26. |
Members turned out to canvass for Saint Paul City Council member Nelsie Yang last Sunday, kicking off her summer door knocking with a delicious BBQ and conversations with neighbors in Saint Paul’s East Side about her re-election campaign and how local government can best serve residents. Nelsie is running unopposed at the moment and has been in office since 2019. Twin Cities DSA endorsed her in 2019 and re-endorsed her this year through our revamped endorsement process. |
Finally our Political Education Committee hosted two excellent events, first a documentary screening of the Farmer-Labor Movement: A Minnesota Story, co-hosted with UMN YDSA and featuring a panel discussion by experts on the creation of the documentary and the implications of this legacy on Minnesota politics today. They also held their third debate night of the year, this one titled “How Big of a Big Tent?” for members to consider the question of when and how it may be appropriate to expel or sanction DSA members and electeds. This was a thoughtful discussion from all who attended and discussed this subject that has been a point of organizational contention. You can find the remarks made by speakers John H and Rev B here, who we thank for kicking off the debate.
News Roundup – Supreme Court Rulings, DSA Electeds in the News, and Labor Actions Near and Far
Keeping you up to date on recent developments, from the recent batch of awful Supreme Court rulings, DSA electeds gathering from across the country, local political developments, and labor actions from Teamsters, Starbucks Workers United, and UFCW.
Twin Cities DSA Statement of Solidarity with Atlanta DSA to Stop Cop City
We unequivocally oppose the City of Atlanta’s project to destroy the Weelaunee Forest in order to build a police training facility, where law enforcement from all over—including Minnesota and internationally—would refine violent tactics that will be used on working class communities, particularly communities of color, environmental protesters, striking workers, and others.
Confronting Bigotry and Celebrating Queerness in Wright County
The Twin Cities DSA West Metro & Wright County Working Group writes about a recent anti-LGBTQ+ demonstration was held by a local hate group at the Target store in Buffalo, MN on June 17, 2023. They describe the events and work being done in the area to counter them.
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!
- Wright County Pride Marshalling
- Saturday, July 8
Wright County Pride in Monticello is looking for marshals on July 8th. This is an important opportunity to support our LGBTQ community. If interested, please message Cory Trevorsen on slack or send an email to wrightsherburnepride@gmail.com. There will be a pre-event security overview at 6PM on July 6 at Ellison Park.
- Saturday, July 8
- Volunteer with Comrades at the next Open Streets! – Sign up for a shift here
- Sunday, July 16 on Glenwood in Minneapolis.
As mentioned above, we had a great time at Open Streets East Lake and are excited to table at the next event on Glenwood. This is a great opportunity to spend time with your comrades in person and to get more involved in chapter work. No prior experience with tabling is required. Sign up for a two-hour shift here, and we’ll follow up with you closer to the event to confirm your time. Make sure to join the #tabling channel on Slack if you haven’t already, and watch for a potential button-making social before the event!
- Sunday, July 16 on Glenwood in Minneapolis.
- East Phillips Urban Farm
- Following the huge Roof Depo victory, there’s still plenty of work to be done to continue the fight for environmental justice in the Twin Cities. On the EPNI side, volunteers are needed for things like potentially making DIY air filters and sourcing materials for them, EPNI tabling and outreach, EPNI Media Team translation assistance, grant writing and fund raising. While a wing of this coalition is focused on the development of the community vision for the multi-use Urban Farm project, other parts of the coalition have their sights set on Bituminous Roadways and Smith Foundry. Stopping more pollution in East Phillips is merely step one. Now we are going to work to reduce pollution. We also hope that this historic example of environmental justice success brings life and hope to the other struggles around us. Shutting down the HERC trash incinerator, protecting Lake Hiawatha, and stopping the Line 5 pipeline are all movements that are connected to this work. If you’re interested in any of this work, reach out to TCDSA’s EPNI Working Group at eastphillips@twincitiesdsa.org or on Slack at #epni_coalition_with_and_events to get plugged in!
- Brake Light Clinic Promotion
- The Street Corps Working Group is hosting two Brake Light Clinics this July. To help get the word out we are asking members to either share our chapters Social media posts about the upcoming clinics or to print a flyer sheet and to put them up in their apartment building or at a local business. Anywhere in the Twin Cities that we can get the word out helps us reach those who may need our assistance! The flyer document can be found here.
- Twin Cities DSA Sports
- Basketball
Join us Sundays at 9:00 to play some casual pickup basketball games with comrades! 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.
- Basketball
- Door Knock with Soren with Ward 8 – Register Here
- Saturday 7/8 – 12:00PM – 3:00PM – Phelps Field Park
Join us to door knock with Soren Stevenson in Minneapolis Ward 8! We’ll have a BBQ afterwards.
- Saturday 7/8 – 12:00PM – 3:00PM – Phelps Field Park
- St. Paul Brake Light Clinic
- Sunday, 7/9 – 1:00PM – 5:00PM – 345 Randolph Ave, St Paul, MN 55102, USA
The Street Corps Working Group will be hosting a Brake Light Clinic at the MNA office parking lot to replace brake lights for free for community members.
- Sunday, 7/9 – 1:00PM – 5:00PM – 345 Randolph Ave, St Paul, MN 55102, USA
- TCDSA General Strike Three Softball Game – Register Here
- Monday, 7/10 – 7:00PM – 8:30PM – Logan Park SB/KB 2 Field
Come cheer on our softball team General Strike Three and hang with comrades! Game starts at 7:15.
- Monday, 7/10 – 7:00PM – 8:30PM – Logan Park SB/KB 2 Field
- TCDSA General Membership Meeting – Register Here
- Tuesday, 7/11 – 6:30PM – 8:00PM – Minnesota Youth Collective
Doors open at 6pm and the meeting begins at 6:30pm. Parking is available in the back of the building. An after meeting social will be held a couple blocks away at Lake Monster Brewing.
Join for:
– Breakouts on the East Phillips Urban Farm victory!
– Information about the DSA National convention and how to support our delegation.
– Updates on labor actions at Delta and UPS and our electoral work and rent control campaigns.
- Tuesday, 7/11 – 6:30PM – 8:00PM – Minnesota Youth Collective
- TCDSA 101 – Register Here
- Saturday, 7/15 – 10:00 AM – 12:00 PM
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.
- Saturday, 7/15 – 10:00 AM – 12:00 PM
- TODAY Brake Light Clinic Flyer Distribution – Sunday, 7/2, 1:00pm-2:30pm – Wildflyer Coffee
- Come help the Street Corps Working Group get ready for our upcoming Brake Light Clinic! To get the word out for our upcoming Brake Light Clinics we need to put flyers around the town. We will be meeting at Wildflyer Coffee’s St Paul Location so that volunteers can get their location assignments, grab some coffee/tea, and be given flyers for distribution.
- East Phillips Urban Farm Working Group – Monday, 7/3, 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.
- Internal Organizing Phone Bank – Wednesday, 7/5, 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.
- 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.
- Communications Committee – Thursday, 7/6, 6:00pm-7:30pm – Zoom Registration
- 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.
- Steering Committee Meeting – Sunday, 7/9, 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
- Tech Ops Committee – Monday July 10, 7:00pm-8:00pm – Zoom Registration
- The Tech Ops Committee meets on the 2nd Monday of the month.
- East Phillips Urban Farm Working Group – Monday, 7/10, 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.
- Internal Organizing Committee Meeting – Wednesday, 7/12, 6:30pm-8:00pm
- 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.
Stay tuned for the Zoom link or visit the #internal-organizing Slack channel.
- All are welcome to join our monthly meetings of the TCDSA Internal Organizing Committee (IOC).
- Political Education Committee Meeting – Thursday, 7/13, 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.
- 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.
Go to tcdsa.org/events to see everything!
The Democratic Party is a Capitalist Party
Following our recent political education event with Professor Nimtz, Melanie W shares her perspective of the most salient points of his talk and some potential implications for our political context.
Recognizing and Dismantling Internal Capitalist Realism
Sara R shares an essay she wrote on Capitalist Realism by Mark Fisher, and how Fisher’s words provided a framework that helped her see that much of life’s daily struggles often manifest as a response to capitalism, rather than purely individualistic issues.
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.