Comrades,

We didn’t need a reminder, but we got one anyway – when democracy is in the clutches of capitalism, the battles are never just fought at the ballot box.

San Francisco’s district map is being redrawn, and the process has been anything but democratic or transparent. It includes a district map approved at 3:00 a.m. that splits District 5 apart — a district that has organized so effectively for the rights of tenants and working class people — and caused other members of the Redistricting Task Force charged with drawing the map to walk out of the meeting in disgust.

And it’s not just District 5 — by spitting Potrero Hill from District 10, this task force is eroding Black working class power. By splitting the Tenderloin from District 6, they are breaking apart the Transgender Cultural District. It is a wish list for moneyed interests, and all the boxes are ticked.

A leaked email from a board member of Neighbors for A Better San Francisco, a PAC funded by billionaires that repeatedly attacks and dehumanizes our unhoused neighbors, says the quiet part out loud — this is gerrymandering. After failing at the ballot box, it is an attempt at ripping organized communities apart to suit the interests of capital.

We’re not having it. Join us in telling this Redistricting Task Force exactly what we think of this shameless attempt to manipulate San Francisco politics and demanding that our working class communities are represented fairly. There is one more chance to leave public comment – call in during the Redistricting Task Force’s meeting tomorrow, April 13. The meeting starts at 3:00 p.m. – knowing this task force and how many working class people they’ve enraged, expect to keep them up past midnight again.

Solidarity,

DSA SF Comms Committee

Events Calendar

🌹 Wednesday, 4/13 (3:00 p.m.):  Leave public comment: Redistricting Task Force meeting (virtual, call-in instructions at the linked website)

🌹 Wednesday, 4/13 (6:45 p.m.):  DSA SF April Chapter Meeting (Zoom or in person at 518 Valencia)

🌹 Saturday, 4/16 (12:00 p.m.):  Empty Homes Tax Signature Gathering and BBQ (in person at Golden Gate Park, corner of Haight and Stanyan)

🌹 Thursday, 4/21 (7:30 p.m.):  Bigger Than Bernie reading and discussion group (Zoom or in person at the DSA SF office on 1916 McAllister St)

🌹 Friday, 4/22 (10:00 a.m.):  People’s Earth Day (in person at Civic Center BART Station)

🌹 Thursday, 5/12 (7:30 p.m.):  Intro to Democratic Socialism Session Two: The History (part 1) (Zoom or in person at the DSA SF office on 1916 McAllister St)


For more events, click here.

Announcements

Celebrate our progress on the Empty Homes Tax – and help us maintain our momentum!

Fill out those signature pages, then fill up on delicious BBQ! We’re making progress toward our goal of getting the Empty Homes Tax on the ballot, but we can’t stop now – we need all hands on deck to make sure we have enough signatures to make landlords and speculators pay for keeping vacant homes away from the San Franciscans who need them. Join us at Golden Gate Park on the corner of Stanyan and Haight this Saturday, April 16 at 12:00 p.m. to collect signatures to get this initiative on the ballot, then stick around for a BBQ afterwards – we’ll have sandwiches, beer, and lots more!

Please join us at People’s Earth Day 🌍 ✊

On April 22, DSA SF 🌹 — with our AfroSocialists & EcoSocialists — will be joining Greenaction for Environmental Justice, Youth Vs Apocalypse, and other Black, Brown and Indigenous-led environmental justice groups in the streets to demand the cleanup of radioactive and toxic waste from our city.


On Friday, April 22 at 10:00 a.m. we’ll be meeting at Civic Center BART Station to fight for environmental and climate justice for Bayview-Hunters Point, Treasure Island, and more frontline communities. If you can take the day off work, call in sick📞🤒, Zoom in 💻 from the streets, or find the time, please join us — we’re hoping for a BIG TURNOUT! Email ecosocialist@dsasf.org with any questions.

Our monthly chapter meeting is this Wednesday!

Our monthly chapter meetings are where you’ll hear about what’s been going on in our priority campaigns, working groups, and ballot initiatives – and where we vote on chapter business. Don’t miss it! You’ll be able to participate virtually using Zoom or in person at 518 Valencia, with the meeting starting at 6:45 p.m. tomorrow night.

Learn about the history of Democratic Socialism!

The second session of the Intro to Democratic Socialism series will cover the history of the movement, from the “utopians” — Fourier, Owen, et al, to the “scientifics” — Marx, Engels, and the International Workingmen’s Association. This session will be held on Thursday, May 12 from 7:30 p.m. – 9:00 p.m. at the DSA SF office at 1916 McAllister. There will be an option to join in using Zoom, as well!

Bigger Than Bernie Reading and Discussion Group

DSA members and Jacobin writers Meagan Day and Micah Uetricht wrote Bigger Than Bernie in 2020 and revised it in 2021. It should prove to be a useful read for assessing where as socialists we see ourselves and the world today. There will be two discussions at the DSA SF office at 1916 McAllister St on April 21 and 28 from 7:30 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. There is also a Zoom option for those who want to participate remotely – registration link here!