The Democratic Socialists of America and its chapters are demanding a people-centered response to the COVID-19 pandemic, which has exposed many flaws in the United States’ emergency response systems and the healthcare industry at large. 

As noted by our local chapter’s Steering Committee, which recently issued a statement outlining its approach to the pandemic:

“We are sure that nobody reading this needs to be reminded that epidemics are not merely a biochemical problem but a political one. The international responses to COVID-19 show that early and effective implementation of screening and prevention programs have drastically reduced the mortality rate. Even the bourgeois press is admitting that a functioning social safety net effectively blunts the impact of the crisis. We applaud the actions of Supervisor Dean Preston in leading the local effort for an eviction moratorium and hope to see more of the same to prevent the epidemic from taking a catastrophic toll on our city’s wellbeing. This is why we fight: we know a world is possible where public need and public wellbeing drive policy, not the interests of the capitalist class who reliably take advantage of crises to reap profits and impose new kinds of social order.”

DSA is making the following demands:

– The election of Bernie Sanders
– Emergency Medicare for All
– Guaranteed protections for all workers
– Right to safe housing
– Keep families together
– Debt forgiveness
– Lifting all U.S. sanctions against sovereign countries

If you are interested in demanding a response that puts people over profit, you can sign DSA’s petition here and join us in our continued fight for a world that values the well-being of all people, not just those with means.