We’ll open with some good news: on Tuesday, the same day Philly DSA rallied with local sanitation workers calling for PPE and hazard pay, Mayor Kenney’s office announced that they were removing the $14 million increase to police spending from their proposed 2021 budget.
It’s a start, but, in a city that spent $726 million on policing last year but only $234 million on public health, it’s not enough. We have to keep the pressure up. This Saturday, socialist and antiracist organizations, including us, Reclaim, New Sanctuary Movement, and the Caucus of Working Educators, are holding a rally at City Hall at 12:00 pm. We’re calling on the mayor, who’s more than happy to tweet “Black Lives Matter,” to show us he believes black lives matter -- by defunding the Philadelphia Police Department and spending on the social services that really protect our community.
If you’re in good health and feel safe attending, we hope you’ll make it. We’ve already shown that we can force this budget to change. Let’s see how far we can go.
Election Results Forthcoming, but Our Fingers are Crossed
Three months ago, with the presidential election looking grim and quarantine measures beginning to go into effect across the city, our Canvassing Committee made the difficult decision to suspend in-person doorknocking and to instead prioritize phonebanking for endorsed candidates Rick Krajewski, Nikil Saval, Elizabeth Fiedler, and, of course, Bernie Sanders. At the time, we didn’t know when Pennsylvania would vote or whether there’d be an in-person election at all, and no one could predict how these downballot primaries would go. All we could do was call people, call more people, and hope for the best.
Well, last Tuesday was the mail-in ballot deadline, and so far, both Rick Krajewski and Nikil Saval have significant, maybe insurmountable leads; if the last remaining mail-in ballots follow these trends, there will be three Philly DSA members in PA state government next year.
This is in no small part due to the ten thousand (10,000!) phone calls Philly DSA made through our weekly phonebanks. To everyone who helped out, thank you so much. Hopefully we can all get drinks and high-five each other someday.
Philly DSA General Meeting: Saturday, June 20... online
Our next General Meeting will be held on Saturday, June 20 at 1 PM, and due to restrictions on large gatherings we’ll be meeting virtually. RSVP and look out for updates as the meeting gets closer.
Are you a union worker affected by the coronavirus crisis? Are you organizing in your shop or workplace to demand higher safety and sanitation standards? PHLDSA’s Labor Commission is convening a series of calls where representatives from unions in the greater Philadelphia area are discussing and coordinating responses. Email Paul Prescod for more information.
Member Engagement Committee Meeting
Friday, Jun 12 | 6:00 – 8:00 pm | Virtual
Member Engagement Chair Office Hours
Saturday, Jun 13 | 1:00 – 3:00 pm | Virtual
Communications Committee Meeting
Monday, Jun 15 | 6:30 – 8:00 pm | Virtual
Happy Juneteenth: POC Virtual Happy Hour
Friday, Jun 19 | 5:00 – 7:00 pm | Virtual
June General Meeting
Saturday, Jun 20 | 1:00 – 3:30 pm | Virtual
Marx Reading Group: Capital Vol. 1
Wednesday, Jun 24 | 7:00 – 9:00 pm | Virtual
Policy Committee Meeting
Wednesday, June 24 | 6:30 - 8:00 pm | Virtual
Delco DSA Virtual June Meeting
Wednesday, June 17 | 7:00 - 9:00 pm | Zoom
BuxMont DSA: June Virtual General Meeting
Tuesday, June 23 | 7:00 - 9:00 pm | Zoom
Member Engagement 1:1s
Would you like to talk about your experiences in the chapter, or how you can get more involved? Schedule a meeting with a member of the Member Engagement committee!
Support 👏 Philly 👏 DSA 👏!Local Dues - support our campaign work and cover everyday operating costs like meeting space // Contribute to Philly DSA PAC - help fund our independent electoral campaigns // Accommodations, Accessibility, Childcare - let us know what you need to stay involved // Moved away from Philly? - update your address on the DSA national database.
Harassment and Grievance ProcessIn accordance with Article XIII of our Bylaws, a commission has been formed to receive, process, and review grievances for disciplinary action. To read more about the process or to file a grievance you can do so here.
Stay safe and wash your hands,
Philly DSA Bulletin Team
Inquiries | Website
PAID FOR BY PHILADELPHIA DEMOCRATIC SOCIALISTS OF AMERICA (WWW.PHILLYDSA.ORG.) NOT AUTHORIZED BY ANY CANDIDATE OR CANDIDATE'S COMMITTEE.
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