The killings of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, and countless others are an outrage. Worse still, these horrific acts of state violence are not isolated incidents. We live in a vastly unequal and oppressive society that violates any reasonable standard of justice and decency. As socialists, we know that moral outrage is not enough. We fight to build a better world by attacking the root causes of racial and economic inequality. Only by organizing the vast majority of people in society—working people—can we contest the power that is in the hands of a few.
The killings of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, and countless others are an outrage. Worse still, these horrific acts of state violence are not isolated incidents. We live in a vastly unequal and oppressive society that violates any reasonable standard of justice and decency.
As socialists, we know that moral outrage is not enough. We fight to build a better world by attacking the root causes of racial and economic inequality. Only by organizing the vast majority of people in society—working people—can we contest the power that is in the hands of a few. Please see PHL DSA’s full statement Against Police Violence and Austerity, For Worker Power: What Philly DSA Can Do.
In response to these acts of police brutality and the ongoing coronavirus crisis, we are working in coalition with partners across the city to ensure that our government invests in services that help working people. We need to abolish the conditions that make policing and incarceration the dominant state response to economic despair—conditions that the pandemic has only worsened.
What We Can Do
In the midst of a global pandemic, Mayor Kenney is threatening to cut funding for essential services such as public health, the streets department, parks and recreation, homeless services, and libraries while increasing funding for the police by $14 million.
Since the beginning of the coronavirus crisis, Philadelphia’s sanitation workers have provided an essential city service without sufficient personal protective equipment, testing, or hazard pay. Sanitation workers and their families are falling sick due to unsafe working conditions.
On Tuesday, June 9, rally at City Hall in support of the proud sanitation workers of AFSCME District Council 33, Local 427 who are demanding a just budget.
Throughout this week, reach out to city council members and the mayor to reject their austerity budget and demand that care be prioritized over punishment.
We must fight for the safety and health of these essential workers and put pressure on city council NOW. June 17 is the deadline for city council to introduce an amended budget—we must ensure that it reflects our demands.
In solidarity,
Philly DSA
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