by the Boston DSA Direct Action, De-escalation, and Security (DADS) Committee Why Protest: Boston DSA stands in absolute solidarity with the mass protests that have broken out following the brutal police murder of George Floyd on May 25, 2020. Wiser people than us have written about the multitude of abuses the police have casually heaped …
Why We’re Relaunching the Prison Abolition Working Group
- Boston DSA Prison Abolition Working Group A socialist society cannot coexist with the prison system. This is a system that actively suppresses marginalized peoples, commits atrocities under the falsehood of justice, and fundamentally perpetuates capitalism through the prison-industrial complex. As socialists, we must dedicate ourselves to the destruction of the carceral state and the …
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Design and the Green New Deal: An Evening with Billy Fleming
- Perri M. As we gear up for our February 7 book launch of A Planet to Win: Why We Need a Green New Deal (Verso, 2019: see event details below), we revisit our December 2019 talk with Dr. Billy Fleming, author of the Places journal article “Design and the Green New Deal.” Fleming, who …
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Police Riot at Straight Pride Parade
- Joey P There was a police riot at the Straight Pride Parade. Straight Pride is Hate Pride was a peaceful protest marred by repeated attempts by the police to turn it into a riot, and when they failed, they rioted themselves. We don't have a full accounting of everything the police did, but we …
Big Brother’s Little Brother
- George T. Summers According to the Fall 2017 issue of the Boston Police Patrolmen’s Association newsletter Pax Centurion, the members of the Resist Marxism Rally, who have since rebranded as Super Happy Fun America and staged the Straight Pride Rally on Sept 1, are “an eclectic band of 40 or 50 kooks supporting a …
Reflections on the First National Gathering of DSA Elected Officials
- Ben Ewen-Campen, Somerville City Councilor According to DSA, there are now nearly 100 members holding elected office across the country. Over the weekend of August 3rd and 4th, 28 of us gathered in Atlanta as part of DSA’s National Convention. I was elected to the Somerville City Council in 2017 (with the support and endorsement …
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Boston Police Captain John Danilecki: A Clear and Present Danger to Boston
- Chris S. In numerous videos of the Straight Pride Parade counter-protest march held in Boston on Saturday, Aug 31, there was one figure who stood out. A Captain in the Boston Police Department (BPD) — and the only BPD officer wearing a black vest covering his badge — this officer seemed to be routinely on the front lines …
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DSA Convention 2019: A Reportback
- Boston DSA Delegates What it is Every two years, DSA has its national convention. Delegates come together from across the country to vote on changes to our constitution and bylaws, resolutions of various kinds, and our new National Political Committee (NPC). Chapters received one delegate for every fifty-one members - 1,056 total delegates were sent …
Reportback: How We Win by George Lakey
by Sam Jaffe, Boston DSA On March 30, Boston DSA along with other activist organizations in the area co-sponsored a talk by George Lakey on nonviolent direct action training. Lakey has been involved with nonviolent direct action campaigning for decades, starting with the Civil Rights movement. He helped lead a successful campaign by the Earth …
Collective Reflections on the Boston Housing Struggle
On Thursday, September 6th, 2018, the Boston DSA Housing Working Group (HWG) and the Political Education Working Group (PEWG) held a discussion about housing strategy in Boston DSA at the Democracy Center in Cambridge. Events like this are important to developing any kind of program. As socialists, we have to engage in constant experimentation and revaluation of our methods on the road to finding a practice that moves the balance of power toward working people.