Decolonization, Indigenous Liberation, Internationalism, Military-industrial ComplexLeave a comment

Myanmar: Hope and Solidarity Needed

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By Ash T “The Spring Revolution is coming closer than ever!” It’s not hard to see why so many comrades have completely lost hope in the state of the world. As we see ongoing genocides in Rojava and Palestine, many watch in horror as American bombs and money fund genocidal wars of conquest by the Turkish government and Israeli state. At the ballot box, we see the horrors of both the Biden government’s treatment of the Palestinian people and the possible future horrors that will await under a Trump presidency. The Palestinian struggle is something that is ongoing and our … Continue reading Myanmar: Hope and Solidarity Needed

SocialismLeave a comment

2024 MADSA Convention

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It’s time once again for our annual Madison Area Democratic Socialists of America Convention, happening on Saturday, March 23 from 10-5 at the Goodman Community Center. Please RSVP as soon as possible! This year, we’re excited to move back to an in-person convention. At Convention, members in good standing are invited to take a look back at the past year and make important decisions about the direction of the upcoming year. Here’s what you can expect at the MADSA Convention: getting to know your comrades and team building, political discussion, voting on exec positions, working group charters, chapter campaigns, and … Continue reading 2024 MADSA Convention

Decolonization, WarLeave a comment

A call to DSA comrades: stand in solidarity with Rojava!

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Since October, Turkey has ramped up its attacks on North-East Syria. Increasingly, they are targeting civilians and their infrastructure, especially with the striking of power plants, hospitals, grain silos and water stations. These attacks are blatant violations of the Geneva Conventions and signify a total disregard for human life. The damage has been so devastating that half of all civilian infrastructure there is now destroyed.  Rojava is the Democratic Autonomous Administration of North-East Syria (DAANES), a society which adheres to the libertarian socialist principles emphasized in Abdullah Öcalan’s ideology of democratic confederalism. They have enshrined women’s equality through active female … Continue reading A call to DSA comrades: stand in solidarity with Rojava!

abolitionLeave a comment

MADSA Abolitionist Working Group Opposes Additional Spending on Jail

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Calls on Community to Demand Dane County Invest in Care Not Cages On Thursday, January 18, 2024 the Dane County Board of Supervisors will be voting on RES-286, which would increase the budget for the Jail Consolidation Project by $27.6 Million, bringing the total budget of the project to $197 Million. If this jail is built, it will be the most expensive public works project ever in Dane County by a long shot. But this community has the opportunity to say: no more. District 2 Supervisor Heidi Wegleitner says, “It’s disappointing that some are so eager to pour more money … Continue reading MADSA Abolitionist Working Group Opposes Additional Spending on Jail

Labor, Unions, WisconsinLeave a comment

The Princess and the Pea

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By Frank Emspak For those not familiar, the Princess and the Pea is a fable where a princess can’t sleep because of a pea under her mattress. Although it’s technically about someone finding true love because of their weird sleeping habits, it can also be interpreted as being about the fragile egos and impossible desires of the mega-rich. My takeaway from this fable is that a little annoyance can go a long way. The tactic of using a small annoyance to build a popular campaign is part of a strategy to rebuild our unions. This tactic should contribute to building political support … Continue reading The Princess and the Pea

Economy, Labor, UnionsLeave a comment

Starbucks: The long haul from recognition to a national contract

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Frank Emspak argues that Starbucks workers can win a union and a contract at Starbucks if the labor movement acts like a labor movement. Update from State Street Starbucks Our union sympathetic manager has quit because he “can no longer ethically work for this company”. Our new store manager has been selected and is a universally disliked leader who is known for firing union organizers. We have also learned that our district manager expects our store specifically, though not others, to follow a scheduling system made by an AI. Because of this, in the school year when we typically have about … Continue reading Starbucks: The long haul from recognition to a national contract

Homelessness, housing, LocalLeave a comment

Porchlight Tenants Crash Charity Event to Warn Donors About Dangerous Living Conditions

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Madison Tenant Power Madison, WI – On Monday, Porchlight tenants and their housing allies crashed a charity event for Porchlight, Inc., the nonprofit that runs Porchlight Men’s Shelter, in order to warn potential donors about dangerous living conditions. One person wore a cockroach costume. Madison Wisconsin Homeless Union and Madison Tenant Power are calling attention to unsanitary and unsafe conditions in Porchlight properties in Madison, including: apartments full of cockroaches, bedbugs, and other pests; lack of bedding (tenants sleeping on the floor); and units that are not properly air conditioned or heated. Porchlight staff hang up the phone on housing advocates … Continue reading Porchlight Tenants Crash Charity Event to Warn Donors About Dangerous Living Conditions

Local, Organizing, RacismLeave a comment

UW-Madison YDSA Statement on the Ben Shapiro Protest

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By the Young Democratic Socialists of America at UW-Madison We all know the conservative shtick by now. The right-wing organizations on campuses across the nation invite inflammatory, hateful, and reactionary talking heads to promote their bigotry and cry victim each time a student protest is mounted against them. According to Nick Baker of YAF, our organization is “appalled that someone with different views than their own would be allowed to step foot on campus”. Seems like an inaccurate oversimplification of the situation, but what else would you expect? Because obviously it’s not about a simple difference of opinion. When Matt … Continue reading UW-Madison YDSA Statement on the Ben Shapiro Protest

Decolonization, WarLeave a comment

In Support of Palestinian Liberation

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We stand in solidarity with the people of Palestine, indigenous and colonized people everywhere, and all those here in Madison and around the world who are struggling for their liberation. Since October 7th, Israel’s military has intensified its 17 year blockade of Gaza into a full siege, blocking off water, electricity, and basic supplies. In the first 6 days of this conflict, over 6,000 bombs were dropped on the 140 square miles of the Gaza Strip. Over 1.1 million Palestinians, half of them children, have been ordered to leave their homes. This is genocide. This violence is not new. It … Continue reading In Support of Palestinian Liberation

housing, Local, tenants rightsLeave a comment

An Open Letter: Nationwide Developer Core Spaces Is Bad for Tenants and the Future of Affordable Housing in Madison

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By Madison Tenant Power This spring, Core Spaces (a Chicago-based developer with two “luxury” student housing developments in Madison and controversial proposals for two more) made national news for mass evicting thousands of tenants in Santa Barbara. These “renovictions” happened with little notice, leaving residents scrambling to find housing in their communities. In response, tenants in California founded the nationwide Core Spaces Tenant Association to fight back against the threat of mass displacement. Even as these tenants have worked to secure new legal protections against renovictions, Core Spaces has attempted to mislead tenants about the ordinances that apply to their … Continue reading An Open Letter: Nationwide Developer Core Spaces Is Bad for Tenants and the Future of Affordable Housing in Madison