Gentrification

“We won’t go!”: Organizing to Stop Gentrification by Lindsay Hagerman, Boston SDS

On the morning of January 23, six members of Boston SDS joined a gathering to physically block the eviction of Melonie Griffiths-Evans and her three children from their home in Dorchester, Mass. Fifteen-hundred other Boston families currently face similar eviction notices, as thousands of Bostonians and countless others across the country fight foreclosures resulting from sub-prime predatory loans.

Organizations like US Bank engage in practices including, but not limited to: using false appraisals to sell properties for much more than they are worth, charging fees for unnecessary or nonexistent services, pressuring borrowers to accept high-risk loans, intentionally lending more money than a borrower can afford to repay, encouraging borrowers to lie about their finances in order to get a loan, and advising borrowers that they know are in need of cash due to medical, employment, or debt problems to “cash-out” refinance offers.

Virginia Con

Thus Always to Tyrants by Claire Schoen and Hermelinda Cortes, Virginia Commonwealth University SDS

The convergence of Virginia Chapters of Students for a Democratic Society, which took place the first weekend of February in Richmond, Va., at Virginia Commonwealth University, successfully built the Virginia SDS network and ended with plans, techniques, and the formation of working groups to solidify means by which they will strengthen individual chapters and the ties amongst them. Through workshops and friendly, casual conversation (fostered by a concerted effort made by all to be inclusive and share ideas), skills and ideas were shared abundantly. The workshop topics included how to harness media and use it to SDS’ advantage, keys to effective organization (and plenty of history!), collective liberation from the mouth of a former female black panther, and consent and its practice to open our communities to better communication as part of our everyday interactions whether they be sexual or platonic.

SE Convention

The Southeast SDS Convention by Chapin Gray, Tuscaloosa SDS, and Michael Graham, University of North Carolina-Asheville SDS

Among freezing temperature and snow (almost unheard of in Tuscaloosa), the third Southeast SDS convention held several weeks ago on Martin Luther King, Jr. weekend drew students from Virginia, North Carolina, Florida, Georgia, and Alabama to The University of Alabama, home of the one-and-a-half year old Tuscaloosa chapter of SDS. About 70 SDSers packed the morning plenary, and engaged in productive discussion that produced several unanimous decisions — such as to begin holding monthly regional phone conferences, and to work together on a regional counter-recruitment campaign.

That opening plenary set the tone for the rest of the weekend — cooperation and practical unity. The majority of the convention was devoted to dialogue relevant to our local organizing, though there was also plenty of discussion about working on regional and national levels, such as workshops on informal leadership, SDS’ presence at the RNC, and the Days of Action Against the War. Other workshops focused on sustainable living, queer politics, the Iraq Resistance and the anti-war movement, oppression and privilege, and coalition building, just to name a few.

Teach-In

Students educate themselves at Rutgers Iraq War Teach-In by Timothy Horras, Tent State University/SDS, Rutgers, New Brunswick, NJ

(Note: Please visit piratecaucus.blogspot.com for the extended article)

When Tent State University/Students for a Democratic Society held a Teach-In on the Iraq war, we attempted to make the form of the event correspond to our core principles. Most anti-war events on the Rutgers campus have followed a consistent pattern: organizers would pick and invite an “expert” on some aspect of Iraq, then raise the requisite amount of money the speaker demanded. The speaker would come to campus, lecture the students, often be feted on the organizers’ tab, and then with a hearty thanks would be on his or her merry way.

Stealing Your Rights

Stealing Your Rights by Ramiz Andoni, George Mason University SDS

Thousands of teens sitting in a street
Singing words like love, live, peace
Holding signs, no violence at all
Just exercising the right to assemble with peers

Men in black arrive, ready to attack
Holding shields and bullets, plus tear gas
They start firing at the peaceful protesters
Causing damage physical and mental

Bloody streets, black and blue bodies
Coughing, more coughing, lungs on fire
Cops still busting heads with clubs
Cops still shooting rubber out of guns

So in conclusion, protesters were calm
Until the cops came, with insanity and chaos

Solidarity Forever

Solidarity Forever (Updated)

(Originally sung to the tune of “John Brown’s Baby.” Increased tempo, rapping, and free-styling new verses highly encouraged.)

Note on Authorship: “Solidarity Forever” is a union song written some time ago by Ralph Chaplin New, verses were added by Steve Suffet. The song below was changed to expand the theme of unity beyond workers unions. All verses except for verse three have only minor changes made to them. Verse three was written by Sicily Amaris McRaven, Detroit SDS.

When the movement’s inspiration through the peoples’ blood shall run
There can be no power greater anywhere beneath the sun
Yet what force on earth is greater than the feeble strength of one
But united we are strong

(Chorus)
Solidarity forever
Solidarity forever
Solidarity forever
For united we are strong
What ought we hold in common with the greedy parasite
Who would reawaken feud’lism and crush us with its might
Is there anything left for us to do but organize and fight
For united we are strong

RNC

RNC Organizing Conference a Success by Tracy Molm, University of Minnesota-Twin Cities SDS

February 9 and 10 organizers from around the country joined us at the University of Minnesota to help start planning for the Republican National Convention that will be in St. Paul, Minnesota, Sept. 1-4. March on the RNC and Stop the War, a coalition of peace and justice groups in the Twin Cities focused on Iraq and the Sept. 1 protest, brought in representatives from International ANSWER (Act Now to Stop War and End Racism), TONC (Troops Out Now Coalition), UFPJ (United for Peace and Justice), LAW (Latinos Against War in Los Angeles), and many many other organizations to build for the RNC.  Speakers from these organizations spoke of the need to build unity to get many people in the streets on Sept. 1.

And students played a huge part.  At the conference there were breakout sessions for different areas and discussions. At the student and youth breakout session we were able to discuss across different student and youth groups the need to form a student and youth feeder march starting at local Macalester College where we will have our own opening rally focused on issues faced by students and youth.  “The DNC in ’68 was a great radicalizing experience for SDS, and now we’re hoping that the RNC in ’08 can do the same for the new SDS.  At the student and youth meeting we were able to build a lot of excitement for a large student and youth feeder march on Sept. 1 where we will fill the streets of St. Paul, Minn. with thousands of young people who want the war in Iraq to end!” said U of MN SDS member Lauren Siegel.

“The people united will never be defeated” became one of the signature chants of the weekend.  Many praised the great work done by the individuals and groups that had worked in the Twin Cities as part of the coalition March on the RNC and Stop the War to make this conference happen.  And the organizers in the room proved that despite huge differences in tactics and politics we will make the largest movement possible by building together.  SDS at the University of Minnesota and Macalester SDS hope that you join us in Minnesota on Sept. 1-4!

Religion

Religion and SDS by Raychel Haut, Queens College SDS, Anson Biller, New York University SDS, jasper conner, George Mason University SDS, Becca Rast, Lancaster SDS and Lindsay Hagerman, Boston SDS

We spend a lot of time in SDS talking about internal dynamics of oppression, but in doing this important work we often think only about the big ISMS and not about other ways in which people are discouraged from participating in SDS. This article is an attempt by five members to share our experiences in SDS and activist circles as folks of faith. These short, yet very personal stories are intended to begin a much longer dialogue about radicalism, faith, and SDS. Although our stories focus largely on the internal workings of SDS, there remains much to be said about how we interact with community members and organizations which base their lives and work in faith traditions.

DC Moratorium

Iraq Moratorium: Funk the War! Drop Beats not Bombs by Rassah Ostadhossaini, W.T. Woodson High School, DC SDS, Elizabeth Sanders, American University, DC SDS

The energy was high as DC SDSers and friends rendezvoused at Dupont Circle in preparation for dancing in the streets in protest of the Iraq war. The sun was starting to go down, but the music was being turned up as about 50 youth danced their way into the streets to tell war profiteers that the youth of the United States are done dying in a stupid war.

The first stop on the dancing route was a nearby Army recruitment center. The lovely police escorts provided some nice disco-esque lighting and we danced until we grew tired of the recruiters staring at us through the windows.