On Wednesday, November 4th DSA San Diego is mobilizing its membership to participate in A March for All Black and Brown Lives! While there’s still uncertainty regarding what will happen during and after the November 3rd election, we’re expecting a large crowd and lots of energy, so let’s show up strong as a chapter to meet the moment! Wear your DSA t-shirt and your mask and meet up at San Diego Civic Center Plaza at 5:00 pm.
The Democratic Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria, better known as “Rojava,” is a self-proclaimed Internationalist Commune representing the liberation movement of both women and workers in the region.
We pledge our international solidarity to the people of Rojava against Erdogan and reactionary nationalism in their struggle for autonomy and self-determination!
(DAWG) The Direct Action Working Group of the Democratic Socialists of America, San Diego, wholeheartedly condemns the imperialist aggression(s) committed against the Kurdish people and their allies. These atrocities include: summary killings, bombings of civilians, and extrajudicial violence against activists and political dissidents within Turkey, but also expanding to those affected by the multi-ethnic diaspora.
We recognize that this application of democratic confederalism requires an international show of solidarity in the fight for a better, more just world. The members of (DAWG) send our highest regards and goodwill to the freedom fighters in North-East Syria and their comrades in arms! We commit to engaging our community in regard to this cause and encourage collaboration with like-minded organizations and individuals in this struggle.
Solidarity Forever!
Biji berxwedan!
Below are additional resources useful for learning more and staying up to date.
https://rojavainformationcenter.com
https://internationalistcommune.com
https://newint.org/features/2019/10/11/assault-rojava
On October 15, 2018, the Direct Action Working Group (DAWG) of the San Diego DSA, a local chapter of Democratic Socialists of America, conducted an action of protest at the Timken Museum of Art in solidarity with Portland DSA and the Holgate Manor Tenant Union.
We conducted the action to bring the public’s attention and scrutiny to the damage Fred Kleinbub, treasurer of the Timken Museum, has wrought at Holgate Manor, an 81-unit apartment complex in Portland, Oregon.
For decades, Holgate has been the home of immigrants and refugees hailing from regions that have experienced war and terror in recent years such as Ukraine, Russia, Cambodia, Myanmar and Vietnam. In January 2018, Kleinbub purchased Holgate Manor for $12 million. As related by the Holgate Manor Tenants Union, Princeton Property Management, Mr. Kleinbub’s company that manages over 170 properties including Holgate, has employed duplicitous and aggressive methods to remove Holgate tenants. These tactics have included:
Instead of demonstrating base-level compassion for people living on the margins of society, Mr. Kleinbub spent thousands on a PR firm to make claims for him that Holgate’s new management would be making improvements that are “designed to provide safe, comfortable homes at affordable rates.” One tenant who returned to their home after these “improvements” found energy efficient windows, but also black mold and a rent that had increased by $340/month. With his network of hired property managers and PR consultants, Mr. Kleinbub has demonstrated that his interest in Portland is rooted in in the value of its property and the wealth he can extract from its residents. The tenants of Holgate Manor value Portland as a refuge, a community, a place of work, and a home.
We call on Timken treasurer Fred Kleinbub to meet with the Holgate Manor Tenant Union and engage with their reasonable demands:
1. Allow displaced tenants who wish to return to Holgate Manor to do so without submitting new applications, and at a rent that is affordable to them.
2. Retract the 9.9% rent increases until after the construction is complete, including a rent refund for the months construction was taking place, and commit to no new rent increases until negotiating with representatives from the Holgate Manor Tenants Union and Portland Tenants United.
3. No new fees or no-cause terminations to be issued until after negotiations. No 72-hour eviction notices or retaliation against striking tenants.
4. All communication from management should be professionally translated in the tenants’ native languages of Khmer, Spanish, Russian, Burmese, and Ukrainian. Google Translate is not an accurate translator.
5. Respond to property maintenance needs as required by law, especially the existing issues of pests and mold.
Solidarity,
DAWG of San Diego DSA