Early voting in Louisiana starts today, which means it’s time for another edition of New Orleans DSA Voter Guide! There are lots of important down-ballot races, read the guide before you cast your vote.
Read the full voter guide here.
Hey comrades!
Hope y’all are doing well and staying cool in this August heat! At our July General Meeting, we approved interim stewards for the Make Entergy Pay Campaign and Worker Power Louisiana — Congratulations to Sarah B and Aspen W! We also discussed and passed consistent expectations for our endorsed candidates.
THURSDAY, August 8th, 9:15am-til — City Council Meeting: ALL HANDS ON DECK for the People’s Ceasefire Resolution!
This Thursday, the City Council is introducing a “Statement of Peace” Resolution organized by the local Zionist Jewish Federation and signed by all of the New Orleans City Council Members.
We demand the City Council not move forward with their so-called “Statement of Peace” and to work with all affected communities to craft a true ceasefire resolution. Show your support for these efforts:
This resolution:
This must be our biggest turnout yet, so come support us in packing the council chambers this Thursday! Come at 9:15am, or show up whenever you can. We need to show that New Orleans does not stand with the US government’s support for Israel, as the city council’s statement falsely asserts.
SATURDAY, August 10th, 11AM-2PM — Brake Light Clinic and Health Fair:
Join us at A.L. Davis Park (2600 Lasalle St) this Saturday! We can check and change your brake light, take your blood pressure, connect you to community health resources, share food and cold drinks, and chat about achieving socialist revolution together. If you want to volunteer, sign up here: https://forms.gle/cAMSMxnffhF5CefJ8 (or show up day of).
TUESDAY, August 13th @ 6-7PM — Comms Convos: Restructuring DSA Communications:
Join us in brainstorming the future of comms in the chapter to make it more sustainable and structured. Members of all skills and interests are welcomed — communications includes A LOT, so there’s tons of different ways to get involved! Come share your ideas and let’s work together to make DSA New Orleans comms the very best it can be.
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Reminders:
Solidarity forever,
DSA New Orleans Local Council 🌹
Hey comrades!
We hope y’all have been able to stay cool in this July heat. Apologies for the delayed announcement, but this month’s General Meeting is this upcoming Saturday, July 27th from 12-2pm! We will be covering business carried over from Local Convention and more.
Exciting news: local chapter member Gabriela Boni has qualified for School Board alongside our chapter-endorsed candidate Devin Davis for Congress! They will be on the ballot for the primary election held on November 5th, so make sure you check your voter registration at the Secretary of State — the deadline to register online is October 15th. Sign up here to volunteer at Devin’s phonebank this upcoming Tuesday, July 23rd at 5:30pm.
Frustrated by recent power outages we’ve been experiencing out of nowhere? Comment on the Entergy agenda item with your experience, and tell City Council that we want affordable, reliable, and accountable energy! The agenda and public comment form are available at this link, and will remain open until 2 hours before the meeting.
Hate AirBNB? Let City Council know that homes are for residents, not tourists — no exceptions! View the agenda for the Quality of Life Committee meeting and submit a comment on short-term rental agenda items here.
Agendas and public comment links are made available by the City on their own time, usually the day before the meeting, and will remain open until 2 hours before the meeting begins
THURSDAY, JULY 25: Local Day of Action for Palestine
New Orleans City Council continues to fail their people by refusing to discuss our complicity in genocide in spite of the community demanding otherwise. Read more and tell New Orleans City Council to pass a Ceasefire Resolution NOW using this form, which will send an email directly to your councilmember to let them know that you and so many of their other New Orleanians demand that:
Meanwhile, the Port of New Orleans continues to ship weapons to enable the genocide in Gaza. In the month of May alone, our Port has shipped to Israel:
Join NOSHIP (New Orleans Stop Helping Israel’s Ports) in demanding the Port be held accountable for their facilitation of genocide and that the City end all cooperation with the Zionist entity by signing their petition here, joining them at Port meetings (more information below), and checking out the rest of their resources here.
(Organized by NOSHIP and Jewish Voice for Peace)
10am-noon: NOLA City Council Meeting @ City Hall (1300 Perdido St.)
Noon: Inter-Action Lunch outside City Hall 🍕
Gather at 1pm: Port of New Orleans Board Meeting @ 1350 Port of New Orleans Pl.
Join us for a day of organizer-supported local government actions. Give public comments to make your voice heard on Israel’s genocide against the Palestinian people in Gaza and beyond.
First up, City Council! There will be a greeter stationed right outside council chambers who’ll be there 10am till noon to orient newcomers & regular participants alike. They’re happy to walk you through the process and happy to see new faces every time! Tell City Council: NOLA needs to take a stand against genocide NOW!
Then, carpool on over to the Port Board meeting. Plan to gather at the Port Board meeting at 1pm so we can let the Port of N.O. know: no more “business as usual!” It’s well past time for the the Port of New Orleans to end all cooperation with the State of Israel and complicit Israeli businesses. You can also try setting up carpools from elsewhere in the city at this link.
Unmet access needs? DM @_noship or @jvpnola on Instagram to request accommodations.
Show up. Stand up. Speak up.
Free Palestine.
The city is gearing up for its 2025 budget deliberations, but so far have postponed the town halls originally scheduled for this week. In the meantime, fill out this survey from the Vera Institute for Justice, one of a coalition of organizations which advocate to the City Council on budget issues on behalf of our community (among many other great things)!
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Keep up to date with New Orleans DSA actions by following us on Instagram, joining the members-only Slack (email us for access), and checking out DSA’s event calendar at dsaneworleans.org/events. Hope to see y’all at this Saturday’s General Meeting!
Solidarity forever,
New Orleans DSA Local Council 🌹
Hey comrades,
Thank you to all those who were able to come out to the Local Convention on Saturday! It was great to see and talk with everyone. For those who weren’t able to come, keep scrolling to read about what was missed, and we hope to see y’all at an event soon!
One convention discussion topic was potentially endorsing Devin Davis for Congress against Troy Carter. You can watch Devin’s recent DSA Endorsement Candidate Q&A here, read the notes from that Q&A on this document, and read his full policy platform on his website. To vote on his endorsement, please check your email for the subject line “Devin Davis Endorsement Vote” from OpaVote Voting Link.
CONVENTION RECAP —
We had around 40 people present in-person at Broadmoor Community Church, with a few more members participating via Zoom. Our thanks go to Reverend Gregory Manning for his powerful opening remarks and all his assistance with the space. At this convention, we also officially began using OpenSlides for our voting — please reach out to Bob M on Slack with any feedback!
The meeting began with the outgoing co-chairs delivering the State of the Chapter before hearing updates from and the future priorities of each committee, campaign, and working group. Afterwards, our Local Council nominees spoke, before a vote was held to confirm their positions.
Congratulations to our newly elected Local Council!
At our August General Meeting, we will be electing stewards for Make Entergy Pay and Worker Power Louisiana (the labor committee). Please submit nominations for these positions by Monday, July 15th. The date of the coming GMs are TBD due to the current transition of leadership. The dates will be chosen and published soon; thank you for your patience.
DSA New Orleans deliberated on five bylaw amendments in addition to the resolution for endorsing Devin Davis. Major results include:
The bylaws on our chapter’s website have been updated to reflect the several new changes. Want to know more about what happened at Local Convention? Find the convention minutes in the #convention2024 Slack channel!
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Excerpt from the State of the Chapter:
“Looking forward, we face fascist right-wing governments on the state and federal levels, absurd levels of corporate greed and attacks on working people, unsustainably bad infrastructure, and the wholly unprecedented effects of late-stage climate change already impacting the most marginalized communities… We face a tidal wave of statewide issues either from repressive governments or from natural disasters, and there is no time like the present to collectively build our strength so we can weather the storms (both physical and political).“
-Wash F, co-chair. Read the full speech here.
We hope to see you in the fight for a better world soon!
Solidarity forever,
New Orleans DSA Local Council
Hey comrades!
Our Local Convention is this Saturday! 📆 RSVP HERE (especially if you need to indicate any accessibility, dietary, or childcare needs!)
Our Local Convention is an annual meeting where our members elect chapter leadership, vote on amendments to our bylaws, discuss the political direction of our chapter, and review the year’s progress, priorities, and upcoming challenges to overcome. It’s our largest gathering of the year, so it’s also a great opportunity for socializing, building community, and sharing good homemade dishes.
We will be holding a hybrid convention, with in-person meeting at the Broadmoor Community Church (2021 S Dupre St) and on Zoom (registration link here) starting at 12pm noon on Saturday, June 29th until approximately 4pm. Masks will be required and provided for those without.
If you are unable to attend, your vote can still count! Email hello@neworleansdsa.org to request a proxy vote either for a specific comrade to vote in your place or for Local Council to find someone to hold your vote.
We will be using a website application called OpenSlides for Convention to handle voting and stack. Be on the lookout for your login email with the subject “Welcome to OpenSlides – New Orleans DSA Local Convention”.
Please RSVP as soon as you can, and visit our Convention Hub at bit.ly/NOLADSA24 for more info. We look forward to seeing you there!
Solidarity forever,
DSA New Orleans 🌹
Hey comrades!
Mark your calendar for our Local Convention! 📆 RSVP HERE (especially if you need to indicate any accessibility, dietary, or childcare needs!)
Our Local Convention is an annual meeting where our members elect chapter leadership, vote on amendments to our bylaws, discuss the political direction of our chapter, and review the year’s progress, priorities, and upcoming challenges to overcome. It’s our largest gathering of the year, so it’s also a great opportunity for socializing, building community, and sharing good food.
We will be holding a hybrid convention, with in-person meeting at the Broadmoor Community Church (2021 S Dupre St) and on Zoom (registration link here) starting at 12pm noon on Saturday, June 29th.
Please RSVP as soon as you can, and visit our Convention Hub at bit.ly/NOLADSA24 for more info. We look forward to seeing you there!
Nominations are open for the Municipal Action Committee Co-chairs. Members in good standing are eligible and can nominate themselves. Please submit your nomination (link here) by June 22nd.
ALSO! TOMORROW (SAT 6/15) @ 11AM-2PM — Brake Light Clinic, Health Fair, & Hurricane Prep and Solidarity Event at A.L. Davis Park, Saturday 11am-2pm!
Solidarity forever,
New Orleans DSA
New Orleans DSA is a democratically-run, all-volunteer organization of the working class, and every year we convene to elect officers, consider amendments to our bylaws, and debate member-submitted proposals for the coming year. In short, Convention is our most important annual gathering! Members can weigh in on chapter priorities and fully exercise their power to shape Chapter work for the coming year and beyond. This year our Convention will be held June 29th at 12PM at the Broadmoor Community Church, 2021 S Dupre St. Don’t miss it!
Important Dates
Submit your bylaw amendments, political resolutions, and electoral endorsements to hello@dsaneworleans.org by June 25th. We also encourage members to post submitted or draft proposals to the #amendments-and-resos channel in slack for feedback and discussion.
Officer Elections
The following positions are up for election this year:
Proposals & Bylaws Amendments
Below is a list of resolutions which will be debated and voted on at Convention (these require a 50%+ vote to be adopted).
| Resolution for Consistent Endorsed Candidate Expectations | Electoral Working Group |
| Resolution to Endorse Devin Davis for Louisiana Congressional District 2 | Bob M., Jack R.S. |
| Resolution to Form a People’s Platform | Bob M. |
The following amendments to our Bylaws will be considered (these require a 2/3rds majority vote):
| Amendment to Reconcile Terms, Definitions, and Procedures | Wash F, Jack RS, & Bob M |
| Amendment to re-organize and modernize the Chapter’s internal Committee and Campaign structure | Many contributors, consolidated & revised by Jack RS |
| Amendment to Advance Administrative Discretion | Wash F, Jack RS, & Cate R |
| Amendment to clarify quorum requirements and codify an asynchronous voting process | Jack RS |
| Amendment to Clarify Member Oversight and Conduct | Wash F, Jack RS, & Cate R |
| Amendment to establish procedures for formation and approval of a statewide organization | Jack RS |
We’ll continually update these lists as new proposals are submitted before the deadline on June 25th, so be sure to check back then to read everything we’ll be voting on this year.
Voting
Only members currently in good standing can vote on proposals and in Chapter elections, so make sure you’ve signed up to DSA before the start of Convention! If you’re unsure of your membership status, please visit proof.dsausa.org, or email us at membership@dsaneworleans.org.
Proxy Voting: If you are unable to attend either in-person or via Zoom, you may identify another member to serve as your proxy. This member then votes on proposals and in elections according to your preferences. Attending members may hold up to two proxies. If you will be requesting a proxy, please notify us at hello@dsaneworleans.org by June 27th with the name of another dues/paying member who will serve as your proxy. If you are unable to identify another member to name as your proxy, please let us know in a note to the above email address, and we’ll assign you a proxy to make sure your votes are cast.Proposals: Resolutions and Bylaw Amendments will be voted on at the Convention using OpenSlides in a browser on your phone or computer. You will receive a login from DSA New Orleans – OpenSlides with your login. For more information, here’s the member guide to OpenSlides.
Happy start to the summer, comrades! To celebrate, this weekend’s general meeting will be a BBQ at the Lakeshore Park — read on for more info!
SATURDAY, May 25th, 12-2pm — BBQ GM!: Join us this Saturday at Lakeshore Park (1626 Cloverleaf Rd) for good vibes, food, and conversation! Veggie options will be available and kids are welcome!
MARK YOUR CALENDARS: DSA New Orleans Local Convention will be JUNE 29TH!
THURSDAY, MAY 30th — Local Council Nominations DUE!
OTHER REMINDERS:
Hope to see you this weekend!
Solidarity forever,
New Orleans DSA 🌹
Hey comrades! Read on for updates, important info, and calls to actions.
Election Day for party offices is March 23rd. Check out the fully released Voter Guide at dsaneworleans.org/voter-guide-spring-2024 for the breakdown on the stakes, races, and candidates. Happy voting!
UPCOMING EVENTS:
OTHER IMPORTANT INFO AND CALLS TO ACTION!
Hope to see y’all at these events and look forward to talking more!
Solidarity forever,
New Orleans DSA
The poor and working people of Louisiana are under attack. Since
taking office, Governor Landry and the Republican supermajorities in the
Legislature have enacted a reactionary criminal punishment regime. These
regressive measures will send more people to prison, keep them there
longer, fail to prevent new crime, provide no justice for victims, and take
millions of dollars from the people to funnel it into the hands of sheriffs,
district attorneys, and the private contractors in the prison industrial
complex.
