Features

There Is No Safe Facial Recognition System

Our city government has invested heavily in surveillance cameras that record you every time you go to the grocery store, a friend’s house, or sit on your porch. Now, NOPD wants to record your face and run it through a target database every time you step into public. That’s why they’ve asked City Council to expand their surveillance arsenal to include live facial recognition technology.

The problem is that live facial recognition is ripe for abuse, and they know it. We’re living through a feverish backlash against every civil right our elders fought for, tearing apart the Voting Rights Act, criminalizing reproductive healthcare, and kidnapping immigrants, activists, and labor leaders to concentration camps. So after all of us spoke up against this ordinance, City Council responds with a public relations campaign promising that the mass surveillance state they plan to build won’t be used against immigrants, same-sex couples, and women seeking abortions.

You can’t fix this with safeguards. You can’t build a surveillance state and hope the fascist government won’t use it against you. Act 399 just went into effect in Louisiana, which makes it a felony for a public official to refuse to cooperate with ICE or Customs and Border Protection. We had our elected “progressive” prosecutor promptly abandon commitments against prosecuting children as adults, using the racist habitual offender law, and reinstating the death penalty, all to appease Troop Nola and the state government. Every one of these corporate-backed electeds in city government promising safeguards and responsible use of live mass surveillance will capitulate the instant the state or federal government comes after them.

New Orleans DSA and our endorsed candidates unequivocally oppose live facial recognition and mass surveillance. There are no safeguards that can make this infrastructure immune to takeover and abuse. There are no circumstances under which we are willing to pay Axon, Palantir, and Project NOLA to build the panopticon of our own imprisonment. If we build it, they will use it. Why would self-respecting people ever roll out a welcome mat for fascism?

Brake Light Clinic & Health Fair & School Supply Drive Tomorrow

Your favorite DSA comrades will be at 2932 S Carrollton Av, from 11:00 am to 2:00 pm, for our Brake Light Clinic. We’ll be checking and changing brake lights, handing out hot meals and cold drinks, and checking blood pressure. We’re also welcoming our friends from Trystereo to provide Narcan kits and educate us on how to use them, and we’ll be distributing back-to-school supply kits our members have put together this past month. It’s always a good time with good people, so get your hat, get your sunscreen, and come make some friends while you do some community organizing!

Red Rabbits Recommendation: Don’t Talk on the Jail Phones

If you get taken to jail, remember this one thing: prosecutors listen to your phone calls and read your messages. Your phone calls are not confidential. Your phone calls are not private. Your phone calls are being recorded and handed over to the state. So don’t talk about your case on the jail phones, you’re just giving the state free evidence, and they will twist your own words against you. Happy Shut the Fuck Up Friday.

Bulletins

DSA Cuba Delegation 2025 Application

From October 14–18th, DSA is hosting a five-day general membership political delegation to Havana, coordinated by our International Committee. DSA members will meet with public health officials, climate activists, local and national political leadership, organizations, ministries, and grassroots organizers. In addition, we will visit sites of cultural and historical significance to educate our membership and strengthen the project of normalization between Cuba and the US. Applications are due August 17.

Join the Voter Guide Team

Early voting for fall local elections begins September 27, which means it’s time for another round of the New Orleans DSA Voter Guide. We’re looking for members to join the research and writing team. See our previous Voter Guide editions here, and look for training and meeting announcements on the Voter Guide Working Group Discord channel.

Keep Up With the Candidates at Endorsement HQ

Election Day is October 11 and New Orleans DSA has four endorsed members running for City Council. Pastor Gregory Manning, Danyelle Christmas, Jackson Kimbrell, and Bob Murrell are making calls, knocking on doors, and attending candidate forums. Volunteer, donate, and follow these campaigns at our Endorsement HQ.

Support UNO Workers Against Austerity

United Campus Workers at UNO are requesting community support to resist impending cuts to the University including termination of long time workers and valuable programs. These cuts come from decades of austerity, forcing working class people to shoulder immense costs for education with student loans, and leading departments to rely on adjunct faculty rather than investing in sustainable, full-time positions. Let UNO administrators know that the community stands with our students and our educators.

Write Like a Socialist: We Have a World to Win!

Have an update from your committee or working group? That’s a Bulletin! Want to tell us about an upcoming event? Add it to the Community Calendar! Got some opinion or analysis to share for the good of the membership? Write us a Feature! Make your contribution to the next edition of Solidarity Means Action in the Comms Discord channel.

Community Calendar

Friday, August 8

DSA National Convention

Chicago, Illinois

Free Palestine! Abolish ICE! Weekly Lunch Hour Rally

12:00 pm – 12:45 pm (every Friday) – Immigration Court, 365 Canal St

Saturday, August 9

DSA National Convention

Chicago, Illinois

Brake Light Clinic & Health Fair & School Supply Drive

11:00 am – 2:00 pm – 2932 S Carrollton Av

Canvass for Bob Murrell, District A

2:00 pm – 4:00 pm – Get involved

Rally for Gaza

5:00 pm – Lafayette Square, 550 St Charles Av

Sunday, August 10

DSA National Convention

Chicago, Illinois

Canvass for Bob Murrell, District A

1:00 pm – 3:00 pm – Get involved

Monday, August 11

Step Up Candidate Forum ft Bob Murrell

5:00 pm – 8:30 pm – bit.ly/districtA

Critical Mass Nola Ride: Black August

6:00 pm – Armstrong Park, 701 N Rampart St

Wednesday, August 13

Indivisible Wednesday ICE Protest

2:00 pm – 3:00 pm (every Wednesday) – ICE Field Office, 1250 Poydras St

Thursday, August 14

Local Council Meeting

6:00 pm – 7:30 pm (second Thursday) – Meet

Friday, August 15

Free Palestine! Abolish ICE! Weekly Lunch Hour Rally

12:00 pm – 12:45 pm (every Friday) – Immigration Court, 365 Canal St

Saturday, August 16

Canvass for Bob Murrell, District A

1:00 pm – 3:00 pm – Get involved

Sunday, August 17

Canvass for Bob Murrell, District A

1:00 pm – 3:00 pm – Get involved

Down the Road

August 19 Sports Drink Community Night: Local Politics

August 23 New Orleans DSA General Meeting

August 27 Municipal Action Committee Meeting

September 3 Health Justice & Direct Service Meeting
September 27 Early Voting Starts

October 11 Election Day: Municipal Open PrimaryNovember 15 Election Day: Municipal Runoff

Features

City Council Campaigns Are Underway, Get Involved!

Election Day is October 11 and New Orleans DSA has three endorsed members running for City Council. Danyelle Christmas, Jackson Kimbrell, and Bob Murrell are making calls, knocking on doors, and attending candidate forums. At Step Up’s District E forum on Wednesday, Danyelle talked to voters about the need for a new council to make good on neglect and broken promises in her neighborhood. Bob did an r/NewOrleans AMA on Wednesday, focusing on candidate responsiveness, surveillance, short term rentals, public transit, and more. Jackson will be at the District C forum on August 6, and Bob will attend District A’s forum on August 11.

All DSA candidates are championing our People’s Platform to make this city work for the people who live here.

• Dismantling white supremacy & racism
• Opposing fascism, neoliberalism, privatization, and austerity
• Abolishing the criminal punishment system
• Climate justice and sustainability
• Abortion rights and access for all
• LGBTQ+ liberation
• Free quality public schools for all
• Supporting unionized labor & all unorganized workers
• Supporting immigrants, undocumented people, and oppressed and colonized nations
• Affordable quality housing and utilities 
• Living wage work for all who want it
• Healthcare for all
• Safe routes for all mobilities and robust and reliable mass transit  
• No tax breaks for billion dollar companies

Volunteer, donate, and follow these campaigns at our Endorsement HQ.

Come to Our Brake Light Clinic and Health Fair AND School Supply Drive Next Week

Your favorite DSA comrades will be in City Council District A on August 9, changing brake lights and handing out hot meals, cold drinks, and doing health checks. We’re also welcoming our friends from Trystereo to provide Narcan kits and educate us on how to use them, and we’ll be distributing back-to-school supply kits our members have put together this past month. It’s always a good time with good people, so come hang out and do some community organizing!

The address is 2932 S Carrollton Av, from 11:00 am to 2:00 pm. Get your hat, get your sunscreen, and get a friend or make one at the clinic.

Support UNO Workers Against Austerity

United Campus Workers at UNO are requesting community support to resist impending cuts to the University including termination of long time workers and valuable programs.

These cuts come from decades of austerity, forcing working class people to shoulder immense costs for education with student loans, and leading departments to rely on adjunct faculty rather than investing in sustainable, full-time positions.

UNO stands as a beacon of higher ed accessible to New Orleanians. But as austerity takes hold, these cuts represent lost hope and lost futures. We know that major systemic change is needed to correct this. In the meantime, it is important to let UNO administrators know that the community stands with our students and our educators.

Back to Basics – Andy L

A recent conversation with smart, well-grounded, business-savvy workers illustrated the work that we have ahead of us. They could not grasp the way in which they are being robbed by their bosses. Almost every relation with economic characteristics has some sort of exploitation built into it, and our task is to show people how to identify what’s happening. The first step in recovery is admitting there’s a problem, right? For workers, we see it as theft of the value that they create with their own labor. A business owner who pays a worker $100 a day must get at least $100 worth of value out of the worker or else risk going out of business. The key question is, “how much MORE value is created by the worker than they are paid?”

Maybe you’ve heard of the Ohio pizza shop owner who had an employee appreciation day, where he gave his workers all the sales and tips from the day’s orders. Every worker made $78 AN HOUR. The news stories wrote about how the owner was a great guy, yet no one pointed out the massive gap between the value that the employees create and the amount they are normally paid. 

People aren’t struggling because they’re lazy or because they eat out too much. They struggle because they are systematically robbed of the value that they create. They are swindled by business owners and corporate overlords who trick workers into thinking that they are paid well enough. It’s all a con. 

This is why we say that capitalism must go, torn out root and branch. The system only functions if there are people so desperate for work that they’ll put up with exploitative conditions. It needs  a reserve force of unemployed people to discipline workers with the threat that they could be replaced if they fight for what’s theirs. Capitalism can’t survive in a robust, healthy society – it can only function where there are weak points to exploit.

Bulletins

Fundamentals of Workplace Organizing: EWOC Training Series on How to Unite and Win

Come join Worker Power Louisiana for the final session in a four-part training on fundamental principles of effective shop-floor organizing. The series wraps up tomorrow with Inoculation and the Boss Campaign, from 3:00-4:30p. Sign up here.

Join the Voter Guide Team

Early voting for fall local elections begins September 27, which means it’s time for another round of the New Orleans DSA Voter Guide. We’re looking for members to join the research and writing team. See our previous Voter Guide editions here, and look for training and meeting announcements on the Voter Guide Working Group Discord channel.

Community Calendar

Friday, August 1

Free Palestine! Abolish ICE! Weekly Lunch Hour Rally

12:00 pm – 12:45 pm (every Friday) – Immigration Court, 365 Canal St

Saturday, August 2

Canvass for Bob Murrell, District A

1:00 pm – 3:00 pm – Get involved

Fundamentals of Workplace Organizing: Inoculation and the Boss Campaign

3:00 pm – 4:30 pm – Rosa F Keller Library, 4300 S Broad St – Sign Up

Sunday, August 3

Coffee with Comrades

11:00 am – 12:00 pm – Coffee Science, 410 Broad St

Canvass for Bob Murrell, District A

1:00 pm – 3:00 pm – Get involved

Chapter Orientation

8:00 pm – 9:00 pm (first and last Sunday) – Meet

Tuesday, August 5

Rank & File Project Meeting

6:00 pm – 8:00 pm (first Tuesday) – REACH Center, 2022 St Bernard Av, Bldg C, 3rd Fl

Wednesday, August 6

Indivisible Wednesday ICE Protest

2:00 pm – 3:00 pm (every Wednesday) – ICE Field Office, 1250 Poydras St

Health Justice and Direct Service Meeting

5:00 pm – 6:00 pm (first Wednesday) – Meet

Step Up Candidate Forum ft Jackson Kimbrell

5:00 pm – 8:30 pm

Thursday, August 7

Poli-Ed Planning Meeting

7:00 pm – 8:30 pm (first Thursday) – Oak St Brewery, 8201 Oak St – Reading List

Friday, August 8

DSA National Convention

Chicago, Illinois

Free Palestine! Abolish ICE! Weekly Lunch Hour Rally

12:00 pm – 12:45 pm (every Friday) – Immigration Court, 365 Canal St

Saturday, August 9

DSA National Convention

Chicago, Illinois

Brake Light Clinic & Health Fair & School Supply Drive

11:00 am – 2:00 pm – 2932 S Carrollton Av

Canvass for Bob Murrell, District A

1:00 pm – 3:00 pm – Get involved

Sunday, August 10

DSA National Convention

Chicago, Illinois

Canvass for Bob Murrell, District A

1:00 pm – 3:00 pm – Get involved

Down the Road

August 11 Step Up Candidate Forum ft Bob Murrell

August 14 Local Council Meeting

August 19 Sports Drink Community Night: Local Politics

August 21 Poli-Ed Reading Group

August 27 Municipal Action Committee Meeting

October 11 Municipal Open Primary Election DayNovember 15 Municipal Runoff Election Day

Features

A Good Martial Artist Does Not Become Tense, But Ready – Bruce Lee

With the Supreme Court deferring to the Trump Administration’s whims, the full-on grab for power is well underway barely six months into this four-year term. The machinations of this administration will increasi

ngly expose the contradictions our society rests upon. For example, the revolutionary impulse of the working class has historically been kept in check by the middle class. However, the DOGE cuts to government jobs were not about trimming the federal budget; they were about conducting class warfare against the middle class. Obviously, some elements of the bourgeoisie think that a middle class buffer is now less important to their project. It looks like  they have another plan for controlling the masses.

Enter the Imperial Boomerang, coming to the US in the form of a tripling of the ICE budget. The Posse Comitatus Act prohibits the military from acting as a civilian police force. Supercharging ICE is a way to step around that law. The Administration doesn’t need tanks and jet fighters to deal with dissents – it just needs tens of thousands of goons that can move around the country, and prison camps to hold whomever belongs to the out groups. Who will become the next out group, the next focus of  government repression? And the next after that? Fascists always need an out group, and if you think you’re safe because you are not in the out group, well it might be that you’re just not in the out group for now.  

The US could become a generation-long military dictatorship (à la Brazil, South Korea and Taiwan), but even before that happens, we need to prepare and act. We must develop our resources, organize our comrades, families, neighbors and friends, and call out the fascists for every fascist thing they do. We have to be smart, brave, and diligent. Talk to everyone you can about what’s happening in the country right now. This isn’t a future hypothetical; this is crisis, terror, tragedy, and death happening in our society right now.

Red Rabbits Recommendation – De-escalation Tips

De-escalation is a great way to keep others safe when events seem to be spinning out of control. Here are a few helpful tactics that can make your task easier.

First, ask questions that can cast yourself as an ally or non-party to the conflict. Ally questions include “How are you doing? Are you hurt?” The non-party approach would use questions like “What brings you to this event? What makes you say that this person is [whatever]?” Questions draw attention away from the source of the conflict. They can help identify the issues in play, so that you can steer the conversation. Answering questions activates different parts of the brain, which might deflate a growing fight-or-flight response. That is, if someone is answering a question, they probably won’t be punching anyone.

Second, as with any organizing activity, you need to listen empathetically. Give your undivided attention, validate feelings and reflect the communication by repeating back what they say to you, but in a more relaxed register. Don’t be afraid to wait them out – even someone who is very agitated and upset usually only has about 2 minutes of yelling in the tank before they get exhausted. If you can get them to yell at you instead of someone else, the problem might be solved.

Lastly, peel them away if you can do so while keeping yourself safe. You can do this by inventing a pretext like “I really want to hear more about … can you tell me more about it over here?” or “I have someone who might be able to help you, let’s go explain the situation to them.”

De-escalation is emotional labor, so after the event, allow yourself time to decompress and unwind. Don’t burn yourself out – we need you healthy and ready to act again!

Bulletins

School Supply Drive with the Direct Service & Health Justice Committee

We’re planning a school supply drive for the August 9 Brake Light Clinic & Health Fair. Chip in for supplies at our School Supply Drive Wishlist, or bring your own to our next General Meeting where we’ll assemble the kits.

Fundamentals of Workplace Organizing: EWOC Training Series on How to Unite and Win

Come join Worker Power Louisiana for a four-part training on fundamental principles of effective shop-floor organizing. Sessions continue with The Arc of the Campaign (July 26), and Inoculation and the Boss Campaign (August 2). All sessions are from 3:00-4:30p Central. Sign up here to get started.

City Council Endorsement HQ

Election Day is October 11 and New Orleans DSA has three endorsed members running for City Council. Keep up with Danyelle Christmas, Jackson Kimbrell, and Bob Murrell’s campaigns at Endorsement HQ. Volunteer, donate, follow on social media, and fill out the Campaign Outreach Survey to get involved.

We’ve Moved to Discord!

New Orleans DSA members should get on our Discord server to keep up with your comrades and our efforts. We’ve phased out Slack and will migrate old conversations over.

Community Calendar

Friday, July 25

Free Palestine! Abolish ICE! Weekly Lunch Hour Rally

12:00 pm – 12:45 pm (every Friday) – Immigration Court, 365 Canal St

Stop Starving Gaza Now Protest

1:00pm – Intersection of Lapalco and Manhattan Blvd.

Critical Mass Ride

Meet at 5:40pm, Roll at 6:30pm – French Market (Barracks St. Side)

Saturday, July 26

New Orleans DSA General Meeting

12:00 pm – 2:00 pm – New Orleans Healing Center, 2372 St Claude Av, Suite 258 – RSVP

Canvass for Bob Murrell, District A

2:00 pm – 4:00 pm – Get involved

Fundamentals of Workplace Organizing: The Arc of the Campaign

3:00 pm – 4:30 pm – Rosa F Keller Library, 4300 S Broad St – Sign Up

Sunday, July 27

Canvass for Bob Murrell, District A

1:00 pm – 3:00 pm – Get involved

Chapter Orientation

8:00 pm – 9:00 pm (first and last Sunday) – Meet

Wednesday, July 30

Indivisible Wednesday ICE Protest

2:00 pm – 3:00 pm (every Wednesday) – ICE Field Office, 1250 Poydras St

Friday, August 1

Free Palestine! Abolish ICE! Weekly Lunch Hour Rally

12:00 pm – 12:45 pm (every Friday) – Immigration Court, 365 Canal St

Saturday, August 2

Canvass for Bob Murrell, District A

1:00 pm – 3:00 pm – Get involved

Fundamentals of Workplace Organizing: Inoculation and the Boss Campaign

3:00 pm – 4:30 pm – Rosa F Keller Library, 4300 S Broad St – Sign Up

Sunday, August 3

Canvass for Bob Murrell, District A

1:00 pm – 3:00 pm – Get involved

Chapter Orientation

8:00 pm – 9:00 pm (first and last Sunday) – Meet

Down the Road

August 5 Rank & File Project Meeting

August 6 Health Justice and Direct Service Meeting

August 8-10 DSA National Convention

August 9 Brake Light Clinic & Health Fair

August 14 Local Council Meeting

August 19 Sports Drink Community Night: Local Politics

August 21 Poli-Ed Reading Group

October 11 Municipal Open Primary Election DayNovember 15 Municipal Runoff Election Day

Complete Calendar

Solidarity Means Action is the weekly newsletter of the New Orleans Democratic Socialists of America. Subscribe for updates every Friday at 8:00 am Central.

Features

So You Just Joined DSA, What’s Next? – Bob M, Membership Chair

If you are like the thousands of new members nationwide who have joined DSA in the last few months, welcome to the largest socialist organization in the country! As your chapter’s elected officer for membership, I’m here to help turn your excitement or anger into organizing and action. We have so many members from all walks of life in our chapter (you probably have friends who are already members), and to see working people share a little bit of their time and resources to the greater fight is inspiring, so thank you for joining us!

Here’s my brief guide for new members ( and anyone else still looking to get more involved):

1. Join the Discord server where we discuss and debate proposals between meetings, manage requests for help from our communities, share pictures of our animals, and so much more. Our Discord is primarily for members, but we do have a small space for non-members who want to stay informed. 
2. Pay local dues! National dues are required for membership in good standing, and the chapter does receive a fraction of those. Please consider chipping in a few more bucks a month for local dues. 100% of our local dues go straight to our chapter for renting our new office space, purchasing supplies for our brakelight and health clinics, printing materials, and more. 
3. Come to a New Member Orientation the first and last Sunday of every month, 8pm online. We will cover the basics of DSA and our local chapter, as well as give you space to ask questions and meet other new members. Our next two NMOs are July 27th and August 3rd. If you can’t make it, schedule a call to chat! Block off some time on my calendar to chat about why you joined, what matters to you, and how you can help our fight for a better New Orleans. 

It’s been great speaking with people who are looking to do something against the rise of fascism, and I know we will win the more we are able to come together with the rest of the working class in New Orleans. And now that you’ve joined, it’s time to get your friends, allies, and co-workers to join us in the fight for a better society. 

Do Not Be Tense; Be Ready

With the Supreme Court deferring to the Trump Administration’s whims, the full-on grab for power is well underwayin swing, barely six months into this four-year term. The machinations of this administration will increasingly expose the contradictions our society rests upon. For example, the revolutionary impulse of the working class has historically been kept in check by the middle class. However, the DOGE cuts to government jobs were not about trimming the federal budget; they were about conducting class warfare against the middle class. Maybe the bourgeoisie has another plan for controlling the masses.

The Imperial Boomerang has come to the US in the form of a tripling of the ICE budget. History shows us that government agencies only grow over time; they never seem to wrap up their work and disband. This begs the question that once the so-called “immigrant problem” is resolved, who will become the next out group, subject to government repression? And the next after that? Fascists always need an out group, and if you think you’re safe because you are not in the out group, well it might be that you’re just not in the out group for now.  

The US could become a generation-long military dictatorship (à la Brazil, South Korea and Taiwan), but even before that happens, we need to prepare and act. We must develop our resources, organize our comrades, families, neighbors and friends, and call out the fascists for every fascist thing they do. In many ways, Trump and his ghouls will make our lives harder, but in doing so, they will make our work easier. We have to be smart, brave, and diligent. 

As our good friend Bruce Lee reminds us: a good martial artist does not become tense, but ready.

Red Rabbit Recommendation – Keep It Casual, Comrades

One way we tighten up our operational security is to address each other by first name and the first letter of our last name. We all know that Karl M and Fred E are very important to our organization, but we don’t need to let those outside our organization know what their last names are. Ok, maybe we can let folks know about those two, but the rest of us shouldn’t use last names when we talk to or reference each other. Last names are superfluous to our work, and maybe we should keep an eye on someone who seems overly interested in learning everyone’s last name. We owe it to each other not to make anything easy for the class enemies.

Bulletins

School Supply Drive with the Direct Service & Health Justice Committee

We’re planning a school supply drive for the August 9 Brake Light Clinic & Health Fair. Chip in for supplies at our School Supply Drive Wishlist, or bring your own to our next General Meeting where we’ll assemble the kits.

Fundamentals of Workplace Organizing: EWOC Training Series on How to Unite and Win

Come join Worker Power Louisiana for a four-part training on fundamental principles of effective shop-floor organizing. Sessions continue with The Organizing Conversation (July 19), The Arc of the Campaign (July 26), and Inoculation and the Boss Campaign (August 2). All sessions are from 3:00-4:30p Central. Sign up here to get started.

City Council Endorsement HQ

Election Day is October 11 and New Orleans DSA has three endorsed members running for City Council. Keep up with Danyelle Christmas, Jackson Kimbrell, and Bob Murrell’s campaigns at Endorsement HQ. Volunteer, donate, follow on social media, and fill out the Campaign Outreach Survey to get involved.

We’ve Moved to Discord!

New Orleans DSA members should get on our Discord server to keep up with your comrades and our efforts. We’ve phased out Slack and will migrate old conversations over.

Community Calendar

Friday, July 18

Free Palestine! Abolish ICE! Weekly Lunch Hour Rally

12:00pm – 12:45pm (every Friday) – Immigration Court, 365 Canal St

Saturday, July 19

Fundamentals of Workplace Organizing: The Organizing Conversation

3:00pm – 4:30pm – Rosa F Keller Library, 4300 S Broad St – Sign Up

DSA Space-Warming Party: Home is Where the Organizing Is

6:30pm – 8:00pm – New Orleans Healing Center, 2372 St Claude Av, Room 258

Sunday, July 20

Monday, July 21

Tuesday, July 22

Wednesday, July 23

Indivisible Wednesday ICE Protest

2:00 pm – 3:00 pm (every Wednesday) – ICE Field Office, 1250 Poydras St

Municipal Action Committee Meeting

7:00 pm – 8:00 pm (fourth Wednesday) – Meet

Thursday, July 24

Friday, July 25

Free Palestine! Abolish ICE! Weekly Lunch Hour Rally

12:00 pm – 12:45 pm (every Friday) – Immigration Court, 365 Canal St

Saturday, July 26

New Orleans DSA General Meeting

12:00 pm – 2:00 pm – New Orleans Healing Center, 2372 St Claude Av, Suite 258 – RSVP

Knock Doors with Bob Murrell

2:00 pm – 4:00 pm – Sign up

Fundamentals of Workplace Organizing: The Arc of the Campaign

3:00 pm – 4:30 pm – Rosa F Keller Library, 4300 S Broad St – Sign Up

Sunday, July 27

Knock Doors with Bob Murrell

1:00 pm – 3:00 pm – Sign up

Chapter Orientation

8:00 pm – 9:00 pm (first and last Sunday) – Meet

Down the Road

August 2 – Fundamentals of Workplace Organizing: Inoculation and the Boss Campaign

August 5 – Rank & File Project Meeting

August 6 – Health Justice and Direct Service Meeting

August 8-10 – DSA National Convention

August 9 – Brake Light Clinic & Health Fair

August 14 – Local Council Meeting

August 19 – Sports Drink Community Night: Local Politics

August 21 – Poli-Ed Reading Group

October 11 – Municipal Open Primary Election Day

November 15 – Municipal Runoff Election Day

Complete Calendar

Solidarity Means Action is the weekly newsletter of the New Orleans Democratic Socialists of America. Subscribe for updates every Friday at 8:00 am Central.

Features

It’s Time to Put the People Back in Charge! Four DSA Members Qualify for City Council Races

Wednesday morning, at the steps of the Criminal District Courthouse, DSA School Board Member Gaby Biro introduced DSA’s City Council slate for 2025. Members Pastor Gregory Manning, Bob Murrell, Danyelle Christmas, and Jackson Kimbrell will proudly represent our chapter on your October ballot.

This slate represents us. Our members come from working class and union families. We see the damage that white supremacy, incarceration, and the school to prison pipeline bring into our neighborhoods. We’re tired of watching our schools and public goods get sold off to private corporations. These candidates dream of a future where we take on climate change, we have power and public transportation we can rely on, and we build long term housing for every resident of this city. They’re out there every day, knocking on doors, standing side by side with their neighbors against ICE, and working to put the people back in charge at City Hall. A better world is possible, and being clear and unapologetic about our demands is how we’re going to get there.

Join us tonight at our Campaign Kickoff Party, 6:30 pm at Brieux Carré. Come hang with comrades and get a glimpse of all that we can accomplish together.

DSA Space-Warming Party: Home is Where the Organizing Is

We’ve officially moved into our space at the New Orleans Healing Center, and now it’s time to celebrate! Come enjoy comradely antics and support this new hub for community organizing on Friday, July 18th from 6:30-8 pm at the New Orleans Healing Center, Suite 258. There will be refreshments, snoballs, and plenty of good vibes, so be sure to pop by!

This new location fills the need for a secure meeting place for progressive groups, but it’s not cheap — donations are welcomed at the door, on Paypal to treasurer@dsaneworleans.org, or through monthly local dues. We’ll also be selling merch and encouraging in-kind donations of furnishings like chairs, tables, floor lamps, desks, and similar things (reach out on Discord with questions!)

Parking is located at 2465 N Rampart St. Small signs directing you to the space will be put up, and you can also check out our helpful guide and map for navigating the building. We hope to see you there!

What Hurricane Ida Revealed About the Failures of Our City-Assisted Evacuation Plan – Wash F

After Hurricane Katrina, the city developed a comprehensive city-assisted evacuation plan that kicks in once a hurricane is forecast to be category 3 or above. In 2021, when Hurricane Ida reached category 3, this evacuation plan should’ve been initiated, but Ida’s rapid intensification didn’t allow nearly enough time to do so. 

Given the difficulty of evacuating tens of thousands of residents with different needs across the city, the plan’s timeline involves evacuation orders going out 54-72 hours in advance of landfall. In comparison, Ida’s timeline was:

• [72 hrs until NOLA landfall] Ida designated a tropical storm: 8/26 at 7pm. 
• [54 hrs until] Hits Cuba as a category 1: 8/27 at 1pm.
• [30 hrs until] Intensifies to category 2: 8/28 at 1pm. 
• [18 hrs until] At 1am on 8/29, it intensified to a cat 3, beyond what was expected. One hour later, it was a cat 4. 

Assuming people checked the weather at 8am, that would leave less than *12 hours* before it hit the city around 8pm.

Climate change means storms will continue to develop quickly and unpredictably. When (not if) this rapid intensification happens again, how will we deal with it? Does the City truly have a sufficient hurricane response strategy, or just a best-case-scenario plan making us feel safer than we should?

The City needs to prioritize strengthening our ability to weather storms when pre-storm evacuation is not possible. Cuba is known to have robust hurricane preparedness and response infrastructure because of its vulnerability to hurricanes and inability to evacuate, so much so that Oxfam published the report “Weathering the Storm: Lessons in Risk Reduction from Cuba.” The City of New Orleans should learn from our Caribbean neighbors, reevaluate our current hurricane response plans, and pursue tactics for protecting the city and those in it when storms hit — our survival relies on it!

Red Rabbits Recommendation – Develop Threat Assessment Skills

We live in a world that isn’t safe, but learning how to make proper threat assessments can keep you and your comrades safer. There are different ways of making your assessment, including this four-step model:

1. What am I trying to do? Think about the thing itself and any information related to it.
2. What can go wrong? How what you’re doing can expose personal information in ways that are bad.
3. What am I doing to mitigate that? How changes in behavior or technology can prevent things from going wrong.
4. How did I do? Re-examine the situation under the new conditions to see if the threat level has changed.

We also have this five-step model from our good friends at the Electronic Frontier Foundation: 

1. What do you want to protect? The data, communications, and other things that could cause problems for you if misused.
2. Who do you want to protect it from? The people, organizations, and criminal actors who might seek access to that stuff.
3. How likely is it that you will need to protect it? Your personal level of exposure to those threats.
4. How bad are the consequences if you fail?
5. How much trouble are you willing to go through in order to try to prevent those? The money, time and convenience you’re willing to dispense to protect those things.

As with many things, there isn’t a single, best solution. The challenge to you and your comrades is to craft and use a threat assessment protocol that will work in your situation. We owe it to each other not to make anything easy for the class enemies.

Bulletins

School Supply Drive with the Direct Service & Health Justice Committee

We’re planning a school supply drive for the August 9 Brake Light Clinic & Health Fair. Chip in for supplies at our School Supply Drive Wishlist, or bring your own to our next General Meeting where we’ll assemble the kits.

Fundamentals of Workplace Organizing: EWOC Training Series on How to Unite and Win

Come join Worker Power Louisiana for a four-part training on fundamental principles of effective shop-floor organizing. Four sessions will cover Developing Leadership (July 12), The Organizing Conversation (July 19), The Arc of the Campaign (July 26), and Inoculation and the Boss Campaign (August 2). All sessions are from 3:00-4:30p Central. Sign up here to get started.

City Council Endorsement HQ

Election Day is October 11 and New Orleans DSA has three endorsed members running for City Council. Keep up with Danyelle Christmas, Jackson Kimbrell, and Bob Murrell’s campaigns at Endorsement HQ. Volunteer, donate, follow on social media, and fill out the Campaign Outreach Survey to get involved.

We’ve Moved to Discord!

New Orleans DSA members should get on our Discord server to keep up with your comrades and our efforts. We’ve phased out Slack and will migrate old conversations over.

Community Calendar

Friday, July 11

Free Palestine! Abolish ICE! Weekly Lunch Hour Rally

12:00 pm – 12:45 pm (every Friday)

Immigration Court, 365 Canal St

DSA City Council Campaign Kickoff Party

6:30 pm

Brieux Carré, 2115 Decatur St

Saturday, July 12

Unión Migrante Immigration Justice Teach-In

11:00 am – 12:30 pm

Rayne Memorial United Methodist Church, 3900 Pitt St

Fundamentals of Workplace Organizing: Developing Leadership

3:00 pm – 4:30 pm

Milton Latter Library, 5120 St Charles Av – Sign Up

Sunday, July 13

Membership Working Group Kickoff

12:00 pm

Discord Meeting Room 1

Monday, July 14

Critical Mass Bastille Day Ride with Danyelle Christmas

6:00 pm

French Market, Barracks St & French Market Pl

Tuesday, July 15

Indivisible Tuesday ICE Protest

9:00 am – 10:00 am (every Tuesday)

Immigration Court, 365 Canal St

Sports Drink Community Night: Local Politics

7:00 pm – 9:00 pm

Sports Drink, 1042 Toledano Av

Wednesday, July 16

Indivisible Wednesday ICE Protest

2:00 pm – 3:00 pm (every Wednesday)

ICE Field Office, 1250 Poydras St

Thursday, July 17

Poli-Ed Reading Group: On Contradiction & The Master’s Tools

7:00 pm – 8:30 pm (third Thursday)

Oak St Brewery, 8201 Oak St – Reading List

Friday, July 18

Free Palestine! Abolish ICE! Weekly Lunch Hour Rally

12:00 pm – 12:45 pm (every Friday)

Immigration Court, 365 Canal St

DSA Space-Warming Party: Home is Where the Organizing Is

6:30 pm – 8:00 pm

New Orleans Healing Center, 2372 St Claude Av, Room 258

Saturday, July 19

Fundamentals of Workplace Organizing: The Organizing Conversation

3:00 pm – 4:30 pm

Rosa F Keller Library, 4300 S Broad St – Sign Up

Down the Road

July 23 Municipal Action Committee Meeting

July 26 New Orleans DSA General Meeting

July 26 Fundamentals of Workplace Organizing: The Arc of the Campaign

July 27 Chapter Orientation

August 2 Fundamentals of Workplace Organizing: Inoculation and the Boss Campaign

August 5 Rank & File Project Meeting

August 6 Health Justice and Direct Service Meeting

August 8-10 DSA National Convention

August 9 Brake Light Clinic & Health Fair

October 11 Municipal Open Primary Election Day

November 15 Municipal Runoff Election Day

Complete Calendar

Solidarity Means Action is the weekly newsletter of the New Orleans Democratic Socialists of America. Subscribe for updates every Friday at 8:00 am Central.

Features

That’s a Wrap on the 2025 Local Convention!

New Orleans DSA held our Local Convention on Saturday at Big Couch. Thank you to all the members who brought food and volunteered for the event, and a special thank you to our wonderful hosts. Our State of the Chapter report introduced all the work we’ve done over the last twelve months, and the recent upsurge in members ready to take on the Trump administration and excited about Zohran Mamdani and the DSA electoral program!

During the convention, members approved our new Local Council leadership. Congrats to co-chair Jack S, at-large members Wash F and Burrell P, membership chair Bob M, treasurer Savannah C, and our committee chairs Charlie B (electoral aka Municipal Action Committee), Grant C (communications), Cody K (labor aka Worker Power Louisiana), Ari O (political education), and Tristan R (health justice). Additionally, our members approved a series of by-laws amendments including the move from Slack to Discord for chapter communications, cleaning up old language in our bylaws, and supporting anonymous membership that requires special approval from the Local Council.

Our chapter also passed two political resolutions. First, our chapter has recommitted to Eye on Surveillance and appointed Bob M and Aaron Z as representatives to the coalition. Second, we passed an organizing vision until the next Local Convention to consolidate our focus toward Growing Our Membership, Organizing Our Communities, and Fighting for Power. This organizing vision ensures that the priorities of our highest decisionmaking bodies – Local Convention and General Membership meetings – are receiving our members’ efforts and attention. 

Special thanks to Luisa from the DSA National Political Committee for her presentation on immigration justice, and Cynthia with Indivisible NOLA on local ICE protests and court watch efforts.

New Orleans DSA Will Qualify Three Candidates for City Council Races

On July 9, at 8:00 a.m., join City Council candidates Bob Murrell (District A), Jackson Kimbrell (District C), and Danyelle Christmas (District E), as they kick off their campaigns at a rally and press conference in front of Criminal District Court, 2700 Tulane Avenue. All three candidates are members of New Orleans DSA and have been endorsed by the chapter’s membership. This is the first time New Orleans DSA has three members running for City Council. Supporters should show up and sound off for our bold platform to put people before profits. Get our latest updates at Endorsement HQ.

Bob Murrell is a technical project manager and parent of two young children in Lakeview. Born at Charity Hospital forty years ago, Bob attended public schools and graduated from Riverdale High before studying Computer Science at Tulane University. He is running because he wants the next generation of New Orleanians to grow up in a city where you can afford to live here, have a good paying job, the lights stay on, and the streets don’t flood. His top issues for District A are the housing affordability crisis, adapting to climate change, childhood poverty and literacy rates, and fighting corruption and fascism. His campaign website is bob4districta.com.

Jackson Kimbrell is construction project manager who lives in Algiers with his wife and two boys. He grew up in Arkansas, and after graduating from The Citadel, moved to Louisiana to get his master’s degree from LSU. He is running to ensure all New Orleanians can be prosperous and the city can thrive for another 300 years. He brings new and innovative solutions for the problems the city faces. His top issues for District C are affordable housing, universal PreK, affordable utilities, resilient buildings, and expanded public transit. His campaign website is jacksonkimbrell.com.

Danyelle Christmas works in dentistry and is a single mother of four kids in the Lower 9th Ward. She went to Warren Easton High School and studied pre-law at Seminole State College in Orlando. She is running because everyone deserves a great quality of life no matter where they live: “We all deserve working street lights, parks for our kids to play in, and streets that don’t flood at the drop of rain or have pot holes older than our kids.” Her top issues for District E are affordable housing, making Entergy pay their fair share, and quality of life. Her website is bit.ly/danyelle4districte.

Don’t Let These Candidates Lower the Bar: The VOTE Mayoral Town Hall

Congress has decimated hurricane forecasting, cut cancer research and is shuttering rural hospitals, and is stealing  from our tattered social safety net to prop up the last two jobs they want remaining in this country: cops and prison guards. With this backdrop, mayoral candidates Arthur Hunter, Helena Moreno, and Oliver Thomas sat down for a town hall.

The takeaway is that none of these candidates could give clear and thoughtful answers to the most pressing issues of our day. Each of these people has been planning their mayoral run for years. They should know the problems that plague our city: our land is sinking while the seas rise, hurricanes come more frequently and intensely, insurance rates make housing unaffordable, our power and water systems routinely fail, our public schools funnel profits to corporate charter networks, and our sky-high incarceration rate doesn’t make us any safer.

When asked about housing, Thomas declared he’d build 10,000 new homes and public housing. When has Oliver Thomas built affordable housing, much less 10,000 units? Moreno talked about transforming unused city property into affordable housing. Has the realtor and council president given us reason to believe this would ever happen? Hunter offered workforce training and a 25-year housing plan, but both fail to address that people are being forced out of their homes today because insurance costs are astronomical and city council has been letting landlords make a killing on short term rentals.

Could these candidates at least take a stand against Entergy, the for-profit corporate utility that doesn’t care if we live or die as long as the auto-pay keeps on keeping on? Hunter said yes, Moreno said yes and no, and Thomas said, “That’s a deeper dive than a yes or no answer.” Well then give us your answer – you’re the career politicians who want to be in charge of this city, you’ve been workshopping your positions and rehearsing your pitches for years, you’re sitting on a stage with the entire city paying attention. Your unwillingness to give clear and detailed answers tells us that you just aren’t going to put in the effort to fix any of these problems.

Reader, you keep up with public transportation and ICE and Palestine. You have strong beliefs about what needs fixing in this city. Is it really so much to ask for politicians to put in half as much thought? The city is sinking. Fascism is enveloping the country. We deserve better than councilmember Thomas declaring, “I support undocumented criminals being deported.”

It’s socialism or barbarism. Which side are you on?

Support the UMC Nurses Strike Fund

Eighteen months after nurses at UMC overwhelmingly voted to create a union, the hospital’s executives and their lawyers continue to delay, distract, gaslight, and stall at the negotiating table. Now they’re intensifying their union busting by terminating nurses active in the union and promoting a blatant misinformation campaign across the hospital in a futile attempt to dampen nurses’ commitment to making the hospital the best it can be.

Left with no other choice, nurses are now preparing for a FOURTH strike, demanding the immediate reinstatement of the two nurses terminated in the hospital’s retaliation, the stop to all union-busting actions, and a reasonable contract that reflects the simple things that will make UMC better for staff and patients alike.

Nurses on the picket line will be making the sacrifice to go without pay for the duration of the strike. Nurses put themselves on the line every day, and no one should have to worry about making their bills as they fight for what’s right at UMC. That’s where you come in. Your donation to the Strike Fund helps a nurse stand with the strike for another day.

It’s simple: a fair union contract improves care for people in our community. Union busting does not. By giving to the Strike Fund, you stand with nurses and with everyone who is ready to create the best UMC possible.

Forget-Me-Not Friday: The Capitalist Running Dog

A Running Dog is a disparaging name for someone who sucks up to someone more powerful to curry favor or gain protection. Mao Zedong would refer to allies of imperialist counterrevolutionary forces as Imperialist Running Dogs. The expression blossomed into other forms as it made its way into the culture, but has fallen out of favor. 

That’s a shame, because it’s useful in a few ways. First, it reminds us the bourgeoisie don’t have to do the actual physical oppression because they get others to do their dirty work. Cops are absolutely Running Dog Class Enemies: as long as they enforce property rights, they’re pretty much free to do whatever they want to do. Second, it illuminates the power imbalance between those giving the orders and those executing them. Everyone doesn’t meet up, hash out what should be done, and work towards that goal; one side says “do it” and the other complies. 

That’s not the world that we as socialists want to build. We’re working towards more direct democracy, where we decide together how our world will be. That’s not just a pipe dream, by the way: for 120 years, Ancient Athens practiced a radical democracy that randomly picked 500 men (ok, they weren’t quite socialists) to govern the city over a one-year period. That society over that time frame gave us Sophocles, Pericles, Demosthenes, Socrates, Aristotle, Plato, Hippocrates, and countless other thinkers who laid the foundation of Western civilization.

So take some time and look at your situation. We all have bills to pay, but don’t be a capitalist running dog if you can avoid it. And definitely not when you’re on your own time. That’s time for Liberation! 

Red Rabbits Recommendation – Buddy Up!

When you go out to a protest or some other event, bring a comrade along. Or maybe even a pal whom you’d like to turn into a comrade. There are all kinds of advantages to using the buddy system. It’s comforting to know that in a sea of people, you have a friendly face by your side. You’ll have a companion to commiserate with during gaps in the program or long speeches. Anything you learn will be learned by another person, doubling the exposure. If you need to move quickly, you’ll have another set of eyes scouting out the path ahead or watching out for threats from behind. If you become injured, there will be someone to watch over you. Learning to act together is a basic tenant of solidarity, and it needs to be practiced, just like any other skill.

As part of proper planning, make sure that you and your buddy are in agreement about what level of risk you’re both comfortable with. If things go pear-shaped and you’re ready to make like a shepherd and get the flock out of there, you don’t want to find out that your buddy is actually ready to mount the barricades.

Never forget the wise words of Mariame Kaba: Everything worthwhile is done with other people.

Bulletins

We’ve Moved to Discord!

New Orleans DSA members should get on our Discord server to keep up with your comrades and our efforts. We’ve phased out Slack and will migrate old conversations over.

School Supply Drive with the Direct Service & Health Justice Committee

We’re planning a school supply drive for the August 9 Brake Light Clinic & Health Fair. Chip in for supplies at our School Supply Drive Wishlist, or bring your own to our next General Meeting where we’ll assemble the kits.

Fundamentals of Workplace Organizing: EWOC Training Series on How to Unite and Win

Come join Worker Power Louisiana for a four-part training on fundamental principles of effective shop-floor organizing. Four sessions will cover Developing Leadership (July 12), The Organizing Conversation (July 19), The Arc of the Campaign (July 26), and Inoculation and the Boss Campaign (August 2). All sessions are from 3:00-4:30p Central. Sign up here to get started.

City Council Endorsement HQ

Election Day is October 11 and New Orleans DSA has three endorsed members running for City Council. Keep up with Danyelle Christmas, Jackson Kimbrell, and Bob Murrell’s campaigns at Endorsement HQ. Volunteer, donate, follow on social media, and fill out the Campaign Outreach Survey to get involved.

Community Calendar

Complete Calendar

Solidarity Means Action is the weekly newsletter of the New Orleans Democratic Socialists of America. Subscribe for updates every Friday at 8:00 am Central.

Features

Local Convention is Here: Tomorrow from 1-5pm at Big Couch

Local Convention 2025 is tomorrow, June 28th, at Big Couch, 1045 Desire St. Local Convention is our chapter’s largest event of the year, where we review the past year and current state of the chapter, plan the course of the next year, and vote on important business like bylaws amendments and Local Council members.

Social/check-in starts at 12:30 pm in the lobby with food and drinks. Call to order will start at 1:00 pm sharp. You can check out the proposed amendments, resolutions, and Local Council nominee bios on the Convention Compendium. We’ll also hear from speakers about standing up in the face of recent attacks on immigrants, and will break bread while building community with our comrades! Check out the full agenda here.

Childcare will be provided. Please indicate childcare and accessibility needs when you RSVP.

Observers are welcome to sit in on our discussions and hear from our speakers, but only New Orleans DSA members in good standing are eligible to vote, so be sure to check your membership status at proof.dsausa.org before convention!

After Convention, grab a buddy and head over to the afterparty at The Domino Lounge, 3044 St Claude Ave.

City Council Pulls Surveillance Ordinance, Replaces It With Another on July 10

This week, you called and emailed city officials to oppose Ordinance 35,125, which would have expanded the government’s surveillance powers, including live facial recognition, characteristic tracking, cell-site simulators, and partnerships with unaccountable private entities like Project NOLA. Following overwhelming opposition, Council withdrew the ordinance from the June 26 agenda.

But much like the existing bans on facial recognition didn’t stop NOPD from repeatedly and illegally using facial recognition anyway, Councilmembers Oliver Thomas and Eugene Green are reintroducing the surveillance measure with minor cosmetic changes as Ordinance 35,137. The new ordinance adds lip service to oversight and protecting immigrants and those seeking abortion care, but that’s all it is: lip service.

Nothing about the ordinance, or policing in general, prevents state and federal officials like Jeff Landry and ICE from using these weapons for whatever they want. We already live in one of the most surveilled cities on the planet. Law enforcement has blinking cameras everywhere and drones in the sky, and is constantly monitoring our location data and social media.

None of us wants to live in this dystopia of constant surveillance, a minimum security prison in which our every movement gets precisely tracked. No safeguards purporting to reduce the racial bias of this technology, no fearmongering about radicalized Army veterans, and no amount of “process” or “community input” is going to change our position that surveillance ain’t safety and that our block is not a crime scene. Instead of selling out the city’s financial future on surveillance contracts and all the cameras, software, and data storage needs they’ll perpetually entail, let’s invest in the real changes that reduce violence: housing, healthcare, and education. Before City Council votes on July 10, email your city officials, text your friends, and tell everyone you know to oppose Ordinance 35,137.

Enjoy Yourself, It’s Later Than You Think

News broke recently about Palantir securing another hefty government contract, signaling the continuing integration of AI and surveillance technology into the federal government.

Not to be alarmist, but you’re on the list of socialists. Not just our list so that you can get this newsletter, but the Facebook list because of the thumbs-up you gave your friends when they posted photos of their local protest, and the Twitter list (Musk dead names his own child, so it will always be Twitter) because of the spicy memes you re-tweet, and of course, the Palantir list.

The simultaneous good-and-bad news is that you’re in the Leftist club, whether you want to be there or not (spoiler: it’s good news). Fascists treat anything to the left of them as full-blown communist (even though many of them have no idea what that actually means), so you might as well set your expectations properly. History shows us again and again examples of people who try to “make a deal” with fascists and break off from the Leftists. The fascists take the deal, crush the weakened Leftists, then turn on the folks who thought they’d saved themselves. It’s as regular as the Saints breaking our hearts every year by mid-season.

However, you should remember that Palantir is named after the seeing stones from Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings. Although the stones showed things happening, they didn’t show you everything you needed to know, which made them an unreliable guide to action. This Palantir will be the same way – software never completely performs as designed.

So there’s nothing left for you to do but fight. Learn the theory, do the praxis. Have organizing conversations every day. People want to talk, they want to be listened to, and they want answers that you can help them find. Good luck. We believe in you.

Red Rabbits Recommendation – Don’t Get Kettled

When the class enemies decide to violently break up a protest or a march, one of their options is to “kettle” some or all of the participants. This maneuver is done by boxing in the target group on all sides, then slowly closing the box by pushing into the center of the mass of people. Being squeezed in like this removes the ability of the kettled people to move freely, making them easy pickings for the cops. They peel off members of the immobilized group, package them up, and then transport them to jail. Kettling also often follows an arbitrary declaration of unlawful assembly, capturing large numbers of people who are lawfully assembled. Confining people in a small area with weapons trained on them, sometimes firing at them, can be really dangerous..

One of the big concepts that came out of the protests in Hong Kong a few years back was to “be water.” The crowds were constantly in motion, flowing hither and yon, making it difficult for the class enemies to contain and capture them.

Protest Marshals are an essential component of this type of resistance. A fully-staffed march will have marshals on the perimeter of the crowd and will even have lookout marshals at least a block away from the crowd on all sides, watching for massing groups of cops. The marshals are usually in contact with each other via walkie-talkies, and they’ll try to steer the crowd away from trouble. Marshaling is the embodiment of We Protect Us. If you have the capacity, please consider marshaling with Red Rabbits.

Also, being aware of an area’s geography can help you avoid areas where you can be kettled. Beware of bridges: those are open areas of flat, stable ground with limited access points. Don’t make anything easy for our class enemies.

To paraphrase the gals at My Favorite Murder: Stay Sexy, Don’t Get Kettled!

Bulletins

Fundamentals of Workplace Organizing: EWOC Training Series on How to Unite and Win

Come join Worker Power Louisiana for a four-part training on fundamental principles of effective shop-floor organizing. Four sessions will cover Developing Leadership (July 12), The Organizing Conversation (July 19), The Arc of the Campaign (July 26), and Inoculation and the Boss Campaign (August 2). All sessions are from 3:00-4:30p Central. Sign up here to get started.

City Council Endorsement HQ

Election Day is October 11 and New Orleans DSA has three endorsed members running for City Council. Keep up with Danyelle Christmas, Jackson Kimbrell, and Bob Murrell’s campaigns at Endorsement HQ. Volunteer, donate, follow on social media, and fill out the Campaign Outreach Survey to get involved.

Community Calendar

Friday, June 27

12:00-12:45p Free Palestine! Abolish ICE! Weekly Lunch Hour Rally – Immigration Court, 365 Canal St.

Saturday, June 28

10:00a-12:00p Canvass for Danyelle Christmas, District E – Get involved

11:00a-12:00p Stop the Army Corps Lock Expansion Protest – Sanchez Center, 1616 Fats Domino Ave.

1:00-5:00p New Orleans DSA Local Convention – Big Couch, 1045 Desire St. RSVP here

5:30p The People’s Pride March – Washington Square, 700 Elysian Fields Ave.

6:00p Convention Afterparty – The Domino Lounge, 3044 St Claude Ave.

Sunday, June 29

10:00a-12:00p Canvass for Danyelle Christmas, District E – Get involved

5:00p Black & Palestinian Solidarity Day – Beauty Kingdom, 2147 S. Claiborne Ave.

Tuesday, July 1

5:30p SEIU March and Action to End ICE Raids and Release Those Unjustly Detained – Spanish Plaza, 2 Canal St.

6:00-8:00p Rank & File Project Meeting – REACH Center, 2022 St. Bernard Ave., Bldg. C, 3rd Fl.

Wednesday, July 2

12:00-1:00p NOLA Grannies / Indivisible Weekly Rally – ICE Field Office, 1250 Poydras St.

5:00-6:00p Health Justice and Direct Service Meeting – Zoom

6:00-8:00p VOTE New Orleans Monthly Meeting – VOTE New Orleans, 4930 Washington Ave., Suite A

Thursday, July 3

6:00-8:00p New Orleans Workers’ Center for Racial Justice Monthly Meeting – New Orleans Workers’ Center for Racial Justice, 3500 Canal St., 2nd Fl.

7:00-8:30p Poli-Ed Planning Meeting – Oak St. Brewery, 8201 Oak St. Reading List

Friday, July 4

12:00-12:45p Free Palestine! Abolish ICE! Weekly Lunch Hour Rally – Immigration Court, 365 Canal St.

Saturday, July 5

10:00a-12:00p Canvass for Danyelle Christmas, District E – Get involved

Sunday, July 6

10:00a-12:00p Canvass for Danyelle Christmas, District E – Get involved

Down the Road

July 9 DSA City Council Qualifying Rally – Criminal District Court, 2700 Tulane Ave.

July 10 City Council Surveillance Ordinance Vote – City Council Chamber, 1300 Perdido St., Second Floor West

July 12 Fundamentals of Workplace Organizing: Developing Leadership – Rosa F. Keller Library, 4300 Broad St. Sign Up

July 17 Poli-Ed Reading Group: On Contradiction & The Master’s Tools – Oak St. Brewery, 8201 Oak St. Reading List

July 19 Fundamentals of Workplace Organizing: The Organizing Conversation – Rosa F. Keller Library, 4300 Broad St. Sign Up

July 26 Fundamentals of Workplace Organizing: The Arc of the Campaign – Rosa F. Keller Library, 4300 Broad St. Sign Up

August 2 Fundamentals of Workplace Organizing: Inoculation and the Boss Campaign – Rosa F. Keller Library, 4300 Broad St. Sign Up

August 8-10 DSA National Convention – Chicago

October 11 Municipal Election Day – Open Primary

November 15 Municipal Election Day – Runoff

Complete Calendar

Solidarity Means Action is the weekly newsletter of the New Orleans Democratic Socialists of America. Subscribe for updates every Friday at 8:00 am Central.

Features

Local Convention Next Saturday, June 28

Local Convention is our chapter’s largest event of the year, where we review the past year and current state of the chapter, plan the course of the next year, and vote on important business like bylaws amendments and Local Council members. You can check out the proposed amendments, resolutions, and Local Council nominee bios on the Convention Compendium. We’ll also hear from speakers about standing up in the face of recent attacks on immigrants, and will break bread while building community with our comrades! Check out the full agenda here.

This year’s convention will be on Saturday, June 28th, 1-5pm at Big Couch. We encourage you to arrive at 12:30 to sign-in and hang out before we start the meeting at 1:05. This is the highest decision-making body in our chapter, so we strongly urge you to join us in person or online! Food and masks will be provided. Please indicate other childcare and accessibility needs when you RSVP.

Observers are welcome to sit in on our discussions and hear from our speakers, but only New Orleans DSA members in good standing are eligible to vote, so be sure to check your membership status at proof.dsausa.org before the day of convention!

RSVP for Local Convention, share childcare and accessibility needs, and indicate if you can volunteer day-of at this link: https://actionnetwork.org/events/new-orleans-dsa-local-convention/

We Do Not Want to Live in a Minimum Security Prison

NOPD lied about surveilling us with facial recognition. They got caught.

• New Orleans Police Department using facial recognition despite years of denial (2020).

Then they just kept doing it, laundering it through ex-officer Bryan Lagarde’s Project NOLA surveillance system.

• Police secretly monitored New Orleans with facial recognition cameras (2025).

They wasted money on racist and ineffective Shot Spotter sensors.

• High-tech crime fighting tool now defunct (2013).

Now they want to start that all over again.

• Scoop: New Orleans brings back controversial gunshot-detecting technology (2025).

They made our city a testing ground for fascist Peter Thiel’s massive data scraper Palantir. The same Palantir that’s making an “ImmigrationOS” Surveillance Platform to track people for ICE.

• Palantir has secretly been using New Orleans to test its predictive policing technology (2018).

City Council, NOPD, and the District Attorney already have drones in the sky, and they’re already scraping our socials and calling it Open Source Intelligence. Now they want more surveillance, including live facial recognition, characteristic tracking, and cell-site simulators. They’ll take up Ordinance 35,125 at Thursday’s Council meeting.

These cameras track your every move, identifying you by your face, your clothing, or the dents on your car. It gives the government unprecedented power to track your daily life. As our political landscape evolves, we are seeing these surveillance technologies used against our immigrant community, abortion seekers, labor movement leaders, and activists exercising their right to free speech. The data collected through these technologies can be shared with third parties, including private companies and federal agencies like ICE or the National Guard.

“Always in Minimum Security” is how artist Jackie Sumell has described the surveillance state in New Orleans. We don’t want to build a surveillance infrastructure to hand over to our authoritarian president’s secret police force. We don’t want to be the architects of our own imprisonment. Oppose Ordinance 35,125 at City Council’s Thursday meeting and beyond.

What Did You Do During the War?

The long-anticipated (not in the good way) war between Iran and Israel has begun. Israel was unable to Shock-and-Awe their way to victory and is now calling for the US to come to their aid. Another way to see the US/Israel relationship is not so much one of patron state and client state, but more like Good Cop/Bad Cop. The reality show president is trying to wield a trillion-dollar military like a reveal on The Apprentice. Will he or won’t he “enter the war” and hit Iran with the bunker-buster bombs?

As it turns out, the US is already involved in the war, using our missile defense systems and fighter planes to shield Israel from Iranian reprisals. Mostly. Iranian weapons are increasingly getting through the Iron Dome. The hypocrisy of Israel unilaterally launching a sneak attack and then begging for help from the people who told them not to do it is an affront to anyone who understands that actions have consequences. Except that’s not really true for everyone is it? This kind of contradiction is a powerful organizing tool, and we should not waste this opportunity.

The cracks are there and growing. We need to keep asking the kinds of questions that will make people confront the BS contradictions that they’ve internalized and adapted to: If you thought that Trump was going to keep us out of wars, then why this change? How are the ICE raids affecting you? How long has the road been torn up in front of your house? Talk to people. Listen to people. Help them figure out that no one is coming to save them, that we have to do this ourselves.

Red Rabbits Recommendation – Protest Planning

People don’t plan to fail, they fail to plan. Protesting in NOLA these past few years has ranged from impassioned speeches at Lafayette Square to storming the Crescent City Connection and getting tear-gassed by NOPD. You need to know what kind of protest you’re going to and plan accordingly.

Talk with your household so everyone understands and agrees about the level of activity you will engage in. If things go pear-shaped, the repercussions will affect them as well.

If you get arrested, it’s good to already have a lawyer that you can call. Although there are groups organizing bail and jail support, having this set up means you’ll be one less person drawing on limited resources.

If things take a bad turn, protect your head and the back of your neck. If you do get a projectile or blow to your head, be sure to get it checked out, even if you feel okay afterwards. You’ll want to make sure that you don’t have a brain bleed.

Water is essential. A camelback is great, but bottles of water will do fine.

Tear gas should be flushed out with water. Lots of water. ONLY water. If water is applied quickly, you’ll only be debilitated for a few minutes. Mace is designed to disable you for 20-30 minutes. You treat it with lots of water and Dawn dish soap. Another option for Mace is Sudecon wipes. Maybe keep a few of those with you, if you can.

Wear glasses instead of contacts. Chemical agents can fuse the lenses to your eyeball.

And don’t get kettled. We owe it to each other not to make anything easy for the class enemies. Stay smart. Stay safe.

Bulletins

Erica Johnson Wins Soil and Water Conservation District Election

Last Saturday, you packed the polls to elect DSA-recommended Erica Johnson to the Crescent Soil and Water Conservation District. Erica will continue serving on CSWD’s District Board of Supervisors. You can keep up with CSWD on Instagram.

Support Our Endorsed Candidates for City Council

Our chapter voted to endorse three candidates in this year’s City Council races. Now, it’s up to us to help get our members into those seats! Check out our newly launched Endorsement HQ to find up-to-date info on all of our endorsed candidates! Take a minute to follow them on social media, donate to their campaigns, and volunteer using the links provided. Also, fill out our (very brief) Campaign Outreach Survey and let us know how you can best get involved.

Municipal Action Committee Wants You!

MAC currently has 2 vacant co-chair positions. While they aren’t strictly defined roles, we think it would be extremely useful to have one that is focused on electoral work, such as coordinating with our endorsed candidates, and one that is focused on civic engagement, such as keeping tabs on our various city governmental institutions. If either of these areas interest you, please shoot an email to hello@dsaneworleans.org or find Charlie B on Slack!

Chapter Merchandise Available Now!

Support and rep your favorite socialist organization with merch! Help us fundraise to send our delegates to DSA’s biennial National Convention, move into a new space by ordering a shirt, or just give us feedback on what items you might want to see in the future. Check it out at bit.ly/dsanola-merch.

Community Calendar

Friday, June 20

12:00-12:45p Free Palestine! Abolish ICE! Weekly Lunch Hour Rally – Immigration Court, 365 Canal St.

Saturday, June 21

10:00a-12:00p Canvass for Danyelle Christmas, District E – Get involved

12:00-6:00p Jane Place 30 Days of Housing Justice Celebration & Resource Fair – First Grace United Methodist Church, 3401 Canal St.

Sunday, June 22

9:00a-12:00p Canvass for Jackson Kimbrell, District C – Get involved

10:00a-12:00p Canvass for Danyelle Christmas, District E – Get involved

Wednesday, June 25

12:00-1:00p NOLA Grannies / Indivisible Weekly Rally – ICE Field Office, 1250 Poydras St.

2:00-6:00p Geaux Get Ready Hurricane Prep Party – Women With a Vision, 2028 Oretha Castle Haley Blvd.

7:00-8:00p Municipal Action Committee Meeting – Meet

Thursday, June 26

10:00a City Council Facial Recognition Meeting – City Council Chamber, 1300 Perdido St., Second Floor West Live Stream

Friday, June 27

12:00-12:45p Free Palestine! Abolish ICE! Weekly Lunch Hour Rally – Immigration Court, 365 Canal St.

Saturday, June 28

10:00a-12:00p Canvass for Danyelle Christmas, District E – Get involved

1:00-5:00p New Orleans DSA Local Convention – Big Couch, 1045 Desire St. RSVP here

6:00p Convention Afterparty – Location TBD

Sunday, June 29

10:00a-12:00p Canvass for Danyelle Christmas, District E – Get involved

Down the Road

July 17 Poli-Ed Reading Group: On Contradiction & The Master’s Tools – Oak St. Brewery, 8201 Oak St. Reading List

August 8-10 DSA National Convention – Chicago

October 11 Municipal Election Day – Open Primary

November 15 Municipal Election Day – Runoff

Complete Calendar

Solidarity Means Action is the weekly newsletter of the New Orleans Democratic Socialists of America. Subscribe for updates every Friday at 8:00 am Central.

Features

Vote Tomorrow: New Orleans DSA Recommends Erica Johnson for Soil and Water Conservation District

We believe that the Soil and Water Conservation Districts of Louisiana should be representative of the diverse communities stewarding the land of Louisiana—including small farmers, sustainable agriculture, urban agriculture, and farmers of color.

Erica Johnson is an urban farmer in Central City, producing vegetables, fruit, and shelf-stable products. She believes in a collective bettering of her community and often engages neighborhood members and children on the land. Her farm focuses on “finding strength, joy, and potential in providing limited but efficient nutrition options to a city that holds such high food insecurity.” You may have seen her at the New Orleans Flower Collective Mother’s Day Flower Market, and you can find her at the Crescent City Farmers Market on Sundays.

In Erica’s first term, she led the effort to improve public visibility and accessibility of the board and increased support for local urban farmers. She became treasurer and introduced new programming like low-cost tool rental for small-scale and urban farmers. Her challenger has no experience or history with the SWCD and doesn’t represent our diverse community.

We urge you to rally your friends and vote first thing tomorrow morning at one of the only eight polling places available in the region. To be eligible to vote in the Soil & Water Conservation District election, you must be 18 years old with a state ID, and reside in Jefferson, Orleans, St. Bernard, St. Charles, or St. John the Baptist parishes.

Click here to find your polling place – it’s probably not the one you usually go to.

Brake Light Clinic & Health Fair Tomorrow!

After you cast your vote for Erica Johnson, join us at the Brake Light Clinic & Health Fair from 11:00 am to 2:00 pm at 4961 N Claiborne Ave.

We can check and change your brake light, share food and cold drinks, take your blood pressure, connect you to community health resources, and chat about achieving socialist revolution together. We also put together gift bags and other goodies to distribute as well!

Wanna volunteer? We can teach you how to change brake lights day-of and always have other little tasks available to make the event the best it can be, so don’t be afraid to come by to lend a hand.

See you tomorrow!

Soft Power 101: Tulane Forces Out Environmental Scientist Kimberly Terrell

On Wednesday, the AP reported that Kimberly Terrell, the director of community engagement at Tulane’s Environmental Law Clinic (TELC), has resigned. Among other things, TELC researches the environmental impact of Louisiana’s petrochemical industry and illuminates their racial disparities in hiring practices. Although this work is beneficial to the community, it puts Tulane leadership in a bind. Tulane needs money from the state as well as from private donors to continue their downtown development project at Charity Hospital. Petrochemical companies don’t like TELC making them look bad, but they don’t have to go after Tulane directly with time-consuming lawsuits or expensive advertising campaigns. They simply lobby our elected officials, convince them to turn off money to Tulane or shut down any money that they send Tulane themselves, and poof!

Remember that a private university is a business. They combine sports teams, hedge funds, and private resorts into a service that trains and disciplines successive waves of workers and elites. Benefit to the community is secondary to the primary objective of maintaining the capitalist system, as Terrell’s struggle so clearly illustrates.

This is a classic example of Soft Power, and it is the dominant way that things get done. Send an angry email to your city councilor? Good luck. Have a meaningful conversation with someone who has the councilor’s ear? Now you’re getting somewhere. A fundamental task of organizing is Power Mapping. You need to find out who influences those who make the decisions. We can all agree that it’s not the working class – yet.

Mind you, it’s still important for us to continue to march, so that we can declare to the world what we think is wrong, find like-minded people, and organize them. The bourgeoisie is already organized: they don’t need to march.

Red Rabbits Recommendation – STFU Friday

Don’t talk to cops.

Cops are class enemies whose sole purpose for being is to enforce property rights. Anything helpful they do beyond that is lagniappe. They are under no obligation to help you or protect you from harm. This comes from the case Castle Rock v. Gonzales (2005), where the Supreme Court ruled that state and local government officials are not obligated to protect the public from harm they did not create.

They have no material interest in justice – they are there to maintain order, as defined by those with the property rights we talked about above.

It can be helpful to think about your interactions with them like you would interact with a feral animal: keep your distance and don’t talk to or taunt them, because they may seem perfectly calm at one moment and then violently lash out the next. Sometimes you just never know.

It’s possible that we’re rolling into a long hot summer of protesting, so here are some things to keep in mind when you decide to take to the streets:

• Know who’s leading your group (join a trusted group)
• Know what the plan is (have a clear plan)
• Know what actions you agree together to take (know what to expect) or avoid (know when to leave)

We owe it to each other not to make anything easy for class enemies. Stay smart. Stay safe.

Bulletins

Local Convention Update: Preliminary Agenda with Proposals and Nominees

Excited for the Local Convention on June 28th? Start preparing by checking out our Convention Compendium, which includes the proposed bylaw amendments, resolutions, consent agenda, and the agenda. Check them out and submit any suggested amendments to the proposals. We finalize the agenda and compendium a week before the convention with any amendments proposed by that time, but people are welcome to propose amendments day-of as well. RSVP for Local Convention here!

Support Our Endorsed Candidates for City Council

Our chapter voted to endorse three candidates in this year’s City Council races. Now, it’s up to us to help get our members into those seats! Check out our newly launched Endorsement HQ to find up-to-date info on all of our endorsed candidates! Take a minute to follow them on social media, donate to their campaigns, and volunteer using the links provided. Also, fill out our (very brief) Campaign Outreach Survey and let us know how you can best get involved.

Political Education Reading Group Meets June 19

Poli-Ed Reading Group’s book for the month is The Jakarta Method by Vincent Bevins. Whether you finish the book, only part of it, or just want to hang out for discussion, come by Oak St. Brewery, 8201 Oak St., on June 19 at 7:00 pm.

Municipal Action Committee Wants You!

MAC currently has 2 vacant co-chair positions. While they aren’t strictly defined roles, we think it would be extremely useful to have one that is focused on electoral work, such as coordinating with our endorsed candidates, and one that is focused on civic engagement, such as keeping tabs on our various city governmental institutions. If either of these areas interest you, please shoot an email to hello@dsaneworleans.org or find Charlie B on Slack!

Chapter Merchandise Available Now!

Support and rep your favorite socialist organization with merch! Help us fundraise to send our delegates to DSA’s biennial National Convention, move into a new space by ordering a shirt, or just give us feedback on what items you might want to see in the future. Check it out at bit.ly/dsanola-merch.

Community Calendar

Friday, June 13

12:00-12:45p Free Palestine! Abolish ICE! Weekly Lunch Hour Rally – New Orleans Immigration Court, 365 Canal St.

1:00p Tulane Environmental Law Clinic Under Attack Press Conference & Rally – 6823 St. Charles Ave.

6:00-8:00p Toxic Legacies: Environmental Racism & Resistance in Louisiana – Café Istanbul, 2372 St Claude Ave., Room 252

Saturday, June 14

8:00a-6:00p Election for Crescent Soil and Water Conservation District – Find your polling place

10:00a-12:00p No Kings Counter-Parade & Protest – Mandeville & Decatur St.

11:00a-2:00p Brake Light Clinic & Health Fair – 4961 N. Claiborne Ave.

4:00p No Pride in Genocide/Shell Out of Pride March – N. Rampart & St. Peter St.

Sunday, June 15

9:00a-12:00p Canvass for Jackson Kimbrell, District C – Get involved

Monday, June 16

6:00-7:30p Make Entergy Pay Campaign Meeting – Care Forgot Beercraft, 1728 St. Charles Ave.

6:00p The Canal Will Kill NOLA General Meeting – Sanchez Center, 1616 Fats Domino Ave.

Tuesday, June 17

7:00-9:00p Sports Drink Community Night: Politics Edition – Sports Drink, 1042 Toledano Ave.

Thursday, June 19

3:00-10:00p NOCOP Juneteenth Fundraiser & Community Block Party – Café Istanbul, 2372 St Claude Ave.

3:30-7:00p VOTE Juneteenth Cookout for the People – VOTE, 4930 Washington Ave.

7:00-8:30p Poli-Ed Reading Group: The Jakarta Method – Oak St. Brewery, 8201 Oak St.

Friday, June 20

12:00-12:45p Free Palestine! Abolish ICE! Weekly Lunch Hour Rally – New Orleans Immigration Court, 365 Canal St.

Saturday, June 21

10:00a-12:00p Canvass for Danyelle Christmas, District E – Get involved

Sunday, June 22

9:00a-12:00p Canvass for Jackson Kimbrell, District C – Get involved

10:00a-12:00p Canvass for Danyelle Christmas, District E – Get involved

Down the Road

June 28 New Orleans DSA Local Convention – New Orleans, RSVP here

August 8-10 DSA National Convention – Chicago

October 11 Municipal Election Day – Open Primary

November 15 Municipal Election Day – Runoff

Complete Calendar

Solidarity Means Action is the weekly newsletter of the New Orleans Democratic Socialists of America. Subscribe for updates every Friday at 8:00 am Central.

Features

You Deserve a Union! Come Learn How to Organize for One!

Tomorrow at 3:00-4:30 pm, DSA organizers will meet at the New Orleans Nora Navra Library, 1902 St. Bernard Ave., with individuals interested in labor organizing, learning about labor organizing, and meeting with labor allies in the New Orleans area. Everyone from every experience level is welcome, whether you are newly curious about the labor movement, or you are a seasoned organizer.

Labor unions are a step toward workplace and economic democracy. The past few years have illustrated how much the US struggles with capitalist powers that control our political system. Radical change is needed at the grassroots level to save working people. In addition to challenging this power imbalance, union participation can immediately change your workplace as you know it. If you think a labor union is “not for you” or “doesn’t work” in your industry, please come anyway! The organized labor landscape is changing tremendously in the US, and we need everyone to get involved.

We are also putting on a labor organizing in-person training series starting on July 12, in which we will host an in-person showing of the Emergency Workplace Organizing Committee’s (EWOC) live training seminar, along with time to discuss and exchange ideas with fellow labor organizers. We will encourage people to sign up on June 7, but if you would like to secure your spot ahead of time, please go to https://workerorganizing.org/training/.

Brake Light Clinic & Health Fair is Around the Corner!

Join us next Saturday, June 14, from 11:00 am to 2:00 pm at 4961 N Claiborne Ave. for our Brake Light Clinic & Health Fair. We can check and change your brake light, share food and cold drinks, take your blood pressure, connect you to community health resources, and chat about achieving socialist revolution together. We also put together gift bags and other goodies to distribute as well!

Wanna volunteer? We can teach you how to change brake lights day-of and always have other little tasks available to make the event the best it can be, so don’t be afraid to come by to lend a hand. Sign up here to volunteer.

See you next Saturday!

How Did We Become The Oddities? -Andy L

As our good friend William Gibson reminds us: “the future is already here… it’s just not evenly distributed.” The end goal of the prison abolitionists (building a world where we don’t have police) shows itself in the wealthy, well resourced neighborhoods of rich folks – you almost never see the cops there. This is what calls us to socialism. We want to build that better world for everyone, not just for those who can afford it.

As it turns out, we can all afford it, and the way we’ll build that world is through the democratic method, the method of discussion, criticism, persuasion and education, and not by the method of coercion or repression. We cannot compel people to give up idealism, any more than we can force them to embrace Marxism.* We see the injustices of homelessness, of Palestine, of people treating others in a way they wouldn’t dare treat their own mothers. This is the world that we’re fighting to change.

Society is full of seemingly good people, yet this basic extension of humanity to EVERYONE escapes them. We need to talk to them, try to get to the root of what went wrong in their lives, and get them back on track. I’m not talking about deep psychotherapy, just listening to them (mostly listening), talking to them, and helping them work through some of the contradictions they’ve internalized growing up in a capitalistic society. None of us started out as socialists; we had help getting to where we are now. To pay it back, you need to help others along the path. Socialists aren’t the oddities – we’re the ones who are still in touch with enough of our humanity that we want the whole world to become more fully human.**

* Mao

** Marx

Red Rabbits Recommendation – Don’t Feed The Trolls

When we’re out at a protest/march/event, there will sometimes be counterprotesters. It’s important not to engage with them. They are there to distract us from the purpose of our event and dissipate the energy there. Remember – gathering in groups gives power to the group: if you’re alone in the tall grass and you hear a tiger, you get afraid. If you’re there with ten of your comrades, you say, “let’s get that tiger!”

We’re social beings – it’s hardwired into us over tens of thousands of years, and you can feel that energy when you’re gathered together and focused on a task. Don’t let a bunch of ding-dongs take that away from you. Let the protest marshals take care of any counterprotesters – that’s why we have them at events. Any time you spend with the trolls is time you’re not focusing on the event speakers, the calls to action, or your fellow comrades. You can go home and argue online as much as you want, but when you’re at an event, do yourself a favor and recharge yourself on the energy flowing through the space. Don’t give the trolls a second thought.

Bulletins

Recommendation to Vote for Erica Johnson on June 14

At our May GM, the chapter voted to recommend Erica Johnson for Crescent Soil and Water Conservation District. Click the link above to find your polling place – it’s probably not the one you usually go to.

Support our Endorsed Candidates for City Council

Our chapter voted to endorse three candidates in this year’s City Council races. Now, it’s up to us to help get our members into those seats! Check out our newly launched Endorsement HQ to find up-to-date info on all of our endorsed candidates! Take a minute to follow them on social media, donate to their campaigns, and volunteer using the links provided. Also, fill out our (very brief) Campaign Outreach Survey and let us know how you can best get involved.

We’re on Bluesky!

New Orleans DSA is now on Bluesky! Give the account a follow and get the latest chapter news.

Political Education Committee Reading Group

The Political Education Committee’s book for the month is The Jakarta Method by Vincent Bevins. Whether you finish the book, only part of it, or just want to hang out for discussion, come by Oak St. Brewery, 8201 Oak St., on June 19 at 7:00 pm.

Nominations for 2025-2026 Local Council

Local Council is our democratically elected chapter leadership with responsibility for managing the overall direction of the chapter. Local Council consists of two co-chairs, one membership chair, one secretary, one treasurer, two at-large members, a steward for each of the official committees, and a representative of each administrative or currently-chartered campaign group. For a complete description, see our chapter bylaws. To nominate yourself or someone else, fill out this form.

Submissions Open for 2025 Local Convention

New Orleans DSA’s annual Local Convention will be June 28. Submissions can include proposals to amend bylaws, resolutions for new campaigns, or they can be for other chapter business. Reach out to Jack RS for information on how to write a resolution, and stay tuned for a resolution writing workshop ahead of convention. Be sure to RSVP for the Local Convention here.

Municipal Action Committee Wants You!

MAC currently has 2 vacant co-chair positions. While they aren’t strictly defined roles, we think it would be extremely useful to have one that is focused on electoral work, such as coordinating with our endorsed candidates, and one that is focused on civic engagement, such as keeping tabs on our various city governmental institutions. If either of these areas interest you, please shoot an email to hello@dsaneworleans.org or find Charlie B on Slack!

Chapter Merchandise Available Now!

Support and rep your favorite socialist organization with merch! Help us fundraise to send our delegates to DSA’s biennial National Convention, move into a new space by ordering a shirt, or just give us feedback on what items you might want to see in the future. Check it out at bit.ly/dsanola-merch.

Announcing our National Convention delegates!

Congratulations to John L, Emmanuel S, Benjamin H, Wash F, Jack RS, Amelie D, and Aspen W on their election as delegates to National Convention. They will represent our chapter at the highest decision making body of DSA in Chicago this summer. Thank you to all our candidates for running.

Community Calendar

Friday, June 6

12:00-12:45p Free Palestine! Abolish ICE! Weekly Lunch Hour Rally – NOLA ICE Field Office, 1250 Poydras St.

Saturday, June 7

10:00a-12:00p Canvassing (Danyelle Christmas, District E) – Get involved

1:00-4:00p Canvassing (Bob Murrell, District A) – Signup

3:00-4:30p You Deserve a Union! – Nora Navra Library Conference Room, 1902 St. Bernard Ave.

Sunday, June 8

10:00a-12:00p Canvassing (Danyelle Christmas, District E) – Get involved

1:00-4:00p Canvassing (Bob Murrell, District A) – Signup

Tuesday, June 10

6:00-7:00p DSA Chapter Orientation – Zoom

Thursday, June 12

5:30-6:30p Red Rabbits Working Group: Convention Prep

6:00-7:30p Local Council Meeting – Meet

Friday, June 13

12:00-12:45p Free Palestine! Abolish ICE! Weekly Lunch Hour Rally – NOLA ICE Field Office, 1250 Poydras St.

6:00-8:00p Toxic Legacies: Environmental Racism & Resistance in Louisiana – Café Istanbul, 2372 St Claude Ave., Room 252

Saturday, June 14

8:00a-6:00p Election for Crescent Soil and Water Conservation District – Find your polling place

10:00a-12:00p No Kings Counter-Parade & Protest – Lafayette Square, 550 St. Charles Ave.

11:00a-2:00p Brake Light Clinic & Health Fair – 4961 N. Claiborne Ave.

Sunday, June 15

9:00a-12:00p Canvassing (Jackson Kimbrell, District C) – Get involved

Down the Road

June 17 Sports Drink Community Night: Politics Edition – Sports Drink, 1042 Toledano Ave.

June 19 Political Education Committee Reading Group – Oak St. Brewery, 8201 Oak St.

June 28 New Orleans DSA Local Convention – New Orleans, RSVP here

August 8-10 DSA National Convention – Chicago

October 11 Municipal Election Day – Open Primary

November 15 Municipal Election Day – Runoff

Complete Calendar

Solidarity Means Action is the weekly newsletter of the New Orleans Democratic Socialists of America. Subscribe for updates every Friday at 8:00 am Central.