Hey comrades!
We hope y’all have been able to stay cool in this July heat. Apologies for the delayed announcement, but this month’s General Meeting is this upcoming Saturday, July 27th from 12-2pm! We will be covering business carried over from Local Convention and more.
- We will be at Norman Mayer Library (3001 Gentilly Blvd) and on Zoom here. We will be using Open Slides again, so look out for an email from Open Slides for the sign-in. It should use the same username. The draft agenda for the meeting can be found here. RSVP here!
Exciting news: local chapter member Gabriela Boni has qualified for School Board alongside our chapter-endorsed candidate Devin Davis for Congress! They will be on the ballot for the primary election held on November 5th, so make sure you check your voter registration at the Secretary of State — the deadline to register online is October 15th. Sign up here to volunteer at Devin’s phonebank this upcoming Tuesday, July 23rd at 5:30pm.
- UPCOMING:
Frustrated by recent power outages we’ve been experiencing out of nowhere? Comment on the Entergy agenda item with your experience, and tell City Council that we want affordable, reliable, and accountable energy! The agenda and public comment form are available at this link, and will remain open until 2 hours before the meeting.
Hate AirBNB? Let City Council know that homes are for residents, not tourists — no exceptions! View the agenda for the Quality of Life Committee meeting and submit a comment on short-term rental agenda items here.
Agendas and public comment links are made available by the City on their own time, usually the day before the meeting, and will remain open until 2 hours before the meeting begins
THURSDAY, JULY 25: Local Day of Action for Palestine
New Orleans City Council continues to fail their people by refusing to discuss our complicity in genocide in spite of the community demanding otherwise. Read more and tell New Orleans City Council to pass a Ceasefire Resolution NOW using this form, which will send an email directly to your councilmember to let them know that you and so many of their other New Orleanians demand that:
- Gretna resident Samaher Esmail’s safety and freedom be ensured by the U.S. government due to her recent kidnapping and charging by the IDF in the Israeli-occupied West Bank;
- they express their deepest condolences for Tawfic Abdeljabbar, the 17-year-old Gretna resident killed by Israeli gunfire in the West Bank
- they publicly support peaceful student protests and condemn the Tulane and Loyola administrations for punishing students and attacking them with state police
- And they support Palestine and an immediate and permanent Ceasefire in Gaza.
Meanwhile, the Port of New Orleans continues to ship weapons to enable the genocide in Gaza. In the month of May alone, our Port has shipped to Israel:
- 2,727,643 aircraft engines and parts
- 51,261 rocket launchers, flamethrowers, grenade launchers, and torpedo tubes
- 80,572 drones
Join NOSHIP (New Orleans Stop Helping Israel’s Ports) in demanding the Port be held accountable for their facilitation of genocide and that the City end all cooperation with the Zionist entity by signing their petition here, joining them at Port meetings (more information below), and checking out the rest of their resources here.
(Organized by NOSHIP and Jewish Voice for Peace)
10am-noon: NOLA City Council Meeting @ City Hall (1300 Perdido St.)
Noon: Inter-Action Lunch outside City Hall 🍕
Gather at 1pm: Port of New Orleans Board Meeting @ 1350 Port of New Orleans Pl.
Join us for a day of organizer-supported local government actions. Give public comments to make your voice heard on Israel’s genocide against the Palestinian people in Gaza and beyond.
First up, City Council! There will be a greeter stationed right outside council chambers who’ll be there 10am till noon to orient newcomers & regular participants alike. They’re happy to walk you through the process and happy to see new faces every time! Tell City Council: NOLA needs to take a stand against genocide NOW!
- At NOON, grab a slice 🍕 on them outside City Hall. Organizers will be on-hand to debrief the City Council meeting and to answer questions about the upcoming Port Board meeting scheduled to start after lunch.
Then, carpool on over to the Port Board meeting. Plan to gather at the Port Board meeting at 1pm so we can let the Port of N.O. know: no more “business as usual!” It’s well past time for the the Port of New Orleans to end all cooperation with the State of Israel and complicit Israeli businesses. You can also try setting up carpools from elsewhere in the city at this link.
Unmet access needs? DM @_noship or @jvpnola on Instagram to request accommodations.
- COVID 😷 safety: Masks strongly encouraged. The City Council meeting greeters will have masks on-hand right outside council chambers.
Show up. Stand up. Speak up.
Free Palestine.
The city is gearing up for its 2025 budget deliberations, but so far have postponed the town halls originally scheduled for this week. In the meantime, fill out this survey from the Vera Institute for Justice, one of a coalition of organizations which advocate to the City Council on budget issues on behalf of our community (among many other great things)!
- For further information on past budgets and keep an eye on when the meetings are scheduled, you can visit the City’s 2025 Budget page here. We deserve to have our desires, values and beliefs to align with how our city spends OUR money!
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Keep up to date with New Orleans DSA actions by following us on Instagram, joining the members-only Slack (email us for access), and checking out DSA’s event calendar at dsaneworleans.org/events. Hope to see y’all at this Saturday’s General Meeting!
Solidarity forever,
New Orleans DSA Local Council 🌹