Steering Committee Meeting: October 17th, 2020

East Bay DSA

Steering Committee Meeting

October 17 2020

2-4 pm

Zoom link

Introductions/Opening Statements [10 minutes]

Approval of Agenda [2 minutes]

Committee Reports [3 minutes]
Finance
Recording Secretary’s Report

5 min break

Discussion items
Data conversation [20 minutes]
Conversation about Defund t-shirt [5 minutes]
Working group discussion [15 minutes]
HGO discussion [20 minutes]

CONSENT AGENDA

Resolution to Appoint Sarah K. as Racial Solidarity Co-Chair

Submitted by the outgoing Racial Solidarity Committee Co-chairs

Whereas, previous Racial Solidarity Committee co-chairs, WY L., Hasan A., and Ashley P., have either concluded their terms or stepped down,

Whereas, the Racial Solidarity Committee held elections at their September monthly general meeting and elected Sarah K. as co-chair,

Therefore be it resolved that the Steering Committee appoint Sarah K. to Racial Solidarity Committee co-chair.

Resolution to Appoint Hasan A. as Racial Solidarity Co-Chair

Submitted by the outgoing Racial Solidarity Committee Co-chairs

Whereas, previous Racial Solidarity Committee co-chairs, WY L., Hasan A., and Ashley P., have either concluded their terms or stepped down,

Whereas, the Racial Solidarity Committee held elections at their September monthly general meeting and re-elected Hasan A. as co-chair,

Therefore be it resolved that the Steering Committee appoint Hasan A. to Racial Solidarity Committee co-chair.

Resolution to Appoint A Replacement Co-Chair of Political Education Committee

By Miguel Duarte on behalf of the Political Education Committee.

Whereas, the Political Education Committee (“the Committee”) co-chair Avir Waxman has stepped down from the co-chair position due to his departure from the chapter;

Whereas, the Committee voted unanimously at its meeting on September 22, 2020 to elect Erica West as replacement co-chair;

Whereas, Erica West has been an active and committed member of the Committee;

Therefore be it resolved, that Erica West be appointed co-chair of the Committee to replace Avir Waxman.

NEW BUSINESS

Emergency Resolution to Authorize a Solidarity Fundraising Campaign for Mutual Aid to the Navajo (Dine) and Hopi Nations

Submitted by Joseph F, Kevin S, Peter F, and Colin M

Whereas, the 2019 DSA National Convention unanimously endorsed the Ecosocialist Priority Resolution (No. 34) to launch a decolonial Green New Deal Campaign, which among other instructions, directs the national organization to “recognize the sovereignty of Indigenous peoples” and “build a powerful alliance” that includes movements for Indigenous liberation; and

Whereas, the 2019 DSA Convention body further committed DSA to the cause of Indigenous liberation by ratifying an “Amendment [to the GND Resolution] on the Red Deal and Rejecting a Green Military,” which endorses the Red Deal (Parts 1, 2, & 3), “a program for Indigenous liberation, life, and land—an affirmation that colonialism and capitalism must be overturned for this planet to be habitable for human and non-human relatives to live dignified lives;” and

Whereas, DSA’s “Guiding Principles for an Ecosocialist Green New Deal” undergirds our national Green New Deal Campaign, stating in Principle 5: “Prioritize funding for projects that build community health and wealth, beginning with working class, racialized, and Indigenous communities that are on the frontlines of the climate crisis and collective struggles for environmental justice.” DSA’s National Political Committee and more than 40 DSA chapters have endorsed these Principles; and

Whereas, the COVID-19 pandemic’s origin appears to be the result of the climate and ecological crises; and

Whereas, East Bay DSA operates on and benefits from unceded Indigenous territories of the Chochenyo and Karkin Ohlone tribes, members of whom still reside in EBDSA jurisdiction, yet do not enjoy federal recognition; and

Whereas, as a very well-resourced, large chapter of DSA, part of our mandate under the purview of these decolonial national resolutions should be to provide some material relief, where possible and practical, to Indigenous communities if and when they face immediate existential crises, because such crises are inimical to their liberation; and

Whereas, the coronavirus pandemic has hit the Diné/Navajo and Hopi Indigenous nations especially hard, with the Diné/Navajo Nation having the highest per-capita COVID-19 infection rate at the peak of their outbreak this summer compared to all 50 United States. The Diné/Navajo and Hopi peoples are victims of a centuries-long fight for survival, cultural genocide, systemic racism, and severe economic and health disparities compounded by the 2020 pandemic:

Both reservations are extreme food deserts;
Fully one third (33%) of Diné/Navajo nation residents suffer from lung conditions, diabetes, and heart disease (4);
30-40% have no running water or electricity and 18% of households have “incomplete plumbing” (5, 6, 7), making CDC guidelines like handwashing very difficult;
Indigenous people are nearly 3 times as likely to contract COVID-19 and 1.4 times as likely to die from it than White people (8);
As of this writing, 555 Navajo residents have died from COVID-19 (9).

Whereas, deserted uranium mines scattered across the Nation have long subjected residents to environmental racism, making them sick. Both nations suffer considerable economic hardship, with the Hopi enduring an unemployment rate of 60% and the Diné/Navajo — whose population is mostly elders and children — with 50% unemployment; and

Whereas, this summer the Diné/Navajo Nation was hit by a wildfire that raged through its territory, endangering citizens whose respiratory systems are already vulnerable or under attack from the coronavirus; and

Whereas, the Diné/Navajo is the largest U.S.-based sovereign Indigenous territory in terms of land and population, with an area comparable to West Virginia (25,000 square miles) and a population of 175,000 people; and

Whereas, citizens of these nations have created a fundraiser to raise $5 million to provide food, water, PPE, diapers, and other essential goods to the Hopi and Diné/Navajo Nations. Remarkably, 20,000 Irish citizens have contributed the equivalent of $670,000 so far in solidary repayment of a historical debt. We have selected this fund, the Navajo & Hopi Families COVID-19 Relief Fund, as the tentative primary target, but this is subject to change should we get information that there are more appropriate target funds or organizations; and

Whereas, a short-term fundraising campaign for mutual aid to said Nations would action East Bay DSA’s commitment to Indigenous liberation through our ecosocialist Green New Deal effort as well as build awareness of Indigenous Nations’ issues through the lens of the pandemic; and

Whereas, we acknowledge that the Bay Area’s Indigenous communities are diverse, and have great need for financial and other support to their direct service efforts that go beyond the scope of this resolution. Annual payments of the Shu’umi Land Tax are a noble and just goal to those ends. A single payment thereof is a good start, and the chapter should consider making annual payments official policy in the near future; and

Whereas, we have conducted extensive outreach over a couple of months to potential partner organizations, including Sogorea Te Land Trust, The Red Nation, Four Corners Mutual Aid, Phoenix DSA, Santa Fe DSA, and others. Should this campaign be ratified, we will especially pursue a relationship with The Red Nation given DSA’s endorsement of their Red Deal;

Therefore Be It Resolved, that the East Bay DSA Steering Committee authorizes a Navajo/Diné Nation Solidarity Fundraising Campaign — an acute intervention to Navajo territory’s persistent, developing health crisis — to raise money for the above fund, along with this campaign plan under development;

Be It Further Resolved, that the East Bay DSA Steering Committee appoints Joseph Ferrera and Colin Murphy as campaign co-chairs;

Be It Further Resolved, that the Navajo/Diné Nation Solidarity Campaign will allocate a one-time $250 as payment of Sogorea Te Land Trust’s Shu’umi Land Tax. All other funds raised in this campaign will be donated to the above-mentioned primary target.

Resolution on Mobilizer CRM access

By: Andrew Richner

Whereas the mobilizer program is a cornerstone of member engagement activity in the chapter,

Whereas the program in essence requires a high-level of access to membership data in order to: cut lists of members, delegate permissions to view lists assigned to members, and target populations to be engaged,

Whereas the only member of the Member Engagement Committee with sufficient CRM permissions to carry out this work is Andrew Richner,

Whereas Andrew Richner has capacity to train someone to replace him specifically in this role and MEC has been coordinating with Operations Committee,

Therefore be it resolved, that mobilizer and member engagement committee members Lexi Ross and Sam Corwith be delegated the appropriate permission set in the chapter’s CRM to assist and back up the work currently undertaken by Andrew Richner for the mobilizer team,

Be it further resolved that Lexi and Sam are only authorized to use chapter member data on condition that they do so in accordance with the existing data use policies laid out by the East Bay DSA operations committee,

Be it further resolved that Andrew undertakes all training efforts of both Lexi and Sam in replacing him in this role.

Resolution to Join the Oakland “Count Every Vote” Coalition

Submitted by Matt S.

Whereas East Bay DSA intends to bring our members and supporters into mass action on November 4 to respond to whatever the outcome of the 2020 General Election might be, and

Whereas our Election Response plan outlined our intent to work with a coalition of political and community organization and unions, and

Whereas many of our frequent coalition partners like Sunrise Movement Bay Area, the Oakland Education Association, and others attended a recent meeting of the “Count Every Vote” coalition convened by Bay Resistance, and

Whereas it is the intent of that coalition to organize a mass mobilization and day of action at Oscar Grant Plaza starting at 12 pm on November 4, 2020,

Therefore be it resolved that East Bay DSA will join the coalition and assist in planning the mass mobilization alongside coalition partners, and

Be it further resolved that Sarah K will serve as a liaison to the coalition and report back to the Steering Committee and the Direct Action Working Group.