Speaker 1 0:01

For Wednesday, the 3rd of May, 2017 this is the left coast podcast events supplemental number one. Today we will be discussing El Pueblo neato people's March for jobs and justice and the environment.

Speaker 2 0:33

I can go

Speaker 1 0:58

friends, snowmans countrymen, lend me your ears.

Speaker 3 1:04

Uh, it really though I want to thank everybody who came out and showed up for, for this amazing event. We had I think somewhere around 1500, 2000 people there might've showed up, but regardless of how many people showed up, we had some amazing groups. They're displaying all of the, the vibrancy and the energy that we all know exists, uh, Layton to end otherwise in this, in this country and has just been fantastic to see how excited people were about this movement that we're building today. We'll be listening to a couple of interviews that I did there. It'll be a short episode. Oh, first up, we've got less resist who are a new, very new organization, mainly bringing a young lesbians into activism, making sure Lgbtq rights are respected, that people have a place to go and, and have a place where they feel safe and loved. After that we'll have some progressive delegates who have been mostly active on the national level, but who recently have been focusing more on a local level who are working within the Democratic Party to push it further to the left, more progressive side of the spectrum. Then we have a DSA, there is a local chapter here that is very, very new, just getting started up. Their local chapter head sounds like she really has a solid grasp on what it means to be a socialist, where socialism fits into local and national organizing and how's a drive that I think a lot of people here displayed. Then we'll move on to surge, speaking out for racial justice. And this one is something that a lot of people on the, on the west coast, California, um, in more progressive areas tend to overlook. We still do have a racial issues here, uh, and they do affect people's lives and to hear them speak out and to um, listen to them talk about what they're doing I think is important for all of us. And this is something that we all need to be a part of a. And then we'll round out the interviews with uh, the Unite Union. These guys have been working on unionizing mostly hospitality employees. They had a great showing, uh, at the rally and uh, are doing a lot for pushing new, uh, union members pushing union organizing and uh, they have been quite successful and it's great to see them doing what they can, uh, in, in the current age. Unfortunately, there were a couple of interviews that I lost because they were basically unlistenable due to sound quality issues and I did not get to everybody like I wanted to, but I think this is a pretty good span of all of the groups who showed out, uh, and the people who showed up at the event representing various interests in organizations. And I think it'll be really interesting for people to listen to. So let's go ahead and kick it over to the first interview with les. Resist.

Speaker 4 4:49

First of all, go ahead and introduce yourself and your organization. My name is Mary cowatch where part of less resist and this is Nancy Kelly. Nancy, Nancy Moore head. Oh, you don't have to hold it that close to you. Okay. Yeah, I'm getting big peaks on that. Okay. So yeah, that's, that's about good. Yeah. Good. Um, okay, so, uh, so why don't you guys introduce yourselves and your organization? Our organization is a new organization of lesbians and we're here because he really wants to work with the community and support the environment. We're against the wars that are going on. Um, we're scanning for social justice and immigration crisis is something we really feel like needs to call attention to. So we're here to get with the community and support all that. We want to collaborate with all the other, like here, this is fabulous. All the other organizations, we want to have a presence and know that we're here beyond just being lesbians were part of this and we want to be counting. We might miss a month. All right. So, um, so, uh, how, how important is it not only just to, to be a part of, you know, lesbians, Trans Queer Folk, um, a support network and liberation groups, but also how, how important is it to connect those struggles to other struggles? Climate? And it's crucial. I mean, they're all part of the same thing. Especially right now. It seems like everyday there's a new issue that we have to deal with it, you know, it doesn't necessarily necessarily always, it isn't about social justice or isn't about the climate isn't about pieces all the time. They're all tied in. It's all about social justice go across, you know, there's no boundary hatred, hatred for one group can very easily bleed over the hatred for others. Well, you know, an administration that's institutionalize and artists is not a good thing. So, uh, beyond just being a presence here, what do you guys, what do you guys hoping to do today and how do you think that this, um, the, the work we're doing here today sort of feeds into the broader struggle? I think anytime masses of people show up and say, we're for peace, we're supporting the climate, we want the EPA to stay in place. You know, we are against him, a great hour deportations. I mean, when people stand up and say that it has some impact and it will eventually have a large impact, I think so being part of that is important. I think to instill hope. I think it's very important that all of us as we're all different. But to see collectively, I think it gives hope and energy for the next four years. So a big, um, a big component of this is obviously a May Day and labor organizing. Um, uh, are you guys also involved in some of the local labor struggles or, um, how is, how is the labor and, uh, LGBT issues been sort of intersecting in this area? Well, I think our group is mostly older lesbians, so we're mostly retired people. So we haven't done any intersection at this point. But I think of course it's, um, you know, I think supporting union, supporting wage, those kinds of things are really important. Hi, how are you? I'm good. I mean really, they're all under attack. Yeah. Getting rid of unions is one of our big agenda. So we need to stand up for that because that's not okay. The fact Solomon us that are older who seen the shit there was like a collective wisdom as far as, and I think that's important. I think it's important to Jude, did you bring that up because, um, as a, as a more recent activist myself, uh, and, and being not exactly millennial but of a younger generation, I find that, um, I find it very frustrating that I, I think that we, and especially we on the left have have lost a kind of institutional knowledge for how, for how a struggle can succeed because, um, I, I feel very sort of like alienated and disconnected from struggles in the past and, and so, so how do we, how do we find, uh, the, the sort of, um, uh, knowledge and, and organizations, how do we, how do we sort of rediscover that? Where else a part of an organization called Lesbian Archives of Sonoma County and we are documenting tremendous amount of activism that Anthony in this county between the 67 or nine days we've been interviewing groups and that's going to be available through and then start this society probably over San Francisco and uh, it's going to be a great tool or people, you know, studying and learning to be able to see the action that happened. I think some of the issues that our group has had a history of the activists, you know, everything from uh, resisting and fighting against a nuclear power to women's baseball teams to theatre, to everything, all kinds of political and social. It just, it was amazing how active lesbian, some man in this county and you're proud of and we want to make sure the next generation has some way to find out. It was a very different time in the 70s and eighties fix these for lesbian, gay, Queer people in Suffolk county everywhere. There wasn't, you know, you couldn't be out, you couldn't hold hands in public, you couldn't do those kinds of things without fear of repercussion. And so a lot of the work that was done by the groups in those time, you know, lesbian groups, especially your lesbian led groups, cause they weren't always all lesbian really made us more visible to the world. So the answer to them me and supported us, when do you feel a lot of rejection from the outside world to have a support system and we're one of our goals here with less resistance to include younger lesbians and have an actual physical place for them to meet and do political action because so much of it today is online, you know, social media, you can be there or maybe not, you know, you're kind of invisible. Um, we think it's pretty important. And what we went through all this social action in the sixties seventies eighties and nineties and we want to make that something that younger lesbians could experience where you've already, you've already touched on, I think one of the topics that I get from basically everybody here is how online activism has changed and either helped or hurt the activism in the real world. And whether you, whether you see that as something that is truly sort of like revolutionary and helpful or whether it is something that has been sort of keeping some people back because they feel like they're contributing when they're not. That's a good question. I think we really care a lot about it and think it's positive. Older women for the most part we were just talking about how we need a website and I'll have to find some younger person they have to set that up. Activities. It's been really good for people being able to connect to find out. I go online and every day there was some action. I can take the phone call, I can make a petition, I can sign a demonstration I can go to. Now there's always something going on that you can partake in and that's an easy way to find out. But it also is important to get past that to making the real people connections cause it's really about people. People need to connect with each other in order to create change. People connections with region. And I think today this feature feeds you. It feeds you, I'm sorry, gives you really don't get from this, this physical space. Is this something that you guys have already set up? Are you looking for a space or, no, we haven't. We're not there yet. You know, it's one of those things that will evolve hopefully, but we're not there. Very grassroots and very new. Yeah, I've been, I've been seeing a lot of that recently, which, which I think, you know, it comes back to, comes back the, the idea that we are sort of institutionally challenged in that and that our institutions are sort of built as the needs arrived and they fault. And because they're not a part of the, the, the structure of the governance of society, it is very difficult to keep them going and times where they're not as critical. And I think you guys, have you guys been doing much work with the peace and justice center or while you've been working with a PSA of justice center sound right? She sells buttons, but you donate some of the money. You know, like I said, we're pretty new, so all of that's on our agenda, right? Six weeks. Very, very new. Yes. Is there anything else that you want to, that you want to touch on? Anything, uh, other important issues that you feel you need to bring up or, I can't think of anything else. I think that's it. Okay. So how can people get in touch with you guys? Um, uh, other online or for support in real world or what? I already starting a email list. Not really there yet. We don't have outside contact and you know, we don't have that yet, but soon they will. I mean, six weeks you've been, in the meantime, we do have activities. There's a list that goes out every week, all that night owl news and we'll have it. Links will be there. Okay. Yeah. Cool. Well, thank you for speaking with us today.

Speaker 5 16:40

If you guys want to introduce yourselves and your organization, Carry Wheaton and um, we're assembly district 10 delegates to the Democratic Party of California, then California. So we, uh, our district is, uh, parts of Sonoma and all of Marin County and we go to the convention in May. That's coming up in about three weeks to California state convention where we're a part of the progressive caucus and we're pushing a progressive agenda, kind of get the Democratic Party as a whole to move in that direction to be more representative of the people and not corporate and big money and donate for life. Right. Um, I actually, uh, participate in the voting Oh, in December, I think it was January. Yeah. Yeah. Uh, uh, I went, I went up north. Oh, see? Yeah. A different district. Different district. But, uh, so, so how did your guys is a elections go? Right. I mean, there were people that were flooded in and couldn't get there, but despite that, it was a pretty good turnout. Over 200 people showed up and it was really, storm is one of those stormy weekends sledding. I remember that. Yeah. We ran on a slate of 14 people, seven men and seven women on a progressive agenda. Most of us were Bernie Sanders supporters. Um, but we're, you know, solidly feel like the Democratic Party is what has to change and has the power to push back. Right. So that's where we're putting our efforts. Right. Well the, I mean the Democratic Party in California in general and the Democratic Party of California as as a real reputation, I guess nationwide where they're seen as like super progressive and super liberal. Um, I, I kind of want to get your guys's response to, to why that isn't the case and, and what, what you see as a sort of like the problem that you guys were, are pushing back against. In the Democratic Party there are, they are probably more liberal than some other states. There's still a big downer gas and oil donee and the party has a neutral position on fracking. They're better on healthcare. And there's a very interesting race for chair of the council, California Democratic Party, Eric Bauman, Kimberly Ellis Ellis, because she really wants to, to jump off the Democratic Party. She's willing to take several positions that are normally appointed by the chair and change them into elected positions. Delegates can feed more democratic and not have quite as much power in the charity. And how often do you hear about anybody running for office and willing to give up? Some of their power when they going to die. But I don't think a bad fellow, but he did accept big donation from the pharmaceutical lobby. You know the people that have been in the system for a while and the Democratic Party system and didn't learn the lesson about why Hillary lost and why Bernie Sanders should have, if not been wholeheartedly to support it. Certainly not cut out of the picture. Right. They're not viewed as an inconvenient, you know, obstacle to their pre determined nomination at a party is going to miss out on the attraction of all the newer, younger activists could, it could harness that energy but not when the image and the optics still look like old money. Even if it's progressive money or liberal money bankers. The Clintons, I mean I voted for Hillary out this, you know, she have been far superior, the trunk cause she doesn't represent the real change that has to happen and the real truth that people have seen for 30 or 40 years. It's about social justice and economic justice in this country. Right. Fornay or posters. But cause I don't, cause we got the bus and like so what's so good about the bust? So we followed his advice voted for Hillary because you know when you have a choice between, you know, something, okay it's something horrible or something. I mean a lot of people have been going around starting about voting their conscience but then they helped Trump get in. So like how is that content? Sorry. Exactly. You know we've been around a few elections and we've seen third party things and independent candidates and you know, unless you were to develop a party from scratch and take 20 years and growed up and have every county have a member of that party and the Green party's been trying to do that, but they just can't get the traction and the winds up being a way to split the left progressive vote. And I'm not saying if you are passionate about some third party alternative, I'm not going to try to talk you out of it. I just think the real way forward and this system is the two party system and I don't know how to move it out of there, but that's why we're kind of throwing our head in and tried to push the Democratic Party. So, um, uh, when you're talking about like sue state party and the party acting on a local level, how do you see, how do you see those races playing out? How do you, um, how much attention do you think is being paid to, to like real, um, uh, local issues and local level like municipal and county level? And how do you see that you were talking about third party, how do you see the rise of parties like the DSA, uh, who have been almost solely focused on very local and municipal levels as a way to organize locally. Then that third party have a lot more national level, whether they're going to be as, I feel like we're under such an emergency right now under Trump that we need to find some way to find solidarity between progressives, liberals, whatever you want to call this spectrum of people on the left. Who Do share basic common values, but we have different visions of you know, how extreme did we are uncompromising or what, how much compromise people's, you know, all these issues, the real issues. But I feel like in a state of emergency we need to find a way to come together. And a lot of people are saying they don't like the term unity. Maybe it sounds too uniform but maybe solidarity is a better, that's what been trying to put out cause you know to have compassion and to work together even if we don't agree on everything. Right. You know, we have to find the maturity. We have to find the reason to be able to do that or we're screwed right now in California, I mean it's only one state, but it is just as they say like the sixth largest economy on the planet and it's a huge state. And if we can push the Democratic Party here to move towards single payer health care, even if it's a state only system, I'm willing to give it a shot. You know, I think we've got enough people and enough talented planners to pull it off and show people how it can be done. And uh, you know, that's why I think California has a good chance of meeting the way and how to do things. I think we have some principles of this weekend shine up, be a beacon for the rest of the country, you know, Trump crush up. Cool. Uh, so I'm bringing it back to, to this, uh, this rally and this organization in particular. Um, how do you guys, how do you guys see yourselves interacting today and, um, how do you, how do you see this as a coalition or, or a, a sort of a movement building exercise going forward? I think it's great to have all these different groups represented, it represented that do have common core values of compassion, you know, not leaving our fellow citizens and let does, you know, Bernie it really well, he just gets to the core of what it is. You can call it spirituality or you can call it, you know, ethics or whatever you want to call it. But people look care. I mean, I think that's really a difference between Democrats and Republican and in terms of policy that, you know, in a general with Democrats will enact policies that care about people who are, that Republicans, unless they're busy trying to like win over Republicans like happened with, you know, the Clinton era, you know, some unintended consequences. Then I think it's important for all of us in the neighborhood here. I'll call Sonoma county or Santa Rosa, this festival, wherever to show up as often as you can and things like this to wear buttons to go out in the street and be seen where your pink pussy hat or whatever it takes to identify yourself as someone resisting what's happening. That just makes everybody feel better, even if it doesn't necessarily, it's not voting yet, but hopefully it'll follow all the way through to 2018 and we'll have a pretty big swing of people really ready to see the difference. And uh, both for somebody that's going to be a lot better than what's been there now. So it might a little more culturally diverse today. But the that you know, once the speakers started and wants you to large starts, maybe that will be so because I think that we need to, you know, bring our different communities together and work together. Any, any final thoughts? Anything you guys want to leave for a audience with how to get in contact with you? Important things coming up in the future? Wow. Well actually, I mean since we are delegates for the Democratic Party is, since this is new, we're just learning some of these things. But any registered Democrat can join a caucus, which is basically a group of people sharing a principal or it can be a demographic because there's an elders caucus that the right name senior talk is maybe there's a rural caucus, this progressive caucus, I think there's an environmental caucus, Chino Caucus, different, you know, um, LGB Q, the state conventions, caucuses to promote resolutions. They have enough people behind them and they get to be basically a courted by the rest of the Democratic Party, which are the shorter the electronics and be appointed to the people that I read the system. So we want to encourage people, if you are a Democrat already, I think it's $20 a year to join one of the caucuses and you get to have a say and have a group of people around you that in a little take some message to the Democratic Party. So you don't have to be an elected delegate or official. And also another way to get involved is um, you're local. There's like a Santa Rosa Democratic Club and there's a county democratic club. We got a lot of acronyms, the DSC, the g seven here, the Democratic Party of Sonoma County. So we need, we need to go to some of those county I, and so it's been a little more involved in national politics in the past, like phone banks for Bernie and Russ Finegold and you know, good people out there but, and haven't really paid enough attention to the local Sonoma County Democratic Party. So we'll be doing more of that. But there are a lot of ways, you know, I know there's a lot of disgust and hatred right now with at the Democratic Party because of the way the primary, it was handled the last year. And you know, Debbie Wasserman Schultz is out, you know, Perez may not be everybody's favorite, but um, you know, Keith Ellison is deputy chair of Bernie has a position of the day at now of um, outreach chair. You know, they're trying to bring different factions together to work together. So I hope that, you know, like the post traumatic stress from last year, it doesn't cause I would take over that it prevents progress in a good direction. Right. Thank you for joining us today and you for sharing this space

Speaker 6 29:42

with us. All right. Thank you for putting it off. Uh, so going ahead and, um, uh, introduce yourself, your organization and tell us a little bit about what you guys are doing here today. I am here today as one of the people representing the Democratic Socialists of America, the North Bay chapter. Right. Today, we are collecting the names and contact information and sharing information about our organization so that we can collect, connect with locals, let them know that we exist, that we're here. One of the things that is important to me as a member of the Democratic Socialists of America is representing the interests and fighting for the interests of working people. So knowing the people that are in the area, having them join us or just let us know what they care about so that we can fight for it too. Because the interest of somebody who's in Vallejo, they may care about different things and somebody who's in Santa Rosa, and we want to make sure that as a local group, as a local chapter, we fight for what's important for local people on a larger, on a larger standpoint. You know, I believe that capitalism has done terrible things to work in people in this country, and I believe that socialism is a solution. But also I believe that locally, fighting for guaranteed health care, fighting for Lgbtq rights, fighting for police reform, fighting for an end to white supremacy. All of these can make the lives of working people better as well. And so we work for that as well as working towards socialism. And also we want to put the social back in socialism. We want to have get togethers, we want people to meet each other, get to know each other, build solidarity, develop relationships and friendships so that we are not isolated in our bubbles so that we're not just online having fights about politics, but we're outside or in each other's living rooms, getting together, getting to know each other, sort of trying to, I don't want to use this word, sort of trying to rebuild the common spaces and try, try to bring the common good and back into social consciousness. Yes, yes. It's a lot of grassroots work to to build groups and build social, um, social groups and small, yeah. Small groups of people and going out to larger groups so that we can make each other's lives better and make the lives of other people better, which sounds kind of divert at kind of, it can signs kind of nebulous, but because there's so much that goes into capitalism, there's so much that goes into socialism.

Speaker 4 32:40

There's so much that you can do to improve the lives of working people and improve the lives of people like you and me and the people listening to this podcast that I believe all of it ties into socialism. And so to the Democratic Socialists of America, one of my, one of my favorite quotations that I've heard on what you're saying is that in order to change anything, you have to change everything. That that isn't an order, but in order for to change everything, you can start anywhere. That is, that is an amazing quote. And I had no, I'm pretty sure I butchered it, but, uh, I heard it first on a crime thing. That sounds like a crime thing kind of thing to say. But I think if, I think it does, um, sort of elucidate the fact that, um, there are, there is, there are so many things that are sort of structurally wrong. There is so much that fucked up. Exactly. There's, there's so, there's so much that's wrong, it's so, so screw in so many different ways that, um, I think it does take an inner intersectional coalition to, to really, to really make any significant change because we have to, we have to work together not only in the abstract but in specifics. So in order to do that, we have to have that kind of mutual aid and solidarity. So, so, um, uh, how do you see, uh, yourself and the DSA becoming more integrated into the, uh, the, the movement to, to build coalitions of groups here in Sonoma County? Uh, and, and how do you think that, um, uh, these, these kind of organizations can, can join together to, to have the kind of a mass movement potentially? Well joining and forming and being a part of coalitions and allying with, with groups is, is very important to us because we were going to stand together or we will die alone. So, um, as part of the El Pueblo Unido march as part of that calculation and where, um, you know, I am also a member of the community action coalition. I am also a member of so many other groups and, and bringing us all together so that we can fight for a common good, whether that be fighting for police brutality, fighting for justice reform against police brutality, whether it be fighting for labor rights, you know, um, I became a socialist when I began to look at all these things that I was like, this sucks and this sucks and this sucks. And I realized that a lot of it had the same

Speaker 6 35:38

route calls, which is that people who have all the money, own everything, have all the power and working people who make all the money for the rich people have none of it. And so I became a socialist to work for that. And a lot of that involves, a lot of that involves working on small issues but then join together into bigger issues. We can't go out into the street and start guilting people. Like I think that time of that socialist revolution is not a thing for right now. But we can start a revolution by making changes locally and making changes in statewide and then countrywide building a building of reformers movement or a movement that has her form as a short term goal for the purpose of strengthening the, uh, the, the working class and the communities that people live in so that they are strong enough to then do something on a much bigger, more systemic, much more systemic level. Yeah. Building the strength of working people of the proletariat so that the proletariat and realize and we can work together to push back against the power of the rich people, the oligarchs, the bourgeoisie. I'm going to start bringing the terms into our interview, um, because through things like mutual aid projects, through things like getting involved in food, not bombs through food kitchens, through mutual aid and helping each other, we make ourselves stronger. We make our community stronger and we improve our ability to push back and fight back against the people who want to use US purely to fill that bank accounts. So, um, so what are you, what do you guys just sort of doing? I know that you guys are aren't a yet. I'm a very big organization locally. Um, so, so what are you guys, what are you guys focusing your efforts on right now? Um, where do you guys see the most need for, for change and for agitation? The, we are not very big locally right now yet, but we are growing. The main thing that we are focusing on right now is growing and also on SB five, six two the healthy California act, the Medicare for all single payer health care act because healthcare costs are crippling. Americans in America, like hundreds of thousands people die or go bankrupt because of medical care in countries throughout the world with socialized medicine, with single payer medicine, that doesn't happen. It can happen here. So whip, whop of the coalition. DSA statewide in California is part of the coalition pushing for the single payer bill. SB Five, six to locally with part of that, I'm also part of finding out the needs of our communities. What needs to be done here in Sonoma county, what issues are most pressing for working people in Sonoma county. And part of that is coming to events like this, talking to people and saying, Hey, what's important to you? You know, what is the hardest thing in your life right now? What can we as an organization get involved with and put pressure on politicians or build systems of mutual aid or systems of aid so that we can help you with that. Be Like homelessness and affordable housing is a big issue in Santa Rosa. So the fight to keep rent control is a big issue. Um, so we're interested in getting involved with that. We're interested in if it's good for working people, likelihood is we're interested in getting involved with it. Cool.

Speaker 4 40:04

So, um, uh, you said that you're involved in the community action coalition. What, uh, in your time here, how have you, how have you seen the sort of Inter Inter group, uh, coalition building? Uh, since, since I don't want to say this. So how is, how have the various organizations in Sonoma county out, how well do you think that they have been, um, sort of in your mind working together and where do you see the, the sort of biggest need for coalition building right now? Where do you, where do you see the, the real weeklies?

Speaker 6 40:49

I think that it's ongoing work for, uh, for groups to get to know each other and know even that they are out there. So coming out to events like this and just seeing what the tables are, seeing what other groups are active in the area at seeing how we can help them, how we can work together. That is, that is an important part of coalition building. And also probably the most important part of coalition building is showing up and doing the work is signing up when you're signing up for an event to, you know, stay here and do cleanup after the event to be of use to ask people and coalition coalition members how can help each other. And I think the biggest need right now, uh, amongst Sonoma county organizations is to build interconnectedness, to know what each of us are working on and where our issues intersect so that we can move in the same direction or at least a similar enough direction that we're not getting in each other's way. And because I haven't seen much of that happening yet, but there's always a risk product. So what are your, you know, I had a question suddenly flew out of my head. Um, so are there any, uh, any important events that you guys see coming up in the future? Where do you, where are you guys, where are you guys moving after today? Well, a big events in the future. I know that they'd probably won't come out before May 1st may, first may day. International Workers Day is very big for Socialists. Uh, Fciu is having an event take back mayday on the Santa Rosa Junior college campus in Santa Rosa. I will be there in San Francisco and in Oakland there are big marches. Dsa and San Francisco and DSA Eastbay chapters are part of that leading big groups of people in red. Um, in the long run as Northbay DSA, we want not only to have public meetings starting in June, July, we want to have events that will bring together, insult people together in solidarity to build personal relationships. So not just going to a meeting, not just showing up for a march and getting mad, but sitting around, um, you know, watching a movie, having a picnic, uh, having a potluck, learning how to sing the songs of Pete Seeger, you know, going through the little red songbook together. Um, just building relationships with each other so that we can support each other within the group as well. Uh, in the long run, there's so much that it's hard to know what's going to be the big next, next big fight. Um, I think that anti union movements are probably going to be a big fight as is the guaranteed health care. Once that gets out of appropriations, I think that the health insurance companies are going to be pouring so much money in and we've already seen with measure. See that there are, there are companies in involved with offshore oil drilling that are pouring money into Santa for this election. And if that's not a sign that a lot of these oligarchs that interconnected, I don't know what is. So how can people get involved with the DSA nationally and and more importantly locally. So the best way to get involved with US locally is to follow us on Facebook or on Twitter. We are DSA, North Bay, all one word on both of those if you sign up. So either one of those. We will let you know about our upcoming public meetings and events. So you connect with DSA nationally. Uh, the website is [inaudible] dot org and through that you can become a member of DSA. Also at our meetings you can become a member of DSA and you know, we have a lot of relatable content and Dank means to share with you. So we would love for you to follow us on Twitter or Facebook. Okay. All right. Excellent. Very excited to see you guys out here. Thank you for coming. I really excited to be out here. Thank you. Thank you.

Speaker 7 45:42

Go ahead an introduce yourself and your organization and give us a little bit of, um, you know, what you're doing here at the march today. Okay. I'm, my name is Carol bloom and I live in Sonoma County, West County. And I've been a member of our local search chapter since it started in November. And, and also of bay area search, which got started many years ago, about four or five years ago and were chapters of a nationwide group search stands for showing up for racial justice. And um, it's a group that is trying to align white folks to, uh, antiracism understanding of platform and activism around, uh, understanding that systemic racism is our issue and we need to be part of dismantling it and not understanding our own privilege and our own complicity in the system that perpetuates it. And I'm here today because I'm also part of a movement nationwide and locally that sees like depression that the appropriate response is linked to descend. And so, um, I, I believe that any marches that we have for women's rights, for Lgbtq rights, for immigrant rights and worker's rights and anti racism and climate are all linked. And we need to be constantly making those links and standing up for all the forms of, um, violations of our rights and this horrible, horrible country that we're living in right now when Trump and with all his

Speaker 4 47:30

on the rise of reactionary politics. And you know, what a lot of people call pseudo or crypto fascism. Yes. Happening right now. How do you, had you seen the role of the marches that we have had it here in Sonoma county? Um, and, and how do you see the, um, the desire for playboy and Neato a people's march to sort of move forward as, as a coalition of groups and, and where do you see surge fitting into that?

Speaker 7 48:01

CSS did again, exactly as part of a coalition and I think it's crucial. And, um, my, my, uh, promotional efforts are going to, um, educating people about a new nationwide coalition building effort that's called beyond the moment and the websites beyond the moment. Dot. Oregon, it's Hashtag Bianca moment, and it's a coalition of people of color led not only people of color, but people of Color in leadership roles, defining ways of building coalition to mobilize and take action across the country. So I hope that, um, the people in the organizers of this coalition led, um, March today and I know many of them and many of them are already aware of beyond the moment, but I really want everybody who's involved in feeling fragmented in any way or like they don't know where to put their energies to plug into beyond the moment. Dot Org is the emphasis that they're putting out there as we are the majority, which we've heard before. And we really are. And we have to link our movements and our resistance. Okay.

Speaker 4 49:20

Um, so it's, I find that I'm myself when I'm talking to other people, especially like liberals and progressives, it can be, but it can be difficult. Um, when, when talking to some people, especially who, who feel themselves on the progressive and, and compassionate end of the spectrum to understand the systemic nature and, and the deeply rooted ideology of white supremacy with within our own system and how that, how that affects not only people of color but white people as well. So can you maybe talk a little bit about what it means, what it means to live in a culture of white supremacy and what it means to dismantle that? Yeah, that's a great question and I'm glad you posted

Speaker 7 50:08

and it's not something for a soundbite really, but part of the work of search is to really call and white folks and ask them and of ourselves to understand how we're part of this. I think your question is how are we part of the system? And there's, uh, there's just countless ways, but to realize the ways in which we walk around with a certain kind of privilege every day that people of color do not have. And also that our ability to build resistance to, he said weather, um, is, is so important to understand it systemically that we, we, um, just as man and have to understand their complicity or their role in perpetuating male privilege in a patriarchal society. We also as white people have to understand our white privilege in a racist society and a white supremacist society. And we have to consciously every day remind ourselves how to fight against that. You can't just sort of have this daunting thing like, oh, you know, we have a role to play and then still see it as other people's issues. You have to just daily be attentive and awake about how that manifests in your workplace, in your day, where you live, where you shop, where you work. We have to fight against our, our segregation from one another and our lack of integration with all kinds of communities and really understand how we're all one and you know, to say it and not language, but um, also to understand the criminal justice system and the massive system of mass incarceration that is so much a tool of how black and brown people are oppressed. And to understand that we have to, you know, break that down really big. Basically dismantle our whole criminal justice system and build a new one that's, that's racially just and I could go on and on. I think it's such a broad range of topics. We could just talk about this all day, shorter form interviews yet, but maybe get you on for a longer one. But how do you see, do you see the culture of racism, Sudanese intersecting and affecting people here locally in Sonoma county? And what should we be thinking about? What should we be more importantly doing, uh, to, to really understand it and push back and fight against? Well, um, it's a multipronged, uh, awareness and fight back. But I do think that we are a county that has an incredibly high undocumented population. Um, and folks are scared. They're scared for their children, they're scared for their parents. So I think being part of where we're trying as part of as surge and with community action coalition and other local groups, we're trying to develop a rapid response system. Um, there are folks in the Bay Area Bay resist who have been doing that for the San Francisco and East Bay. Yes. And the, yes, definitely. And so there's um, efforts underway to get a rapid response system got up and running for Sonoma county. I think a lot of folks have been agitating for sanctuary status amongst various cities and that's good. But we need to be doing the recall of a sheriff radius and the county level agitation for a broader sanctuary status and supporting the state level SB 54 and um, I can't even remember the question, but I feel like I could say a lot more. I think my answer that involved being involved in racial justice movement really is important to be involved with immigrant rights and labor rights as well. Is that correct? Yes. Yes. And in this county in particular, I think a potential ice raids, deportations, um, threats, yes. Reds to the local population, many of whom are multigenerational. Um, I think that's a real way to, to concretely be fighting for racial justice and immigrant justice. And I, and I also feel like a greater understanding of indigenous folks who have been here long before any of us after you arrived here at us white people. Um, and there are many indigenous groups who are getting more active and who are also connecting to the standing rock and the no, definitely can, no, I'm really glad that you brought this up because we had a chase iron eyes speak. Yes, I was there. That was great. It was a very powerful speech. So how, so how do we as white people, we as sort of a privilege colonial class understand the relationship to the immigrant communities and then what should we be doing to help them out? Well, I'm showing up for racial justice, sort of looks at it from the perspective of a, we're not helping out, uh, groups that are, where we're showing up in a supportive role, which is what you've met by helping out. But it's important to not see it as well. That's their cost that that are causes are late. That if we want to plan it, that's livable for our children and our children's children and so on. And our races are mixing more and more and we will be having black and brown and mixed race kids and we're all connected. So if we're fighting for racial justice, we're fighting for our own justice. And understanding the whole economic system through a racial lens is really important. Um, and again, I got distracted that I felt like there was something really important I wanted to say. Um, linking, how do we, how do we link up with, with indigenous struggles and what can we do to stand with inside air? Right. Um, one of the aspects of third is that we want to be accountable to people of color led groups and efforts of organizations and actions. So we're trying to, at the same time that we're trying to raise awareness amongst white coats around white supremacy and what it means to be actively dismantling it or resisting it. We also want to be responsive and accountable to people of color led movements. And we want to take our cues from folks and not assume that we know what we're supposed to do or that we should take leadership roles or the, you know, even those of us who have long histories of activism as white people, we have to be constantly vigilant about deferring to people of color and really paying attention to what our, um, folks who are, you know, at the front lines are telling us they need. So, so it's, it's about, it's about trusting in other people and especially in the press people to understand what they need for their struggle and to ask them first what we should be doing if we need to be doing anything. And then and then following through with that with an eye towards and also being willing to be called on on things that with our, you know, I mean when you grow up in this country with white skin, you just don't know. You do not know. And so often we're being told by other white people or by people of color to be pay attention and be more aware of what our privileges and what we're assuming. We assume a lot of things about our society, about protest, about racism with Phil, a lot of things not realizing that we're looking through a white lens. So the more you can start to integrate a more racially focused lens, even though it's not your own experience, you start to see it everywhere in all kinds. Smart, big and small ways. And that's a way to then be more responsive to people of color and what the messaging is about, what they want or need or how we can be in a supportive role. So where do we, where do we go from this March? What are we doing today? Well, I'm getting ready for May Day, May 1st, which is Monday. And it is Trump's one or one day in office. And it's also um, uh, beyond the moment is mobilizing. Many people don't know that may day is celebrated worldwide as workers' Rights Day and that, um, that has a whole historical context and that our government moved Labor Damien and called it Labor Day, not may day or worker's rights to September where it's not political at all. That across the world it is political and it's about worker's rights. It's founded in peaceful protesting for the eight hour workday and getting violently crackdown. And so there's the mobilization efforts all around the country to have may day marches. And I'm going to go to the various activities in south rose. I think if you Google May Day Santa Rosa 2017, that folks can find some of those actions. There's stuff happening at the JC. Yeah, most of it is centered around the JC, but there's also an action at the county jail. So, uh, I'll be doing that as well as probably driving down to Oakland to participate in the later part of the day with that. And that's just one next thing. I think people are plugging in more and more all over. And I would say the most important thing is not to stop, to be vigilant, to be say to yourself, cause we're all saying to ourselves, how can we sustain this? This is insane. We can't go to a march every weekend. We can go to 17 meetings every week. You know, we can't. We have to, we have to be just out there and also on social media in any ways we can with our families and workplace talking about these issues and building coalitions, trying to persuade people what, what their real values are. People who seem to have lost our way and are buying into this greed and mean spirited, selfish, short term, white supremacist in just regime that we're living up to. How do people get involved with search? You can find a search. Sonoma county search, Sonoma county. Dot. As are Surj, which stands for showing up for racial justice. So SURJ sonoma.org

Speaker 4 1:02:20

is the website. We're also on Facebook. Thank you for being with us here today and thank you for showing up.

Speaker 8 1:02:26

Thank you.

Speaker 4 1:02:28

So why don't you guys introduce yourselves and tell us who you're with and what you guys are doing here today. I'm Leon Allen and my name is Francis. Got Carranza. Oh, you don't need to speak that close. Like maybe just if you just sort of like leave it there in between you guys. That'll pick it up just fine. Okay, cool. And uh, we're with the Union unite here, which is the hospitality Worker's Union represent the workers at the casino and the pedal and the Sheraton. And there are a bunch of hotels down in the bay area and we're really excited to be here fighting for workers rights and women's rights and climate justice. Cool. So, um, uh, unionism has, has really been down, uh, in, in the last couple of decades. How do you guys, have you guys feel that, um, you know, participating in these things, being a part of, of these rallies, how do you guys feel that that works with the, the organism organizing and unionizing that you guys have been doing? Uh, I mean, I, I think it's really important, you know, 10 years ago, uh, there was no union members in the hospitality industry and Sonoma County. And 10 years ago we won the union at the Petaluma Sheridan. And then three years ago, Francisco and many other people help to organize the workers at the casino. And so now we have over 600 members here in Sonoma county. And so for me, it's really exciting to see the union growing and seeing worker's rights and benefits getting better. And we're excited to be here today to stand alongside, I know everyone else and more grants and workers and, and the community. And because we can only win if we're all fighting together. Cool. I mean that, that goes nicely into the next question has going to have is, um, so what is it, what does solidarity for you guys and, and um, how do you, how do we act in solidarity by, by being a part of these marches and, and by participating in these events

Speaker 9 1:04:26

for me is to stand for each other. If there's injustice as at the workplace, we need to stay there when it stayed together because the more people that they are fighting for one class that's here, we're going to be their best friends. We were going to have, in this case, we represent the workers in the casino. And before that, people, they don't have any medical insurance. People didn't have good wages and by a started working in the guest's email, I heard a guy say, you know, I'm, I'm so happy they got, this is the first time that I'm going to have the opportunity to take my kids to the top. That's the kind of things that we went to achieve. Um, prominent here in Sharon was victorious. In other words, have the same benefits. And so that's what we do. We communicate with the, with other workers and we put in them that, that they don't say it right now. We can have better things if we get together. That's a Sunday.

Speaker 4 1:05:35

Excellent. So, um, so, so how does, how does a union organizing and activism intersect with the other groups and organizations that are around here? I mean, we've got, we've got occupy and we have less resistance, you know, uh, indivisible Healdsburg. Uh, you know, climate justice. How, how does, how does the, how does the Union and how does the union organizing sure of like fit into this, to this broader social justice movement?

Speaker 1 1:06:09

Yeah, I mean, you know, we are part of a broader movement, right? Workers fighting for respect and rights and benefits on the job are also, residents are also, immigrants are also, students are also people who want to live in an environment that's not destroyed. And so we can land a 50 cent raise, but then if you can't bring the air, it's not gonna really do anything. So we got to be fighting for everything. We got to be fighting at work, but then we also got to be fighting against Trump for him or good rights. We've got to be fighting against these big corporations that we can actually be able to breathe the air that we can actually have healthcare that's affordable, uh, that we can eat food that's not, you know, um, contaminated. Can you guys, can you guys talk about the, some of the activism that you guys have been doing, um, beyond, you know, showing up and being loud at these, these events? Like what, what else have you guys sort of been doing quietly or, or in the community to be sure. So, you know, we have, uh, the opportunity here in Sonoma county. There's tons of tucking workers who don't have unions here, right? Who are working in hospitality for very, very low pay and no benefits. So we're working with workers at different places throughout Sonoma county to help them to be able to stand up for their rights and being able to funding and also, so that's fine. So, so this is a, um, uh, as much as it's just like a rally together, a bunch of different organizations. This is also a sort of a movement building coalition or the sets, the MPXP and attentive. What, um, what are you guys going to be doing tomorrow and next week? And we're, you guys see the fine taking it? Sure. So we're members of the North Bay organizing project and so we're really involved in the campaign for rent control measure. See me here in Santa Rosa and we're members of the organization jobs with justice, fighting to support of low wage workers to workers, workers like the team search who are organizing in that recycling garbage or organizing and other industries as well. My county. So we're going to continue to be involved in that. Uh, tomorrow and Monday our workers are going to be going on strike and Oakland. So different hotels and Oakland are going to be going on strike. And then the day after that will be out knocking on doors and his name workers talking about rent control and about how we can raise the wages here in Sonoma county. So for those of us who who are working in non unionized or, or you know, who are, who are involved in his work that it doesn't make sense to have a union. Like if you're a management or something like that, what should we be thinking about? And for those of us who are on the more progressive and left us, what should we be doing to help out a union reference? Yeah, I think, um, you know, I think some of it is how can we put it in their time or their energy or their money to be able to support workers who are organizing. Some of it is how can we pass laws that are going to protect workers, whether they have, you need your doc, how do we raise the minimum wage? How do we pass rent control? How do we do other things we just passed along to make it, the scheduling in retail jobs have to be fair, so they have to give people fair schedules and it can't come from was hours part time. Um, so how can people get involved and, and Starbucks, which you guys are doing, how should they, how should they get in contact? Sure. They can check out our facebookPage@facebook.com slash night here 28 15 and that was probably the best way to link up on this. You guys haven't had any, uh, any last words or did you guys want to get out to the community or,

Speaker 9 1:10:16

um, them the better chance against Trump and his father says, and we're not going to do it unless we get together.

Speaker 3 1:10:27

So that'll be it for this podcast. Events supplemental. I really want to thank everybody who showed up. I really want to thank everybody who is supporting us in our struggles and supporting each other wherever we happen to be. I remember that this is not the best at of yet. When we show up, when we make ourselves heard or fighting for a better world. So keep at it. Don't give up. Hope we will make something. Yeah.

Speaker 1 1:10:51

Better out of this. Stay safe out there guys.

Speaker 2 1:11:04

Yeah. [inaudible] [inaudible] [inaudible].