ISSUE #31 l MARCH 2017 SUGGESTED DONATION $2

ESCALATE THE RESISTANCE

TOWARD A NATIONWIDE STRIKE ON MAY 1

ALSO Inside MAY DAY STRIKE! p. 4 FIGHTING FOR WOMEN’s LIBERATION p. 6 BLACK LIVES MATTER AND TRUMP p. 8 WHAT WE STAND FOR WHY I AM A SOCIALIST Fighting for the 99% racism of the criminal justice system. Invest in rehabilitation, job training, and living-wage JJRaise the federal minimum wage to $15 an jobs, not prisons! Abolish the death penalty. Bob Trombley hour, as a step toward a living wage for all. JJDefend immigrant rights! Immediate, JJFree, high quality public education for all from Cincinnati, OH unconditional legalization and equal rights for pre-school through college. Full funding for all undocumented immigrants. schools to dramatically lower student-teacher ratios. Stop the focus on high stakes testing JJFight sexual harassment, violence against and the drive to privatize public education. women, and all forms of sexism. JJDefend a woman’s right to choose whether JJFree, high quality health care for all. Replace As I write this, I have just turned seventy and when to have children. For a publicly the failed for-profit insurance companies with a years old. I began to self-identify as a social- funded, single-payer health care system publicly funded single-payer system as a step ist only in the last year, so my political matu- with free reproductive services, including all towards fully socialized medicine. rity came late. forms of birth control and safe, accessible JJNo budget cuts to education and social About fifteen years ago, I began to pay abortions. Comprehensive sex education. At services! Full funding for all community needs. more attention to our political, economic, and least 12 weeks of paid family leave for all. For A major increase in taxes on the rich and big societal ills. Many of us did, after 9/11. universal, high quality, affordable and publicly business, not working people. I learned about the unfolding crises, run child care. JJCreate living-wage union jobs for all the Bush’s wars, the 2008 economic collapse, Alternative Cincinnati, and I am increasingly JJFight discrimination and violence against unemployed through public works programs the wars on drugs and crime that really were encouraged that revolutionary socialism is the LGBTQ community, and all forms of to develop mass transit, renewable energy, wars on our working-class people. I was the only system of political organization that homophobia and transphobia. infrastructure, healthcare, education, and haunted and disturbed by the prevailing lack will provide for universal justice, human dig- affordable housing. Money for Jobs and Education, of social and economic justice and I began nity, preservation of our island planet, and to look for root causes. I read about neolib- true sister and brotherhood. JJFor rent control combined with massive public Not War investment in affordable housing. eral capitalism and I came to see it as a syn- What I’ve seen from Socialist Alternative JJEnd the occupations of Afghanistan and Iraq. drome of lethal exploitation. It has become in action gives me hope that we can stay on JJA guaranteed decent pension for all. No cuts Bring all the troops home now! an octopus with its tentacles constricting our the right path of empowering working class to Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid! JJSlash the military budget. No drones. Shut economics, our civic life, our government, our people. J JA minimum guaranteed weekly income of down Guantanamo. valued institutions like public education, and Now I look around and wonder where are $600/week for the unemployed, disabled, JJRepeal the Patriot Act, NDAA, and all other even our very psyches. my fellow radicals from the ‘60s? There are stay-at-home parents, the elderly, and others attacks on democratic rights. There had to be something better. I came a few but I would certainly welcome more. In unable to work. to understand that we need real democracy the meanwhile, I take heart in working with JJRepeal all anti-union laws like Taft-Hartley. For Break with the Two Parties of that serves the people, and socialism is the Socialist Alternative. They are the hope of democratic unions run by the rank-and-file to Big Business path to it. the world and they make me proud to be a fight for better pay, working conditions, and I continue to learn more about socialism, J JJFor a mass workers party drawing together Socialist. social services. Full-time union officials should largely through involvement with Socialist workers, young people and activists from be regularly elected and receive the average environmental, civil rights, and women’s wage of those they represent. campaigns, to provide a fighting, political J JNo more layoffs! Take bankrupt and failing alternative to the corporate parties. companies into public ownership. JJUnions and other social movement #FreeDaniel Protest in Seattle J JBreak the power of Wall Street! For public organizations should stop funding and ownership and democratic control of the major Just two days after finding out that ICE supporting the Democratic and Republican detained Seattle resident Daniel Ramirez banks. Parties and instead organize independent left- JJShorten the workweek with no loss in pay Medina as collateral damage during a raid wing, anti-corporate candidates and coalitions on his father’s home, a powerful coalition and benefits; share out the work with the as a first step toward building a workers’ party. unemployed and create new jobs. of immigrant rights organizations came Socialism and Internationalism together to say Free Daniel! As a DREAMer and DACA recipient, Daniel is essentially a Environmental Sustainability JJCapitalism produces poverty, inequality, test case for Trump’s full on attack against JJFight climate change. Massive public environmental destruction, and war. We our immigrant brothers and sisters. investment in renewable energy and energy- need an international struggle against this At very short notice, Kshama Sawant efficient technologies to rapidly replace fossil failed system.No to corporate “free trade” Kshama Sawant speaks at a #FreeDaniel rally. and the Resist Trump Coalition called for a fuels. agreements, which mean job losses and protest at the Federal Courthouse on Feb- month… And last night I made the deci- JJA major expansion of public transportation to a race to the bottom for workers and the ruary 17 which brought out 500 people; sion to come today and talk, because I’m provide low fare, high-speed, and accessible environment. a rally of a similar size had gathered in not afraid anymore!” Michael Ramos of transit. J JSolidarity with the struggles of workers and New York City the night before. Local the church council denounced the deten- J JDemocratic public ownership of the big oppressed peoples internationally: An injury to immigrant activists were in attendance at tion on behalf of Seattle faith leaders: energy companies, retooling them for one is an injury to all. the protest, as well as delegations from “People of faith see it as a moral duty socially necessary green production. A JJTake into public ownership the top 500 various labor unions and other organiz- to uphold the rights and dignity of every “Just Transition” for all workers in polluting corporations and banks that dominate the U.S. ers. Representatives of SEIU, Washington person … our houses of worship require industries with guaranteed re-training and new economy. Run them under the democratic DREAMers, One America, Socialist Stu- no documents.” living-wage jobs. management of elected representatives of the dents, and others addressed the crowd. The march returned to the courthouse Equal Rights for All workers and the broader public. Compensation Many spoke powerfully both to the imme- to hear a press conference from Daniel’s to be paid on the basis of proven need to small diate need to protect Daniel, but also how lawyers and to learn that our fight must J JFight discrimination based on race, nationality, investors, not millionaires. our fight needs to go much further. continue. A judge delayed making a deci- gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, JJA democratic socialist plan for the economy Seattle City Councilmember Kshama sion on Daniel’s detention – showing that religion, disability, age, and all other forms of based on the interests of the overwhelming Sawant, an immigrant and member of we need to make our powerful movement prejudice. Equal pay for equal work. majority of people and the environment. For a Socialist Alternative, spoke about the of the 99% heard even louder. JJBlack Lives Matter! Build a mass movement socialist United States and a socialist world. J need for Seattle to be a sanctuary city, not This protest is a small but important against police brutality and the institutional just in words but in actions. example of the type of sustained and A Tacoma DACA recipient, restaurant determined struggle that will be neces- Socialist Alternative Editor Tom Crean • Editorial Board Calvin Priest, Eljeer Hawkins, Tony Wilsdon, Joshua worker and mother of two said, “Thanks sary to defeat Trump’s attacks on working to DACA, I was able to have a home, to people, citizens and non-citizens. It also Koritz, George Brown, Bryan Watson [email protected] give my kids a better life. So, when I found shows again that thousands and indeed out about Daniel, It just confirmed for millions are prepared to stand up and be [email protected] @SocialistAlt me what I’ve been afraid of for the past part of this struggle. J

2 SOCIALIST ALTERNATIVE.ORG • MARCH 2017 POLITICS Making Sense of the Chaos Resistance in the Era of Trump

Tom Crean and Philip Locker by sections of the ruling class to block him.

The following is a shortened and adapted Trump Facing Setbacks on version of a document approved by Socialist Several Fronts Alternative’s National Committee on Monday, February 20. The full document can be read The botched launch of the Muslim ban is on SocialistAlternative.org. a real setback for Trump but this should in no Since this document was drafted the way lead us to conclude that he will inevitably Trump regime has become less stable and fail on all other fronts. For one thing, Trump more chaotic. At the same time, Trump is on has pledged to issue a new executive order the offensive on immigration and at Stand- less liable to successful legal challenge. ing Rock. A majority of the ruling class still But Trump and the Republicans are now supports Trump and they will be very cau- in trouble of their own making on another key tious about bringing down a president given front: healthcare. Having made the “repeal the damage it would inflict on their political and replacement” of Obamacare such a cen- system. Trump’s position can also be strength- tral plank, the Republicans are facing the ened based on new events. While the move- predictable problem of delivering on their ment against Trump is correctly emboldened promise without millions losing health care we should warn against any complacency. coverage. The biggest issue is the extension Trump remains a very serious threat and to of Medicaid which brought healthcare to mil- defeat him will require a far stronger move- lions of working people and which Republi- ment, including decisive working-class action cans want to repeal. This benefits many in which major strikes on May Day would point rural areas where Trump won big so he needs towards. Trump and Bannon. to tread very carefully. On January 22, Trump and his cabinet Somewhere between now and the mid- of billionaires launched their blitzkrieg issu- are being radicalized by the Trump presi- dissent, promoted “alternative facts” and term elections the Republicans will have to ing 20 executive orders in 10 days. Trump’s dency. This radicalization, is now laying the declared that it’s at “war” with the main- unveil, pass, and defend their alternative early actions targeted immigrants, Muslims, basis for a full-blown “Tea Party of the Left” stream corporate media. Trump tweets about which is very likely to please almost no-one women’s reproductive rights, health care, the which is forcing the Democratic Party leader- a “so-called judge” and “outrageous, politi- and may in fact be simply a watered down, environment and regulation of the financial ship to take a more aggressive, oppositional cal” judicial rulings. Lurking in the back- worse version of Obamacare. sector. And there is a lot more to come. stance to maintain their credibility. This is ground of the administration’s most provoca- But Trump has also sparked a wave of an extension of the trends we pointed to in tive acts is the far right nationalist Steve How the Anti-Trump Movement mass protest, completely unprecedented for the Sanders campaign last year. It confirms Bannon. Will Develop any newly elected president. This is the big- our view that society is not shifting to the It is clear that there are serious divisions gest revolt in U.S. society since the Vietnam right but there is a very deep polarization. in the ruling class. Some of Trump’s actions We obviously welcome the difficulties War. Besides the millions who participated in The other side of this polarization is that the – including setting out to rip up the limited the Republicans are facing. But we need to the women’s marches on January 21, tens of Trump presidency is opening the door for the regulation of the financial sector brought in ask: what is likely to be the main focus of thousands went to airports across the country development of a more serious and virulent by Obama and promising to lower taxes for resistance to the Trump administration in the on January 28 to protest the ban on allowing far right than we have seen in decades. the rich – are making Wall Street happy. The coming weeks? people from seven majority Muslim nations In the medium term the Trump presidency energy sector is salivating at the prospect We are likely to see massive mobilizations into the U.S. Tens of thousands more partici- could deeply damage the right and lay the of ripping up environmental regulation. But against the ramping up of mass deporta- pated in protests against the ban in subse- basis for sweeping electoral defeats for the on many fronts – like his threats to start a tions, against a right wing appointee to the quent days. Republicans. His administration could even trade war or to pull apart the institutions of Supreme Court and against Trump’s shred- Record numbers also flooded the Senate implode. But without a bold program that the postwar political order – Trump is deeply ding of environmental regulations. The orga- with messages against the nomination of mobilizes the broadest forces against Trump disquieting to key sections of the ruling class nizers of the Women’s March have called for Betsy DeVos as Secretary of Education and and unless that movement is centered on the here and internationally. They have no desire a “general strike”/ “day without a woman” Republican congress members have been social power of working people there remains to further undermine the authority of their on International Women’s Day, March 8. forced to flee their local town hall meet- a real danger of this regime inflicting seri- institutions by turning to “strongman” rule. April 15, tax day, will see actions across the ings by angry protesters denouncing them ous defeats that temporarily demoralize the On the other hand, even those most opposed country. There will be a march for science on because of the threatened attack on health movement. We must not conclude that even to Trump are not necessarily ready to push Earth Day, April 22 and a likely massive envi- care. with the weaknesses already exposed, includ- for impeachment – yet. ronmental march on April 29. All of this activ- Of huge importance for the reemergence ing the chaos inside the administration, that The possibility of a full blown constitu- ity could culminate in May Day protests and of a fighting left, there is now a layer of tens Trump will inevitably be defeated. We must tional crisis if, for example, Trump at some strike actions on a scale not seen since the of thousands of people subscribing to social- also bear in mind that Trump can make use stage decides to ignore the rulings of federal “day without an immigrant,” May 1, 2006. ist magazines, joining socialist organizations of terrorist attacks that occur and possibly judges certainly cannot be ruled out. This Socialist Alternative has from the start and stepping up to regularly attend protests initiate foreign military conflicts to distract combined with an ongoing mass movement called for 100 days of resistance and point- and political events. This phase of mass from his domestic difficulties. could create truly explosive conditions in ing to the key role of mass non-violent civil struggle, interest in socialist ideas and deter- society. Of course events like terrorist attacks disobedience and strike action as well as mined direct action will likely continue, with Characterizing the New Regime can aid Trump in justifying authoritarian mass demonstrations. ups and downs, through the coming months. measures, but a full blown power grab would But it is the attacks on immigrants that What is clear is that sections of society, This is a deeply reactionary regime with face popular resistance on a scale possibly particularly youth and women at this stage, real authoritarian tendencies. It has threat- never seen in U.S. history as well as moves continued on p. 10 ened to purge the state apparatus of any

SOCIALIST ALTERNATIVE.ORG • MARCH 2017 3 STRUGGLES Union Locals Why We Should Pass Resolutions Strike on May Day Supporting a May 1 Kshama Sawant Nationwide Strike Seattle City Councilmember @cmKshama facebook.com/cmkshama Call Stephan Kimmerle

Article first published atJacobinmag. The time is ripe for an escalation of the resis- com, 2/21/17. tance against Trump and his attacks on immi- grants, women and workers’ rights. A few union Since Inauguration Day, millions locals have waded into the debate by passing of people have taken to the streets to resolutions for actions on May 1. fight against Donald Trump’s right-wing The board of directors of the Minnesota agenda.Yet the president is continuing Nurses Association, “calls upon the NNU [the his attacks. National Nurses Union], the AFL-CIO ... to start In the one week alone, more than six an intense discussion about ... protest action on hundred immigrants have been rounded May Day, May 1, 2017, including a discussion up by U.S. Immigration and Customs within the AFL-CIO about a call for a nationwide Enforcement (ICE). This is only a small strike that day.” taste of what’s likely to come with The teachers union in Seattle, the Seattle Trump promising to deport millions. ICE Education Association (SEA), took it a step fur- is likely at some stage to start full-scale ther and now call on the statewide Washington workplace raids. Education Association and on the three million It will not be enough to play defense. strong National Education Association, “to call As millions ask “what will it take to upon their affiliates to go on a one day strike stop Trump?”, a discussion about strike on May Day, May 1st 2017 should other labor action has been rapidly developing. The Many businesses closed down for the “Day Without Immigrants” on February 16. unions put out the call for a strike that day.” “chaos” we created at the nation’s air- If you can move a motion in your trade union ports gives a hint of what’s possible. Without an Immigrant” in response to Rank-and-file union members and or any other activist group, we publish below a The rapidly organized protests won the brutal Republican attacks. left labor leaders should rapidly move resolution that can be used as a model (there are immediate release of detained immi- We will need the time up to May 1 to bring resolutions and make the case more online). It was passed by the Representa- grants and even pushed sections of big to organize a huge nationwide action within their own unions for May 1 strike tives Assembly of the SEA on February 13. business into coming out against Trump which unites immigrants, women, union action. and his Muslim ban. members, the Black Lives Matter move- Where there is no formal strike or any Seattle Education Association, But we need to think deeply about ment, environmentalists, and all those union, other forms of workplace action where our strength lies and how to threatened by Trump. can include using individual sick days Representative Assembly, February 13 create disruption on an even greater Let’s use the coming weeks to begin or vacation days, organizing for a lunch- Accepted unanimously at the Represen- scale. Working people have enormous planning for workplace actions as well time meeting of your co-workers, or pos- tatives Assembly of the Seattle Educators potential power to shut down the profits a mass peaceful civil disobedience sibly leaving work early to join protests Association (SEA), February 13, 2017: of big business by taking actions in their that shuts down highways, airports, (as happened in the women’s strike in WHEREAS national right-to-work legisla- workplaces like slowdowns, sickouts, and other key infrastructure. Students Poland last October). We want the larg- tion has been proposed in US Congress, and strikes. can organize walkouts in their schools est possible show of force, while keep- threatening our union’s very existence, and Many organizers of the January wom- to send a powerful message that youth ing in mind that such actions would be WHEREAS the WA state senate pro- en’s marches, joined by Angela Davis reject Trump’s racism and misogyny. too risky for some workers to take part posed an education budget that trades our and others, are calling for a women’s The participation of the labor move- in. union rights for a sub par increase in fund- strike on March 8 (International Wom- ment would need to be central to this This is a long battle and we are just ing not nearly meeting the demands set en’s Day), to escalate the fight against effort. With a clear lead from the union starting to get organized. Let’s use forth by the McCleary decision, and Trump. leadership millions of workers would March 8 and May 1 to build our strength WHEREAS unions have been at the fore- If the big women’s organizations, eagerly respond. One day public-sec- and lay the basis for even stronger front of defending workers against corpo- like Planned Parenthood, were to join tor general strikes in key urban cen- actions that allow for larger numbers of rate erosion of wages and benefits and a in this call it could bring hundreds of ters around the nation would be pos- workers to strike. weakening of labor’s ability to stand up for thousands to the streets and this time sible. Unfortunately, despite the attacks Our strength is in numbers and orga- workers’ rights comes with a concomitant tapping into the strategic potential of Trump is preparing against unions nization. We can protect each other loss of the community’s rights as well, mass workplace action. Unfortunately, including national “right to work” (for best against retaliation from our bosses THEREFORE be it resolved that the SEA the leadership of many of these organi- less) legislation, some labor leaders will by organizing our co-workers to join with will propose in writing to the WEA and the zations are too timid due to their politi- do anything besides building resistance us and building widespread support in NEA, that they call upon their affiliates to cal outlook and ties to the Democratic in the streets. our communities. go on a one day strike in order to strengthen Party establishment. But May Day actions have more We will not defeat Trump in one day our ability to take a stand for both worker March 8 can be a springboard to even potential to change the parameters of alone. But a nationwide strike on May rights and the paramount needs of our stu- larger protests and strike action across U.S. politics than decades of insider Day would, without a doubt, repre- dents on May Day, May 1st, 2017 should the country on May 1, International lobbying. Talk of strike action is already sent an enormous step forward for our other AFL-CIO labor unions put out a call Workers’ Day. Historically “May Day” bubbling up within the labor movement. movement. for a strike that day or another deemed has been a global day of mass work- The Seattle Education Association, Min- Let’s seize the time and make this more appropriate by the labor movement, ing-class action. Immigrants restored nesota Nurses Association, and a Phili- May Day a turning point in the struggle THEREFORE be it further resolved that the tradition of May Day to the United delphia nurses union all passed resolu- to bring down this dangerous adminis- the SEA ask the WEA and NEA to notify States in 2006, when they organized tions supporting a one-day nationwide tration and put forward the type of poli- all their affiliates in writing of this condi- rallies of millions and hundreds of thou- strike on May 1 (see accompanying tics than can challenge the rule of the tional call, and when the time comes promi- sands went on strike as part of the “Day article). billionaire class. J nently display the call on its websites. J

4 SOCIALIST ALTERNATIVE.ORG • MARCH 2017 CAMPAIGNS Socialist Challenges Minneapolis Establishment

not compromised by corporate cam- wage. the Democratic Party has opened paign contributions. Our communities have been the door to right-wing, anti-worker Imagine what we can do with an rocked by police killings like those attacks. This is why I’m running inde- unapologetic working-class fighter in of Jamar Clark and Philando Castile. pendently of the two-party system. City Council. Look at what Kshama Black Lives Matter has exposed the Sawant and Socialist Alternative in deep structural racism in the U.S. How can people support Seattle achieved: victories against Let’s be clear that here in Minne- your campaign? slumlords and the first major city apolis, at a minimum, we need an I can promise you this: We will to pass $15 an hour. We can do elected civilian review board with run the boldest grassroots campaign Socialist Alternative interviewed so working people know I’m unam- that in Minneapolis, too! With my real teeth, with hiring and firing this year, based on donations from Ginger Jentzen, a leading activist in biguously in their corner. campaign, I want to show that an power, with actual powers over the ordinary working people, knocking Minneapolis 15 Now and member alternative to Trump’s anti-worker police budget and priorities. on every door, building the resis- of Socialist Alternative who is run- What are the main goals agenda is possible. tance movement that stops Trump’s How does your campaign relate to ning for Minneapolis City Council in of your campaign? agenda in its tracks. My campaign What are the main issues Ward 3. Visit her website at Ginger- We need to change the priorities the fight-back against Trump? will take no corporate money and Jentzen.org to follow her campaign. in Minneapolis’ City Hall. Minneapo- in your campaign? From Ward 3, to all of the Twin be built on our own independent lis residents paid $825 million for Ward 3, where I am running for Cities, to the state level, our commu- power. Why are you running this campaign? the construction of US Bank football City Council, is an area of northeast nities and public services are threat- In the last election, over I worked for years as a tipped stadium and refurbishing the Target and downtown Minneapolis where ened by the anti-immigrant, anti- $100,000 from real-estate inter- restaurant worker and a home Center arena for a billionaire and a students and working-class families union billionaire agenda of President ests poured into Ward 3, with health care worker, and I joined bank invested in the Dakota Access are rapidly being priced out by gen- Trump. How can we translate the dozens of maxed-out donations Socialist Alternative in 2012. I’ve Pipeline. trification. We need to invest in high- mass opposition we’ve seen in the from big developers, to elect a fought against foreclosures with Imagine if we used that money quality public housing, and to do last month into an ongoing, powerful business-friendly candidate. Work- Occupy Homes Minneapolis and to fix the broken for-profit housing this, we can’t rely on politicians who movement to actually block Trump’s ing people need our own candidates against police violence with #Black- system that’s pricing working-class say they’re against gentrification but billionaire agenda? I think the tem- with campaigns run by us. You can LivesMatter Minneapolis. I’ve spent residents and students out of Min- take money from the profit-driven big porary reversal of Trump’s Muslim help by volunteering or donating to two years fighting to win $15 an neapolis. It’s enough money to build developers that are making this city ban by the #NoBanNoWall shows my campaign today. hour in Minneapolis, for a proposal over 4,000 affordable, high-quality, unaffordable for low-income commu- that Trump and the billionaire class Now, more than ever, we need to supported by 68% of Minneapolis city-owned housing units, providing nities. I pledge to refuse any dona- can be defeated by powerful social get organized to defend our commu- residents and confirmed viable by thousands of union jobs and reduc- tions from business interests, and as movements. nities. That’s why I’m a member of the City of Minneapolis’ own study. ing rents. a city council member, I’d only take We learned an important lesson Socialist Alternative. In Minneapolis We need political representa- The job description of our the average wage of a worker in the from the efforts of 15 Now, Centro and nationally, we are building a tives who will fight unambiguously elected officials must be expanded. ward, donating half of my $80,000 de Trabajadores Unidos en Lucha strong socialist backbone within the for working people and oppressed We need elected officials who are salary to social movements. (CTUL), and Neighborhoods Organiz- wider mass movements erupting communities. We need political equally comfortable with the imme- Minneapolis has a vibrant immi- ing for Change (NOC) to put $15 an against Trump and the billionaire leaders who refuse corporate dona- diate tasks in City Hall as they are grant and Muslim community, which hour on the ballot in Minneapolis. The class. Bernie Sanders proved that tions, who have proven themselves with the grassroots movement-build- will be disproportionately impacted majority of the city Democratic Party, our call for a political revolution, as uncompromising fighters, and ing necessary to stop these attacks by Trump and the right-wing attacks. with a few notable exceptions, bent for socialist policies, for a society who come out of our movements. on Minneapolis residents. We need Tens of thousands of Minneapo- to the pressure of big business. They that meets everyone’s needs, not Like Bernie Sanders and Kshama elected officials who are not afraid lis workers would be affected by did everything they could to keep just the profits of the few - that is a Sawant in Seattle, my campaign to stand up to big business and the anti-union laws and state level pre- $15 off the ballot. By failing to chal- vision capable of inspiring the mass takes no money from big businesses Chamber of Commerce and who are emption of a $15 an hour minimum lenge corporate-politics-as-usual, participation needed to win. J Seattle Divests from Wells Fargo Over DAPL Bryan Watson civil disobedience to disrupt business as their bottom line. companies. usual. “The real power of this ordinance is that “In any rational world, the trillions that In early February, Seattle Socialist Alter- To win in Seattle, the movement packed it can be used as a tool by movements to put are in the hands of multinational oil com- native City Councilmember Kshama Sawant city council meetings and organized rallies and real financial pressure on big business by first panies would not be used to lobby for wars worked with a coalition of indigenous and marches of thousands. This pressure exposed putting pressure on politicians. in Iraq and pipelines poisoning our water environmental groups to successfully compel the corporate Democrats on City Council who “And the last point I’ll make is that we live and climate. If we had any democracy over the City Council to divest Seattle from doing had dragged their feet for months. in what I feel is an irrational world. Oxfam our economy, those trillions would be used business with Wells Fargo because of the What follows are excerpts from the speech reported that eight people own the same to transform the energy infrastructure into bank’s’ funding of the pipeline and discrimi- that Sawant delivered at the ratification vote wealth as the bottom half of the world’s renewables and to create decent living stan- natory banking practices. This is a $3 billion in the council chambers. population – that’s 3.5 billion people — com- dards for all human beings. dollar boycott by the City of Seattle! “The example that we have set can be bined. It’s irrational that we are so divided “But it is not a rational world under capital- It is a stunning rebuke to the power of the a beacon of hope to activists all around the in wealth that wealth buys the power to write ism. So our fight today is very much linked to billionaire class and Wall Street that points to country looking to change the economic cal- laws that benefit the rule of a few at the top our larger fight against big business, against what’s needed to defeat Trump: united mass culus of corporations who think that investing – and no one else. And nowhere is that more Wall Street, against Trump and the billionaire movements willing to engage in nonviolent in the Dakota Access Pipeline will be good for starkly visible than with the big banks and oil class, and against capitalism itself.” J

SOCIALIST ALTERNATIVE.ORG • MARCH 2017 5 FIGHTING FOR WOMEN’S LIBERATION Build a Movement to Defend and Extend Reproductive Rights

Erin Brightwell rapidly rebuilding a fighting women’s movement. March 8 can also be key in building toward other The powerful and immediate show of mass upcoming actions – and particularly toward the resistance to Trump, along with his slump in the call for a nationwide day of strike action on May polls, has left no doubt that the new administra- 1, International Worker’s Day and a day of mass tion’s sexist and racist agenda has no mandate. action for immigrant rights. It was no accident that the women’s marches The strike is the most powerful tool that on January 21 became the largest single day workers have. When we withhold our labor in of protest in U.S. history, as the massive anger mass numbers, we can paralyze business and against the incoming Predator in Chief found shut down corporate profits. For successful expression with millions of women and men strike action, we will need the active participa- taking the streets. Trump’s infamous leaked tion of the labor movement, and a discussion is video where he bragged about sexually assault- already under way in some unions, particularly ing women, the subsequent coming forward of around May 1. Rank-and-file union members over a dozen women who have been assaulted and left labor leaders should make the case for by him, and his attack on Megyn Kelly during the strike action within their unions and bring reso- campaign all reveal the same thing: Trump is a lutions like those recently passed in the Seattle thoroughly misogynistic individual whose sexism Education Association (SEA) and Minnesota harkens back to a bygone era when women Nurses Association (MNA) (see page 4). Major- were expected to submit to men and society ity women’s unions like SEA, MNA, National had no place in “private affairs” between them. Nurses United (NNU) and the Chicago Teacher’s Immediately upon taking office, Trump and the Women’s March on Washington protesting Trump’s agenda, January 21, 2017. Union (CTU) are playing a vital role in rebuilding Republicans moved to attack reproductive rights, a left wing in the labor movement. restoring and broadening the “global gag rule,” did not, of course, begin with Donald Trump’s “business as usual” on a much broader scale: to We can learn from the lessons of past strug- blocking funding for organizations providing abor- inauguration. Literally hundreds of restrictions occupy highways, airports, and other key infra- gles. The right to abortion in the U.S. was won tion counseling or referrals; threatening to defund on abortion rights have been passed by state structure – and, crucially, to build towards strike by a radicalized women’s movement, influenced Planned Parenthood, which would have a drastic governments in the past five years, and in many action of the wider working class. by the social movements of the 1960s: above effect on health care for millions of women; and states abortion is increasingly inaccessible. Last October, women in Poland went on all the Civil Rights Movement. A conservative fulfilling his campaign promise to nominate an Oklahoma lawmakers are currently debat- strike against the right-wing government that Supreme Court, under arch-conservative presi- anti-abortion Supreme Court justice. Trump is ing HB 1441, legislation that would require any was pushing a law which would have made abor- dent Richard Nixon, ruled on Roe v. Wade to the complete anti-woman president. woman seeking an abortion to present written tion next to impossible to obtain. Rallies and give women the right to choose an abortion. This While Trump continues to maintain his base permission from her sexual partner. Chillingly, marches were called across the country, thou- was not because the court suddenly turned in a of support among right-wing Republicans of both in an interview, the author of HB 1441 referred sands of women took the day off from work or progressive direction, but because the women’s sexes, millions of women see him as illegitimate to pregnant women as “hosts.” left early to support the strike, and the right wing movement, through hundreds of mass actions, and intolerable. The popular base exists to build While this wave of attacks has been focused was forced to withdraw the new law. A women’s forced the ruling class to make a concession. a new, fighting mass women’s movement as part in the South, it has also been spreading to Mid- organization in Argentina that has organized To stop the Trump assault on abortion rights will of a broader resistance to Trump. western states controlled by Republicans. The massive protests opposing violence against take a new mass women’s movement that is will- In recent years, women had already begun to GOP has been using the abortion issue to mobi- women has put out a call for a global strike of ing to disrupt the status quo and go beyond what move into struggle against sexual assault and in lize the evangelical vote for years, with women women on International Women’s Day. the corporate Democratic Party leadership is defense of reproductive rights. Younger women – and especially poor women – paying the price. Now, the organizers of the March on Wash- comfortable with. Step one is building a unified in particular have fought back against the epi- The horrific specter of criminal prosecution and ington, along with Angela Davis and other activ- mass resistance to the threat to defund Planned demic of campus sexual assault and the refusal incarceration of women for having abortions – ists, have joined in and are calling for a women’s Parenthood and to arch-conservative Neil Gor- of university administrations to hold perpetrators or possibly miscarriages – has become reality strike in the U.S. on March 8. such’s nomination to the Supreme Court, includ- accountable. in Indiana under Vice President Mike Pence’s This is a an important development. If the ing demanding that Democratic Party represen- reactionary governorship, as well as in other big women’s organizations like Planned Parent- tatives filibuster his appointment. Wave of Attacks states. While Republicans have spearheaded hood and NOW were to join the call for strike A new women’s movement is coming to its the attacks, the Democrats’ defensive approach action and help build for it, hundreds of thou- feet. For it to be successful in the fight against The attack on women’s reproductive rights to reproductive rights has failed to stem the sands of women would again take to the streets, Trump and for reproductive rights, it will need decades-long assault. Our task is not just to but this time moving beyond symbolic protest. to unite in action on March 8 and May 1 with defend Roe v. Wade but also to win back the Unfortunately, many of these traditional organi- the immigrants’ movement, the LGBTQ move- ground we’ve lost and fight to extend reproduc- zations have become timid, in part due to their ment, the workers’ movement, and others on tive rights. links with the corporate Democratic Party estab- a bold program that unapologetically demands lishment. It would be necessary to build real full abortion rights and accessibility as well as Mass Mobilizations bottom-up pressure to bring these organizations reforms that will improve the lives of working- to build around International Women’s Day and class women in general, like a $15 minimum The massive women’s marches were a tre- other radical mass action. wage, free health care, free child care, and paid mendous starting point, but we will need to go parental leave, all paid for by taxing the prof- much farther to defeat Trump, the Republicans, Strike Action its of the billionaire class. This would be a huge and the billionaire class. step forward, but it will only be achieved through One lesson to be drawn from the airport occu- We should use mass action on March 8 to mass struggle, and it points to the need to move pations that exploded in response to Trump’s mobilize for strike action where possible, as well beyond capitalism and toward a democratic Muslim ban is that disruptive mass civil disobe- organizing mass civil disobedience to shut down The organizers of the Women’s March on Wash- socialist society if we are to root out sexism once dience can be a powerful, winning tactic. But to key infrastructure. It can be a key building block ington are calling for International Women’s Day, and for all. J March 8, to be a “Day Without a Woman.” stop Trump, it will be necessary to shut down in both escalating the resistance to Trump and

6 SOCIALIST ALTERNATIVE.ORG • MARCH 2017 FIGHTING FOR WOMEN’S LIBERATION Women in Revolutionary Russia

Emma Quinn (adapted from article published by the Socialist Party, Ireland)

No other event in history has been more dis- torted by the capitalist establishment than the Russian Revolution. In most narratives, the role of women is scarcely mentioned, and the mas- sive gains for women won through the revolu- tion even less so. The overthrow of capitalism and landlordism by the Bolshevik Party and the Russian work- I, liberated woman – build up socialism!, 1926. ing class in 1917 spurred a radical progressive change in society, the likes of which have not relationships were outlawed. been seen before or since. The Bolsheviks, while stressing the role of Stalinist Counter-Revolution the working class as a whole in changing soci- Years of war against supporters of the Tsar, ety, recognised that women suffered a double with the invasion of 21 imperialist armies intent oppression that was rooted in capitalism and on smashing the new workers’ state – and, cru- rural patriarchy. They saw the liberation of cially, the inordinate isolation of the revolution women as pivotal to the fight for a socialist soci- in the context of defeats for the German Revolu- ety. Lenin declared that “the proletarian cannot tion and other working-class uprisings – created achieve liberty until it has won complete liberty the conditions for a bureaucracy to come to for women.” Women played leading roles in the power under Stalin. Stalin and the bureaucracy Bolshevik Party, and the impact of the revolu- used authoritarian measures to smash working- tion transformed the consciousness and lives of Protesters gathered in front of a banner that read, “The right to vote to women,” in 1917 in Petro- class consciousness, activism, and democ- working-class women on a broad scale. grad during the February Revolution that led to the collapse of the tsarist government. racy at home, as well as using their authority for equality for women, but the keystone was Sexual Freedom to prevent victories for the socialist movement Women and the February seen as freeing women from enslavement in the abroad, all in the interests of consolidating the Revolution traditional family. Before the revolution, a wom- Throughout the post-revolutionary period, privilege of a bureaucracy. This counter-revolu- an’s life was strictly mapped out: get married, the Bolsheviks ensured there was wide and tion not only moved sharply away from the work- Tens of thousands of women took to the be monogamous, have children, and be tied to fee ranging debate on sexuality – a sea change ers’ democracy of the revolutionary period, but streets on February 23, 1917, in the events that “the eternal drudgery of the kitchen and the from the previous regime. also consciously attacked the gains of women. triggered the February Revolution. The protest nursery.” The Bolsheviks immediately set about Many completely changed how they Progressive laws were retracted. The patriarchal erupted on International Women’s Day, and challenging this and, with it, the role of the Rus- approached relationships. In 1921, a survey family was again encouraged as a means of Bolshevik women were central in building it. sian Orthodox Church and patriarchy. in Communist Youth showed 21% of men and social control. “The women were in a very militant mood – The revolution began to implement plans for 14% of women found marriage ideal. 66% of not only the women workers, but the masses of a system of social care that included maternity women preferred long-term relationships based women queuing for bread and kerosene. They Inspiring Legacy houses, clinics, schools, crèches and kinder- on love, and 10% preferred relationships with held political meetings, they dominated the gartens, social dining rooms and laundries, all different partners. The rise of the bureaucracy and Stalin’s streets, they moved to the city duma [council] aimed to relieve women from the constraints Alexandra Kollontai defended the radical betrayal does not diminish the significance of with a demand for bread, they stopped trams. of the home. Paid maternity leave both before changes and explained, “The old family in the revolutionary gains in the years after 1917. ‘Comrades, come out!’ they shouted enthusi- and after birth was introduced for women which the man was everything and the woman Never before had women had such a stake in astically. They went to factories and plants workers, and access to nursing rooms in work- was nothing, typical family where the woman politics. Never before had the quality of life and and summoned workers to down tools,” wrote places to allow breastfeeding, with breaks every had no will of her own, no time of her own and happiness of women been prioritized. Some of Anna and Mariia Ul’ianov in Pravda on March three hours for new mothers, were written into no money of her own is changing before our the achievements gained by the Russian Revo- 5, 1917. employment laws. very eyes” (“Communism and the Family,” lution almost a century ago still do not exist Abortion was legalised and made free in 1920). even in many of the most “progressive” coun- Most Progressive Laws in 1920, and was described by Leon Trotsky as The Bolsheviks believed that relationships tries today. The October Revolution remains History being one of a woman’s “most important civil, should be based on choice and personal com- an undeniable and inspirational testament to political and cultural rights.” patibility, not financial dependence. the inextricable connection between the fight In December 1917, just seven weeks after A Women’s Bureau was established with Sex debates, explorations, and experiments against all forms of oppression, and the work- forming the world’s first workers’ state in the the aim to reach out to women, bring them spread across the country. Young people, in ing-class struggle for a socialist change. October Revolution, divorce was legalised and into political activity and education, and inform particular were keen to explore their sexuality. The Russian Revolution shows that the work- made easily accessible. Shortly thereafter, legal them of their new rights. It ran literary classes, A young woman named Berakova wrote in the ing class is the most powerful force in society. It equality for women was enshrined in law and political discussions, and workshops on how Red Student in 1927: is only the conscious building of a movement for the “illegitimacy” of children born outside of to organise facilities needed in the workplace, “The Cinderellas are all gone. Our girls know the 99% that can seriously push back against marriage was abolished. such as day care centers. It was successful in what they want from a man, without any wor- the massive inequality facing women and other From its earliest days, the Bolsheviks argued raising consciousness on a range ries many of them sleep with men because of oppressed groups. And, like the Bolsheviks did, of issues, including child-care, a healthy attraction. We are not objects or sim- we must realise that capitalism simply cannot housing, and public health and it pletons that men should court, girls know who be defeated without women – and, in particu- broadened the horizons of thou- they choose and with whom they sleep.” lar, working-class women – coming to the fore sands of women. This was written in a country where, only a in the struggle for a better world. J Visit 1917Revolution.org for more on the Russian Revolution from decade before, abortion, divorce, and same-sex Socialist Alternative and the Committee for a Workers International. SOCIALIST ALTERNATIVE.ORG • MARCH 2017 7 MOVEMENTS Betsy DeVos: Trump, BLM, and the Billionaire Privatizer Sparks Mass Struggle Against Racism Opposition The Dark World of Trump’s America

Eljeer Hawkins Genevieve Morse

Today, we have a naked expression of Public education will continue authoritarianism, hate, bigotry, and racism in to see tough times under recently the form of Donald Trump in the White House. appointed Secretary of Education He reiterated his “law and order” agenda with Betsy DeVos. DeVos’s corporate the appointment of the racist Jeff Sessions right-wing agenda will be disastrous as attorney general heading the Department for public education. Unfortunately, of Justice. The Trump administration is made the corporate takeover of public up of millionaires and billionaires who will education has been happening for advance the agenda of Wall Street and racist decades. demagoguery with such figures like Steve As DeVos and Trump move to put Bannon. Trump’s rhetoric has emboldened forward their vision for public edu- the forces of the ultra-right-wing conservative cation, we’ll continue to hear that movement, alt-right white nationalist groups, our educational system is broken and historic white domestic terror organiza- and that an overhaul is needed to tions like the Ku Klux Klan (KKK). restore it. No one would disagree This is a major threat to the Black Lives that public education has major Matter (BLM) banner, anti-racist activists, Protesters take to the streets to demand justice for Trayvon Martin as they take over problems, but this is rooted in the and people of color generally, particularly Rodeo Drive on July 17, 2013 in Beverly Hills, California. (Photo by Jose Lopez) long-term impacts of funding cut- black workers and youth. The Trump admin- backs, racial and income disparity, istration and a segment of the ruling elite segment of workers, youth, and people of striking omissions, including the lack of a underpayment of teachers, and edu- would like retribution for the protests, raised color are – not surprisingly – nostalgic for call for a $15 minimum wage. The fight for cation “de-form” policies supported consciousness, and life-affirming power of the presidency and legacy of Barack Obama. $15 has mobilized tens of thousands of black by both Republicans and Democrats BLM over the course of the last three years. Without question, his election was a historic and Latino workers around the country into that utilize high-stakes testing. But The minor reforms passed to stem the tide moment, but for the mass of workers, youth, action, and there is mass support for the the solution offered by Trump and of law enforcement terror in our communities and people of color, particularly black work- demand in the black community. DeVos – the partial or complete have been important to increase the activism, ers and youth, little was achieved as his poli- It’s important to point out the limits of dismantling of public education – fighting spirit, and morale of the banner, but cies primarily benefitted and advanced the reform under capitalism and the urgent task will make the situation far worse, not on the level of the reforms won by the agenda of Wall Street for eight years. to fight for a democratic socialist change of particularly for poor working-class black freedom movement in the 1950s and But the key question we face now is how society to cement any gains and concessions communities. 1960s, during post-World War II economic to defeat Trump. Many BLM activists will be wrested from the ruling elite. We must also Betsy DeVos is the most clearly upswing. BLM has spread to every corner of at the forefront of the resistance to attacks end the abusive relationship with corporate- reactionary choice for Secretary the world with solidarity actions everywhere on immigrants, women, and labor. We must dominated political parties of war, racism, of Education that Trump could from sports to the workplace. also turn the defensive struggle against the poverty, and environmental destruction. have made. For the last 20 years, Trump administration into an offensive strug- In this new era of Trumpism, the Move- DeVos has been pushing for “school Clear and Present Danger gle for jobs, health care, education, and envi- ment for Black Lives must urgently organize choice” – in other words, for the cre- ronmental sustainability. a new conference to take into account the ation of charter schools to replace As Spencer Woodman recently reported Last summer, the Movement for Black new political and social situation, includ- public schools. This is, to a signifi- on TheIntercept.com, “In Minnesota, Wash- Lives (M4BL), a coalition of more than 50 ing democratically elected delegates from cant degree, driven by a right-wing ington state, Michigan, and Iowa, Republican organizations, released a comprehensive around the country, to debate the platform, Christian agenda that demands lawmakers have proposed an array of anti-pro- program, “A Vision For Black Lives: Policy amend it, and adopt it. This would be a huge schools be used to build “God’s testing laws that center on stiffening penalties Demands For Black Power, Freedom, and step forward. But this process would need kingdom,” putting an end to secular for demonstrators who block traffic; in North Justice” (Policy.M4BL.org), taking on the to be linked to the question of building a public education as we know it. Dakota, conservatives are even pushing a bill issues of economic injustice, reparations, broader organization, rooted in black work- DeVos is a billionaire with no that would allow motorists to run over and kill police violence, and political power. We ing-class communities, with democratic and experience in public schools. protesters so long as the collision was acci- believe that adopting a clear set of demands accountable structures. Instead, she has worked tirelessly dental” (1/23/2017). These measures are an is a very important step forward for the BLM The rise and threat of Trump’s administra- to privatize education in the state apparent attempt to keep BLM, social justice banner, and Socialist Alternative broadly tion presents the urgent task of uniting our of Michigan, where deregulation of activists, and workers on a defensive footing, supports the platform. There is much that developing social movements like the BLM charters has led to worsening con- criminalizing the resistance movement against is positive in this material, but there are banner alongside the labor movement, social ditions in the state’s poorest com- Trump and Wall Street’s agenda. Trump’s also significant political shortcomings, par- justice organizations, and socialists. We munities. DeVos has consistently threat to send in federal troops allegedly to ticularly the failure to point the movement must build a powerful, united mass move- opposed any accountability for the quell the gut-wrenching violence in Chicago toward the necessity of ending capitalism, ment in our schools, communities, and work- largely for-profit charters in Michi- - which would mean martial law - is another which is the bedrock of racist oppression. places. As the example of the long, histori- gan receiving public money. indication of the danger this administration The key question is how this platform will cal black freedom movement showed, only Education “reformers” are con- poses to the black population.. be discussed, debated, and amended by a bold, determined, centralized, and grass- stantly trying to cite the benefits of the wider movement and struggle so that it roots struggle with clear demands can beat charters over public schools. But Trump’s Racism becomes a driving focus for struggle by the back the agenda of Wall Street and racism after following the massive privati- Can Be Defeated black working class under Trump. that is etched in the DNA of U.S. capitalism zation program supported by DeVos, Despite the very radical character and and democracy. J In the aftermath of Trump’s victory, a broad scope of the platform, there are some continued on p. 11

8 SOCIALIST ALTERNATIVE.ORG • MARCH 2017 INTERNATIONAL Spain: Pablo Iglesias Wins SocialistWorld.net For more in-depth coverage, see SocialistWorld.net, website of the Clear Victory in Podemos Committee for a Workers International. Congress

Izquierda Revolucionaria

The attempt to remove Pablo Iglesias from the leadership of Podemos (the left party formed in Spain out of the 2011 Indig- nados movement) has been a complete and utter failure. This was despite all of the resources of consideration. We sincerely believe that poured into it, and the open support of the Pablo Iglesias’ mistakes and vacillations have media for Errejon – leader of the “moderate” also allowed Errejon to get as far as he has. opposition to Iglesias. They also contradicted the real reasons Socialists Gather in Brazil There was a historic turnout of 155,000 for the powerful eruption of Podemos, and members. Iglesias received almost 90% of reinforced the right wing of the party. Even the votes for the position of general secretary, after losing more than one million votes in for CWI’s 9th Latin American more than 60% for his list of candidates for June 2016, Iglesias continued to insist that the “citizens’ council” (main leading body of parliamentary and institutional work was the Podemos) and more than 50% for the docu- priority. School ments which his team put forward. In the last months, Iglesias has reacted To understand the significance of this vic- to defend his leadership, and did so on the Sandy Arias class and carry out the agenda of big busi- tory, it is enough to read the capitalist press basis that his survival, and that of Podemos, ness shows the need for a genuine party or listen to the establishment TV media fol- depended on returning to his original position At the end of January, members of of and by the 99% that’s truly accountable lowing the congress. Their anger comes and basing himself on the sections of society Socialist Alternative joined over 200 social- to the social movements and working class across in every sentence. This is no accident. which, through their struggle, had brought ists from Brazil, Venezuela, Chile, Sweden people. PSOL has had uneven success, The ruling class made an attempt to con- Podemos into being. and Spain for a week-long school dedicated with some candidates in local elections trol Podemos, to assimilate it as a “classic” The atmosphere at the Podemos congress to discussing the political situation in Latin able to gain many votes on the basis of a social-democratic formation to strengthen among the thousands of members there was America and the strategy needed to fight pro-worker program. social peace. clear: it is time to return to the streets, to go for a socialist Latin America, and a social- In Chile, the small socialist forces of However, they came up against the will of back to what made Podemos strong! ist world. The event was organized by the the CWI have had great success in the tens of thousands of fighters. The defeat of Right wing policies cannot be fought by Committee for a Workers’ International movement against the private system of Errejon is good news for all those who have embracing the PSOE or PP, which are firmly (CWI) with which Socialist Alternative is in pensions, which was established under been part of the huge social revolt of the last under the control of the capitalists. To defeat solidarity. The Brazilian section of the CWI, the bloody Pinochet dictatorship. The CWI few years – in the Indignados’ movement, the cuts there is only one option: fill the Liberty, Socialism and Revolution (LSR), played a leading role in the coordinating the general strikes, the education and health streets with massive and sustained mobiliza- hosted the school outside São Paulo. committees and the July 24 marches in movements, student strikes, etc. tion. The example of the strikes led by the Many lessons can be drawn from the 2016 that saw one million people protest- The struggle within Podemos is of great Sindicato de Estudiantes, which brought political movements developing in South ing in Chile. importance. The traditional capitalist party down the Francoist “revalidation” exams, America against austerity and state vio- In Venezuela, the contradictions of a PP, the new illegitimate leadership of the ex- is useful. Precisely because we are under a lence. The meeting grappled with how the government that calls itself socialist, but social democratic party PSOE, the right-wing, weak government with a reduced social base, right has been able to seize electoral advan- never did away with the capitalist economy populist party Ciudadanos, and big business any strategy which leads to demobilization is tage in many countries because of the fail- nor dealt effectively with the bureaucracy all know this very well. a marvelous gift to the right. Now is the time ures of the left although there is very little and corruption in the government, has left Errejon is no mere “innocent.” He is very to put Rajoy on the ropes. popular support for neo-liberal policies. In the majority of Venezuelans facing food conscious of what he says and does. He and Now, Pablo Iglesias and his collaborators Brazil, the “Workers” Party (PT) govern- scarcity, mass employment, and no safety. his followers want a Podemos which is out- have a great responsibility. They must listen ment of Dilma disappointed workers with The right wing in Venezuela has used the side of the mass movements in defense of to the rank and file of Podemos. Unity cannot deeper and deeper cuts to hard won social economic crisis to make gains and attempt health, education and the right for national be built at the cost of abandoning principles services. Widespread political corruption to reverse the positive gains made during self-determination. They want a Podemos and turning ones back on millions who are that came to light last year led to Dilma’s the Bolivarian revolution. The CWI in Ven- which is closer to PSOE and to the program suffering the dramatic effects of a devastat- impeachment and the establishment of the ezuela argues that the only way to beat of social democracy in crisis. They defend ing crisis. Unity must be built with those who incredibly unpopular right-wing Temer gov- back the right and solve the current crisis a process which in reality would make struggle, those who suffer, those who can ernment, provoking renewed struggle. is to fully realize the Bolivarian revolution, Podemos a mere clone of the establishment make real change possible. That means call- LSR has been active in organizing to freeze the prices of goods and to take parties, happy with comfortable positions in ing immediately for mobilization, to prepare against cuts in education, including the decisive measures against capitalism. parliamentary offices and well-paid commit- now for a general strike against the increase occupation of a high school which lasted The CWI Latin American School also tees and the “respectability” of the institu- in energy prices, the cuts to pensions, cuts to weeks. LSR is also working within the Party served to go one step forward towards Izqui- tions and the system. health and education and the antidemocratic of Socialism and Liberation (PSOL), a left erda Revolucionaria, present in Mexico, Izquierda Revolucionaria supported Pablo laws against protesting, for decent housing, coalition which formed when the more Venezuela, and Spain, unifying with the Iglesias in this struggle against Errejon and and for democratic rights including the right radical elements of the PT broke away CWI. This fusion will lead to the strength- his social democratic model. As well as sup- to national self-determination. after the PT decided to implement initial ening of socialist forces everywhere, and porting Iglesias, we also put forward some Now, Pablo Iglesias must live up to his cuts to retirement benefits while in power. deepen the political knowledge and experi- criticisms which we see as just and worthy word. J The PT’s willingness to attack the working ence of the CWI. J

SOCIALIST ALTERNATIVE.ORG • MARCH 2017 9 CONTINUATIONS Resistance in the Era of Trump continued from p. 3 will create the sharpest confronta- this will be a central focus for the the vital importance tions as has already been indicated liberal left and progressive workers. of building the widest by the resistance to the ban. This But we need to be clear that there possible anti-Trump however is only the beginning of are a whole series of issues which movement centered attacks on immigrant communities can lead to very serious conflicts on the principle of with the expansion of the ICE force with the Republicans and if the “an injury to one is and the border patrol and widening movement is emboldened by even an injury to all.” The the net massively for who is targeted partial victories, it can come back debate on strategy for deportation. even stronger after a lull and even and tactics is already A key flashpoint in the struggle in the midst of a midterm election in full flow and social- against the deportation jugger- campaign. ists must energeti- naut will be “sanctuary cities” but As we have seen in the past few cally engage to stress it could also spread beyond them weeks, a new women’s movement the need for a bold if the administration orders wide- is being born, with a radical layer of program with not only spread workplace raids. There are younger women coming to the fore. defensive demands an estimated 300 sanctuary cities The Democrats will of course seek but also far reaching around the country and many of to co-opt this movement but this demands that can them are not on the coasts. will be a two-edged sword as they mobilize the broader The most serious development, come under serious pressure from working class like a as we have raised, is if Trump orders the movement to fight harder for $15 minimum wage, ICE to return to workplace raids and the defense of women’s rights, first abolishing college Photo Credit: Crimethink neighborhoods sweeps, especially and foremost reproductive rights. tuition, ending mass in major urban areas. This is actu- There is also a coming battle incarceration and a SeaTac airport erupts in protest against Trump’s Muslim ban. ally the only way for the state to over union rights directed specifi- massive investment really ramp up deportations beyond cally at public sector unions. This in green infrastruc- left of the party. It is a measure this is a medium term prospect and the levels of the Obama adminis- could either take the form of legis- ture to create millions of good of the desperation of the Congres- that at the moment the energy of tration. This could detonate strikes lation or the Supreme Court taking paying union jobs. sional Democrats that after almost the largest section of activists is and more determined attempts to up another Friedrichs style case There is the real danger of the overwhelmingly rejecting Sanders pointed at fighting the corporate slow the deportation machine down and creating right to work condi- movement or sections of it being last year, they are now frequently leadership of the party with a view with mass confrontations with the tions in the public sector nationally. subsumed into the Democrats’ hiding behind him as the most to reforming it. ICE forces. With the current explosive timid electoral and legal strategy. credible face of the party. Furthermore, real resistance by mood, discussions around work- The social power of the working This points again to Sanders’ The Coming Storm the immigrant working class to the place action and even strikes can class in galvanizing the youth and contradictory roles as the de facto leader of the left in the party lead- As we stated when Trump won, deportation ramp-up, foreshad- initially work their way around the all oppressed sections of society is he is the living embodiment of owed by the Taxi Workers Alliance’s union leaderships. We see this with crucial in fighting and defeating the ing the challenge to the pro-corpo- rate leadership, but also providing decaying, predatory capitalism. brief strike in New York on January the calls for strikes on March 8 and right. This includes the strategic His victory, far from inevitable, 28, would have a lot more support May 1. necessity of splitting the working the leadership political cover. There is now increasingly open reflected the polarization in society, from native born people, including One other area that needs to be class portion of Trump’s base and the effect of right wing populism in sections of the native-born working highlighted is the coming attack on isolating the reactionary layers if we talk about emulating the Tea Party by creating a sustained grassroots the absence of a real left alterna- class, than in 2006. BLM and the left and the attempt are to give the right a resounding tive and the loss of control by the to criminalize dissent. BLM activ- defeat. Bernie Sanders’ campaign campaign aimed at “stiffening spines” or preparing to oust Con- ruling class over their own political Medium Term ists are definitely in the cross hairs shows that this can be done but not system. of this administration which intends if the leadership of the anti-Trump gressional Democrats in the prima- Developments ries next year who are not prepared With Trump in office and ruling at some point to unleash the state movement is controlled by the class division on full display, the Obviously the current pace of apparatus against them and prob- corporate wing of the Democratic to fight. It is possible up to a point for this approach to have an effect. political crisis of the system is only demonstrations and mobilizations ably other sections of the left using Party. deepening. To this political crisis will not last indefinitely. In the one excuse or another. What is not possible is for the left to turn the Democrats into a “people’s an economic crisis could soon be second half of 2017, the question The Crisis of added with a downturn in the world of ousting the Republicans in Con- party.” In the most extreme and The Need for a Bold the Democratic Party still unlikely case, the party could economy, possibly aided by protec- gress in the midterms will begin to Program tionist policies, provoking a reces- become a bigger point of discus- The base of the Democratic split with a minority of its elected officials going to a new left party. sion in the U.S. sion. When we come into 2018 We must stress at every stage Party is more inflamed than at any Most importantly, a mass move- point since Watergate. They are But the dynamic being created points clearly in the medium term ment on a scale never seen this looking to the party leadership to early in a presidency has rocked stand firm against Trump. A sec- to a serious clash where the most radical section of the movement, society and could trigger the revival tion, already radicalized by the of the class struggle and the long Sanders campaign, is even less numbering in the hundreds of thou- sands, can spin out and away from dormant labor movement. willing to compromise. There is the real danger of But while the pressure from the the Democrats completely. It is not possible to be precise Trump’s administration going in an base is growing, Senate Democrats even more authoritarian direction or have had difficulty even maintain- about the timing of these devel- opments but just as we said that inflicting temporary defeats on the ing a common front against Trump’s movement. But this will only lead odious cabinet appointments with Trump’s victory had in the short term narrowed the space for a new to even more explosive eruptions at 14 of them voting for every single a later date. The role of socialists one of them up until they collec- left party, the scale of the radical- ization underway now points to that and the left in the movement will tively held the line against Betsy be decisive. The situation is ripe in DeVos. Key leaders like Chuck space opening up again in the next few years possibly in a very rapid the next period for the emergence Schumer clearly understand the of a mass or semi-mass left party necessity for a firmer approach and and dramatic fashion. Democratic Party leadership hides behind Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren. But it should be underlined that and of a powerful Marxist current to make some concessions to the of thousands.

10 SOCIALIST ALTERNATIVE.ORG • MARCH 2017 CONTINUATIONS Defend Immigrant Rights Trump, DeVos, continued from p. 12 and Education pipeline by ending racist mass incarcera- continued from p. 3 tion policies and “broken windows” polic- ing. They need to fully commit to safe- guarding personal information gathered the state of Michigan still is one of the by city agencies that can be used by ICE lowest-ranking in the nation academically. to identify targets, even up to destroying The situation is so bad that even supporters records if necessary. Social movements in of school choice are critical of the policies cities could mobilize mass non-violent civil DeVos and others have implemented. Michi- disobedience to block some of ICE’s activi- gan State Board of Education President ties and mayors could refuse to deploy their John Austin has stated that these reforms police to repress protesters. are “destroying learning outcomes ... and Trump has threatened to cut off federal the DeVoses were a principal agent of that” funding and lawsuits against sanctuary (Politico.com, 12/9/2016). cities. Cities can fight back by expand- Since Trump was sworn into office, there ing authority to drastically increase taxes has been a wave of anger across the coun- on the super rich and big business. Any try and around the world. In the lead-up to political figure who sincerely pushes in this the Senate vote on the DeVos appointment, direction can be backed up by mass grass- teacher unions organized a major “get out roots action. and call your local representative” action. The National Education Association reported Little Support for Mass that more than one million people used a generated online form to send an email to Deportations their senator. Following DeVos’ appointment, Even exit polls after the November 2016 a number of student walkouts have taken elections showed that 70% voters believed place across the country in places like New that “illegal immigrants working in the U.S. February 17 #FreeDaniel protest in Seattle (see page 2). York, Idaho, and Pittsburgh. In Washington, D.C., teachers, parents, should be offered legal status” not deporta- of the 99% with a socialist program that tion (CNN.com, 11/23/2016). We need to All Out for May Day Strikes and community members of Jefferson unapologetically defends all those attacked Middle School Academy blocked DeVos from build on that and show that a united move- and Protests by Trump and goes further to building an ment of all workers and youth regardless of entering their school. Unfortunately, rather Our own independent mass movements enduring mass movement to fight for gains legal status can bring down Trump. Millions than support this action, American Federa- along with organized labor will need to for all working people. of immigrants, if organized into unions, tion of Teachers President Randi Weingar- create the firestorm of pressure by mass JJ An injury to one is an injury to all! All could provide a powerful boost that could ten tweeted, “We want her to go” to public protests, mass direct actions including out to defend Muslims, immigrants, revive an anemic labor movement. schools (CNN.com, 2/10/2017). DeVos, blockades and strikes. This May 1, Inter- women, black people, workers’ rights, A Trump defeat on immigration policy however, will not be “won over” by visiting national Workers Day, offers an excellent and democratic rights. will be a blow he couldn’t easily recover public schools. She knows her agenda. The opportunity to organize for mass strikes JJ No cooperation with Trump’s depor- from, as it’s the signature issue on which issue, instead, is how to mount a massive wherever possible. We need to make sure tation machine! For real Sanctuary he built a notoriety he rode to the heights opposition to make her policies unworkable. our immigrant sisters and brothers do not Cities. End Broken Windows policing. of politics. This means everyone who wants The recent defeat of a ballot initiative to stand alone. Nothing short of that will stop JJ For an escalation of mass protest to stop Trump’s attacks on women’s rights, raise the charter school cap across the state Trump. We cannot rely on the big-business- including strike action on March 8 and racial justice, LGTBQ rights, workers’ of Massachusetts shows how victories can controlled Democratic Party. May 1 to stop Trump. We call on all rights, and social services has a concrete be won. Big business pumped millions of We instead need to build a united, inde- mass organizations, especially trade collective reason to join with our immigrant dollars into raising the cap. The “No on 2” pendent, and sustained mass movement unions, to take the lead and systemati- sisters and brothers, beyond just altruistic campaign was a massive effort that both the against Trump, racism, sexism, homopho- cally prepare a full mobilization of all solidarity alone. It starts by giving flesh and Massachusetts Teachers Association and bia, the billionaire class, and capital- people opposed to Trump. J blood to the old working class battle cry: the Boston Teachers Union fully invested ism. This includes building a new party “An injury to one is an injury to all.” time, resources, and membership power to defeat. It included going out into communi- ties and getting parents, students, and com- munity members involved – and they won! This is the type of organizing that will In Your Area be necessary to start to defeat Trump and SOCIALIST ALTERNATIVE DeVos’ vision for education. We can’t wait PORTLAND, OR for Randi Weingarten to give us the signal NATIONAL MID-ATLANTIC MIDWEST SOUTHWEST (503) 284-6036 INTERNATIONAL to do something. Instead, teachers, par- PO Box 150457 NEW YORK CITY CHICAGO, IL AUSTIN, TX OAKLAND / SAN FRANCISCO, (CWI) Brooklyn, NY 11215 (347) 749-1236 (773) 771-4617 (440) 339-9793 CA Socialist Alternative is also in ents, and students must unite and help [email protected] PHILADELPHIA, PA CINCINNATI, OH NW ARKANSAS (510) 220-3047 political solidarity with the to lead the fight against privatization. In a facebook.com/SocialistAlter- (267) 368-4564 Cincinnati@SocialistAlter- [email protected] SEATTLE, WA Committee for a Workers nativeUSA PITTSBURGH, PA native.org For DALLAS, TX, DENVER, CO, (206) 639-9559 International (CWI), a world- number of cities, students have shown the Twitter: @SocialistAlt (615) 310-5555 MADISON, WI FORT COLLINS, CO, HOUS- SPOKANE, WA wide socialist organization way through walkouts against DeVos. We WASHINGTON, DC, and (608) 620-3901 TON, TX, OKLAHOMA CITY, (509) 703-9915 in 47 countries, on every need to link this with other actions against RICHMOND, VA contact our MINNEAPOLIS, MN OK, PHOENIX, AZ, and SALT TACOMA, WA continent. Join us! NEW ENGLAND national office (612) 760-1980 LAKE CITY, UT contact our (253) 355-4211 CANADA Trump’s agenda of sexism, anti-immigrant BOSTON, MA ST. LOUIS, MO national office For HAWAI’I, LOS ANGELES, CA, (604) 738-1653 deportations, racism, and anti-union laws. (952) 270-7676 SAN DIEGO, CA and YAKIMA, (910) 639-3948 SOUTHEAST contact@socialistalterna- The provocation of the DeVos appointment WORCESTER, MA COLUMBUS, OH, GRAND PACIFIC WA contact our national tive.ca JOHNSON CITY, TN RAPIDS, MI, MILWAUKEE, WI, office (617) 285-9346 BELLINGHAM, WA www.socialistalternative.ca could become the spark of a new movement RHODE ISLAND (617) 721-8915 and TOPEKA, KS contact our QUÉBEC NASHVILLE, TN national office (360) 510-7797 to defend and regenerate public education SocialistAlternativeRI@ LOS ANGELES, CA info@AlternativeSociali- gmail.com (931) 220-0427 ste.org in the U.S. J CHARLOTTE, NC, and LOU- socialistalternative.la@ LOWELL, MA and NEW HAVEN, gmail.com www.AlternativeSocialiste. CT contact our national ISVILLE, KY contact our org national office OLYMPIA, WA office (360) 250-0943.

SOCIALIST ALTERNATIVE.ORG • MARCH 2017 11 Issue #31 - March 2017 SocialistAlternative.org Suggested Donation $2 SOCIALIST ALTERNATIVE TRUMP PREPARES MASS DEPORTATIONS WE MUST RESIST, MARCH, BLOCKADE, AND STRIKE!

Teddy Shibabaw, Madison be brought over. The Obama administration had the awful immigrant rights on the scale of the 2006 Programs like Secure Communities, which record of deporting more immigrants than marches and strikes of millions are in motion. Just weeks into his inauguration, Trump’s force local jails to send fingerprint data of every other previous administration com- Sensing the boiling flame of subterranean Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) arrestees to ICE databases (Washington bined. Carried out under the guise of making fire in support of immigrant rights and the agency carried out a multi-state sweep of Post, 10/1/2010), as well as the 287(G) pro- “Comprehensive Immigration Reform” more realization that this time immigrant families over 700 undocumented immigrants in a gram, which deputizes local law enforcement palatable to Republicans who only cared will not be alone in the fight, quite a number matter of days. agents in as immigration officers, are to be about enforcement and border security, it of Democratic Party politicians are making Ominous Department of Homeland Secu- revived and expanded. This also includes the accomplished nothing except to tear apart defiant declarations that their localities will rity (DHS) memos have been released indi- E-Verify program which is a rapid automated families and to return workers to the deso- remain sanctuaries for immigrants. They cating a zealous drive to create a crushing check of immigration status when workers late economies and repressive regimes they include mayors and police chiefs in Los momentum in ramping up the deportation apply for jobs. escaped from. The scale of injustice this rep- Angeles, Oakland, Chicago, Minneapolis, machine. They plan to hire 10,000 Immigra- Perhaps the most provocative of all is resents only acquires its true height when we New York, San Francisco, and Seattle. Unfor- tion officers and 5,000 border patrol agents. discussions around mobilizing 100,000 realize that the very need for immigrating to tunately, many of these mayors are respond- The administration seeks to “to publicize National Guard troops as deportation agents. the U.S. is created by decades of imperial- ing to mass sentiment and making promises crimes by undocumented immigrants; strip The White House denies that this is settled ist trade and economic policy that has ruined they are unprepared to back up. such immigrants of privacy protections; enlist policy but the leaked memo from DHS Sec- economies and democratic freedoms across The phrase Sanctuary City conjures up local police officers as enforcers; erect new retary John Kelly leaves no doubt that it’s at the world so that U.S. multinational corpora- a place where immigrants can find refuge detention facilities; discourage asylum seek- least getting serious consideration. tions could profit. and physical protection from ICE agents. ers; and, ultimately, speed up deportations” Instead, its narrow legal definition says that (NYTimes, 2/21/2017). From Obama the Deporter- Sanctuary Cities and police and local law enforcement will not The DHS memos further indicate dramati- In-Chief to Trump’s Scorched False Promises act as immigration agents and won’t detain cally expanding the definition of “removable immigrants on behalf of federal authorities, aliens” and those subject to expedited depor- Earth The Trump administration’s vicious mobi- but they will not actually stand in the way of tation, including skipping the right to depor- Much of this rapid escalation by the lization of the deportation machine has cre- ICE agents detaining and removing people for tation hearings. This used to apply to immi- Trump administration is possible because ated a highly combustible atmosphere of deportation. grants in the country less than 14 days and the entire framework for it had already been fear, anger, and determination to fight back. If mayors are serious about declaring their now they want to expand it to two years. The set by the Bush and especially the Obama We have already seen mass protests against cities as sanctuaries, then they need to do memos set a directive to include not just seri- administrations. As Cesar Vargas, co-director the Muslim ban and escalation to the “Day much more to create serious obstacles to ous crimes as a trigger for deportation, but of DREAM Action Coalition in NY said “we Without Immigrants and Refugees” on Febru- ICE’s attempts to carry out deportations. even low level chargeable offenses like driving are seeing Donald Trump taking the keys ary 16, which, while relatively small in scale, They need to choke off the deportation without a license and the very fact of being of an aggressive deportation machine, that involved many workplace shutdowns across in the U.S. without documents. The memos the country and pointed to the potential for President Obama created, and taking it continued on p. 11 suggest even going so far as targeting immi- over 100 miles per hour,” (Democracy Now, far wider actions. All the elements that will grants with green cards or other visas as well 2/22/2017). bring back struggle for as prosecuting parents who arrange for their children to