Features

Passing the Resolution to Abolish ICE at the Democratic National Committee –Michele J

When ICE killed Lorenzo Salgado Araujo while he drove his coworkers to work, then arrested the survivors and blamed the victim for his own death… I got mad. Congress threatening to withhold money in exchange for reform wasn’t working. This wasn’t the first death at ICE’s hands, and unfortunately it would not be the last, nor the agency’s last lie about their actions. I was already drafting my perennial anti-data center resolution, so I opened a new tab and began to write.

I shared my draft with confidants and allies, making sure I laid out the case for why it was important to not only abolish the system, but also hold all individuals accountable for their actions. I submitted Resolution #27 with the hope that the governing body for the Democratic Party, of which I am a member, would recognize our collective pain and agree to something more substantial than reform.

Many Resolutions Committee members shifted their positions between the last meeting and now (Proposed #28 vs Adopted #28), moving away from reform and towards abolition. They gave personal and emotional testimonies as they debated the merits of abolition versus reform. The resolution ultimately passed, 25-12 out of committee with support from members representing Alaska, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Florida, Illinois, Montana, New Jersey, North Carolina, Oregon, South Carolina, Texas, the Virgin Islands, and Washington.

The support across states in every region of the country aligns with the 73% of Democratic voters who agree with ICE abolition. The resolution’s adoption by the full body on Saturday is a win for everyone who performed mutual aid, marched, cried, organized, protested, or submitted testimony to their local government.

I know legislation won’t be submitted tomorrow, and candidates aren’t bound to this as a platform policy, but it does put abolition into the conversation.

Workers Deserve More! Spreading DSA’s Political Program –Bob M

If you’re on social media or, heaven forbid, you watch Fox News or read the NY Post, you probably have seen mentions of all the “horrible” things DSA wants to accomplish through our Workers Deserve More political program. National leadership have been making several media appearances to discuss, defend, and more often than not clarify what we are fighting for in DSA with our mutual aid, electoral, and labor organizing.

Peruse the program yourself and you will probably find several items that would materially help you right now—healthcare and housing for all, a Green New Deal, student debt forgiveness, and more. Digging deeper you’ll find how ending imperialist wars, stopping US support of genocide and embargos, and abolishing ICE can free up trillions of dollars for domestic programs that actually help rather than harm. Identifying long term exploitation and marginalization that we can end so that we have feminism for all; or that completing Reconstruction, including true reparations, means making our country an actual multiracial democracy for all.

How does this program look in Southeast Louisiana? Is there something that speaks to you that you’ve never heard from the Democrats (like getting rid of the electoral college and the Senate or proportional representation)? Our political program offers DSA members and the general public the opportunity to not just imagine a better world, but to demand it.

If you’re a member, check out our Electoral Committee’s meetings or Discord thread on adapting Workers Deserve More to our local and state conditions. If you’re a member interested in contributing to our upcoming Voter Guide, contact Bob at hello@dsaneworleans.org or go to the #voter-guide working group channel. If you’re not a member but are interested, what are you waiting for? Join today!

Bulletins

New Orleans DSA Proudly Endorses Comrade Lauren Jewett for Congress, LA-01!

Volunteer Hub | Contribute | 7:30p Monday volunteer calls

Election Day is Tuesday November 3, 2026. Special education teacher, DSA member, and longtime United Teachers of New Orleans (AFT Local 527) member Lauren Jewett is running for Congress in LA-01, which covers much of the Greater New Orleans metro, Lakeview, and parts of Uptown and Mid-City.

She’s fighting for public schools and their teachers; Medicare for All, reproductive freedom, and keeping our hospitals open; paid family leave and universal childcare for every worker; restoring our coast with union jobs; and ending the billionaire takeover of our government.

Protect Renters! Save Right to Counsel!

We cannot let the administration backslide on renter protections — especially when rising rents are squeezing working class wallets and the State is ramping up criminalization of homeless people. Full funding for the program is only around $2 million annually. That’s some of the City’s best-spent money keeping hundreds of households stable and preventing homelessness each year. We need the City to recommit to renters, and for Mayor Moreno to stand up for the policy that she sponsored. Say it loud and say it clear: No one should face an eviction without a lawyer. Join us at City Hall on Thursday, August 20th at 11am to speak in support of the 2026 funding allocation.

Immigration Advocacy Language Exchange & Partnerships

Join our language exchange! Every Thursday evening, details on Discord.

We’re building connections with local partners supporting our immigrant comrades & neighbors. Join us in the Discord #immigration-advocacy-working-group channel to keep informed on: local partners, upcoming dates to watch, and resources on how to stay involved. If you have connections to local organizations that you would like to connect, please join our working group!

Feminist Socialist Biweekly Planning Meetings

Join FemSoc every other Friday at 6:00 pm to meet with fellow femme and non-masc people and share how you want DSA New Orleans to embrace feminism. Let’s work together to make DSA a space where we advocate for everyone’s voices, nurture leadership, increase accessibility, and fight for the rights of all people!

Sober Socialists: Weekly Meetings

Join Sober Soc Sundays at 8:00 pm to help us decide how this section will be shaped and where and when we will be having meetups. These events are explicitly alcohol- and drug-free, although we accept comrades at any point of their sober journey. We hope to see y’all there! Solidarity!

International Working Group Partners With Palestinian Youth Movement

Palestinian Youth Movement (PYM) New Orleans will join us at our General Meeting on August 29 to share information about their No Appetite for Apartheid (NA4A) campaign. On a date TBD, we’ll join PYM for a group canvass to create apartheid-free zones in Mid-City. Volunteers will talk to Mid-City stores about joining the boycott of israeli and genocide-complicit goods, and raising financial pressure on the Zionist entity. No previous canvass experience necessary, training provided!

View the map of local NA4A certified businesses, and see the requirements to make the list. Already know an apartheid free store, restaurant, or grocer? They can submit the form to join the list here.

Afrosocialists & Socialists of Color Monthly Meetings

Join AfroSOC fourth Thursdays at 6:00 pm. This group welcomes Black, Indigenous, and Socialists of Color, and builds power with DSA’s Black/POC membership and community members. Join our Discord #afrosoc channel for updates.

Pre-Order Shirts Featuring Art by Influential New Orleanian Sign Painter Pam Collins

If you’ve been to the chapter’s office in the New Orleans Healing Center in the last couple of months, you may have seen a new hand-painted New Orleans Democratic Socialists of America sign. This was made by Pam Collins, an influential sign painter who was described as “unofficially, the official artist of the city of New Orleans” by the time she retired in 2013. You can use this form to pre-order shirts featuring her design as well as red DSA logo shirts and Global Liberation Now pelican shirts. You can also order the skulls and roses shirt design on our Good Press shop.

Community Calendar

Monday, August 17

DSA Hangout: Mid-City
7:00 pm – 9:00 pm
Pal’s Lounge, 949 N Rendon St

DSA for Lauren Jewett Weekly Call
7:30 pm – 8:15 pm (Mondays)
Volunteer | Meet

Tuesday, August 18

🌹 🌹 🌹

Wednesday, August 19

Ecosocialists Meeting
6:00 pm – 7:00 pm
Meet

Postcard Writing to Fight ICE Detention of Children in Alexandria
6:30 pm – 7:30 pm
Sports Drink, 1042 Toledano Av

Electoral Committee Co-Work & Talk
7:00 pm – 9:00 pm (Wednesdays)
Morning Call, 5101 Canal Blvd (cash only)

Thursday, August 20

DSA Hangout: Downtown-Marigny
6:00 pm – 8:00 pm
Anna’s, 2601 Royal St

Chapter Orientation
6:30 pm – 7:30 pm
RSVP

Immigration Advocacy Language Exchange
(Thursdays)
Details on Discord

Friday, August 21

DSA Hangout: East Jefferson
6:00 pm – 8:00 pm
Finjan Coffee, 3712 Williams Blvd Suite F, Kenner

DSA Hangout: Bywater-St Roch
6:00 pm – 8:00 pm
St Roch Tavern, 1200 St Roch Av

Saturday, August 22

No General Meeting today, rescheduled to 8/29

Lauren Jewett Canvassing Kickoff
9:30 am – 12:00 pm
511 N Hennessy St – RSVP

Sunday, August 23

Uptown Hangout
11:00 am – 1:00 pm
Z’otz Cafe, 8210 Oak St

Member Input Question Discussion: Presidential Endorsement
3:30 pm – 5:30 pm

Comms Meeting
6:00 pm – 7:30 pm
Meet

Sober Socialists Hangout
7:00 pm – 8:00 pm
Skeeta Hawk Brewing, 455 N Dorgenois St

Down the Road

August 27 Afrosocialists & Socialists of Color Monthly Meeting
August 29 New Orleans DSA General Meeting
September 6 Coffee With Comrades
September 26 New Orleans DSA General Meeting
September 28 FemSoc Planning Meeting