2023 Resolution for National SDS to Reaffirm Membership in the Coalition to March on the RNC 2024

WHEREAS Donald Trump, Ron DeSantis, and the broader Republican Party continue to represent the worst and most dangerous elements in this country for working and poor people of all backgrounds, faith orientations, gender identities, and nationalities.

WHEREAS Organizers with the Coalition to March on the RNC are planning a major march and rally at the start of the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee on July 15, 2024.

WHEREAS A national coalition of groups and unions will come together to stop the Republicans’ racist and reactionary agenda, defend reproductive rights, and demand peace, justice, and equality for all, hosting a huge demonstration with people from across the country from all manner of people’s movements who oppose the Republicans, bringing the fight right to the front door of the national convention in Milwaukee.

WHEREAS The Coalition will unite as many groups and organizations as possible over the course of the next 9 months in the build up to this mass demonstration, including the coordination of a National Organizing Conference in Milwaukee in February 2024 to raise the level of struggle around the RNC and heighten the sense of unity and cohesion of the Coalition.

WHEREAS The George Floyd Rebellion of 2020, and the subsequent mobilizations in the wake of the overturning of Roe in 2022, taught millions of people to take to the streets to demand justice, and that spirit will persist in Milwaukee next year.

WHEREAS The Coalition to March on the RNC led protests in St. Paul in 2008, Tampa in 2012, and Cleveland in 2016 when Trump won the Republican nomination, and many of these organizations served as the core of the Coalition to March on the DNC in 2020 when the Democrats faced protests from seven families whose loved ones were wrongfully murdered by police in Milwaukee and other parts of Wisconsin.

WHEREAS Students for a Democratic Society at University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee is an active member of the Coalition to March on the RNC 2024.

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that National Students for a Democratic Society,
Reaffirm their endorsement of and membership in the Coalition to March on the RNC 2024;
Actively organize other student groups from across the U.S. to endorse and mobilize their members to Milwaukee for both the National Organizing Conference in February 2024 and the mass demonstration against the RNC on July 15, 2024;
Organize SDS workshops prior to the march to teach organizers to be safe and effective during the march as well as to inform them of their legal resources and rights;
Organize members to begin attending the regular Coalition meetings, in-person if they’re in Wisconsin or virtually if they’re out of the state, to assist in the planning in the lead up to both the February conference and the march itself;
Designate a speaker to represent National SDS in Milwaukee during the mass demonstration on July 15, 2024;
Coordinate the organization of a national fundraising effort involving all active chapters to help their members with travel and housing;
Stands firmly in opposition to Donald Trump, Ron DeSantis, and the wider Republican Party and their racist and reactionary agenda!

SDS DEMANDS JUSTICE FOR THE TAMPA 5

Whereas: Republican Governor of Florida, Ron Desantis, asked state universities to release information on students who sought gender affirming treatment. President of University of South Florida, Rhea Law, complied, releasing the information and additionally, paused the search for a vice-president of the diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) board on campus in the face of House Bill 999, which seeked to limit all DEI programs on public universities in Florida. Black enrollment at USF has also been decreasing for multiple years now, with supposed attempts by the administration to increase it failing.

Whereas: On March 6th of 2023, Tampa Bay Students for a Democratic Society was protesting to defend DEI alongside multicultural groups at USF, and to demand that President Rhea Law take a stand against these attacks and meet with her student body.

Whereas: Tampa Bay SDS was met with violence and brutalization from the USF Police Department, and even sexual assault from USFPD Chief Chris Daniel. Four protesters were arrested on March 6th, and had bogus charges placed on them.

Whereas: A month later, USF administration charged a fifth student activist with similar charges. Later on, one of the now-called Tampa 5, Chrisley Carpio, was fired from their job at USF, violating their union rights as an American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees member.

Whereas: Ron Desantis-appointed State Attorney Susan Lopez and State Prosecutor Justin Diaz are trying to place felony charges on the Tampa 5 and to imprison them for up to 10 years just for protesting, in clear violation of their rights. The Tampa 5 are student activists, a community member, and a campus worker who are facing trial for defending their community against reactionary attacks on their education.

Therefore, be it resolved that National SDS:
1. Demand all charges against the Tampa 5 to be dropped.
2. Demand USF Chief of Police, Chris Daniel, be fired, alongside the rest of the police officers who were present on March 6th.
3. Demand USF President Rhea Law apologize to SDS and the Tampa 5, for siding with the police and Ron Desantis.
4. Demand USF administration take action to defend DEI programs at USF, and further attacks from Florida legislators.
5. Demand USF reinstate Chrisley Carpio’s job and end the attack on her union rights.
6. Will hold a national day of action the 12th of December, when the Tampa 5 trial starts, and will call for people in Florida to mobilize to Tampa to support the Tampa 5 in their legal battle.

U.S. Hands Off Russia! End U.S. And NATO Interference In Ukraine

Whereas: In less than two years the United States has sent Ukraine billions of dollars worth of untraceable weapons to Ukraine after decades of actively conspiring within NATO to cultivate the conditions for war between Russia and Ukraine. The United States has backed Ukrainian ultranationalist and neonazi groups being integrated into the Ukrainian state’s police and national guard, including the Azov Battalion, which became an official assault brigade within the National Guard of Ukraine.

Whereas: The U.S. holds no regard for the safety of Ukrainian civilians. According to the Council on Foreign Relations, only 5% of aid sent by Congress as of July 31st is considered humanitarian aid. The U.S. Government and its NATO allies have engaged in a long process of aggressive expansion in Eastern Europe, and the destruction of sovereign countries like Libya and Yugoslavia where NATO coalition bombs engaged in the mass murder of their people. NATO has been meddling with national relations across the globe, especially in the former Soviet Republics. The Pentagon has recently ranked Russia as a “strategic competitor”, and the real reason for engaging in this proxy war becomes clear: it is in service of the monopoly corporations that have a death-grip on the U.S. Government and its foreign policy of domination.

Whereas: The risk of an escalation into a nuclear conflict between nuclear powers is incredibly high with the United States’ involvement in this conflict with Russia. Nuclear war would result in the annihilation of hundreds of millions if not billions of human lives, irreversibly damage the climate and natural ecosystems of the planet beyond repair, and

Whereas: The innocent workers, and civilian population who are caught in the violence suffer death, injury, displacement, conscription, and repression; hundreds of thousands have been injured or killed in the Russo-Ukrainian War as of writing, and 6-8 million more have fled the conflict as refugees. Hundreds of thousands have been forcibly conscripted and mobilized to perpetuate this unjust war, with thousands more being arrested for refusing to fight.

Therefore, SDS resolves to:
Oppose U.S. dollars being spent on weapons for Ukraine & U.S. Weapons and Tools of War being Sent to Ukraine.
Oppose U.S. sanctions and aggression towards the Russian Federation.
Oppose U.S. military and NATO intervention with the Russia/Ukraine conflict.
Host anti-war days of action to demand an end to U.S. wars.

SDS Demands Protections For DEI and Diversity in Education!

WHEREAS: The Republican Party has spent the majority of 2023 attacking DEI and diversity in education, banning books, distorting teachings of Black history, dissolving teachers’ labor rights, openly attacking transgender students, and more. This right-wing assault started with a drive to ban Critical Race Theory and LGBTQ+ content from schools under the false pretense that it is inappropriate for elementary school-aged children, but the GOP has since expanded their assault to target all levels of education and everything that falls outside of their narrow, White Christian Nationalist window. In K-12th Grade, they have banned books that celebrate Black, Indigenous, and Muslim identities. In higher education, they have cut funding to organizations that advocate for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, and have imposed strict limits on faculty who try to push back on their agenda.

WHEREAS: Florida’s Governor Ron Desantis is pushing the Republican Party further right and is using attacks on Black History to do so. He started by banning AP African American Studies and forcing educators to teach that slavery was beneficial. He has also allowed schools to screen the racist indoctrination tool PragerU Kids and passed several transphobic bills that make school harder for trans students. Meanwhile, Republicans have eroded teachers’ labor rights in a move that many see as opening the door to fire the old guard and fill the classrooms with far-right propagandists.

WHEREAS: In higher education, the Republican Party attacked Black, Latino, American Indian, Chicano, and Gender and Women’s Studies by banning Ethnic Studies. They have also attacked Gender and Women’s Studies through the passage of bills such as HB 999, the bill which prohibited DEI in colleges, including courses and organizations for students. Even in states without explicit bans, the right has used budget cuts to undermine Ethnic Studies. In all, the GOP has organized a system to gaslight Black students out of learning the truth of their history, to attack LGBTQ+ students for their identities, and to punish teachers and faculty who try to help them.

WHEREAS: The problem is severe, but student organizations have already dedicated much time and energy to fighting the GOP’s agenda on their campuses. After budget cuts in Minnesota targeted American Indian Studies, the University of Minnesota SDS made defending Ethnic Studies part of their central campaign. Tampa Bay SDS also made national news by protesting against attacks on DEI and diversity in education on their campus. However, students face an uphill battle, and the struggle is just beginning. Protestors for Tampa Bay SDS were attacked by campus police and faced with felony charges for fighting Ron DeSantis’ attacks on education. Unless we as students act now, things will only get worse. The Heritage Foundation, a Christian Nationalist organization, is openly calling on the GOP to eradicate the Department of Education. Without standards to protect students from bigotry and propaganda, the U.S. will suffer an anarchy of education that will only benefit the GOP’s racist, theocratic agenda.

Therefore, Jacksonville Students for a Democratic Society calls on National SDS to enact the following resolutions:

Maintain our current national campaign to defend Ethnic Studies and DEI, and to drop the charges on the Tampa 5;

Organize national days of protest, demanding protections for DEI and diversity in education and Ethnic Studies;

Stage actions on local campuses against bans and budget cuts that attack and defund Ethnic Studies and DEI;

Stay up to date with the latest news on the GOP’s attacks on education;

Start or maintain campaigns to increase Black enrollment on local campuses in addition to recruitment and retention of Black faculty and staff;

Work in unison with other student organizations and clubs to protest for DEI, to defend Ethnic Studies, and to meet the needs of African American, Chicano, Latino, Native, Muslim, and LGBTQ+, and disabled students on their campuses;

And begin work on a media campaign to spread awareness of these issues!

Resolution on Students and the Working Class

Whereas: colleges and universities in the United States have seen a surge in labor activity, especially among graduate assistants, support staff, undergraduate facilities workers, and other elements of campus labor

Whereas: the exploitation of visiting and adjunct faculty continues to harm both the faculty placed in unending precarity and the students who suffer from the limitations of a majority non-permanent faculty whose effectiveness is compromised by their uncertain employment

Whereas: administrators in higher education have shown fierce resistance to student unionization, smearing unions as ‘third parties’ in exactly the same manner as bosses outside academia

Whereas: labor actions have blossomed throughout the United States over the preceding years, both on the national level with strikes by the WGA and SAG-AFTRA, UAW, Teamsters, SWU, and many others, and on the local level, including among teachers and staff in the Salem-Keizer School District in Salem, Oregon who are presently demanding a fair raise to meet record increases in the cost of living, facing ridiculous and insulting opposition from district administrators

Whereas: student movements enjoy a powerful symbiotic relationship with labor movements, evidenced by successful student struggles over the past century

Whereas: our academic institutions increasingly view students as consumers, rather than participants, in education

Whereas: the interests of students and the interests of labor are advanced in tandem, and, thus, students and labor must organize together as a common collective to advance democracy in our institutions of education and in our workplaces, present and future.

Therefore we resolve as follows:
We call on all local chapters to identify and support labor actions in their communities and on their campuses,
We furthermore call on all local chapters to actively promote the start, growth, and success of labor unions on their campuses through organizing training or any other available means whenever able,
We declare our solidarity with educators fighting for justice in their workplaces,
We reject any attempt to relegate us to the role of consumers of our education, instead insisting that we must be active participants in it,
We establish as an organizing priority an end to the exploitation of visiting and adjunct faculty,
We call on students to organize with and among the working class to secure a better future for students, labor, and our society.

Solidarity Statement with Drag Defender Leif Autzen

Whereas: Leif Autzen has been unjustly charged with assault by police in Wadsworth, Ohio for acting within his rights to defend himself and those he was escorting to a drag show (including children and disabled people) by using pepper-spray against his assailant in response to being struck with a megaphone by an anti-lgbtq extremist

Whereas: There has been a wave of state repression and nazi demonstration against drag shows and lgbtq events including laws in Ohio such as House Bills 254, 183, 151, 83, 8, 6, and 68

Whereas: If Leif is incarcerated he will be isolated and denied HRT, effectively amounting to psychological torture and forced detransition

Whereas: SDS upholds the democratic rights of the people to self expression, to self defense in the face of bigoted violence, and to freedom of gender expression and opposes far-right violence of all kinds;

We the New Students for a Democratic Society

Demand that all charges against Leif Autzen be dropped by police and prosecutors
Call for a day of action on a to-be-determined date in defense of Leif Autzen and the rights to self expression and self defense, in particular Lief’s right to access trans-affirming medical care if incarcerated
Denounce all police and hate groups targeting queer folk and their allies
Denounce the extremist organizations that attacked attendees at the Wadsworth Drag Story Time on March 11th, 2023,
Denounce the Wadsworth and Columbus Police Departments for pressing charges against Leif instead of the bigoted attackers,
Resolve to join a day of action on Leif’s behalf if one is called
Resolve to promote the fundraiser for Leif’s defense
Resolve to continue to advocate for Leif and the rights of LGBTQ people to self defense regardless of the outcome of his trial on October 24th

SDS Celebrates Palestinian Resistance and Stands In Unconditional Solidarity with the Palestinian People!

Whereas: On October 7th, the Palestinian resistance launched a brave assault on the Zionist government (Israel) entitled Operation Al-Aqsa flood. Operation Al-Aqsa flood is the most successful instance of Palestinian resistance since the 1973 Arab-Israeli War.

Whereas: Zionism is a settler colonial project. In 1948, during the creation of Israel, pro-Israel militants massacred over 15,000 innocent Palestinians and forced over 700,000 Palestinians off their native land to create the settler colonial project known as Israel.The Zionist formation has continued to occupy and facilitate illegal settlements on Palestinian land. Palestinians in the West Bank live under an apartheid system, and Palestinians in Gaza live under an illegal blockade.

Whereas: The United States has supported Israel with weapons, funds, and support on the international stage since 1948. Since being the first country to recognize Israel as a state, the US has used Israel to promote its geopolitical interests in the Middle East and enlarge the western sphere of influence. The US actively encourages and provides the material basis for the illegal occupation of Palestine. In addition to their direct and brutal oppression of Palestinians, the US and its propaganda machines constantly regurgitate the rhetoric of Zionism in an attempt to normalize the occupation and demonize the resistance. Many police departments domestically train with the Israel Occupation Force and recreate the same brutality and oppression seen in Palestine. The US is just as guilty as Israel in the colonization and ethnic cleansing of Palestine.

Whereas: In response to this just war of resistance, the Zionist formation known as Israel has declared an all-out war on Palestinians, committing several international war crimes, such as cutting off electricity, food, and water to Gaza and using internationally illegal chemical weapons on civilians. All of these attacks have been made possible by U.S monetary and military aid to the Zionist entity.

Whereas: SDS celebrates the Palestinian resistance and the al-Aqsa flood. SDS celebrates any and all attempts for the Palestinian people to end zionist settlements, end occupation, end the illegal blockade, end Israel’s genocidal threats, end Israeli war crimes, and take back the land that was stolen in 1948 to create a unified Palestinian State that secures the rights and freedoms for all Palestinians. SDS decries Israeli aggression, occupation, and settlements. SDS finds the blockade on Gaza shameful and demands no US aid to Israel!

Therefore, SDS resolves to:

-Oppose Israel’s ongoing crimes against humanity, apartheid, and genocide of the Palestinian people,
-Oppose any and all US monetary and military aid to the zionist entity Israel,
-Work with local Palestinian groups, such as Students for Justice in Palestine, to denounce zionist aggression and US abetting of it,
-Educate students on the oppression of Palestinians through flyering, infographics, and general body meetings,
-Host national days of action to defend Palestinian people and demand no US aid to Israel.

Nakba Day Resolution

Whereas: Nakba Day is an annual commemoration that marks the displacement of Palestinians and the destruction of Palestinian society in 1948, coinciding with the establishment of the state of Israel

Whereas: Nakba Day is traditionally observed on May 15th, signifying a pivotal moment in history;

Whereas: during this period, Zionist forces displaced approximately 750,000 Palestinians and seized 78% of their land, leaving only the West Bank and Gaza Strip under Palestinian control;

Whereas: in Israel, this period is known as the War of Independence, which was the first conflict in the Israeli-Palestinian and broader Arab-Israeli conflicts;

Whereas: the War of Independence had two main phases, starting with the 1947-1948 civil war following the United Nations' adoption of the Partition Plan for Palestine, leading to the division of the territory into Jewish and Arab sovereign states, with an international Jerusalem (UN Resolution 181);

Whereas: the conflict intensified at the end of March 1948 when Israeli forces launched attacks and overthrew Palestinian forces in significant battles

Whereas: Since then Israel has ruthlessly escalated its military occupation over Palestinians. Including mass killings, military raids, the destruction of buildings and homes, and operating an apartheid regime.

Whereas: For the last 75 years Palestinians have had to flee their homes in which generations and generations of their families have lived; and have lived in fear due to Israel's unrelenting violence.

Therefore, be it resolved that Students for a Democratic Society, Call upon the international community to support Palestine’s struggle, to overthrow the powers of Israel, and to retake the land that is rightfully their own.
Actively organize around this day to show our solidarity with Palestine, including a SDS national day of action on Nakba day.
Demand an end to U.S. intervention with Israeli powers.
Aid other organizations’ pro-Palestine efforts, whether it be through protests, or in the gathering of donations.

SDS Fights for Women’s and Reproductive Rights!

WHEREAS: On June 24, 2022, the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, taking away the federal right to an abortion.

WHEREAS: Many states including Texas and Florida have abortion bans, with Texas banning abortions after just 6 weeks of pregnancy - before most would even be able to know that they are pregnant.

WHEREAS: States that have created an exception to the ban for cases of sexual assault are still ineffective, since victims are often reluctant to report these crimes and it requires a police report; these reports may be produced too slow or ignored by local law enforcement. Further, this leaves debilitating mental and physical scars on victims of sexual abuse;

WHEREAS: Pregnant persons with life-threatening conditions that require their pregnancies to be terminated have been turned away by healthcare professionals due to fear of legal ramifications;

WHEREAS: Many abortion clinics have been forced to shut their doors as a result of state abortion bans and the overturning of Roe v. Wade. Fake clinics and Crisis Pregnancy Centers still exist across the country and SDSers in Florida and other states have organized against these centers around their campuses;

WHEREAS: The overturning of Roe v. Wade set a precedent for possible future attacks on other rights, including the right to contraception;

WHEREAS: The rollback of reproductive rights sets a precedent for further attacks on healthcare rights. Related attacks on the healthcare rights of transgender people and low income individuals are encouraged by overturning Roe v. Wade;

WHEREAS: Black, Chicana, and other oppressed nationality women, as well as working class women make up the majority of those who get abortions, and are therefore most heavily affected by abortion restrictions.

WHEREAS: Access to reproductive healthcare products on college campuses is still an issue that various SDS chapters, including UT Arlington PSU and Austin SDS, have fought for and continue to fight for as administrations drag their feet on making change;

WHEREAS: The right to abortion was won through the fierce struggle of the women’s movement in the 60s and 70s, at a time when other progressive movements from the Civil Rights movement to the anti-war movement were also engaged in large-scale mass struggle. Our rights have all been won through mass protest and struggle, and we need to continue that struggle to win back abortion rights and more;

WHEREAS: We saw thousands rise up and take to the streets across the country in 2022 to protest the Supreme Court decision on Roe v. Wade, including a 10,000 person march led by UMN SDS, and massive marches and rallies led by SDSers in other cities as well;

THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED THAT NATIONAL SDS:

Continue to call for full rights to a safe and legal abortion;
Oppose all abortion restrictions and bans at both the state and federal-level;
Call upon local SDS chapters to celebrate International Women’s Day with local protests;
Call upon local SDS chapters on campuses who do not already have reproductive healthcare products and services (such as menstrual healthcare products and contraceptives) to demand access to those products on campus;
Release national statements if and when further attacks on women’s and reproductive rights occur throughout the year;
Continue to hold national days of action in support of women’s and reproductive rights!

No U.S. intervention in Africa!

Whereas: AFRICOM or the U..S Africa Command is ‘responsible’ for maintaining military operations and maintaining U.S. military relationships with African nations. Since 2007, it has been the nucleus for U.S. militarism in Africa and the attempted U.S. domination of Africa. AFRICOM is responsible for various human rights abuses such as the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS). SARS is a Nigerian secret police force responsible for killing, kidnapping, and disappearing of political dissidents, ethnic minorities, and petty thieves. AFRICOM’s other crimes include carrying out over 29,596 strikes on the nation of Somalia in which at least 939 civilians were killed unintentionally by coalition strikes (the actual number of civilian casualties is likely higher).

Whereas: In response to the Islamic Insurgency in the Sahel, France in partnership with the US and AFRICOM launched Operation Barkhane on August 1, 2014. Operation Barkhane was a permanent deployment of around 3,000 French troops who would occupy parts of Burkina Faso, Chad, Niger, and Mali. The French military, with U.S. cooperation and guidance, was responsible for many war crimes and human rights abuses in the region. In Northern Mali, 50 civilians have been killed by France since 2013. France and The United States are partners in militarism and crime in Africa.

Whereas: Since the 2020 Malian coup, There has been a new wave of anti-imperialist governments in West Africa. The governments of Col. Assimi Goita in Mali, Brig Gen. Abdourahamane Tchiani in Niger, Capt. Ibrahim Traoré in Burkina Faso, Pres. Mamady Doumbouya of Guinea, and Gen. Brice Oligui Nguema of Gabon has taken power by way of coup d'etat and replaced pro-Western, pro-French, and pro-U.S. governments. Some of these leaders have committed themselves to political processes of decolonization. In addition, in response to French intervention and crimes in West Africa, the nations of Niger, Mali, and Burkina Faso have expelled (or called for the expulsion of) French troops in their countries.

Whereas: African nations that have resisted Western militarism and neo-colonialism have faced dire consequences. The U.S. State Department has launched sanctions on Mali and Burkina Faso, exacerbating the poverty of these nations. Sanctions impact the ability of these countries to trade valuable natural resources such as gold. Sanctions impact the ability of leaders in these nations to travel freely and dialogue with their fellow african nations. Western powers have encouraged governments and governmental organizations that are aligned with them to place regional sanctions. Although these sanctions were lifted, ECOWAS (Economic Community of West African States) had economic and financial sanctions placed on Mali limitting Mali’s ability to trade with their regional partners.

Whereas: American militarism has threatened Niger with war through ECOWAS. Members of ECOWAS including Nigeria, Liberia, Benin, and Guinea Bissau have threatened an invasion of Niger.

We Resolve to:
Condemn U.S. and French militarism in Africa, as well as AFRICOM;
Demand the U.S. ends its interventions in Africa, including Niger, Mali, and Burkina Faso; and the complete withdrawal of AFRICOM from the continent.
Demand the U.S. and AFRICOM end the drone war in Somalia and end support for SARS in Nigeria;
Demand the U.S. lifts sanctions from Mali and Burkina Faso;
SDS chapters hold a day of action in support of the anti-imperialist governments in Niger, Burkina Faso, and Mali- which seek to remove U.S & French influence on their countries;
SDS chapters keep watch of U.S. interventions in African countries and rally in opposition to any invasion it carries out or plans to carry out.

Resolution to Continue Student-Labor Solidarity

Whereas the conditions of students and workers are inextricably tied, cuts to campus workers' pay normally come with hikes in tuition and other student cutbacks;

Whereas solidarity between the student movement and the labor movement is crucial for the advancement of all of our rights and the ability to raise demands against college administrators;

Whereas due to the current unprecedented and historic strike wave that the country is in, we must acknowledge that a win for a union is a win for the entire working class, and locally that a win for on-campus unions against admin, is also a win for the student body;

Whereas our universities and colleges are reliant upon the exploitation of both its students and their non-administrative staff: with students paying excessive amounts of money to receive a degree that lands most graduates in the working class despite otherwise having aspirations of becoming professionals or independently wealthy;

Whereas campus clerical, technical, maintenance, and food service workers are underpaid for the essential labor they provide through understaffed positions in undesirable working conditions;

Whereas progressive student and labor movements have historically been united in our demands for racial, gender, class, and disability justice;

Whereas OCC SDS earlier this year helped organize to found Michigan Labor Solidarity (MiLS), a group created to aid different unions in their efforts to strive for better conditions, pay, and benefits by joining them on picket lines and providing different forms of aid such as medical and food support;

Whereas OCC SDS is currently participating in MiLS to support the UAW strike across the state of Michigan and has already provided aid to numerous strike sites, and brought Chrisley Carpio and Lauren Pineiro of the Tampa 5 to one such strike site in Michigan's capital Lansing and several others with MiLS;

Whereas the relationships built between SDS and on-campus unions have been strategic and beneficial to the building and strengthening of both the student movement and labor movements on campus.

Therefore, be it resolved that Students for a Democratic Society:
1) Participate in solidarity actions in response to the needs of labor unions on our campuses and in surrounding communities.
2) Organize our own student-labor solidarity actions on campus in response to the needs of labor unions on our campuses and in surrounding communities.
3) Organize with labor solidarity groups around the needs of labor unions on our campuses and in surrounding communities.
4) Attend and mobilize students around picketing events held by striking unions.
5) Aid in the gathering of donations for strike funds.
6) Invite union members and labor organizers to attend and speak at our actions.
7) Attend and provide speakers for labor actions when requested.
8) Never cross the picket lines of striking workers.

Resolution to Free Alex Saab!

Whereas: Alex Saab, a diplomat for the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, is currently jailed by the United States government and awaiting trial in Miami, Florida. Saab is a skilled negotiator who makes trade deals to benefit Venezuela’s people and economy, but now the Biden administration is retaliating against Saab for his success in beating illegal U.S. sanctions. President Biden is attempting to criminalize Alex Saab and the Venezuelan government’s efforts, and

Whereas: The U.S. government illegally detained and then kidnapped Alex Saab, first on June 12, 2020, in Cape Verde, Africa, and for a second time on October 16, 2021, in Miami, Florida, U.S., and

Whereas: The U.S. government dropped seven money laundering charges, leaving only a conspiracy charge in a Federal Court in Miami, Florida where no justice is to be found, and

Whereas: The U.S. government suffered a major defeat in September 2022 when Alex Saab was ruled in a U.S. court to be a Venezuelan diplomat,

Whereas: Alex Saab has been detained by the U.S. government for over 1,200 days

Whereas: The Biden administration and U.S. State Department continue to economically sanction, militarily threaten, and conduct a low level dirty war--including failed assassinations and a coup d’etat against President Maduro of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela

Therefore, be it resolved by the Students for a Democratic Society,
Action 1: We call upon the Biden Administration to immediately release Saab.
Action 2: We stand in solidarity with Alex Saab and the Bolivarian Revolution, inspiring victorious people’s movements for democracy and independence across Latin America, the Caribbean and in the U.S.A.
Action 3: We demand an end to the U.S. sanctions and acts of aggression. We call for the normalization of U.S. relations with the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela and for the U.S. government to respect the sovereignty of the Venezuelan people.
Action 4: We denounce this sham trial as an outrageous act of aggression against Venezuela and Saab himself.

Resolution to support the NAARPR in the struggle to stop police crimes and establish community control of the police

Students for a Democratic Society has always stood against police crimes and for community control of the police. We resolved to stand with the National Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression (NAARPR) in the fight against police crimes at our 2021 conference in the wake of the uprising sparked by the murder of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, and many others.

Since 2020, the number of people killed by the police per year in the US has increased from 1,020 to 1,097 in 2022. In the first 9 months of 2023, 680 people were killed by police. Black and Indigenous people are still killed, brutalized and wrongfully convicted by police at disproportionately high rates. We are currently living in the white supremacist backlash to the 2020 uprising.

The backlash of white supremacy is seen in heightened levels of repression against protesters, such as the Tampa 5 and the Stop Cop City activists in Atlanta. It is our responsibility as SDS to stand up against repression, both when it directly targets our members and when it's aimed at any supporters of social justice.

Whereas police crimes continue to be a pressing issue that affects the lives of Americans and especially those of oppressed communities,

Whereas National Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) seeks to fight against all injustice and ally the student movement with those seeking to stop police crimes,

Whereas community control of the police is a demand put forward by the Black Liberation Movement to end police tyranny over oppressed communities and this struggle is being led by the National Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression (NAARPR)

Whereas police repression against activists has increased since the uprising against police crimes in 2020, including charges against the Tampa 5 and Stop Cop City activists,

Be it therefore resolved that all SDS chapters will cooperate with NAARPR chapters in their respective cities in the struggle to establish Community Control of the Police,
mobilize people in their cities to attend the NAARPR conference from November 3rd to November 5th 2023, and
Take the forefront in demanding justice for victims of police brutality as relates to their local conditions, campaigns, and actions.

Hands off Haiti!

WHEREAS On October 2, 2023, the United Nations Security Council voted to authorize the deployment of "an international security mission" to "quell surging gang violence and restore security" in the country of Haiti

WHEREAS This resolution provides the greenlight for a U.S.-backed, Kenyan-led military intervention into the country of Haiti, purportedly at the behest of the undemocratic and unelected government of Haitian Prime Minister Ariel Henry, who has served as head of state since the assassination of U.S.-backed President Jovenel Moïse in July 2021

WHEREAS Haiti has a long and vibrant history of resistance to slavery, colonialism, and imperialism, being recognized internationally as the "first Black Republic" and a symbol of defiance against white supremacy

WHEREAS The U.S., France, and other colonial or imperial powers have never forgiven the Haitian people for their crime of throwing off the shackles of slavery and seizing their right to independence and self-determination, demonstrated by the repeated sanctions and other interventions into their affairs dating back to the victory of the Haitian Revolution on January 1, 1804

WHEREAS The United Nations has a history of intervention in the Caribbean generally and in Haiti in particular, most notoriously demonstrated by the 2004 United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH) which resulted in both a cholera epidemic which impacted over 1 million Haitians and killed 30,000, as well as widespread sexual violence at the hands of U.N. forces against Haitian women and girls

WHEREAS The repeated acts of intervention and violence against Haiti instigated by the U.S. have resulted in vast numbers of Haitians fleeing their country and coming to the U.S. where they have been met with yet more violence from the U.S. government, primarily spearheaded by Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and faced with mass deportations

WHEREAS The U.S.-backed, Kenyan-led U.N. invasion may begin as soon as January 2024

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED That the New Students for a Democratic Society puts forward the following demands and calls to action:
National SDS will call for country-wide emergency days of action in defense of Haitian independence and sovereignty and in opposition to the U.S.-backed invasion in collaboration with existing Haitian social and political organizations if present in your city.
National SDS will popularize the issue across its various social media platforms and encourage its many chapters and affiliate groups to do the same
End the U.S. program of dumping weapons and other munitions into Haiti
End the program of violence against Haitian refugees and immigrants in the U.S., including the practice of mass deportations
Reparations to Haiti for the crimes committed against its people and their right to self-determination, specifically the creation of the cholera epidemic and the U.N. campaign of mass sexual assault

Hands off Haiti! No to military intervention! No more deportations! Reparations to Haiti now!

SDS Demands Legalization for All!

WHEREAS: On June 8th, 2023, Texas governor Greg Abbott declared plans to install floating barriers to immigrants attempting to cross the Rio Grande, the first of which was to be installed in Eagle Pass, TX.

WHEREAS: The placement of these buoys has already resulted in the deaths and injury of migrants.

WHEREAS: On September 13th, 2023, a federal Judge in the southern district of Texas determined that Deferred Action for Child Arrivals (DACA) is unconstitutional and consequently has prevented new applications from being processed while this ruling is being deliberated.

WHEREAS: The Biden administration has controverted its previous stance affirming the ineffectiveness of the border wall. President Biden has continued to sign off on further projects to add to the border wall, going so far as to waive environmental and safe drinking water policies in order to facilitate this construction.

WHEREAS: SB1718 was signed into Florida state law on July 1st of 2023, criminalizing the employment of undocumented workers in the state and causing them to uproot their lives and those of their families.

WHEREAS: These recent anti-immigration policies are in line with decades of laws and executive orders which have been designed primarily to persecute, criminalize, injure, and to murder people wishing to migrate or seek refuge within the territory recognized as the United States of America.

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED THAT NATIONAL SDS:
National SDS demands the Texas government remove floating buoys, and barriers containing razor blades designed to harm and kill people trying to come to the US in search of better conditions.
That DACA recipients and undocumented students on every university campus in the entirety of Texas and the larger United States receive full protections from ICE, scholarships to continue education and higher education and permanent jobs in all walks of life.
That the construction of the border wall between the US and Mexico be halted completely, and no further additional construction happens to the wall; in addition to the dismantling of the wall already built.
That SDS Supports the legalization for all 12 million undocumented immigrants
That SDS calls for the shutting down of all detention centers in the United States.

SDS Demands Freedom for Simon Trinidad!

Whereas: Simón Trinidad is a political prisoner held in solitary confinement in a US federal supermax prison since 2008. Trinidad was a leader of the people’s movement in Colombia. He joined the revolutionary fight of the FARC-EP to defend Colombian workers, peasants, and indigenous people from right-wing, paramilitary death squads. These death squads are often run by the Colombian military, who are themselves funded, trained, and directed by the U.S.

Whereas: The U.S. government intervenes in Colombia to suppress union activity and other popular movements, for the benefit of big U.S. corporations--especially oil, coal, and minerals. As a direct result of U.S. war and intervention, more than 220,000 Colombians have been killed since 1958, and Colombian people’s lives have been thrown into chaos.

Whereas: Last year, the first left-wing administration was elected and allowed to take office in Colombia. The government of President Gustavo Petro is widely supported by Colombians, particularly by students and youth, workers, and peasants. This is potentially a new era for Colombia, where a lasting peace and the rights of the people can be secured. And, where the demand to free Simón Trinidad can be met, so he too can join in the transformation of Colombia.

Whereas: Simon Trinidad is a Colombian revolutionary and prisoner of the U.S. Empire. Born Ricardo Palmera, and choosing the alias Simon Trinidad, he became involved in reform politics in the 1970’s. In the 1980’s, the Colombian government and oligarchy launched a massive wave of violent political repression targeting political activists and candidates of the Patriotic Union killing thousands. Seeing many of his friends murdered or exiled, Simón Trinidad fled his home and joined the FARC-EP. In the FARC, he became one of their principal spokespersons at peace negotiations.

In 2004, U.S intelligence agents kidnapped Trinidad while he was in Ecuador to meet a UN official to discuss peace with justice. The U.S. extradited Trinidad and put him on trial four times. The trials were a sham, with the judge and prosecutor caught colluding at one point and the judge forced to step down. Three trials ended in hung juries, but Trinidad was convicted on one charge, belonging to the FARC-EP, and the judge sentenced him to 60 years.

For more than 52 years now the U.S. has backed the wealthy Colombian oligarchy against revolutionaries of the FARC-EP (Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia - People's Army) and ELN (National Liberation Army) who are fighting for freedom from US domination. Beginning in 2000, the US initiated Plan Colombia to ostensibly fund counternarcotics efforts but ultimately the $10 billion in so-called aid, troops, and training went toward fighting the FARC, ELN, and murdering leaders of labor unions and social movements. 

Despite Colombians’ desire for peace, the U.S. continues to fund war and now has seven military bases in Colombia. This continues even after the FARC ratified the 2016 Peace Accords and laid down their arms. This promised to usher in an historic era of peace and reconciliation by creating numerous institutional guarantees and importantly, the Special Peace Jurisdiction Court (JEP) which is responsible for handling the cases and sensitive issues related to the war.  In horrific irony, since ratifying the Peace Accords in 2016, over 1300 social leaders and over 300 ex-FARC members have been assassinated or murdered. 

It is in these conditions that freedom for Simón Trinidad is needed. The JEP of Colombia, as well as certain government officials and revolutionary forces in peace negotiations are requesting his presence to aid in peace accords. Therefore, it is imperative that we demand that the US government FREE SIMON TRINIDAD so he may return to his homeland and participate in talks for peace with justice. 

With the election of President Gustavo Petro and Vice-President Francia Marquez, the first Afro-descendant and woman in that office, the opportunity for the return of Trinidad are ripe. The national strikes of recent years prove the need for a new Colombia.

Momentum is building for Simón Trinidad as he now has access to his Colombian lawyer after a successful lawsuit against the US government. We need Colombian President Petro to demand the return of Simon Trinidad in coordination with the JEP. We need President Biden to free Simon Trinidad. We ask all progressive forces to spread the call and demand: Free Simón Trinidad!”

Therefore, SDS resolves to:
Join the call to demand freedom for Simon Trinidad!
U.S. out of Colombia! No more U.S. bases in Latin America or the Caribbean!

March on the DNC 2024

Whereas: The Biden Administration has failed to live up to the progressive promises made by the Democratic Party in 2020. Promises made on the campaign trail to defend access to abortion and reproductive healthcare, to stop police terror in black and brown communities, to establish universal healthcare, provide student debt relief, among many other promises that won them their current positions of power have all been broken.

Whereas Under the Biden administration, the solutions to the people’s struggles have been trampled, as the U.S. war machine rages on in the global south, corporate profits skyrocket, the real value of workers' wages decreases, unions' rights are attacked, and police continue terrorizing our communities.

Whereas: The Democratic party presents itself as the lesser of two evils compared to the GOP, the fact remains that activists have a duty and a right to fight back against attacks on the people, no matter what side of the aisle they come from.

Therefore:
Reaffirm our endorsement of and membership in the Coalition to March on the DNC 2024;
Actively organize other student groups from across the U.S. to endorse and mobilize their members to Chicago for the mass demonstration against the DNC in August of 2024
Organize SDS workshops prior to the march to teach organizers to be safe and effective during the march as well as to inform them of their legal resources and rights;
Organize members to begin attending the regular Coalition meetings, in-person if they’re in Illinois or virtually if they’re out of the state, to assist in the planning in the lead-up to the march
Designate a speaker to represent National SDS in Chicago during the mass demonstration in August of 2024
Coordinate the organization of a national fundraising effort involving all active chapters to help their members with travel and housing;
Stands firmly in opposition to the corporate Democrats and their Wall Street agenda.