Talk by Kshama on "Relevance of Socialism in Seattle Today?" recorded May 16, 2013 at the Common Good Cafe at University Temple United Methodist Church

Dear Friends,

Because of the help from supporters like you, we succeeded in qualifying Kshama Sawant to be on the ballot for Seattle City Council by turning in over 2,400 signatures, more than double the number of signatures required!

Kshama Sawant is the only Seattle candidate who collected signatures to qualify for the ballot.  All the other city council candidates paid the expensive filing fee of $1,175 in lieu of collecting signatures.   Our signatures were collected overwhelmingly by dedicated unpaid volunteers, which reflects the popular support for our message and our campaign’s unparalleled grassroots volunteer base!  Please join us in celebrating this success this Saturday, May 18 from 6 - 8:30pm at Jai Thai at 235 Broadway E (cross street Thomas).  

The next step for the campaign is to spread out into Seattle neighborhoods to door knock and build more support throughout the community.  This will require printing hundreds of thousands of brochures and yardsigns.  Please support this crucial phase of the campaign by making a personally meaningful contribution.  Donate Today

725 S Henderson St. Seattle, WA

The sheriff is coming to evict Jeremy Griffin. We don't think he should. In fact, we don't think anyone should be evicted by these corrupt banks. The rampant greed, rule-rigging, manipulation, and outright fraud of these banks have been well documented, yet not only are they still the ones holding the cards, they're kicking people like Jeremy out of their homes every day because of effects from the financial recession that THEY CAUSED. We want to tell the sheriff we will not stand for this any longer. Not by asking him (we tried that on Friday), but by stopping him from completing the task. 

Eighty years ago this month, in the wake of the last wave of unbridled bank greed, people in Seattle stood up and took on the same fight. They showed up to stop the sheriff from going through with an eviction, just like we will with Jeremy. 

After 7 weeks of campaigning, we have collected over 2,000 signatures, nearly double the 1,200 required to get Kshama Sawant on the ballot! Join Socialist Alternative members and supporters as we celebrate this success and talk about the next steps for our campaign!

For more information and to RSVP click here

The following was published on The Stranger's website on May 8, 2013 the original can be viewed here.

It was tremendously inspiring to see over 4,000 people, mostly undocumented immigrant workers, marching in Seattle on May 1, International Workers' Day, demanding legal rights, as well as decent working conditions for all workers. Most undocumented immigrant workers toil at some of the hardest and most invisible jobs for the least pay in restaurants, factories, and hotels, and they live in daily fear of being deported and having their families ripped apart. But May Day demonstrated the latent power workers hold when we speak in solidarity with one voice.

Yet not so surprisingly, most of the media, with a few honorable exceptions,ignored the mass protest against corporate exploitation of immigrant labor and focused almost exclusively on a march of about 250 radical young people, involving arrests and damaged storefronts.

Conspicuously absent in most of the reports was the fact that the police—armed with intimidating riot gear and military-grade weapons—were clearly attempting to escalate tensions and provoke these radical youth.

This afternoon, Kshama Sawant and our campaign attended the SAFE (Standing against Foreclosure and Eviction) meeting in preparation to build a Rapid Response Network of activists and supporters to participate in non-violent civil disobedience to prevent the eviction of homeowner Jeremy Griffin in South Seattle. 

We appeal to those of you who are in Seattle to join us in solidarity with Jeremy and SAFE. Together we can fight the big banks! 

The Sheriff's office will probably begin the eviction process next week. We need hundreds of people in Seattle to come out in support, to help set up a 24-hour picket at Jeremy's house, and tell the Sheriff to go away. We need to get the word out to hundreds via text and social media.

If you are willing to be part of the Rapid Response Network, and are okay with getting a text (it could possibly be early on a morning) when the Sheriff notifies Jeremy, please send a text with your name to 206.604.4911.

Check out more about SAFE at http://safeinseattle.org/

*Photo by Joshua Truillo - @Joshuatruillo

May Day, International Workers' Day, saw over four thousand workers and young people in Seattle rallying and marching energetically, calling for the legalization of undocumented immigrant workers, and for the right of workers everywhere to unionize and live a dignified life. Kshama Sawant, a Socialist Alternative candidate for City Council, supports immediate, unconditional legalization and equal rights for all undocumented individuals. Our campaign was proud to participate in the peaceful march along with our brothers and sisters.

Predictably enough, the corporate-owned media focused almost exclusively on the small march of 200-300 young people, while the real power of Seattle's working class lay in the thousands who marched earlier in the day, demanding the rights of immigrants and workers, and expressing their anger against the big banks that continue to shamelessly profit from the economic crisis.

A 1986 video made by a group of Seattle Police officers, in which they offensively mock the city’s homeless, has just been made public. One of the officers participating in the video is the current interim Chief Jim Pugel.

The video reveals the utter contempt of Seattle Police toward the city’s homeless and poor. Socialist Alternative City Council candidate Kshama Sawant said, “The participation of interim Police Chief Jim Pugel in this disgusting video is just another example of how broken the Seattle Police Department is.”

The bombings today at the Boston Marathon are an absolute tragedy and a horror that shouldn't happen in Boston or anywhere else in the world. We are all checking in with loved ones in the Boston area. Socialist Alternative would like to express our grief, sympathy and solidarity with all the victims of this attack.

The resignation of Seattle Police Chief John Diaz marks the end of an inglorious four-year term during which he oversaw the excessive use of force and racial profiling by the Seattle Police Department (SPD). Diaz’s early retirement, at only age 55, resulted from community outrage and protests against the abuses that the SPD has committed with impunity under his watch. Socialist Alternative City Council candidate Kshama Sawant is calling attention to an inconvenient truth that not only the Mayor but also the City Council (all Democrats) have completely failed to hold the Seattle police accountable.