Hello, Comrades!

May is upon us and this month we begin with a day of solidarity and remembrance for workers around the world. The US separated their Labor Day from International Worker’s Day because they wanted to ensure there was distance between their hollow appreciation for the working class and the fight spirit of revolution that comes with IWD. They would rather people drink and grill than take to let them know there are more of us than there are of them. We will not forget and we should be doing everything we can to let people know what this Friday means and what is possible for our future.

Shout out to the Housing Working Group for their letter campaign getting 286 signatures in a couple weeks. If you haven’t yet, please visit Stand Up for Historic Yamacraw and write your district’s alderperson and the mayor. If you don’t live in Savannah, I suggest doing like I did and choose the District 2 option.

Please remember, you don’t have to have all the time in the world or be an expert on socialism or organizing. We just need you to be present. Please find that balance between doing the work and self-care. Take a breather if you need it, but we can’t do this without you.

Adelante,
Jorge Robles
Co-Chair, Steering Committee

• Get Involved

• Resolutions

• Featured Voices

• Art & Community

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Never miss out on chapter events. Subscribe to our calendar HERE.

• MAY 3rd - GENERAL MEMBERSHIP MEETING - Zoom and In-Person

  Keep an out the agenda! It will be in the member’s only section of our Discord.

  • Will have Pat Wilver, congressional candidate for Georgia’s 1st District, will be joining us and we’ll have a quick Q&A. (This is not an endorsement. Simply an opportunity for members to ask questions)

  • We will are looking for a new venue. Please come with any ideas you might have.

• Every Saturday from 2-5pm is Mutual Aid Sharing on the intersection of E 27th and Waters Ave

• Every Tuesday the Housing Working Group meets at 6:15pm over Zoom. Contact housingjustice@savgadsa.org for more information

• May 10 and 24 the book club meets.

• May 8 and 22 the Communications & Design Committee meets.

Kendra Clark Campaign Dates

• May 2, May 9, May 16

  Canvassing 10am-Noon

• May 3, May 10

  Canvassing 1pm-pm

• May 4th

  Service Industry Listening Session

  3pm-5pm at Garden Square

• May 5, 6, 7, 11, 12, 13, 14

  Weekday Canvassing from 5pm-7pm

• May 17

  BIG Canvass Day 1pm-5pm followed by cookout

• May 18

  Collage Night

  6-8pm at Midtown Arthouse

• May 19

  Election Day!!

  Election Night Party at 6pm

  Location TBD (working on confirmation)

  

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Proposed Resolutions

The following resolution(s) will be presented to the membership at the May General Membership Meeting:

R26-007 - Resolution to Extend the Deadline for the Special Meeting on Restorative Justice and Accountability Policies

We want to see what our comrades and community are making. If you’re creating art, photography, poetry, design, zines, or anything else that speaks to the fight -- send it our way. We’ll feature member and community work in future issues of The People’s Report. Submit to Communications & Design Committee at communications.design@savgadsa.org with “Art Submission” in the subject line.

Views expressed are my own and do not reflect those of the Savannah Chapter of DSA or national DSA.

Patrick Wilver

Patrick Wilver is a West Point graduate and military veteran. He is a small business owner, operating in the real estate and property management industries. Running on a pro-conservation, anti-corruption platform, Wilver has set forth three priorities in his campaign: reforming the political system, rebuilding the middle class, and “safeguarding the future” via environmental regulations and infrastructure investment.

Specific legislative goals and priorities include:

• Repealing Citizens United

• Breaking up monopolies

• Establishing paid family leave

• Removing the Social Security income cap

Amanda Hollowell

Amanda Hollowell is a longtime community organizer and political strategist for such organizations as Color For Change. She describes herself as a “pragmatic progressive” and is endorsed by the AFL-CIO, Georgia Workers Party, and Higher Ground.

Her main legislative priorities are repealing the cuts to spending passed through the “Big Beautiful Bill” that have impacted access to government assistance and services for a significant percentage of 1st District residents.

Goals include:

• Taxing the rich

• Raising minimum wage

• Expanding Medicare access (Note: Hollowell does not support a universal healthcare system)

Defonsio Daniels

Defonsio Daniels is a former Marine and the Commissioner for the Southeast Georgia Consolidated Housing Authority. He formerly served as the housing chairman for the Camden County NAACP.

Daniels’ priorities include:

• Increased federal education funding

• Affordable housing initiatives

• Increasing healthcare access and affordability

• Repairing and upgrading infrastructure

• Combatting food deserts within the 1st District

Randy Zurcher

Randy Zurcher is a former teacher, realtor, and labor representative with the Savannah Federation of Teachers. He formerly served as a city councilor in Fayetteville, AR. He describes himself as the “fighter” candidate in the Democratic primary, and has been critical of what he sees as Democrats’ inaction at the federal level. His platform centers on fighting government corruption and strengthening the rule of law.

Specific legislative goals include:

• Expanding low-income housing and federal housing grant programs

• Codifying abortion rights nationwide and ensuring access to comprehensive reproductive healthcare

• Rejoining the Paris Climate Agreement

• Reinstating EPA regulations the Trump administration has repealed

• Halting ICE raids

Joey Palimeno

Joey Palimeno is a veterinary technician and working parent. Though he is running as a Democrat, he identifies as a Democratic Socialist. He has been outspoken about the corruption and lawlessness of the Trump administration, and is a strong critic of Israel.

His legislative priorities include:

• Affordable housing

• Universal pre-K

• Free school meals

• Universal healthcare

Joyce Griggs

Joyce Griggs is a former Army officer and lawyer (she is no longer practicing). She has been involved in local politics as a candidate in various races for some time.

Per her website, she has focused on the following areas, though her specific policy plans and priorities remain unclear:

• Affordability

• Healthcare

• Military

• Education

• Environment

• Families

Dr. Sharon Stokes-Williamson

Dr. Sharon Stokes-Williamson is a Savannah native with deep roots in the area. Her background is in community service and local and state government, and she has worked for the state of Georgia in various capacities throughout her career.

In her campaign, Dr. Stokes-Williamson has focused on:

• Disaster recovery

• Infrastructure repair and renewal

• Bridging the rural and urban divide

• Safeguarding Head Start funding

• Addressing the opioid epidemic

Michael McCord

Michael McCord is a South Carolina native who describes himself as a moderate centrist Democrat. His website characterizes his campaign as a “platform for the middle” and he is trying to “bring back defectors to the Democratic Party.”

His legislative priorities include:

• Fixing supply chains

• Stabilizing rural healthcare

• Federal investment in infrastructure

• Streamlining access to services for veterans

• An “all of the above” energy policy that ensures low cost for consumers

I see myself in the mirror and,

etched on my face are the years gone by.

The wrinkles carved on my forehead;

The touches of gray in my beard;

My youthful glow, indeed fading;

They say with the gray comes wisdom,

but I just see reminders that I’ve lived through another day, another year, and so many haven’t.

To be born into a world of plenty and be forced to watch it all go away;

Oh the dreams we cast away in order to survive, trapped in the realities of our lives.

Indeed fleeting

We mustn’t complain,

We must keep working

We MUST keep going

Even when we have no reserves

Even when we need to mourn what life could have been

It’s time to clock back in.

Views expressed are my own and do not reflect those of the Savannah Chapter of DSA or national DSA.

Greetings! My name is KeyShawn Housey, born and raised in Savannah, Georgia.

When election time approaches, people usually ask me how to make sure they’re registered to vote and who I am voting for. Usually, when I speak on political or social issues, I do so through short-form videos. However, I felt as though I was still unable to get all my thoughts out. So, I said, why not? Let’s try something a little bit more long-form and get these thoughts out on paper. My hope is that this pushes people in my age group to look further into these candidates, and come Election Day, be confident enough to make an informed choice. Hopefully, this inspires others around my age demographic (I’m 28) to write or create similar pieces and express themselves politically.

These are my thoughts and feelings regarding each of the Democratic candidates, informed by my research, my experiences in the community and professionally, and honestly, the vibes. I know people are going to disagree with me on that, and I accept it. However, if the 2024 Presidential Elections and 2025 Public Service Commission Elections taught me anything, it is that this is a vibes-based political system. With our literacy rate decreasing, I fear that in the short term, we don’t have a choice but to try and move accordingly. Hell, this piece may have been written in vain because people are not reading as much as we need to. Regardless, as one will see via the length of this piece, I still want to try.

Dropped Out

State Representative Ruwa Romman. Oh, Romman, what could have been. When she announced her campaign for Governor, I was very excited. I knew of her from TikTok and watched countless videos of her breaking down policy as it was being debated in the Georgia Legislature, advocating for the people of Georgia. She is an excellent communicator, and in the forums I saw her in, she made the policy she was advocating for sound easy to understand, follow, and obtain.

I knew that it would have been a long shot for her ascension into the Governor’s mansion—to the point where, when she first announced her candidacy, I remarked to a friend that I did not think she would make it out of the primaries. Ultimately, we were correct, not realizing how soon that would be. Ideologically, she’s progressive. Biologically, she’s a woman. And potentially most damning, she is a Muslim of Palestinian descent. As of this writing, there are still people litigating the 2024 Elections and Gaza’s role in those results.

In spite of that, momentum was building, especially among young people, and I was preparing to go all in. Alas, right before qualifying, she ended her campaign and pivoted to run for the open GA State Senate seat. Her exit from the race was indeed a shock and a blow for me, as at the time she was my preferred pick. While I am still hurt from the pivot, I hope that she’ll win her senate seat and maybe one day try again for statewide office.

In the Running

Amanda Duffy. I must admit, I do not know anything about her. Most people will not consider her to be a serious contender; nonetheless, I wanted to recognize her candidacy. I presume she qualified late and is now building out her campaign infrastructure.

In my opinion, like many in this race, she doesn’t have a shot at winning. But I will say this: based on her website and social media, she seems to be a genuine person who was inspired to run because she believes in creating and implementing policy that would better families and the people of Georgia. Unlike one of the top contenders currently, she has an issues page! I can tell you what her main priorities are. The top three are financial security, education, and infrastructure. She ties her plan for Georgia to legislation that had recently been debated in the state legislature. I think that shows her ideas are grounded in reality, if not necessarily new.

Olu Brown. Of the candidates running for Governor this cycle, Olu Brown is the one I’ve seen the most, and every time he appears, he seems surer of his platform and more confident overall. Olu Brown is the founder and former pastor of Atlanta’s Impact Church. I remember when he first appeared on my radar, conducting a listening tour primarily through social media and going from town to town.

I remember just as he began his campaign, he visited my hometown, and as personable as he was, I was left wanting something more fleshed out policy-wise. The listening tour was successful because he returned a few months later, and by then, he showcased and attempted to sell what seemed to me to be a progressive and robust platform. I remember that he took the time to visit Yamacraw Village and learn about the remaining residents’ ongoing struggle. I appreciated that a lot. When he returned to the forum in Savannah, he came off very well, showcasing his experience organizing in the church and working with his congregation to meet their needs and those of their community.

Even so, something isn’t resonating, and I just don’t know what the disconnect is. Here is where I wish we had something akin to a ranked-choice system in the state. In that system, I think he would appear more viable. Another hindrance to his campaign is that he doesn’t have experience working in government. I get the hesitation behind it; however, we live in a society where a reality TV host was able to become President on his first attempt… and now twice. It’s not a far-fetched idea to attempt to do something similar, but of course, Georgia politics is a bit different than federal politics. For Georgia voters, political experience matters. Maybe he will try for political office again in the future.

State Representative Derrick Jackson. I would learn late this legislative term that Rep. Jackson had worked closely with my state representative, Carl Gillard, over the years to advocate and advance policy through the legislature that has directly affected my community. Together, they addressed issues such as poverty, youth, homeownership, and cultural preservation, among others. For that, I definitely thank him for his service to the people of Georgia.

As I have seen him post many times, his experience as a CEO, veteran, and legislator makes him uniquely qualified to serve in the Governor’s mansion. He was the first Gubernatorial candidate I had met in person at the start of the primary cycle, and he made an early impression on me as the only candidate who had even mentioned COVID and its ongoing impact on our healthcare system. Additionally, unlike some of the top candidates, he also has a platform—and more importantly, a proof of concept. His platform consists of legislation he has, at one point or another, advocated for, and he explains how it would help Georgians. Like Brown, Jackson has one of the most robust and progressive platforms in the entire race.

Unfortunately, I put him in the same category as Olu Brown: just unable to gain traction. His forum performances have not been his best showings; however, he is very engaged on social media and in intimate spaces with the constituency. That is where I’ve seen him really shine as he shares his vision for Georgia.

Fundraising has been a weak point as well. Now, unlike the other candidates, he could not fundraise for his campaign as efficiently because Georgia law prevents sitting General Assembly members from fundraising during the legislative session. As of this writing, the GA Legislative Session ended a few weeks ago. That said, with just under a month remaining in the primaries, I do not foresee him raising enough to be competitive. With a potential special session… sheesh. Again, he’s another who may have benefited from a ranked-choice voting system. I wonder if he will try again for statewide elected office in the future or just stay involved politically. I believe he still has a lot to offer.

Former State Senator Jason Esteves. I met Jason Esteves early on in his campaign, while he was still a State Senator. My first impression of him was that he was very tall for the space we were in. I remember him touting his accomplishments and his overall record as a businessman, former Atlanta School Board Chair, and former State Senator, but again, there was a disconnect. I remember leaving the space kinda unimpressed by him.

For a long time, that first impression remained with me. While that impression did improve over time—reflecting again on the Savannah forum, where he had a solid performance and directly called out Geoff Duncan over Medicare expansion in Georgia and how Duncan worked against those efforts while he was Lt. Governor—he was just another candidate in my eyes. Solidly in the middle.

Esteves would actually resign from his state senate seat, citing the need to focus more on his Gubernatorial campaign. I think this move allowed him to effectively fundraise, which he then used for various campaign expenditures, making himself viable. Additionally, Romman dropping out of the race created a vacuum. As stated previously, Romman appeared to be the “progressive” candidate in the race. Who would take up that mantle? Esteves, with his specialized and stated focus on education, universal healthcare, and childcare, would take it up.

As a Black male, I do appreciate that he has a well-intentioned and thoughtful plan regarding Black men. He discusses marijuana legalization, increased access to capital, educational opportunity, and building electoral power, amongst other ideas. I remember in the 2024 elections, it was a weak spot in VP Harris’s campaign. I’m glad to see political operatives such as Esteves at least attempt to prioritize us. As it stands, his efforts are paying off. As he builds grassroots support, his name is rising in recent polls. In my corner of GA, he was name-dropped by current Chatham County Commissioner Adot Whitely as being a very strong advocate against the unmitigated expansion of data centers throughout the state. That’s a good thing in my book. With under thirty days before the primaries, if he continues on the path he is on, there’s a chance he could make it to the runoff.

The Top Contenders

Former DeKalb County CEO Michael Thurmond. With a career in Georgia politics spanning several decades, one of the most seasoned operatives is making a run for the Governor’s mansion: Michael Thurmond. He served in the GA House of Representatives and later as the state’s Head of the Division of Family and Children Services. He would later serve statewide as Labor Commissioner and, most recently, as CEO of DeKalb County, one of the largest counties in the state.

He is the most experienced candidate running in either party, having been elected locally and statewide in rural and urban communities throughout the state. I put him here in the top contenders because, in a state where voters 50+ turn out the most, I can see them remembering the work he has done and pushing him over the mountain. His biggest strength, I’ll say, is that he sure does have crossover appeal with members of the Republican party.

He does not have an issues/priorities page. As a leading candidate for the state’s top office, I don’t understand why he doesn’t have one. Maybe he’s waiting to debut the priorities list after the primaries if he wins. Regardless, from what I have heard from him, he offers a solid platform of Medicare expansion and job creation for Georgians. Interestingly, he has advocated for job expansion in the AI sector. Personally, I don’t know how I feel about that one. At best, it shows his willingness to “keep up with the times.”

Also, I would be remiss not to mention that Thurmond played a major role in the development of Atlanta’s Public Safety Training Center, also known as Cop City. While I personally opposed Cop City’s construction and still do oppose similar projects nationwide, if you are a staunch advocate for public safety, I would look into his work there, as it provides an inkling as to how he would govern in that sense.

His AI and public safety stances don’t wow me, but they haven’t been major hindrances to his campaign. If anything, it has been his relatively low fundraising compared to the other front-runners and his age. He is currently 73 years old, and while that is not nearly as old as other politicians currently in office, I can see why people are wary, given the Biden presidency and how he seemingly deteriorated throughout his term. Trump, now in his second term, is showing signs of deterioration as well. The risk for Thurmond is: if he wins, would we see a similar mental/physical deterioration from him? No one really knows. Granted, when I saw him at the Savannah forum and other speaking engagements, he appeared to be as confident, quick-witted, and strong as ever.

Former Lt. Governor Geoff Duncan. Immediately after the Gubernatorial forum concluded in Savannah, I went straight to Duncan and told him I had read his book. He asked me not to define him by the book he had written. I responded that I understood, and I let him know that he did better than he thought that night. In my opinion, he did really well that night; as a matter of fact, I would say he had the strongest showing of all the candidates. I mean, as a former Lieutenant Governor, I would expect nothing less.

When you get a chance to look at his recently released issues page, you can view his priorities and what mechanisms he plans to use, including the utilization of a $1.2B budget surplus to enact those policies. Observers have noted that Duncan may be the strongest candidate in a general election for the Democrats to win the Governorship. I agree with that.

Here’s the thing, though: this isn’t the general election. Remember how I mentioned that he was a former Lt. Governor? Yeah, he was the former Republican Lt. Governor under Brian Kemp. Remember that book I mentioned, and how he asked me not to define him by it? That book is called GOP 2.0.

It gets worse. When he presided over the state senate, he helped push a litany of harmful legislation, including legislation that blocked Medicaid expansion, as well as the infamous Heartbeat Bill, HB 481, which severely limited the ability of women to receive an abortion statewide beyond six weeks. Not only was that piece of legislation unpopular, but it has cost lives. I reflect on Amber Thurman, who passed away in 2022 due to septic shock as a result of not receiving proper care because of the law. I reflect on Adriana Smith, a woman who was declared brain dead in 2025 but kept alive long enough to keep her fetus just viable enough for birth. Smith would later die, and her baby, named Chance, continues to deal with medical complications.

In 2021, Duncan broke with his Republican colleagues by maintaining that the results of the 2020 election in Georgia were legitimate, with Georgia’s electoral votes going to Biden over Trump. This choice would ultimately lead to Duncan writing the aforementioned book in 2021, stepping away from his Lt. Governor role in 2023, campaigning with Vice President Kamala Harris in 2024, and being suspended from the GA GOP in January 2025. By August 2025, he officially joined the Democratic Party, and by September, he announced his gubernatorial candidacy.

He has done well in his campaign, and he has expressed regret for his past policy decisions. Will that be enough? There’s still a lot of pain and hurt surrounding what he did as Lt. Governor. My concern is that he could win the primary, win the general race, reveal his true self, and then set out to build GOP 2.0 instead of what he campaigned on. People have commented that they would rather have seen Duncan first do some dedicated stumping and fundraising for Democratic candidates. Realistically, though, of course he would run for Governor.

Recently, he received the endorsement of James Woodall, activist and former Georgia NAACP President. While I have no intentions of endorsing Duncan, I completely understand why Woodall would move to endorse him. Not necessarily because they agree on policy, but because he has a history of winning, and winning big. I remember Duncan saying at the forum that the Democratic Party hasn’t won the Governorship in 18 years; that’s true. He could actually change that.

Former Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms. Mayor Bottoms, who has experience working at the local and national levels, boasts the highest name recognition of any candidate, Democrat or Republican, in this race. On the Democratic side, she has managed to be the top fundraiser. It’s to a point where, if and when there is a runoff, Bottoms will most likely be one of the two competitors on the Democratic side. All of the other candidates are essentially fighting for that second spot.

She finally has a page on her track record in addition to an issues page, which I think is useful in reminding voters what she has delivered for Georgia’s capital city and what she wants to accomplish as our next Governor. Reading what she accomplished in Atlanta as Mayor and in DC as an Adviser to President Biden, it is clear to me why she is considered a top candidate in this race. Additionally, she has stood up against the Trump and Kemp administrations. I remember in 2020, she, along with several GA mayors, ordered mask advisories and mandates to protect against the COVID-19 pandemic, whereas Kemp was against that. Bottoms was the only Mayor to be sued for implementing it.

It’s almost too easy. Does an easy primary give way to an easy general, or will she be plagued with difficulties along the way? That is to be determined. I’m concerned that if she makes it to the general election, we would see echoes of 2024 as those “-isms” would come into play, as they did for VP Harris and Stacey Abrams in both of her gubernatorial campaigns. Bottoms is a highly educated and qualified Black woman running for the top executive position in the state. I fully expect a barrage of the most racist, sexist, and damn near slanderous ads and comments targeting her. Would her general support of the LGBTQ+ community be used against her?

Mind you, she does have her weaknesses. She was a popular mayor who would have easily won re-election; however, she opted not to stand. That’s still a head-scratcher. That still doesn’t make sense to me, and it is definitely something that can be used against her. Why did she not run? How can one run for Governor but not go through two terms as Mayor?

Of course, she would later be appointed a Senior Advisor to the President, leading the Office of Public Liaison. Not necessarily the most influential role in the administration. I would argue that she had more power as Mayor.

Earlier in this piece, I discussed Cop City and Thurmond’s role in it. The project began under the Bottoms administration. Cop City and similar projects arose as a reaction to 2020 and the George Floyd protests. She has since stated that she stands by her decision to move forward with the Cop City project. On her website, she touts investments in public safety technology and personnel. On her issues page, she notes a goal of expanding GBI capacity. Nice. Again, if public safety is your thing, I am sure it will be a priority in her administration. It is funny, though, that she didn’t list Cop City as one of the top achievements of her administration, even though it was a net positive for law enforcement. Maybe it’s an acknowledgment of just how unpopular Cop City is. I can’t be too critical, however; I am a big fan of Atlanta’s Policing Alternatives and Diversion program, and Bottoms did help bring that to fruition.

Assuming she makes it to the runoff, I would like to see her campaign more, especially as she goes through the more rural areas of the state.

Final Thoughts

Well, if you made it this far, thank you. Thank you for reading what I had to say, and I hope that I was able to assist you, the reader, in making a decision ahead of early voting on April 27 and Primary Election Day on May 19. If not, well, thank you for reading what has been on my mind for a long time now.

The Governor of Georgia, whoever it is, will wield great power and the ability to transform this state for the better. The Governor does have the ability to line-item veto any bit of legislation they choose. If we are able to elect a Democratic Governor, we may very well be guaranteed Medicaid expansion—that’s important. Additionally, I predict that the Governor will only become more powerful as America’s geopolitical influence wanes. Kemp’s response to the Hyundai raid provides a glimpse of how the Governorship can and will play a more international role in the future.

After nearly 20 years of Republican control, it is time for a change. Regardless of who wins on May 19, I will be voting for the Democratic candidate in the general election, even if I have to grit my teeth while doing it. With that said…

I will be voting for Jason Esteves to become the Democratic Party nominee for Georgia Governor. I want Georgia to be taken in a very clear, progressive direction, and I believe we can get there with Esteves at the helm. I encourage everyone voting to do the same. He has the momentum on his side, and I believe we can carry him over the mountain.

Early Voting begins April 27. Primary Election Day is May 19.

Thank you all for reading, much love.

The polls are closed and the robots have completed counting the ballots. Congratulations to the new Savannah DSA Steering Committee for 2026-2027!

Your 2026-2027 Steering Committee

• Co-Chairs: George R. & Keyshawn H.

• Secretary: Chase R.

• Treasurer: Michael H.

• Membership Coordinator: Lindsey G.

Resolution Results

The following are the results of the chapter resolutions. The majority voted YES to approve the following:

• R26-001: Resolution to Rescind the Moratorium on Hosting Events at YourSpace

• R26-002: Resolution to Adopt a New Chapter Logo

• R26-006: Developing Savannah DSA Members

Thank You

Thank you to everyone who participated in this process. A huge thank you to Austin and Caroline for an AMAZING job chairing the 2026 Convention (our FIRST actual convention, btw).

I’d give a parting thanks to those stepping down from Steering, but the only change is the addition! Congrats again, Michael!

Looking Ahead

Now we face the next year head-on, with a focus on membership growth and development and a mission to have this chapter look more like the community it serves. The only people who should be uncomfortable are the bigots we fight every day.

And remember, the highest authority within the Savannah DSA is the membership body.

¡Hasta la victoria siempre!

Comrades,

This is it—the final hours of our election. Voting officially closes tonight, Saturday, 4/11, at 11:59 PM. To date, 30 members have cast their ballots. If you haven’t joined them yet, now is the time.

Troubleshooting Your Ballot

• Missing your link? If you are a dues-paying member and haven’t seen your ballot (even in your spam folder), please DM us here or email info@savgadsa.org. Include the email address you used for registration so we can verify and re-issue your ballot immediately.

• Want to join and vote today? You still can. If you join DSA by 11:59 PM tonight and forward your membership confirmation email to us, you will receive a ballot.

  • Note: Please do this as early as possible. We need a manual window of time to process these requests before the clock strikes midnight!

Removing Barriers to Membership

We believe that financial status should never be a barrier to participating in our democracy. If you’ve been waiting to become a card-carrying member but are worried about the cost, here are two ways to join us:

1. Solidarity Income-Based Dues DSA operates on a sliding scale. You can choose to contribute 1%, 2%, or 3% of your monthly income.

• How it works: It’s an honor system. For example, if you earn $15,000/year ($1,250/month), your dues could be as low as $12.50/month.

• Sign up for Solidarity Dues here

2. Dues Waivers For those currently facing significant financial hardship where any monthly payment is unaffordable, the Dues Waiver program ensures you remain a Member in Good Standing with full voting rights for $0.

• Note: We ask that this remain a resource for those who truly need it so we can protect the longevity of the program.

• Request a Dues Waiver here

In solidarity,
George “Robo” Robles
Co-Chair, Steering Committee
Savannah Chapter of Democratic Socialists of America

To the man who rages with reflexive revulsion when he hears the dread word “socialist”:

You are brave, you don’t care what people think. You stand for what is right, no matter what they say about you.

Unless they say you’re a socialist.

Why is that so hard to hear?

In the privacy of your own mind, just sit and pick at it. Who said that’s a slur?

Hearing that word feels like hearing the name of the devil. Something you’re not supposed to even look at. You just know it’s bad.

Are you afraid to just check what it actually means? To do your own research?

Here, look: www.dsausa.org , it’s fine.

I’m afraid that what’s happened here is a government and media propaganda campaign so large and ubiquitous that it’s become too big to see.

A veteran running for congress here told me he had a good long talk with a man in the street, that they agreed on every single thing. That corporations have too much power and the government’s corrupt, that working folks are getting screwed and that we’re getting sucked into another foreign war for no good reason. That the people aren’t being heard or benefitting from the current government.

And then at the end, they disclosed their party affiliations, and the man in the street was a republican, and the candidate was a socialist, and the man in the street was affronted. Offended.

Probably felt tricked, maybe even mocked. Because socialist has been put out as a bad word. Because socialists are all soy drinking sissies and that’s not him.

I don’t know when the propaganda made you forget that brotherhood is socialist. Workers’ rights, trade unions, alliances of blue collar men standing up for themselves together against elitist, soft-handed robber barons- that’s socialist.

You want to be a regular American? Someone who can be proud of our great country, leading the world?

Me too.

Why are we the only developed nation without healthcare provided by our tax dollars?

Why are so many people sleeping rough?

How can we say we’re a rich nation when most Americans are struggling to afford the basics of shelter, food, utilities, and healthcare?

I’m most Americans here. Think about if you are too. What would happen if you got in a crash? Are you afraid to call an ambulance? Isn’t that insane?

No one else on earth is afraid to call an ambulance. Why the hell are you tolerating that? ‘Cause change and reform are being offered by a party you’ve been told to sneer at? Not even to fear, just to revile? Something embarrassing to be associated with?

That’s what’s held a lot of people back.

They’d say they were “independents” or they’d say they were looking at libertarianism, ‘cause that sounds stronger and manlier and nobody makes fun of them for that.

Don’t be a pussy, man, put your money where your mouth is. You don’t just do what the government tells you to, you don’t care what people say about you, why would it bother you to be called a socialist?

I told my dad about the goals of Democratic Socialism, and he said, “Well, you don’t have to call it socialism, those things are just common sense. You’re not gonna win anybody over calling it socialism”.

Turns out my dad’s a socialist.

Frankly, it turns out that people with common sense, moral decency, and American values are socialists.

Your fear that the movement that actually works to meet your needs and aligns with your values is called “Democratic Socialism” is just a hidden shackle, holding you back from strengthening and uniting real Americans against greedy, corrupt politicians and the billionaires who own them.

If what you’re afraid of is how bad you’ve heard socialism has gone in other countries, in South and Central America, go see why that happened. ‘Cause I’m sorry to tell you, it was capitalist intervention, it was us, meddling in foreign governments, toppling governments and destabilizing nations so we could say socialism doesn’t work.

Do you know guys who fought in Vietnam? That was another one of these, the absolute panic of other countries adopting any political stance apart from capitalism led us to send thousands of men to die in a war we lost anyway. And nothing catastrophic happened when we left Vietnam alone. I never even think of it, I can’t imagine you do either.

Maybe you’re against Democratic Socialism because you confuse it with old communist regimes that killed loads of people to push an ideology? Yeah, that’s fucked up. We’re not doing that, that’s not part of it. That’s something else.

What we’re after is Democratic Socialism — more than just the safety net they have in Scandinavia (though even their Social Democracy would be better than what we suffer through). We want working people to actually own a piece of what they build. Co-ops, public utilities, democratic control over the economy. Some of that already exists here. They just don’t want you to call it socialism.

Do your own research. Don’t just go with the narrative you’ve been fed.

Be strong enough to know your own mind, and don’t be afraid to stand up with us when you see that we are you.

This month is Sexual Assault Awareness Month. Like every other “awareness” and “appreciation” month, it is a stark reminder that we have so much more work to do. The statistics are brutal, heartbreaking, and well-documented. An American is sexually assaulted roughly every 68 seconds. Over 440,000 people aged 12 and older experience sexual assault or abuse every year. 81% of women and 43% of men report experiencing sexual harassment or assault in their lifetimes. And as pointed out in Savannah DSA Resolution R26-004, Black, Indigenous, and LGBTQ+ people experience it at even higher rates.

And here’s the number that should haunt every person who claims to care about survivors: fewer than 30 out of every 1,000 sexual assaults result in a felony conviction. The system that is supposed to deliver justice for survivors fails them over 97% of the time. Survivors who do report face re-traumatization, victim-blaming, invasive forensic exams, and prosecutors who won’t take the case. The carceral system does not protect survivors. It never has. It was not designed to.

So when socialists say “believe survivors,” what are we actually committing to? Because if the answer is “defer to the criminal legal system,” then we are telling survivors and their allies to trust the same institutions that fail them 97% of the time. An institution that incarcerates Black people at six times the rate of white people.

Believing survivors means building alternatives away from the ones founded on white supremacy and the patriarchy. It means community accountability, material support -- housing, wages, childcare, mental health resources, healthcare -- that reduces the economic dependence that traps people in dangerous situations. It means creating processes inside our organizations that don’t replicate the failures of the system we claim to oppose.

That’s what restorative justice is. It is a survivor-centered framework. It does not dismiss harm. It does not sweep allegations under the rug. What it does is reject the idea that the only way to take harm seriously is to default to the logic of punishment and exclusion -- a logic that, in practice, falls hardest on Black and Brown people, on poor people, on queer people even among communities who claim to be their advocates. The same communities that experience the highest rates of sexual violence are the communities most brutalized by the carceral system’s version of “accountability.”

Believing survivors, a commitment to restorative justice, and a rejection of white supremacy are inseparable if we are to truly live according to our values as socialists. The only people who benefit from framing them as contradictions are the ones who want the white supremacist and patriarchal carceral default to remain unchallenged -- who need the proletariat to default to the path of least resistance out of their own exhaustion.

I’ve been thinking about this a lot in the context of our chapter. Savannah DSA adopted a Members Handbook that says, in writing, that the chapter prioritizes restorative and educational approaches to conflict resolution. The 2021 National DSA Convention passed Resolution 03 committing the organization to abolitionist politics and Resolution 28 creating a national committee to train chapter grievance officers in transformative and restorative justice. Both passed with supermajority support. It is the stated direction of our organization at every level.

But stating a value and building the infrastructure to live it are two different things. When a chapter lacks a framework for restorative justice, what happens in practice is predictable. Allegations arise. People panic. The path of least resistance wins. And the path of least resistance, in a society built on carceral logic, always looks the same: charge, sideline, forget. No process. No accountability committee. No examination of racial bias. No consideration of whether the response reflects the organization’s values or just reproduces the defaults we absorbed from the culture we grew up in.

A predominantly white chapter operating in the Deep South has to be honest about what those defaults are. When a Black organizer is accused by the state -- not convicted, accused -- and the chapter’s response is to push them out without a formal process, without any framework rooted in the justice principles we claim to hold... that is not believing survivors. That is the carceral system operating through us by proxy. The same system that convicts fewer than 25 out of every 1,000.

Building a restorative justice framework doesn’t weaken survivor protections. It strengthens them. A Community Accountability Committee that reflects the racial, gender, and political diversity of our community. A process that centers the dignity of all parties. A requirement that any restriction on a member’s participation goes to the full membership for a vote, not five or three predominantly white officers in a room. A policy that says the existence of criminal charges alone -- charges made by a state that we know, with extensive documentation, disproportionately targets marginalized people -- will not automatically determine someone’s standing in our organization.

That framework gives survivors more than the carceral system ever has. It gives them a process that actually listens. It gives them a community that takes harm seriously enough to build something better than a system with a 97% failure rate. And it gives every member of the chapter the assurance that if they are ever accused of anything, by anyone, their standing will be determined by a fair, democratic, transparent process. Not driven by panic, not by social pressure, and certainly not by the biases that none of us are immune to.

Dolores Huerta carried her secret for decades because she believed the movement was more important than her pain. That is a devastating indictment -- not of Huerta, but of every organization that creates conditions where a survivor feels they have to make that choice between the movement and justice, organizations that refuse to acknowledge the patriarchy, white supremacy, and rape culture of the system it was built within. Restorative justice is how we make sure no one in our chapter ever faces that calculus. It builds the infrastructure so that harm can be addressed without destroying the person who reports it or the person who is accused. It refuses the false binary that says you must choose between believing survivors and providing due process in accordance with our values.

We can do both. We must do both. Anything less is not a socialist organization. It's a liberal space cosplaying as activist, talking about justice but defaulting to the same broken systems when things get uncomfortable. We become no better than the liberal and conservative organizations that fight every day to defend the status quo or drag us further backwards.

I’m asking the membership of Savannah DSA to vote YES on Savannah DSA Resolution R26-003 & Savannah DSA Resolution R26-004. Vote yes on establishing our commitment to both Restorative Justice and Survivors. These are the same vote.

In solidarity,
George Robles
Co-Chair, Steering Committee
Savannah DSA

Updates as of 4/5/2026, 10:21 AM ET:

1. Added resolution: R26-004 -- Resolution Affirming Savannah DSA’s Commitment to Believing Survivors of Sexual Assault in Honor of Sexual Assault Awareness Month

2. Added essay: Believing Survivors Means Building Something Better

3. Added essay: Think, Rebel

4. Added resolution: R26-005 – Savannah DSA Resolution for Restorative Justice, Membership Standing, and Survivor-Centered Accountability Policy

5. Added addition Steering Committee nominations from Melinda Workman, Lindsey Grovenstein, and Keyshawn Housey.

6. Added resolution: R26-006 - Developing Savannah DSA Members into Organizers

7. Added nomination of Jessie Herbert Jr. for Co-Chair.

8. Added convention standing rules for membership consideration.

9. Added consent agenda: CA26-01 - Establishment of Charters for the 2026-2027 Chapter Year

Welcome, Comrades.

It’s convention time! This Sunday, we come together as a membership body to decide the direction of our chapter for the next year, and I’m proud of what we’ve built to get here. Even if for a short time, it has been an honor serving as this chapter’s Co-Chair of the Steering Committee. I am beyond proud to be a member of such an amazing group of human beings. Over the years, we have grown so much... not just in numbers, but in commitment to our community, to the fight, to showing up and doing the work. The Housing Working Group’s grueling battle for Yamacraw Village. Mutual Aid Working Group’s commitment to serving the community every single Saturday without fail. Our brand new Labor Working Group already integrating with the working class and their unions. The Outreach and Engagement Committee dedicated to ensuring recruitment stays strong and new members stay plugged in. And I can’t wait to see how the Communications and Design Committee executes their agitprop mission to wake people up and shout the truth from the rooftops, since our media apparatus will not. And finally, our Electoral Committee and the Vote Kendra Clark Working Group -- two entities that could really use some more love and volunteers. Regardless of what you think about the electoral process, there’s no denying that the more socialists we have in elected office, the easier it will be to win victories in our fight for a socialist nation.

The current political climate we find ourselves in is one of the most dangerous and unprecedented many of us have seen in our lifetimes. Migrant communities are under direct attack. Queer people face an escalating campaign to erase them from public life. Racialized people across the Global South are bearing the weight of imperial violence that most of this country refuses to name. We are witnessing multiple genocides unfolding simultaneously -- in Palestine, in Congo, in Sudan -- and the machinery of US empire is complicit in every single one. And while none of this is new or something unique to a President of political party, our current administration is now operating off mask. Their intentions have been made clear: transform the United States into a White Christian Ethnocracy. But regardless of what is thrown at us, we will fight and we will win.

That’s exactly why this convention matters. Our dedication to the Democratic process isn’t just a technicality. It’s our vision for this nation’s future; a nation in which the people have the power. It’s how we decide, together, what we’re willing to fight for and how we fight for it. The decisions we make Sunday will shape our chapter’s work for the year ahead, and there may not be a more urgent time to get it right.

But it’s not all doom and gloom… here’s what keeps me going: we are not alone, and we are not losing. DSA hit 100,000 dues-paying members in February. We are the largest socialist organization this country has seen in over a century, doubling from 50,000 in just 16 months. Over 250 DSA members now hold elected office across the country. Zohran Mamdani won the New York City mayor’s race as an open socialist -- the most significant socialist electoral victory in modern American history. In Portland, DSA members hold a third of the city council. In Milwaukee, a socialist won a council seat for the first time since 1948. Last October, 40 DSA delegates traveled to Cuba on a solidarity delegation, meeting with public health officials, climate activists, and Cuba’s Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, delivering hundreds of pounds of aid and strengthening the anti-embargo fight. This movement is growing, and it’s translating into power.

I’m excited to see what our membership body decides on Sunday and motivated to continue the fight into 2027. HASTA LA VICTORIA SIEMPRE.

In solidarity,
George Robles
Co-Chair, Savannah DSA Steering Committee

• 2026 Savannah DSA Convention — What to Expect

• Steering Committee Nominations & Resolutions

• Featured Essays:

  • Sine Die Has Come and Gone -- What Comes Next for Savannah by Austin Rojas

  • The System Itself Is the Problem -- A DSA Member Takes Her Fight to the Georgia House by Kendra Clark

  • Believing Survivors Means Building Something Better

  • Think, Rebel

• Art & Community Submissions

• ICE Is Not Welcome Here — Business Sticker Campaign

• Get Involved

This Sunday, April 5th, Savannah DSA holds its 2026 Convention at The Sentient Bean from 7pm to 9pm. Convention is the single most important meeting of the year for the chapter. It’s where the membership body sets the direction of this chapter for the next twelve months. That means electing new leadership, voting on resolutions, hearing reports from every committee and working group, and deciding together what our priorities look like going into 2027.

If you’ve never been to a convention before, here’s what you need to know. Convention is governed by Robert’s Rules and operates under the same rules as a General Meeting. You’ll hear officer reports, followed by elections for all five Steering Committee seats, followed by resolutions. Every dues-paying member in good standing can speak, vote, and bring motions to the floor. Comrades who are not members in good standing are invited to observe.

Members in Good Standing: Please review the AGENDA and the STANDING RULES. Both will be voted upon at the start of the convention.

Logistics:

Location: The Sentient Bean, 13 E Park Ave., Savannah, GA 31401
Time: Doors open at 7pm.
When you arrive, scan the QR code to check in. If you’re not sure whether your dues are current, verify your membership status before Sunday at savgadsa.org/membership-proof. Only members in good standing may vote or hold office.

There will be food, snacks, and refreshments -- come fed or come hungry, either way.

Steering Committee Elections

All five Steering Committee seats are up for election at convention. These are the people who will execute the will of the membership, coordinate chapter operations, and represent Savannah DSA for the next year. The positions are:

Co-Chair (2 seats), Secretary, Treasurer, Membership Coordinator

Declared candidates as of last update:

• Co-Chair: George “Robo” Robles, Melinda Workman, Keyshawn Housey, Jessie Herbert Jr.

• Secretary: Ryan Powell (ineligible as of this writing due to membership status)

• Treasurer: Melinda Workman, Michael Helmicki

• Membership Outreach: Melinda Workman, Lindsey Grovenstein

Vacant seats!

• Potentially Secretary (should Ryan Powell not attain membership)

Nominations remain open through convention. If you’ve been thinking about stepping into leadership, this is the time. Talk to a Steering Committee member before Sunday or nominate yourself from the floor. We need people willing to do the work.

Proposed Resolutions

The following resolutions will be brought before the membership for consideration. Motivation and deliberation will occur at the convention, but voting will take place over OpaVote after the in-person portion of the convention ends.

R26-001 -- Resolution to Rescind the Moratorium on Hosting Events at YourSpace
Rescinds a prior moratorium whose underlying basis no longer exists and restores YourSpace as an available organizing space for the chapter, its committees, and working groups.

R26-002 -- Resolution to Adopt a New Chapter Logo
Proposes a new pirate-motif chapter logo reflecting Savannah’s maritime history and democratic pirate traditions, grounded in the rose as a symbol of democratic socialism.

R26-003 -- Savannah DSA Restorative Justice and Membership Standing Policy
Establishes a chapter policy framework for restorative justice and protections for membership standing in connection with pending criminal charges.

R26-004 -- Resolution Affirming Savannah DSA's Commitment to Believing Survivors of Sexual Assault in Honor of Sexual Assault Awareness Month
Affirms the chapter's commitment to believing survivors, centers non-carceral accountability, and calls for annual political education on the intersection of economic justice and sexual violence.

R26-005 -- Savannah DSA Resolution for Restorative Justice, Membership Standing, and Survivor-Centred Accountability Policy
Combines and expands upon R26-003 and R26-004 into a unified policy framework establishing restorative justice protections for membership standing, survivor-centered (vs survivor-led) accountability processes, and the chapter’s commitment to believing survivors – grounded in the 2021 National DSA Convention’s direction on abolitionist and transformative justice.

R26-006 -- Developing Savannah DSA Members into Organizers: A Path to Building and Sustaining Membership & Leaders
Establishes a chapter-wide system for onboarding, training, and developing members into organizers, including a membership assessment, centralized engagement tracking, and a political education pipeline to address retention, prevent burnout, and build durable leadership.

CA26-01 -- Establishment of Charters for the 2026-2027 Chapter Year
Approves the written charters for all chapter committees and working groups seeking first-time establishment or annual renewal. This consent agenda item ensures all groups maintain clear missions, scopes of work, and ongoing alignment with overarching chapter priorities and resources for the upcoming year.

Submit resolutions and amendments to info@savgadsa.org

Organizing is about the fight for a better world, but it also about the community we are fighting for. The art we make, share, and put into the world is part of how we build culture, tell our story, and reach people who might never show up to a General Meeting but will stop and stare at a poster on a telephone pole.

This issue features the work of Bonnie Jo, whose designs you’ve already seen on our ICE sticker campaign and across chapter materials. Her work pulls from a tradition of movement art that demands you look at it. The pieces featured here speak for themselves.

We want to see what our comrades and community are making. If you’re creating art, photography, poetry, design, zines, or anything else that speaks to the fight -- send it our way. We’ll feature member and community work in future issues of The People’s Report. Submit to Communications & Design Committee at communications.design@savgadsa.org with “Art Submission” in the subject line.

ICE is escalating enforcement operations across the South. Just because it’s not on the news, doesn’t mean people are safe here in Georgia. Georgia was the 4th-highest state for ICE arrests in 2025, with over 8,000 people taken into custody. Workplace raids, traffic stops, and courthouse arrests are designed to make migrant communities feel like nowhere is safe. This sticker campaign is one way the community can push back.

The concept is simple. Businesses display a sticker in their window that reads: “ICE Agents Not Welcome.” It tells ICE agents they cannot enter without a judicial warrant and it tells the migrant community that this business stands with its neighbors.

Business owners have the legal right to refuse entry to anyone without a judicial warrant. ICE relies on the assumption that people don’t know their rights or are too afraid to assert them. It is our voices that break that strategy.

The stickers were designed by Bonnie Jo and printed by Clash Printing in Atlanta, a PPPWU1 Local 527M print shop.

Know a business willing to put one up? Own one yourself? Email us at info@savgadsa.org and we’ll get a sticker to them. If you’re a patron of a shop, restaurant, or bar that you think would be receptive, reach out to them first, then let us know. A recommendation from a regular customer goes further than a cold knock from an organization they’ve never heard of.

Never miss out on chapter events. Subscribe to our calendar HERE.

• April 3rd, 6pm - 8pm: Comms & Design Social at the Wormhole.

• April 4th, 10am - 1pm: Zine Folding Party at Mailbox Cafe.

• April 5th, 7pm - 9pm: The 2026 Savannah DSA Convention at The Sentient Bean!

• April 8th, 6pm - 7pm: Migrant Rights WG - Rapid Response Training

RECURRING:

• Every Saturday and Sunday, 1pm: Vote Kendra Clark Working Group canvassing.

• Every Saturday, 2pm - 5pm: Mutual Aid Sharing on the corner of East 37th St & Waters Ave

• Every Friday, 6pm - 7pm: Comms & Design Committee meeting (Zoom)

• Last Sunday of the month, 6pm: Labor Working Group meeting (Zoom)

• Every 2nd and 4th Sunday, 3pm: Book Club at Starland Yard

• Every 3rd Wednesday of the month, 7pm: Outreach Committee Meeting

Fourteen years ago, I chose Savannah to be my home.

Since that day, I haven’t just lived here, I’ve poured my heart into this place. Into our neighborhoods. Into our people. I believe with my whole heart that if we take care of one another, this city can be one of the best places in America to live.

But like many of you, I’ve also watched something happen over the years. I’ve watched families work harder and harder but never get ahead. I’ve watched neighbors priced out of the communities they helped build. And I’ve watched leaders in Atlanta act like those struggles are someone else’s problem.

Today, I’m here to say something simple: We deserve better.

A Life Built on Service

I’ve spent my life trying to be someone who listens. In the third grade, I wrote my first letter to an elected official trying to save our P.E. program. Whether it was through Girl Scouts or volunteering at the library, my childhood taught me that service to your community isn’t just a choice. It’s a responsibility. If something in your community isn’t right, you speak up.

That sense of duty led me to become a social worker. I wanted to help, one person at a time. I had the privilege to work with foster kids, with survivors of sexual assault, and with people coming home after incarceration who were trying to rebuild their lives.

But my time working within those systems opened my eyes to a harder truth: they are often designed to punish people for being poor, sick, or down on their luck.

I’ll never forget one young woman who came into my office. She was crying. She told me she knew she was going to die if she didn’t stop using heroin. So I started calling every treatment center within two hours. Everyone. And the answer was the same: no beds, or thousands of dollars she didn’t have.

That was the moment I realized something. Helping one person at a time matters. But if the system itself is broken, you can only do so much from inside it.

The system itself is the problem.

Building Community Power

Since then, my work has been about building community power. As former co-chair and member of Savannah DSA, we have supported our local unions, helped protect our local migrant communities from ICE, and stood up for our unhoused neighbors when their very existence was being criminalized. I founded SheNetworks to empower and connect women in our community. I have consistently taken to the streets to stand for my values: marching for Black lives, for the closure of the Irwin Detention Center, for reproductive justice after Dobbs, and for the rights of our LGBTQ+ and trans neighbors.

After Hurricane Helene, I helped organize Hostess City Mutual Aid so neighbors could help neighbors when systems failed. Because that’s what Savannah does. We take care of each other.

But we shouldn’t have to do it alone. The government should be on our side. Right now, too often, it isn’t.

Instead, we see politicians who take money from developers who pave over our green spaces while neighborhoods flood. Politicians who ignore pollution in low-income communities. Politicians who look the other way while corporations exploit workers with poverty wages and unsafe conditions. Politicians who block paid sick leave and family leave while workers struggle. Politicians who talk about education while teachers are buying classroom supplies out of their own pockets.

That’s not leadership. That’s neglect.

My Vision for the Georgia House

When I’m elected to the Georgia House, I will fight for:

• Landlord/tenant policies that protect renters and families rather than corporations and landlords.

• Universal Healthcare

• Raising the minimum wage and ending right-to-work laws

• Fully funded public schools where teachers are paid fairly and classrooms aren’t overcrowded.

• Environmental protections that defend our tree canopy, our marshlands, and our neighborhoods.

Protecting Savannah’s future means protecting the people who live here today.

This campaign isn’t about abstract policy. It’s about people. It’s about the single parent deciding between groceries and rent. It’s about the teacher spending their own paycheck on classroom supplies. It’s about the grandmother who cuts her medication in half so it lasts longer.

Those aren’t statistics. Those are our neighbors.

A Promise to Show Up

I know what it’s like to sit across from someone who feels like the system has forgotten them. I’ve seen it. I’ve lived it through the people I’ve worked with. And I refuse to accept that this is the best we can do.

Savannah deserves leaders who fight for the people who live here. Leaders who remember that the government exists to serve the public. Leaders who never forget who they work for.

That’s the kind of representative I promise to be. Not someone who disappears into the Capitol. But someone who shows up. Someone who listens. Someone who fights.

This campaign is not about me. It’s about every person in this district who believes we deserve better. It’s about the girl who wrote that letter in third grade. It’s about the social worker who refused to stay silent. And it’s about every neighbor who has ever stepped up to help someone else in this community.

Join Me

If you believe Savannah deserves leadership that stands up for working people...

If you believe our communities deserve to be heard...

If you believe that together we can build something better...

Then join me. Walk with me. Fight with me.

We have 9 weeks between now and election day, May 19th, and I need your support. You all voted to endorse me because you believed we could win, but I cannot do it alone.

Ways you can help and support:

• Spread the word! Share our social media posts (@votekendraclark). Tell your friends and neighbors to vote for Kendra Clark if they live in District 165. If they don’t know their district, help them figure out their district.

• We need volunteers, particularly for canvassing and phone banking, but there are lots of opportunities and our volunteer coordinator Rachael will get you plugged in. Sign up to volunteer here: https://forms.gle/ADsGRsQfjm9Xy9jP6

• Donate. Campaigns require money. Donations keep the website running, pay for flyers/rack cards to provide to voters when canvassing, yard signs, hosting events and ads. There are so many cool things we can do if we have the funds. You can donate at https://secure.actblue.com/donate/votekendraclark.

April showers bring the end of another regular session of the Georgia General Assembly. I write this before the chambers officially adjourned sine die, so I cannot say which bills are headed to the Governor’s desk to become law. However, it’s a virtual certainty that the packet of bills will include legislation suppressing protest rights, trans rights, LGBTQ+ rights, and voting rights, among others. Instead of a straight recap of the session, I’d like to provide some insight gleaned from watching the General Assembly all the way through.

First, we must acknowledge what the Georgia General Assembly is. This is not a free, democratic legislative body. It is a Republican captured and controlled assembly, gerrymandered to remain that way for the foreseeable future. Republicans control every committee, ensuring that it is their priorities and thus the priorities of their wealthy backers and audience that come first. By the time Crossover Day is reached, progressive legislation has been gathering dust in committee since the start of the session in January 2025.

It is also a general election year. With two notable exceptions (Reps Carl Gilliard & Edna Jackson), members from both parties and chambers are running for re-election, statewide office, or federal office. That creates conditions for political theater and using marginalized groups as political props to score cheap points or curry favor with Donald Trump. No one is more adept and shameless at this practice than Senator Greg Dolezal, candidate for Lieutenant Governor.

So until and unless there’s a full-on press from socialist and other left-wing candidates across the state to flip seats, our fight in the General Assembly is to stop the bleeding. Harm reduction is vital work because the General Assembly focuses almost all its efforts on expanding its near limitless police powers.

If you’d like to participate in protecting your friends, family, and neighbors from the excesses of the Georgia General Assembly follow DSA chapters across the state, Project South, Georgia Latino Alliance for Human Rights (GLAHR), Center for American-Islamic Relations Georgia (CAIR-Georgia), Asian Americans Advancing Justice (AAAJ), and the Georgia Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers (GACDL). These organizations track legislation, testify in committee hearings, and push out calls to action when needed.

Now, time for those promised insights.

The General Assembly is a Cop Congress

One of the clearest takeaways watching the General Assembly is how police, prisons, and law enforcement receive top priority. There are 11 former law enforcement officers serving in the General Assembly, a small percentage made more impactful because 2 are in top leadership positions. Senator Robertson, a former Sheriff’s Deputy, is the Majority Whip and Rep. Efstration, a former District Attorney, is the House Majority Leader.

Their leadership may help to explain why so much legislation related to police and policing makes it to the floor of their respective chambers. Legislation that expands who counts as a law enforcement officer, expands eligibility for benefits, increases those benefits for LEOs, bills that provide training, expand powers, increase duties, or that criminalize more conduct all receive ample debate and voting.

The daily business of the General Assembly is also never free from the influence of police lobbying groups. At Senate and House Committee hearings, you’ll hear testimony from the Georgia Sheriff’s Association, Georgia Association of Chiefs of Police, Prosecuting Attorneys Council, or just some police taking time off to tell lawmakers what they need. These organizations have a consistent, well-funded presence at the Capitol that lawmakers respect far too much, going so far as to ask whether these organizations support a bill should they be attending a simultaneous hearing.

There is No Punishment for Lying

Watching the GA for an entire session does psychological damage in part because of the bills being passed but also how they make it through. Both chambers have pages-long rules about procedure and decorum, none of which seem to require a member to be honest.

If I was a betting man, I’d have pocketed thousands betting on the amount of times words and phrases like “simply,” “common sense,” “all this does,” and “what we’re trying to do here” are used. A representative or senator can stand in front of their colleagues and say with a straight face, “All we’re trying to do here with this bill is clean up some language so all this does is simply tweak a few sections of our law to add some common sense protections.”

Meanwhile, the bill in question might dramatically expand policing, gut an entire program, or crack down on movement work. All that to say, there’s absolutely no punishment and no mechanism for accountability when legislators deliberately mislead their colleagues about what their bill does. Sometimes, in the most gentle and decorum-approved way, legislators may challenge a sponsor’s description of their bill, but that’s not accountability and it doesn’t stop the practice.

What Can We Do

It’s an election year so of course, the option is there to vote and support candidates that are explicitly aligned with our priorities. That isn’t exactly a long list, but it does include our very own, Kendra Clark. Having additional voices that can challenge mischaracterizations and look skeptically at police lobbying makes a difference. In between now and May 19, doing what we can to support Candidate Clark is our best General Assembly strategy. Beyond an electoral strategy, what else is there?

The procedure and speed of the General Assembly favors the offense, in this case Republicans. Trying to monitor and stop bills once they’re introduced is Herculean. There are big wins here and there, but so many harmful pieces of legislation slip right by. Analyzing legislation, putting out calls-to-action, and testifying before committees provide documented, on-the-record evidence that there were people who pushed back, and people who warned against potential harms.

But more often than not, these do not move the needle. When testimony comes from organizations believed to be “Democrat”-leaning, it behooves Republican members to ignore it. Even when that testimony contains talking points designed to appeal to those Republicans. Just watch them pass legislation that drives up taxpayer costs, infringes on freedoms, and targets religious expression. Once session begins, it’s mostly too late.

Outside of sessions, DSA should publicize each legislator’s record using all the gory details of the bills they sponsored, supported, or opposed. The Georgia Democratic Party is weak, our county Democratic parties are weak. DSA can step into this vacuum and offer Georgians something better.

A concerted, statewide DSA strategy must shed more light on what is a shamefully neglected aspect of our federalist system. As much as we bemoan federal congressional inaction, our state legislatures enact new, dreadful, horrible laws at a rapacious clip. But where is the attention, the outrage, the strategy?

DSA needs to work with more progressive organizations in the state to get this information to as many Georgians as possible so they can understand what cruelties are enacted in their name. We have to try to change the electorate here before we can ever expect more from the General Assembly. It starts with Republican voters telling Republican legislators not to pass a bad bill, it ends with Republicans & Democrats losing to Socialist candidates up and down the ballot.

Happy Sine Die

First things first, as you can clearly tell, we are moving The People’s Report to Substack. If you would like, you may get the app, comment, and engage with our posts OR you can just continue to receive only emails. Either way works.

For those familiar with Substack, know that we will not have paid subscriptions active and all content will remain 100% free. If we do move to include donations, it would only be after presenting a resolution to chapter members for deliberation and a vote.

Note: If, for whatever heartbreaking reason, you wish to unsubscribe, please know that this is a separate platform from Action Network. You may still receive correspondence from us via Action Network.

Black History Month

A quick reminder that we need to be remembering that Black history should be remembered and elevated every month, not just February. Remember that our class struggle is a product of white supremacy and that white supremacy is built upon anti-Blackness at its very core.

That said, I’d like to add a bit of Black History knowledge before going into announcements.

Bayard Rustin

In the late 1930s, Bayard Rustin joined the Young Communist League because it took Black freedom seriously, then quit in 1941 when the party deprioritized civil rights as WWII politics shifted. Right after, labor leader A. Philip Randolph tapped him as youth organizer for the proposed 1941 March on Washington. Long before 1963, Rustin was already building a Black-led, labor-backed mass politics which the state and “respectable” leaders tried to bury with red-baiting and homophobia.

Announcements

General Meeting (7pm-9pm)

Tonight’s General Meeting will be held completely over Zoom. Weather reports had forecasted snow and we didn’t want to cancel at the last minute, so we made the call Friday to ensure everyone got the word. But alas, no significant, but the venue is already canceled, so Zoom it is. Better safe than sorry and all that. Please email info@savgadsa.org for Zoom link. While it is open to the public, we ask that you fill out the Savannah DSA interest form if you haven’t already and are not already a member.

Q&A For Kendra Clark

Prior Steering Committee co-chair and paralegal extraordinaire, Kendra Clark, is running for Georgia State Assembly! As a part of our endorsement process, Kendra Clark will be taking questions from the membership. Especially if you are a dues-paying member, please show up so that you can make an informed decision on whether or not Savannah DSA should endorse. Voting will occur over OpaVote.

Resolutions

• Labor Committee presents a resolution to adopt the policies contained within “Resolution to Create a Labor Committee” with adoptions.

• The Communications & Design Committee will seek the ratification of Austin and Caroline as co-chairs of said committee.

Upcoming Events

Follow our Events Calendar for up-to-date changes.

Feb 1 | 7:00pm - 9:00 | Zoom - General Meeting. Email info@savgadsa.org for Zoom link.

Feb 5 | 6:00pm - TBD | Starland Yard - Savannah DSA Social! New members welcome

Feb 6 | 6:00pm - TBD | Starland Yard - Communications & Design Committee Social. All members welcome

Feb 7 | 1:00pm - 3:00pm | Corner of Waters Ave & 32nd St - Mutual Aid Community Sharing

Feb 8 | 12:00pm - 2:00pm | Zoom - Steering Committee Meeting. Members in Good Standing may observe. Email info@savgadsa.org for Zoom link.

Feb 8 | 3:00pm - 4:30pm | The Sentient Bean - Reading Club - Caliban and the Witch

Feb 13 | 6:00pm - 7:00pm | Zoom - Communications & Design Committee Meeting.

Feb 14 | 1:00pm - 3:00pm | Corner of Waters Ave & 32nd St - Mutual Aid Community Sharing

Feb 20 | 6:00pm - 7:00pm | Zoom - Communications & Design Committee Meeting.

Feb 21 | 1:00pm - 3:00pm | Corner of Waters Ave & 32nd St - Mutual Aid Community Sharing

Feb 22 | 12:00pm - 2:00pm | Zoom - Steering Committee Meeting. Members in Good Standing may observe. Email info@savgadsa.org for Zoom link.

Feb 22 | 3:00pm - 4:30pm | The Sentient Bean - Reading Club - Essays from the Minister of Defense Huey Newton & Huey Newton Talks to the Movement

Feb 22 | 4:00pm - 6:00pm | Ralph Mark Gilbert Civil Rights Museum Savannah - Affordable Housing Alliance, 2nd Forum

Feb 27 | 6:00pm - 7:00pm | Zoom - Communications & Design Committee Meeting.

Feb 28 | 1:00pm - 3:00pm | Corner of Waters Ave & 32nd St - Mutual Aid Community Sharing

In Solidarity,

Savannah DSA

What The People’s Report Is

Welcome, comrades! The People’s Report is the newsletter of Savannah DSA started in 2025. We’re organizing for working-class power in Savannah and the Coastal Empire, and this is how we will keep people in the loop and give you clear ways to help. Not to mention some pieces that will keep you informed and well armed with knowledge.

What you’ll get here

• Action alerts: Events that we need volunteers for.

• Campaign updates: What we’re organizing around and where we need people

• Chapter announcements: Meetings, trainings, and other events

• Political education: Action is important, but ensuring you understand the WHY and HOW is almost as important.

• Opinion Pieces: With the amount of talented writers within our organization, you can expect the occasional opinion piece on a particular topic.

We usually send 1 email a week. You can unsubscribe anytime.

Want to plug in?

If you’re in or near Savannah and you want to get involved:

• Fill out our interest form.

• Visit our website.

• Check out our Instagram.

• Read DSA’s definition of Democratic Socialism!

Not from the Savannah Area?

Find a DSA chapter near you!

Don’t have a chapter near you?

DSA National has many opportunities to be a part of the cause remotely.

What’s next

Over the next few posts, we’ll lay out:

• what we’re focused on right now

• what we’ve got coming up

• specific ways to join the work

In Solidarity,

Savannah DSA

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