Defund. Abolish. Create.
The National Abolition Working Group was formed to create a collective orientation towards abolitionist organizing within DSA and to build meaningful relationships with external organizations committed to the struggle for liberation. We are both building our internal capacity to do abolitionist work, as well as bolstering existing campaign work through trainings and convenings that provide space for chapter membership to share strategy and resources that move the work forward. We look forward to actualizing the demands outlined in DSA’s Political Platform through mass principled struggle as abolitionists committed to the formation of a socialist society.
DSA Political Platform
For all of the working class to achieve collective liberation we must constrain, diminish, and abolish the carceral forces of the state — from prisons and police themselves, to their manifestations in all forms throughout society. Each step forward in reducing the size, power, and authority of the repressive forces of the state expands the space for mass, organized, and collective action of the working class, and clears ground for us to build the institutions of a society to serve our communities with real justice and equality.
We are committed to the horizon of abolition and the path leading us there. Our demands:
- Defund the police by rejecting any expansion to police budgets or scope of enforcement while cutting budgets annually towards zero
- End the criminalization of working-class survival
- Freedom for all incarcerated people
- Demilitarize the police and end colonial policing of our cities and neighborhoods
- Freedom of working-class self-organization and democratic political action
- Invest in community self-governance and care, not cops
Resources.
Looking to develop a Defund campaign? Check out our resource document that consists of toolkits, talking points, and other information to help you and your comrades get organized. Looking to deepen an existing campaign? Keep an eye out for future convenings and opportunities to connect with experienced organizers. Interested in abolitionist campaigns that take a different form? Check out our resource document for inspiration.
You can also watch our first ever political education event with panelists Rukia Lumumba, Andrea James, DSA WG member Dawn Harrington, and NPC member Kristian Hernandez as well as our panel from the 2021 National DSA Convention.
We also developed a program for our Defund Summit (held 12/11/2021) that contains a wealth of general resources as well as resources from the workshops. It contains a link to the recording of our opening plenary with speakers Dylan Rodriguez and Geo Maher that you should definitely check out!
How to connect with us.
You can add yourself to our contact list or email us at [email protected].
Members of the National Abolition WG are available to come to a chapter meeting or event to provide political education on abolition. Please fill out this form if you want to schedule an engagement and a member of the WG will get back to you.
Follow us on Twitter @DsaAbolition
