“Not another bomb” rally in Los Angeles

DSA LA was a coalition partner in an “uncommitted” rally to pressure the Democratic National Convention around Palestine. (Rob Knaak, photo)

Last month, on the Sunday before the Democratic National Convention took place, the Uncommitted movement called for widespread actions and rallies to be organized as a show of pro-Palestine power demanding “Not Another Bomb” fall on Gaza. The leadership of Uncommitted put out the call to action and shortly thereafter nearly one hundred actions were organized all across the country in more than thirty-five states. Pro-Palestine protests took the streets from Fairbanks, Alaska to New York City. Some of them were small rallies or speak-outs; some were large-scale marches. The events were organized on the eve of the DNC to call out the Democratic Party’s complicity in the genocide in Gaza and to demand change. 

Numerous organizations participated in L.A.

In Los Angeles, DSA LA organizers teamed up with organizers from IfNotNow Los Angeles, the Committee of Interns and Residents / Service Employees International Union (CIR-SEIU), Transport Workers Union Local 320, IATSE Members for Palestine, United Auto Workers-UC Local 4811, SAG-AFTRA for Ceasefire, and Yalla Indivisible to organize a rally on the steps of City Hall. The rally convened on a Sunday morning and drew almost three hundred attendees. Speakers from numerous organizations stood up and spoke urgently about the need for an immediate and permanent ceasefire and an arms embargo. Sikhs of Los Angeles showed up and brought free vegan food for everyone who attended the protest, and we ended the rally with chants, songs, and solidarity. 

Why was it important for DSA-LA to be involved in this action? We are part of a national organization that has political power when we act with unity from city to city. DSA members were involved at all levels of this campaign push and took action across the country leading up to and throughout the DNC week. Not only that, but this action brought in newer DSA leaders who helped marshal the event, coordinate event logistics, and do outreach to coalition organizations. We wanted to flex that power to demand a free Palestine, so we joined Palestinian leaders in the Uncommitted movement to demand an end to the genocide and an arms embargo. We cannot just pressure the Democratic Party from within via convention delegates and primary challenges; we need a clear inside-outside strategy that leverages the power of mass political protest and organized labor to transform society. 

Labor and the Left

As socialists, we know that only the organized working class has the power to affect real change in society. All of our political work needs to be intertwined within the power of the labor movement. So we worked hard to pull organizations together from both Left political spaces and the labor movement for this action, to demonstrate that the power of organized labor is behind the demand for a free Palestine. 

Many DSA LA members are rank-and-file members of the Los Angeles labor movement, which ensured we were well positioned to bring in organized labor in this action. This is especially important since last month, when seven major labor unions (including UAW and SEIU) signed a letter to Kamala Harris demanding an embargo of arms shipments to Israel. That letter was a historic moment in the fight for an end to the occupation, one of the most significant political signals in decades. This gathered international support with major unions from France to Brazil signing on to the letter. We have power in the labor movement for a free Palestine, and we must continue to cohere, consolidate, and build from that vantage point.