Housing People Can Afford

Theresa Alt and Conor Bednarski talk about their visions for affordable housing. Examples really exist. In the 20th century until the 1970s unions supported housing construction in New York City. The state gave money for mixed-income housing through Mitchell-Lama. Community land trusts allow people to buy their dwellings but not hugely profit when they sell them, so that the homes remain affordable. Vienna has been using tax money to build attractive housing since the 1920s. Recorded August 17, 2020.

Police Abolition

David Foote and Theresa Alt look at DSA’s support for police abolition. The endorsed website #8toAbolition gives a good framework: 1) Defund the police; 2) Demilitarize communities; 3) Remove police from schools; 4) Free people from prisons & jails; 5) Repeal laws criminalizing survival; 6) Invest in community self-governance; 7) Provide safe housing for everyone; 8) Invest in care, not cops. Some of these, like housing, represent big local problems. Recorded August 7, 2020.

Police Issues: Where We Go Next

René Rojas reemphasizes that people who emigrated from the South to Northern cities and faced unemployment were forced to turn to crime to survive. Policing and incarceration are a cheap response to lack of a safety net. Abolition will get rid of the symptom of racist policing; it will not improve the quality of life in poor communities. Shift money from police budgets to address the underlying problems, but police budgets won’t yield enough money. Recorded July 16, 2020.

Police Issues: How We Got Here

René Rojas tells Deirdre Silverman that today’s protests are much larger and more widespread than those of the civil rights era. They involve all levels of society, urban & rural. Police are not just doing what they always have done but are responding an economic crisis caused by deindustrialization and lack of jobs. Recorded July 8, 2020.

Tenants: Know Your Rights

Attorney Bill Niebel tells Theresa Alt what tenants should be aware of even before they sign a lease, as well as what their rights are to privacy and a habitable place to live while they are renting. If it should come to the threat of an eviction, there are many ways to forestall that. Help can come from the Ithaca Tenants Union and other sources Recorded June 22, 2020.

Kerala: People's Movement

Barbara Chasin and Dick Franke tell David Foote about the State of Kerala in southern India. For a few decades a communist party has been in charge. Health and literacy statistics are excellent for a low-income area. Power has devolved to local governments and assemblies. Food is grown locally and necessities manufactured locally, often by cooperatives. Both existing health clinics and trust in local government has helped Kerala weather the COVID-19 crisis. Recorded June 2, 2020.

Mutual Aid Tompkins

Juliana Garcia and Matt Stupak tell David Foote about Mutual Aid Tompkins. Volunteer community members help fill basic needs of nearby neighbors. Donations keep 31+ food cabinets throughout the county filled and provide direct cash aid. Just go to the website with needs or offers. It’s not charity but political work: making visible the oppressive structures that create food, health, financial and housing insecurity. Recorded May 10, 2020.