12/24/2021; UPDATED: 1/4/2022
At a DSA BloNo community meeting in July, we had a section of the meeting for individuals to speak into a microphone about announcements. I stood up stating my desire to speak. I walked towards Chairpeople Loucelia (this is my power couple name for co-chairs Louis & Cecelia) to grab the mic. They were both crouched down and gave me a deer-in-headlights stare as I took the mic and began to speak. I spoke about some of the accomplishments of DSA BloNo’s Solidarity Research Working Group. I finished with a toast to the newly elected executive committee (4/5ths of which were new to their positions). “Long may they reign,” I said before handing the mic back to Chairperson Goseland.
Reign they did. Long it twas not.
In the immediate aftermath of the Afro-Soc Caucus of DSA BloNo again condemning the executive committee of DSA BloNo, Interim Co-Chair of Afro-Soc Sonny Garcia attempted to take control of the caucus away from his other Co-Chair, Ann Rountree. Rountree received more votes than Garcia for the co-chair position in a three person race. Garcia removed Rountree’s admin privileges from the Afro-Soc caucus social media accounts, preventing her from publicly posting the second letter against DSA BloNo.
An Afro-Soc vote was called among the membership regarding this behavior. By a vote of 10-4, Afro-Soc founder Sonny Garcia was deposed of his position and suspended from the caucus for six months.
He then posted the following statement on social media:
Comrades,
Sonny Garcia
I am writing this with a heavy heart but also with a sense of optimism and love as we have a chance to move past all of the drama that has been in place since our afrosoc election on September 8, 2021, as well as the DSA June Elections 2021. Since the elections several actions have been taken on behalf of the afrosoc caucus of Blono DSA that I as co-chair was not made aware of or asked to weigh in on.
Starting on October 17, 2021:
1. The release of a public statement condemning the BloNo DSA executive committee;
2. Denied access to the BloNo AfroSoc gmail account for over 6 weeks;
3. Not given access to opavote for important votes regarding the caucus;
4. Release of a second public statement voted on by the caucus without the opportunity to debate the merits of the allegations.
I as well as other members of DSA and of the AfroSoc caucus have been publicly attacked by Ann Rountree (Afrosoc-Co-Chair) and some members of the election committee of BloNo DSA because we questioned the motives of the public statements. Co-chair Ann Roountree has used derogatory statements including the use of the “R” word and threatened violence against members of the chapter including the white members of the election committee. When asked for the reason for this behavior it was simply stated that we just need to follow along because “Robert Garcia is one of our members and has donated so much money to the work that we just need to believe him.” This statement is included in the approved minutes of the AfroSoc weekly meeting that happened on Sunday November 7, 2021.
I am finding major conflict of interest within both the caucus and the chapter, including one member who has potentially filed more grievances than anyone in the history of the chapter. This member has also positioned himself to be a national HGO for AfroSoc. Despite having a National AfroSoc HGO as a leader within our caucus, some members of the caucus including the other co-chair have decided to move forward with suspending me from the caucus while subverting resolution 33 and any other restorative process. Harassment Grievance Officers are tasked with mediating and investigating conflict. Resolution 33 specifically prohibits escalation of grievances, retaliation and many other behaviors.
I have been made aware that Robert Garcia has both written the statements against myself, other members of DSA, and the DSA executive committee, and been working to escalate conflicts rather than mediate them as evident on social media, slack, and our organizational spaces. This behavior is unbecoming of a Harassment Grievance Officer and Robert should step down as National HGO for Afrosoc immediately. There are also grievances related to the fact that active members of the chapter are working with suspended members to disseminate information about the chapter and it’s membership, including a breach of personally identifying information being leaked from the election committee to un-elected members of the chapter, that has yet to be addressed by the leadership of the Elections Committee or the Executive Committee of BloNo DSA. Questions have also been raised on the physical existence of at least one member to recently join the chapter and is included on the roster of Afrosoc and DSA.
Due to the complexity of grievances related to the DSA chapter that have now spilled over into Afrosoc Caucus, and the information received that the National Political Committee has in fact convened and started work on grievances as of this past weekend, I believe it is in the best interest of the chapter, caucus, and broader movement in our community to pause all chapter and caucus organizing work until an impartial investigation into all grievances past and present can be conducted, and resolution and restorative justice can ensue. This is not a dissolution proposal; rather it is a call for calm, rationality, and logic to be the foundation for our next steps, and is aligned with the most recent statement from the Afrosoc caucus to demand national intervention in our grievance process. If you support this statement please email the Executive Committee of BloNo DSA BloNoDSA@gmail.com and ask to pause all business until the NPC can intervene on our behalf.
Solidarity
Sonny Garcia Co-Chair and Founder of BloNo AfroSoc
After this, all three individuals running for executive position seats for the December election withdrew their nominations. All three were outsiders, uninvolved in the previous six months of sheniganery. There was a concern that there might not be a peaceful transfer of power, especially given former-Secretary Anakin Fox’s comments in slack.
(Great way to talk about one’s constituents. Unfortunately, Fox has a history of bigoted statements towards other, more effective Leftists that disagree with them.)
This was followed by several public statements of condemnation from individual members:
Tonight I finally made the decision to speak out and make a statement about the issues I’ve had with local Democratic Socialists of America chapter: I’ve been watching everything burst into flames from the sidelines myself throughout the past year. I’ve refrained myself from saying anything about my own thoughts on what’s been happening with the group myself, but ***** ***********’s post honestly gave me the courage to finally say something. Limp Bizkit probably spit it best 20 years ago, and I quote it when I’ve been reflecting on my own thoughts about what this group has devolved into: “It’s all about the he says/she says bullshit”. Like, here I am just studying to be a History teacher and working a very essential job at Jewel-Osco, while whenever I see any post from many of the people in this chapter on Facebook or here on Slack, I’m watching a bunch of GROWN-ASS ADULTS bicker and argue amongst each other, harassing each other, and quite frankly turn into the very thing our group was supposed to stand against! At this point, I’m much better off acting on DSA’s virtues on my own than watching a bunch of unnecessary infighting amongst a bunch of people who put petty rules before the people we’re supposed to fight alongside. Our chapter has lost its way. And it seems that the message our group is now giving our community is that we’re more concerned about the way the org runs itself than how we help the community. I’m sick to my stomach seeing everything that has unfolded on here this past year. Some of you may talk down to me all you want, but I tell you this: we would’ve gotten so much accomplished this year if our own petty individualist interests hadn’t clouded the virtues of democratic socialism in Bloomington-Normal.P.S. I didn’t pay dues to join a local leftist organization that whines and argues amongst each other for the pettiest of reasons. I paid dues to coalesce with like-minded individuals who share the democratic socialist values I strive to live by: labor solidarity, unionization, Medicare-For-All, tuition-free education, and ending colonial- and imperialism.
Christopher Haines
Then, Co-Chair and Heartland Board Trustee Cecelia Long posted her resignation as co-chair less than a week before the election to replace her (their was no indication she intended to run for re-election).
Good morning,
Cecelia Long, Heartland Board trustee
This is written notice of my resignation as co-chair of the BloNo DSA Chapter, effective immediately. After serving 2 years & volunteering hundreds of hours to this organization, I leave you with some personal reflection for those who wish to read. — I’ve worked in human services & community advocacy for close to a decade & joined DSA in hopes of finding support in addressing the awful problems of poverty & suffering and to gain a better understanding of my own experiences of scarcity & abuse. After filling a vacancy in September 2019 during a time of need, I quickly felt under-prepared & overwhelmed, but I truly feel I tried my best. I was full of naïve energy & shared a vision with fellow comrades of building spaces that offered community & encouragement to other’s growth in becoming leaders in all the places we occupy. In being honest with my experience, I feel a deep heartbreak & disappointment with how disconnected & harmful the virtual & some of the in person spaces have been here. I’m sorry to the people, especially women & underrepresented folks who have felt hurt in this space. After the harm I’ve both experienced & witnessed, I recommend that until better respect & care is shown to each other, DSA is not a space worth engaging in. I’m sorry for ways some members may have felt neglected as my capacity for leadership and ability to act in this space waned. I wish I could have had the skills & support to better respond to situations. For those who step up to run for an exec position or other roles in the future, I hope you are better supported in your growth & efforts than previous members have been. The cycle of trauma for those of us struggling with histories of abuse, daily pressures of capitalism, impending doom of our future planet’s pollution & decay, & ongoing pain & struggles of just being alive are enough to navigate. I encourage anyone seeking meaningful work & genuine support to seek it in places you are appreciated & cared for. You deserve to be treated well & supported. You deserve to feel loved. You are worthy & valuable. I feel proud of myself & so many others for sticking it out & trying DSA socialism & organizing through a climate crisis, worldwide pandemic, Nationwide racial uprising, & time of great strained mental health. I learned things and had opportunities to do things I’d never done before. Things like how to write an agenda for a public meeting, have a 1-on-1, facilitate in-person & virtual meetings, give public comments at city council & county board meetings, not be so terrified of public speaking, engage my neighbors on issues close to home & why voting is important, & help prepare others to share first time personal testimonies. I’m proud of all the hard work I witnessed & got to be a part of with so many of youOver the last 2 years our chapter had a large increase in women join, get involved in social justice work for the first time, & take on leadership roles. Our chapter had two terms with both co-chairs leading as women and had an executive committee with a majority of women for the first time. Our chapter endorsed a candidate for the first time: Bernie Sanders! And we mobilized thousands of voters & volunteers in three election cycles. Our members sprung into action to support Mutual Aid & grocery delivery to high-risk populations during the pandemic, Direct Aid funding allocation, rent & emergency housing aid. Our members hosted education opportunities for the community in learning about Imperialism, feminism, abolishing cash bail; in supporting Black Lives Matter, learning how to be an ally & promote anti-racism, training hundreds on protester rights & skills during a pandemic, supporting Palestine, & much more. Soc fem leaders organized a May Day event celebrating workers rights & spotlighting stories of workers love & labor & workplace empowerment & abuse. Afro soc hosted several kick ass community events that engaged & offered accessibility to youth & families. I’ve met some wonderful folks through this group and am grateful for all the awesome work I was able to be involved with.
For the last several months I’ve been disconnecting from the political work I was involved with & returning back to serving people in our community directly. If you have any interest in helping with any of the following, please reach out: -Eviction prevention & affordable housing Issues -Criminal record sealing & cannabis expungement -Career & education opportunities & living wage advocacy -Communal meals & sharing in supportive space together I will always be working on projects that benefit people in need of support. I hope you’ll encourage one another to take care when you see someone struggling.
Wish you all best,
Cecelia
With Long’s resignation, there were only two individuals left on the Executive committee: co-chair Louis Goseland and Public Relations Officer Krystle Able. According to the bylaws, in order for the executive committee to function, it must have at least a quorum of three.
On December 13th, the remnants of the Executive Committee chose to “pause” all chapter business till at least January, canceling the final business meeting of the year and the election.
It’s not clear that the Executive Committee actually has this power, even if they did have quorum. The bylaws explicitly say all decisions by Exec must ultimately be voted on by the Chapter. Furthermore, the bylaws state the chapter must have at least six business meetings a year. As reported in an earlier article, only four business meetings occurred in 2021.
This decision did not sit well with a number of members. A group of members decided to call a general meeting for December 18th, regardless of Exec’s decision.
An “alternative” DSA BloNo email account was created telling members about the meeting and encouraging them to ignore further decrees from Chair Goseland or Officer Able.
In response to this, Exec shut down DSA BloNo Slack, archiving all channels preventing individuals from communicating on the platform.
On December 17th, Officer Able finally resigned from her position and quit DSA in general, first informally on Facebook and then formally on Slack. She also encouraged all members to cancel their memberships.
On Saturday, December 18th, a DSA BloNo Business meeting was held virtually over Zoom. Members Candice Byrd and Katie Bryan facilitated the meeting. 21 members in good standing were present, exceeding the quorum requirement of at least twelve. To the best of my knowledge, Chairman Goseland was not present at the meeting nor did he attempt to participate. The meeting was very strict (more strict than the June Election Meeting), with members being unmuted only if called upon by the facilitators. The chat was completely disabled. The meeting was recorded and can be viewed below:
Three resolutions were brought before the body and voted on. There was no debate on any as motions were made & seconded to end debate and call the question. The meeting minutes and votes can be reviewed here.
The first resolution nullified the suspensions against both Jenn Carrillo and myself, as proper grievance procedures were allegedly not followed in both cases. The resolution passed 15 in favor, 1 opposed, and 5 abstaining.
The final resolution was a vote to dissolve the chapter for one year. This means no group claiming to be a chapter of the Democratic Socialists of America can be formed for at least one year within the boundaries of Bloomington-Normal. After the one year break, a new chapter could be formed, but it would have to start from scratch getting approval from National, having a minimum of 15 members, and creating new bylaws. The dissolution resolution passed 13 votes in favor, 2 opposed, and 6 abstentions.
Some members not present, questioned the legitimacy of the meeting as the Executive Committee did not schedule it, and the chairperson was not leading the meeting. However, all members of the chapter were sent multiple emails and text messages from the Alt-DSA BloNo e-mail account about the meeting. To the best of my knowledge, no one was denied access to the meeting and all members in good standing present were allowed to vote on all resolutions.
Ultimately, it will be up to National to decide whether the meeting was legitimate, and whether the chapter is currently dissolved or merely “paused”. The more than 30 grievances filed with National, mostly against the two former Executive committees, will still be investigated and adjudicated regardless of whether the dissolution is recognized or not.
Regardless, one thing is clear, DSA BloNo is defunct for the foreseeable future and no organizing will be occurring within its spaces. The Afro-Soc caucus made the decision to go completely independent and will continue to organize in the community under their own banner. The Soc-Fem working group has also gone independent creating the BloNo Socialist Feminist group.
I’ll conclude by echoing Krystle Able’s comments:
“I would encourage everyone in this community who has been a part of, or a witness to the toxicity, to leave groups that are perpetuating that drama, stop watching, stop following those who are perpetuating it, and stop talking about it.”
Krystle Able
People in the Leftist community should be on the look out for organizers that refuse to take responsibility for their actions, that refuse to follow their obligations to their constituents, that deflect, that use respectability politics and smear campaigns to silence dissent, that lie to the people they are supposed to serve, etc. Of all the resignation letters I read last month, not a single one explained how in less than six months DSA BloNo went from a growing organization actively doing work in the community to the festering corpse it was at dissolution. Despite the executive committee’s complete control over membership, treasury, discipline, activities, communications, and so on; none of them seem to believe anything was their fault or that they themselves may have contributed to the alleged toxicity of the space.
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