Students for a Democratic Society: A Graphic History

New York, NY - December 5, 2007. The SDS Comic Show will be on display Monday, December 10th, 6:30 p.m. at the CUNY Recital Hall. The recital hall is located at the CUNY Graduate Center, 365 Fifth Avenue (at 34th Street). The event is FREE but seating is limited. Admittance will be on a first come, first served basis, no reservations.

For more information: visit www.gothamcenter.org or call 212.817.8474.

The SDS Comic Show, a traveling exhibit drawing upon the book “Students for a Democratic Society: a Graphic History”, will be open at the CUNY Graduate Center in December. The exhibit kicks off December 10th and will include a panel discussion about the Graphic History, which was scripted by Harvey Pekar and others and edited by Paul Buhle, editor of the 1960s SDS magazine Radical America. Harvey Pekar, real-life star of the award-winning film and the book series American Splendor (and sometime Letterman Show guest), will deliver a talk on comics and politics, followed by a panel including Buhle, former SDS-NY regional officer, Weatherman Jeff Jones, and members of the New SDS.

Make plans to spend December 10th, International Human Rights Day, with SDSers, past and present!

MSU SDS reunion program guide and local press coverage (Photo: Thomas Good / NLN)

East Lansing, MI - December 6, 2007. Former members of MSU SDS, present day members of MDS and organizers from Ignite, the new MSU SDS chapter all came together for a counter-recruitment protest and later, a moving MSU SDS reunion. Friday, November 30, 2007 was a bitter cold day in East Lansing. A spirited demo outside a Marine Corps recruiting center, on busy Grand River Avenue, opposite the MSU campus, was abbreviated due to the frigid temperatures. But later in the day, an SDS reunion held in MSU’s South Kedzie Hall, warmed hearts and fired up the activists - young and old. Bob Meola, an MSU SDS alumnus, emceed the affair which featured speeches by Cole Smith of Ignite, Alan Haber, Bernardine Dohrn, Bill Ayers and the man of the hour - Bert Garskof who had been the faculty advisor to the original MSU SDS chapter. Garskof, fired by MSU for his devotion to his students and the Movement, was described by Ayers as “a mentor, an inspiration”.

Bert Garskof: teacher, mentor and activist (Photo: Thomas Good / NLN)

The event was part hope, part history and part humor - master of ceremonies Bob Meola commented on some early controversy: “There were some who said that we, meaning in 1969, were a divided chapter and they wanted to know: ‘by whose authority is this being organized?’ We didn’t look to invite a particular faction. We invited everybody…like somebody said…the same people who wanted to put us all away then would want to put us all away now and they’d put us all in the same camp together…yeah..it’s silly, we’re beyond those disputes. Welcome to all factions!”

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Chicago MDS Convergence - by Tamara Smith and Penelope Rosemont

View Photos/Videos From The MDS Convergence…

Chicago, IL - November 15, 2007. CHICAGO CONFIDENTIAL! Report on the First National Convergence of the Movement for a Democratic Society (MDS), with the Participation of Students for a Democratic Society (SDS).

It was a hectic week for activists in Chicago. There was the Select Media Festival, a Teaching for Social Justice Conference, a SNCC commemoration, the Humanities festival, a National Convention to End the Death Penalty, and Bob Brown’s law-suit against the corporations. And in nearby Berwyn, 37 Morton West High School students faced expulsion for holding an antiwar sit-in.

Not least, the Movement for a Democratic Society (MDS) held its first national convergence at Loyola University, from November 8 through 11 with the participation of the newly inspired SDS, Students for a Democratic Society.

Bill Ayers at the Resisting Endless War panel (Photo: Thomas Good / NLN)

Loyola provided fine meeting rooms in a maze-like setting on beautiful Lake Michigan. On Thursday night some eighty-plus people attended Manning Marable’s superb talk on South Africa, its increasing impoverishment and stratification caused by the demands of U.S. interests and investments. Marable spoke of the prison industry and observed that 1 in every 5 persons in the U.S. has a prison record. This has led to a mass disenfrachizment of black voters, especially in the south.

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Towards A Movement for a Democratic Society

Preface

This is a discussion piece written for Radical Americas - an online magazine that Paul Buhle and I edit. The purpose of the piece is to encourage discussion around the practical goal of building MDS - this discussion being a lead up to the MDS Convergence being held in Chicago, November 9-11, 2007. I hope the document is useful in the struggle to create a movement for a democratic society.

Introduction: Who Do We Think We Are?

The project known as Movement for a Democratic Society has a number of faces. We initially formed to offer support to SDS but we also exist as an activist organization in our own right. A number of MDS chapters have formed in recent months and our community organizers are actively working to take back our communities from those who would divide and plunder us. Unfortunately, the press - both the mainstream and the liberal press - has not bothered to follow this emergence of a community based movement, preferring to cover MDS in classic gossip columnist style.

Recently, however, this began to change. On March 19, 2007, a number of MDS activists participated in the Wall Street civil disobedience - three MDS activists were arrested along with 40 other activists. Four days later three more MDS activists were arrested for occupying the office of chickenhawk Congressman Vito Fossella - in an action that involved several organizations working together. Press coverage of this action was excellent and the “Fossella Five” continue to get very favorable coverage from both print and broadcast media. MDS remains at the heart of this effort to force Congressman Fossella to meet with peace activists. See fossellafive.org for more about this campaign which is being coordinated by several organizations: Peace Action Staten Island, MDS and World Can’t Wait.

MDS activists in Austin, Texas have been organizing around the issue of a potential US invasion of Iran. At this point an MDS led initiative has produced almost 300 signatories to an online petition - a petition where the signatories pledge to commit acts of civil disobedience/resistance should the US attack Iran. This initiative, called The Iran Pledge of Resistance, is slowing building. In addition, the Austin chapter has been very active in the creation and distribution of lawn signs against the war. This mechanism for a public display of antiwar sentiment is an example of a local initiative that gets the message out and builds a local chapter.

MDS organizers in Orlando, Florida, have built a viable chapter which they call “Central Florida MDS”. This chapter is special in that its membership includes recent University of Central Florida graduates who were part of UCF SDS. Two of the SDS alumni are now working in the movement - for ACORN and ACLU - and active in their local MDS chapter. The chapter itself is currently engaged in an effort to stop Orlando’s Mayor from using tax monies to fund a local developer’s “pyramid scheme”: the building of “community venues,” a massive one billion dollars worth of “public works” projects that includes refurbishing the Citrus Bowl and building a new performing arts center and arena. MDS is calling for a referendum on how local tax dollars will be spent.

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Editor’s note: Robert Pardun was a co-founder of the influential University of Texas at Austin SDS chapter in 1964. Later that same year he became an SDS regional traveller. In 1967 he was elected SDS Internal Education Secretary and spent much of 1967-68 working at the National Office in Chicago. Robert has chronicled his experiences in Prairie Radical: A Journey Through the Sixties, published in 2001, and served as associate producer of the SDS documentary Rebels with a Cause.

Robert’s report on his recent Vietnam visit not only offers a look at social and cultural rebirth in the lingering aftermath of the war, but shows Robert’s lasting concern for the Vietnamese. Much can be carried forth from this legacy as older and younger generations alike grapple with the unfolding tragedy in Iraq.

We flew into Hanoi, the capitol of Vietnam, from Bangkok after a night layover. Hanoi is very large and is a mixture of styles reflecting the various regimes that have imposed themselves on the Vietnamese. The government buildings are mostly French colonial and the temples and shrines look to their origin in China, but most of the houses are of a type that may be uniquely Vietnamese. These houses are long and narrow, about ten feet wide and sixty or seventy feet deep. The ten foot wide room facing onto the street is quite often a small business where all manner of things are bought and sold; fresh fruit and vegetables, wedding photos, custom ironwork, plumbing supplies, to books that appear to be locally produced and cost a dollar or two. Businesses tend to spill out onto the sidewalk so there are always crowds of people walking about buying and selling. Most of the living quarters are toward the back and may be several stories high to provide space for the extended families that live in them. There are also lots of little shelters in the labyrinth of paths that take you from one neighborhood to another. While wandering through these pathways we came on a small lake with the tail of a B-52 bomber in it.

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Background:

The self described “Democracy” Caucus is three members of Movement for a Democratic Society (MDS) - Jesse Lemisch, Jeffrey “Cloudy” Holman and Ray Zwarich - who have issued public statements to the effect that they wish to take over SDS while doing the “least possible damage” in order to “save it”:

As we go forward to build our Caucus for Democracy in SDS/MDS, we must dig
in for a long term effort. We must fashion a strategy that will be effective
against this misguided de facto Central Committee, but will cause the LEAST
possible long-term damage to SDS/MDS. Some damage, at least in the short
term, will be unavoidable, and that is very unfortunate. But we MUST
remember that our object is to SAVE SDS/MDS, not destroy it…

- Ray Zwarich

The “Democracy” Caucus is attempting to recruit others to their cause, but have no student base of support which is hampering their efforts.

SDS New York has issued a response to the “Democracy” Caucus and is urging other members/chapters to sign on.

Contact SDS New York to sign.

Here is the statement:

–

Resolved:

SDS/MDS New York declares that the students will speak for themselves, and, decide whom they wish to work with in MDS;

SDS/MDS New York censures the “democracy caucus” for their relentless, abusive personal attacks and obstructionist tactics - while we are attempting to build a Movement;

SDS/MDS New York instructs the MDS recording secretary NOT to release any membership information to the “democracy caucus” until such time as hell freezes over;

SDS/MDS New York actively dissociates itself from the “democracy caucus”;

SDS/MDS New York states to the “democracy caucus”: Fuck Off.

Carried by consensus. Individual members will be signing the public version of this statement.

–

Signatories (updated periodically):

Chapters:

SDS New York
John Brown Caucus SDS/MDS
Pace SDS (17 members voting)
SDS/MDS Staten Island
Strath Haven SDS

Individuals:

Anastasia Aizman - New School SDS
Ricky Angel - Pace SDS
Benjamin Arnold - Strath Haven SDS
Savannah Auch - New School SDS
Senia Barragan - Brown SDS
Beth Blum - Drew SDS
Paul Buhle - Brown University SDS/MDS
August Lee Cary - SDS Montana
Alex Cline - New School SDS
Vinny Congui - Pace SDS
John Cronan - Pace SDS
Marion Delgado - Hartford SDS
Dylan Depasquale - Stonington SDS
Mark Derderian - Denver SDS/MDS
Matt DeVlieger - UCF/CUNY SDS
Colin Donnaruma - New York MDS
Spencer Douthit - SDS Anchorage
Todd Eaton - New York MDS
Kim Egge - Pace SDS
Bert Garskof - Connecticut SDS
Peter Gault - SDS Choate
Lauren Giaccone - Pace SDS
Tom Good - New York MDS
Leijia Hanrahan - New School
Zack Hershman - Drew SDS
Kurt Hill - New York MDS
Tristan Husby - CC Left (Connecticut College SDS)
Jay Jurie - Central Florida SDS/MDS
Aron Kay (Pieman) - New York MDS
Brian Kelly - Pace SDS
Will Klatt - Ohio State University (SDS)
Pat Korte - New School SDS
Meaghan Alysia Linick - Pace SDS
Charlie Loveday - Stonington SDS
Matt McLaughlin - Hartford SDS
Tommy Miles - New York MDS
Katie Mischik - Pace SDS
Val Morgan - MDS Washington (State)
Devra Morice - New York MDS
Mike Morice - New York MDS
Michael Lee Murphy - SDS Choate
Aaron Petcoff - Wayne State Univ SDS (Detroit)
Jenna Peters-Golden - Drew SDS
Kat Poe - Pratt Institute SDS
Jessica Rapchik - SDS Chapel Hill (UNC)
Bruce Rubenstein - Hartford SDS/MDS
Mark Rudd - MDS (New Mexico)
Josh Russell - Brandeis SDS
Zachary Sheldon - SDS Choate
Nicole Sklar - SUNY Buffalo SDS
Brad Spangler - Kansas City SDS
Erik Straub - Rutgers/Tent State
Edith Sviridchik - Pratt SDS
Sarah Trapido - CC Left (Connecticut College SDS)
Davey Vacek - Pratt SDS
Doug Viehmeyer - Bergen SDS

Alvaro Garcia Linera

Vicepresident of the Republic of Bolivia

Closing Discussion of the “First meeting of Peoples and States for the Liberation of the Great Homeland”, Sucre, Bolivia, October 29, 2006

(?Primer Encuentro de Pueblos y Estados por la Liberación de la Patria Grande?, organized by the Bloque Regional de Poder Popular (Regional Popular Power Block, BRPP) and the Bolivian government; transcript by Agencia Boliviana de Información, ABI; sub-titles Heinz Dieterich; translation from the Spanish original, John Manning)

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Mark Rudd speaking at Drew University (Photo: Thomas Good)

A Talk for the Conference on 1968
Nov. 4, 2006
Drew University

I want to thank the organizers of this conference for inviting me to speak, especially my friend Jeremy Varon. Jeremy, as I’m sure you know, wrote the very important and brilliant study of the Weather Underground and the German Red Army Faction, Bringing the War Home. When I read Jeremy’s analysis of how we went up to the brink of terrorist violence, in the Townhouse, looked over, and then pulled back, I said to myself, “Well, at least we weren’t as crazed as the Germans.” This reassuring thought was a step in a process of rehabilitating my own history which had begun in 2003 with the release of the documentary, The Weather Underground. I might even go so far as to say that through his work, Jeremy has helped me find some compassion for myself and my friends in looking back at what I consider to be a thoroughly failed and destructive strategy.

I’ll return to the topic of Weatherman in a few minutes

The fact that so many thoughtful students and teachers have come together for this conference suggests that the events of almost forty years ago may have something useful to teach us for today. The panels and papers presented yesterday and today have certainly corroborated this point of view. I’d like to begin my contribution with a few observations about Columbia, 1968.

View Photos (at Next Left Notes)…
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I understand a lot of people were bummed out about what happened
yesterday, so several of us put together a statement to help clarify the
purpose of this convention. I’d also like to point out that it was an
error on the part of the convention organizers, myself included, for not
allotting enough time for the discussion on the SDS national structure.

We understand that many people have paid a lot of money to attend this
convention because they want to play a role in building an international,
student-led, radical organization. However, due to yesterday’s events, it
appears that some individuals in attendance do not wish to participate in
such a movement, do not wish to join SDS, and have come to this convention
with different agendas or perceptions of the purpose of this convention.
We want to make clear that SDS is an organization, not a network between
already existing organizations. That is apparent by the influx of 1,000
members and 150 chapters ready to organize as an official chapter of SDS.
It is important for preexisting groups to maintain their identity and work
with organizations that identify with our vision for a democratic society
– but it is fundamentally undemocratic for individuals outside the
organization to have a say in the internal affairs of SDS. Due to the
conduct of several individuals attempting to derail our first discussion
as a national entity on formulating an official structure, the Movement
for a Democratic Society was unable to present a proposal to provide
support resources including direct funding, legal defense, and the radical
education project, the Women’s Caucus was unable to present their
statement, and high school members of SDS were systematically denied
representation in the meeting. This was never intended to be a
decision-making convention. Like the first SDS convention, this convention
was meant to spark discussion regarding the goals, vision, and potential
structure of the organization. There are many issues regarding how the
convention was planned, of course we are going to plan conventions
differently in the future, but this is about building a community – we
have to know each other, have working relationships with each other before
we can even begin to trust each other to develop an effective,
participatory structure. Clearly, prolonged debate and discussion will be
necessary before SDS can create an official structure. We have tried hard
to become all encompassing and decentralized, but by doing so we have
given up the opportunity to create an official organization that is highly
structured, but remains decentralized. If we were to make a decision, such
as the creation of a decision making process, it would not be in a
democratic fashion – it would be a top down decision because we (the
convention) would be making decisions that affect the entire organization
rather than the local chapters and regions of SDS building structure from
the bottom up. We should have another national convention, but we
encourage that chapters form regional meetings to specifically discuss the
local, regional, and national structure of the organization between now
and next summer. This is not meant to be sectarian or factional, but it is
meant to clarify the purpose of this founding convention. Let us move
forward in building a democratic society.

Pat Korte, Stonington, Connecticut SDS
Doug Viehmeyer, Bergen County, New Jersey SDS
Kat Poe, Pratt Institute SDS
Brian Kelly, Pace University SDS
Ben Levy, Marlboro College SDS
Glen Davies Jr., Monmouth County SDS
Brendan Maslauskas Dunn, Olympia SDS
Adam Sanchez, Portland SDS

Movement for a Democratic Society (MDS)
Business Meeting
Cobb Hall - University of Chicago
(2006 SDS National Convention)
-
August 5, 2006
Present: Paul Buhle, Jay Jurie, Elliott Adams, Dave Lippman, Tom Burgess, Paul Krehbiel, Thomas Good, Bruce Rubenstein, Monty Kroopkin, Jenny Brown

Agenda: fundraising, MDS Corporation, Foundation and Board, SDS/MDS Institute.

The meeting was called to order at 7:15 pm by Paul Buhle.

Paul Buhle introduced Bruce Rubenstein to discuss fundraising for SDS. Bruce reported that MDS will need a structure to accomplish the tasks identified as urgent: raising cash for SDS legal defense, radical education and convention expenses. An MDS corporation and foundation would meet this structural need. Legal documents will need to be filed so that MDS, inc. and its foundation and may acquire a Tax ID and open a bank account. Former SDS members from the 1959-1969 period may wish to donate money to new SDS and MDS can facilitate this process, once a corporation/foundation is established.

Bruce reported that the structural (organizational) model of MDS incorporated should be horizontal and proposed utilizing the National Lawyers’ Guild table of organization rather than starting from scratch.

To create an MDS foundation and corporation - certified minutes are required as are officers. Further MDS will need to incorporate as a non-profit 501c(4) corporation and as a non-profit 501c(3) foundation in order to acquire a tax ID and open a bank account.

Discussion followed about the SDS/MDS institute and it was agreed that this could be finalized at a later date, with input from SDS members. The institute would interface with SDS proper and would allocate the funds. The MDS foundation and corporation would fundraise and cut the check(s) to parties identified by the (as yet undefined) SDS/MDS institute. Discussion of the SDS/MDS Institute was tabled.

Bruce moved a proposal: create a new entity “Movement for a Democratic Society (MDS),incorporated, and create a foundation called “Movement for a Democratic Society Foundation”, Incorporated. The corporation and foundation would a full board. The MDS corporation and foundation would be charged with fundraising for Student for a Democratic Society (SDS) activities. Eventual merger of SDS and MDS (i.e. adding SDS representation to the foundation board once SDS creates officers or designees) would be possible, if the students in SDS should desire to do so. The papers of incorporation would be designed with a view towards this end. Officers required to start a foundation would include: a president, an executive vice president, a vice president, a secretary, a treasurer and possibly a deputy treasurer. The proposal was seconded by Paul.

Discussion followed. Jay asked if monies raised by the MDS foundation could be used for SDS legal defense. Bruce responded yes and elaborated that a bail committee could be created for this express purpose. Dave Lippman recommended that the proposal be somehow tied into the idea of class privilege: e.g., that those with more could use their class privilege to assist those in need. This idea was accepted.

Discussion on how to populate the MDS board followed. Term limits and self (organizational) vetting via a convention process was described (Bruce) as a means of ensuring monies donated to help SDS actually reach SDS. It was agreed by all present that the proposed safeguards: term limits, recallable officers with clearly delineated administrative tasks and a large board (as inclusive as SDS itself) would be sufficient.

The responsibility to meet at least annually (officers) was discussed. Conference calls and IRC (internet relay chat) were raised as possible mechanisms for attaining the goal of more frequent meetings. Tom G mentioned that IRC has a built in mechanism for taking minutes.

The question of MDS being a separate organization was discussed. It was agreed that there is no reason MDS could not incorporate and yet provide assistance to SDS. It was mentioned that former SDS members (60s era) may want some role in the activities of MDS and this was seen by those present as a very desirable eventuality and all present agreed that outreach to the community of former SDS would be essential.

The MDS proposal passed by consensus.

Bruce and Tom (Good) were tasked with presenting the MDS plan to the SDS National Convention as a part of the National Structure Panel. The slate of officers was discussed and finalized: As President: Robert Alan (Al) Haber; as Executive Vice President: Penelope Rosemont, as Vice President (and deputy treasurer when the treasurer is not available): Jay Jurie; as Treasurer: Bruce Rubenstein, and; as Secretary: Thomas Good. As Alan Haber and Penny Rosemont were nominated in absentia Tom G agreed to verify that Alan and Penny would accept these positions. (This was accomplished later - TG)

Monty pointed out that it should be emphased that term limits would make this slate of officers an interim team and that the next slate should be balanced both in terms of gender and race. This was agreed to by all present.

The meeting was adjourned at approximately 8:30 pm.
Filed by:

–

Thomas Good, Organizer
SDS New York City
NYC War Resisters League
IWW x358303 / IU 560

www.studentsforademocraticsociety.org
www.myspace.com/loveandstruggle