Kelsea Bond
I think housing and health care are human rights; I think quality education is a human right. But importantly, democratic socialism, as well as being a union member, has taught me a lot about democracy. When you are a part of a democratic organization or a democratic union, you see what bottom-up democratic decision-making looks like in practice.
When you compare that to what we have at the city level, you see the stark contrast. We’re told time and time again growing up that we live in a democracy, but really we see corporate politicians whose decisions are swayed one way or another based on what corporate entities or developers are donating to their campaigns. That’s why, like most DSA candidates, I’m not taking contributions from corporations or private developers, [which] is super common in Atlanta politics.
I wouldn’t have come this far in my race without members of the Democratic Socialists of America who are out there every weekend knocking on doors.
I’m trying to make a statement: I am going into city hall to fight for regular working people, not real estate interests.
When I think about democracy in Atlanta, so many examples come up to show that we are not currently living in a democratic system. These last few years, there was a campaign to hold a referendum vote on Cop City, and organizers collected over a hundred thousand signatures to put Cop City on the ballot. Our mayor basically threw that referendum campaign in the trash and built Cop City anyway.
In 2016, there was a referendum to expand the Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority (MARTA) under the umbrella of the More MARTA program, which included light rail on the Beltline. This referendum passed by overwhelming margins; we’ve been collecting a half-penny sales tax on it since then. The mayor, again, just unilaterally decided that we’re not going to…
Auteur: Kelsea Bond
