This is important. We're all in this together.

THE WEST SOUND SOCIALIST NEWSLETTER FOR WEST SOUND DSA June 2nd, 2026 May Day Benefit Concert for National Day Laborer Organizing Network (NDLON) at the Charleston in Bremerton. Organized in collaboration with Kitsap Industrial Workers of the World. Upcoming Events Get in touch with the organizing working group to learn more about event specifics, like time and location (Or see if the information is available on our events page)! General Meeting June 4th, Otherwise Society Commons, Poulsbo, 7:00pm - 9:00pm Welcome to all, family friendly, bring snacks! Solidarity Day Canvassing With Tacoma DSA - June 6th Safe Homes For All Ballot Initiative Signature Collection Day of training provided, signup to volunteer for Saturday June 6th and learn more here! Socialize with Socialists June 6th 5:00pm-6:30pm Otherwise Society Commons Newcomers welcome! Community Dinner June 7th 5:00pm-6:30pm Otherwise Society Collab - @ Poulsbo First Lutheran Church Free dinner, come and join us! NAACP Juneteenth Resource Fair Friday June 12th, Marvin Williams Center, Bremerton WA Tabling setup 11:00am-11:30am Fair from 12:00am-4:00pm Kitsap Juneteenth Freedom Festival Saturday June 13th 10:00am People's March at Norm Dicks Building Steps, Bremerton WA 11:00am - 4:00pm, Evergreen Rotary Park, Bremerton WA COGS Labor and Mutual Aid Meeting Sunday, June 21st 2:30pm -4:00pm  Port Orchard Public Library Recurring events Socialist Reading Group Every Monday, 7:00pm-9:00pm  Cranes Castle, Bremerton We have been reading articles and socialist material lately, keep up with what we are doing on Discord! Manufactured Home Canvassing - Kitsap Housing 4 All Canvassing (nearly) every weekend until summer! Saturday and Sunday. Contact: email: [email protected], [email protected], or on our Discord Kristin for Kitsap Canvassing - Leadup to August Primary Canvassing multiple upcoming weekends Reach out on Discord or keep updated on our events tab of our website for upcoming shifts General Meeting - first Thursdays of the month (excepting holiday proximity) 7:00pm-8:30pm Future Locations TBD Electoral Committee Meeting Second and Fourth Sundays from 4:30pm-5:30pm - meet remotely Next one on June 14th, 4:30pm-5:30pm Open to all members in good standing Comrades,   It has been quite a busy month for us all, and not just in terms of our work together bringing socialist principles to Kitsap, but in our daily lives. For some, school has just about ended, and the end of the spring semester has come and gone as well. But for many, this means anything but less work: parents with young kids who can't afford to send them elsewhere while they work; folks in the service industry preparing for their busiest season; laborers feeling the crunch of a summertime construction window or the need to keep their crops fed and alive. But at least the sun is out longer and I no longer have to leave for work in the dark and get home in the dark.   I feel almost guilty asking folks to volunteer more or help us canvass, but ultimately there's work to be done and its the working class who will drive these efforts. It's this unfortunate reality we are faced with as socialists where we must first grapple with the largely capitalist demands of society before getting to the business of overcoming them. It truthfully is a daunting project for those who rarely have energy or time left after working to begin with.   "The trouble with socialism is that it takes up too many evenings." - Oscar Wilde   This is what many consider to be one of the major reasons why capitalism is so successful or stable: our resignation to the frequently lopsided demands of labor by the owner class. To many, this relationship between work and free time is just an unfortunate reality, because at the end of the day we have bills to pay and groceries to buy. The resignation can even tend to grow stronger as material conditions worsen, as we see the results of falling through the cracks constantly in those unhoused or chronically ill. This is also why mutual aid and community building is important as a means to alleviate the stresses that will continue to mount on working class folks over the next few years. They are a means to not only uplift your neighbor in hard times, but to give yourself the breathing room needed not to fall back into the trap of resignation. Though, mutual aid is not enough on its own and should be done in coordination with education on why it was needed in the first place, that the worsening conditions most of us feel currently is directly attributed to capitalism.   This June, we should look towards the leftist, socialist, and revolutionary movements that came before. Juneteenth celebrates the day black people were informed of the emancipation declaration in Texas, over two years after it was signed, and six months before the 13th amendment finally abolished chattel slavery. Black people largely had to fight to free themselves throughout this time, through slave revolts and rebellions. But the defeat of reconstruction and the mass amnesty of Confederate military and political leaders set back most reforms that wouldn't be realized for nearly 100 years during the Civil Rights Movement. Throughout US history, black communities and leaders from W. E. B. Du Bois in the 19th century, to civil rights figures like, Huey P. Newton and the Black Panther Party, Martin Luther King Jr., or Angela Davis have profoundly advanced the cause of socialism, and still do.   June is also Pride month, in which LGBTQIA+ people of all backgrounds can celebrate and reflect on the causes for liberation and how emancipation of one marginalized group can, at the same time, be beneficial for others. This is not a universal rule, but often the systems of oppression that target one group are useful in terms of oppressing another. When looking at how Fascism in Europe attacked marginalized peoples, queer and homosexual individuals as well as socialists and communists were among those targeted. We are seeing today a huge solidarity between LGBTQIA+ communities and socialist causes, like Palestinian Liberation or Abolish ICE. In a place like Washington, we don't need to look far to see the physical manifestation of the relationship between queer spaces and socialist or socialist-adjacent ones. Just go to Cal Anderson Park in the Capital Hill neighborhood of Seattle, or a punk venue like The Charleston on Callow Ave in Bremerton, or third spaces many of us at West Sound love like People's Exchange and the Otherwise Society Commons. This serves as a good time to reflect on what we can do to push back on anti-trans initiatives being espoused by conservative reactionaries in both parties in Washington State.   These examples of history and solidarity are important to lean on in times like this, where the rights that people fought and died for are being challenged and overturn by long standing anti-democratic institutions such as the Supreme Court. How should we go about advocating for positive change in our governments structure, or is the way in which our constitution was written incapable of sufficient reform? For a long time, anti-democratic institutions within our government and our lives have been opposed to popular, socialist, principles. Institutions like the aforementioned Supreme Court, the Senate, or our nation's Executive, who's position has been filled by individuals who lost the popular vote twice now in my lifetime.   As always there is just too much to say and not enough space to write it all out. Please join your fellow comrades in discussions on discord or in person by joining a working group or coming to reading group. Also consider participating in a microcosm of local democracy by attending our general meetings and our upcoming chapter convention, where we will be holding votes on resolutions and elections for chapter positions. If you're not yet a DSA member please sign up here.   Thank you all for your hard work and time. In the words of a rebel, it serves to remind ourselves that "I have friend's everywhere".   In Solidarity,    Carlos Yosten Co-Chair June 4th General Meeting Keep an eye out for an email with the meeting's agenda soon, including all previous general meetings' minutes. Come and vote on a couple resolutions outlining the creation of a bylaws committee for a proposed statewide DSA organization. We will also be voting to endorse Whole Washington as an active partner and support their efforts to implement statewide universal healthcare through the Washington Health Trust. Attention Parents and Families! We want to recognize how difficult it can be to attend meetings generally after already working long days. We have members actively working to make it easier to bring your family and would love your input at the next meeting or online! These events are family friendly and so we want to emphasize that all are welcome and we will do our best to accommodate. What projects are your fellow cadre members working on?   A glimpse into what you will find within this newsletter: Kristin for Kitsap (more information below) Electoral campaign for State Legislature for our very own comrade! Manufactured Home Canvassing Join Kitsap Housing 4 All in letting tenants know their rights under the tenants rights bill passed last summer. More volunteers are needed! If you have some free time on these next upcoming weekends please consider volunteering to help us canvas the final parks! More information below in the Member Memorandums portion of the newsletter, under Kitsap Housing for All. Immigration, Mutual Aid and Labor Rights Hosting trainings to distributing red cards and know-your-rights flyers, working alongside WAISN and KIAC to promote immigrant solidarity and bring awareness to its intersectionality with the labor movement. Mutual Aid is increasingly an important aspect of both of these, as providing some community resilience can alleviate pressures on working class folks who are engaged in strikes and labor work, as well as affected immigrant communities. Building A Resilient Kitsap (BARK) A project going directly to the people, surveying what residents of Kitsap are struggling with today in order to help guide our chapter moving forward. New updates are happening here, reach out to Brynn with Outreach and Comms! Starbucks Workers United (SBWU) Volunteer Picketing & Boycott A facet of our national effort to help service industry workers unionize in the face of staggering labor law violations. Quarterly special issue of The West Sound Socialist Ready for print! Labor and Mutual Aid Organizing Looking back on May Day and planning next actions. Tech Join members in implementing nationally provided programs and improving our own chapter's functionality. Outreach and Communications Expanding our social media outreach, new member orientation events, and political education. Elections for committee officers coming up next month! Kristin for Kitsap Kristin had her campaign launch party and first canvasser training this last month, stay tuned for canvassing opportunities! Member Memorandums Curious about what's being done or planned by your fellow comrades? Hear from them below! Working Groups Bodily Autonomy The Bodily Autonomy group is working on billboard logistics to publicize abortion resources in Kitsap County. We’re also focusing our efforts to combat the upcoming anti-trans ballot initiative with a Trans Alliance Group. Child Watch It takes a village! Members have rustled up some toys, trays, and coloring supplies for the kids of DSA to play with at meetings! We are also excited to see how shifting the format of the General Meeting to a communal, potluck-style affair helps encourage the attendance of whole families. Communities Organized in Grassroots Solidarity (COGS) COGS is our labor and mutual aid working group. Why the acronym? Think of cogs in the machine of industry, only together we can leverage labor towards proletarian solidarity.   We have just finished our May Day activities, raising ~$850 dollars alongside Kitsap IWW at the National Day Laborer Organizing Network (NDLON) Benefit Concert/ Resources Fair on May Day. We also worked with People's Exchange (PEX) in Bremerton to hold a free brake-light clinic where comrades worked to cook food and fix peoples brake lights, hopefully preventing future costly tickets or unwanted interactions with state patrol.   We have an upcoming meeting in Port Orchard on the 21st at the library, hope to see you there! Kitsap Housing 4 All A new law passed last year that limits the amount a landlord can raise rent. For mobile home owners, that number is 5% per year. Because mobile home parks often house the most financially vulnerable among us, Kitsap Housing for All is currently on a mission to spread the news to mobile home owners in Kitsap County. We have canvassed around a quarter of the parks in the county, but we still have quite a way to go. If you are interested in helping us, please email [email protected] - training will be provided!   We’ve been busy canvassing nearly every weekend this year. Out of 40 mobile home parks in the county, we’ve visited 32. Only 8 left! However, these last 8 account for about half of the total lots we aim to canvass. We are looking for more volunteers to help us finish this goal!   We’ve gotten some incredible feedback from our efforts. Residents of the parks are generally happy and grateful that we’re out there talking to them. We’ve gathered so many stories about egregious park policies, past rent hikes, fee changes, potential illegal changes to rent, poor water quality, and generally greedy land owners. Every person we talk to helps us shape the path we take forward and guide us in helping our community. Come join us!  Reach out to Emily Barnett on discord or email [email protected] Political Education Our Political Education Working Group is building a welcoming and practical space where community members can learn, connect, and grow together. We will host DSA 101 sessions for new and prospective members, along with Know Your Rights trainings that provide clear and actionable information people can use in real situations.   Our goal is to connect education with practical skills, strengthening shared understanding while helping our community stay informed and safe. We welcome all interested in learning a bit more.   “No one is born fully-formed: it is through self-experience in the world that we become what we are.” -Paulo Freire   As a reflection of education's centrality in the socialist movement, DSA now requires chapters to have a Political Education officer. If you're interested in building Kitsap County's collective understanding of capitalism and socialism, please nominate yourself for the position at our 2026 Chapter Convention in July! For political education resources, check out https://education.dsausa.org/. The West Sound Socialist The West Sound Socialist zine exists to spread the good news of socialism throughout Kitsap County! Through the creative, intellectual work of our members, we’re rewriting the tired cultural narrative about socialism and inviting the broader community to reimagine both our current reality and what could be. We embrace complexity and nuance by highlighting varied perspectives on socialist issues. Our dream is a zine that inspires activism, promotes rigorous debate, and tends to the aesthetics of the movement.   We made our first issue debut back in December, centered around mutual aid. If you couldn't get yourself a hardcopy there may still be a couple left at the Otherwise Society Commons or you could check it out online here!   We are just waiting on a final print order but the zine is available for view on or Discord today! Committees and Subcommittees Outreach and Communication Our Outreach and Communications committee was formally created by the general membership through a vote at the last general meeting. For now, a working group is taking up the committees responsibilities until officers are elected at the 2026 chapter convention later next month. The goal for this committee is to ensure our message is received by as many people in the West Sound region as possible. This committee will also hold the responsibility of working with other organizations in events and actions in the foreseeable future.   We're always looking to have more hands involved, so if you have graphic design, social media and/ or community outreach experience at any level, please reach out!  Electoral Committee Our committee is currently working on helping our comrade, Kristin, run for local state legislative office in any way we can, while also working on getting an electoral platform put together in the form of a voter guide for this upcoming election. Steering Wow, it has been a busy year. We are nearing our full year as the current Steering Committee and we are working diligently on planning the chapter convention while keeping us on top of what's happening locally this Summer.   We've mentioned this a few times now, but a few folks are not going to be pursuing reelection this go-around, so if you are interested in being a member of the chapter's steering committee please consider nominating yourself!   The Chapter Convention will be held on July 25th, after our regular chapter general meeting on the 2nd of July.   Thanks for a great year, and here's to a brighter future.   Your Steering Committee: Daniel Baca (Co-Chair) Ryan Cale (Electoral Committee) Sergio De Freitas Gomes (Electoral Committee) Kristin Lillegard (Membership Coordinator) Nick Schmitt (Secretary) Jared Sterling (Treasurer) Carlos Yosten (Co-Chair)   Building A Resilient Kitsap (BARK) Take the survey and let us know if you are struggling, and help guide future prioritization of chapter goals! Afterwards, send the survey to a couple friends, coworkers, or local family members! BARK Survey Member Interest Survey Take the survey and tell us which of our current projects interests you! Survey Link In closing,   We sincerely hope you enjoyed this deeper dive into our chapter, what we've accomplished, what's ongoing, and what is to be done moving forwards.   Member and Solidarity Dues   Our supplies, tools, organizing costs, and overall budget is entirely supported by your membership dues. Currently, aside from being a non-profit organization, we are also an entirely volunteer run group and are very happy keeping it that way! However, we would like more flexibility when it comes to planning events, hosting meetings, and exploring what it may take to get secure office space. We humbly ask that you consider increasing your monthly dues, and making sure that you have West Sound DSA listed as your local chapter, as this is how we get a portion of these recurring dues from National DSA. If you pay yearly dues, you are still a member of this chapter, but your dues do not contribute to us directly. If you do pay yearly dues, please consider switching to monthly so that our chapter can receive a portion of those dues!   You may also want to consider upping your contribution to Solidarity Dues, where members commit to paying 1% of their annual income.  Check out dues options here. DSA Resources West Sound Democratic Socialists of America Check out our website for a calendar of events, community resources, our zine and more! Website Democratic Socialists of America Check out the site for National DSA! Website Kitsap Housing 4 All Check out the website of our longest standing working group, Kitsap Housing 4 All! Website Partner Resources KIAC Kitsap Immigration Assistance Network Volunteer to help translate, participate in accompaniment programs, or take an extensive training to help out families with legal processes. Website WAISN Washington Immigrant Solidarity Network Deportation Defense Hotline: 1-844-724-3737  Take a training and join their rapid response team! Website