Progressive Left Conference April 2, 2004

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The New Progressive Left Movement was launched February 22nd at a conference at the Women's Building.

Many Greens, independents, P&FP, rank and file democrats dissatisfied with the direction their party is taking, socialists and others met to discuss and approve a common platform, discuss a Plan of Action for the City's progressive movement and discuss how to recruit and train candidates for local office.

Almost everyone who filled the main auditorium at the Women's Building were volunteers for the Matt Gonzalez campaign in the last Mayoral Election.

Activists came together from Haight, Mission, Bayview Hunters Point, Excelsior, SOMA...

The Conference was endorsed, among others by Frontlines newspaper, SF Green Party, District 9 - Mission Greens, Immigrant labor Organizing Committee, SF Bayview newspaper, Arabs Building Community, All Islanders Gathering As One (AIGA-1), Maurice Campbell, chairperson Bayview Hunters Point Community First Coalition; Conscious Sound Collective, SF and others.

Now we are meeting again on Friday, April 2nd to finish our discussion of a Draft Platform and discuss the method to select and endorse candidates for the upcoming Supervisorial, School Board and College Board races.

Matt Gonzalez' decision not to seek re-election for his D5 seat and the lack of clear perspectives and direction from the progressive left movement is creating a vacuum which the Democratic Party would like to fill in order to continue its control of city politics.

Individual candidates and politicians are telling us they are the best to represent our interests and expect us to support them without further ado, since they say is no other alternative. They are wrong and we will be discussing the issues, the platform and the democratic way to select candidates and unite those who are not willing to go back in time and re-join politics as usual.

So, if you agree with:

* Political independence from the Democratic Party, their candidates and undemocratic machines.

* A platform and Plan of Action to rally all progressives behind the needs of working families, people and communities of color, the l/g/b/t community and youth

* A method of selecting progressive candidates for local offices democratically and having those candidates be accountable to the movement rather than vice-versa...

Then, register now for the upcoming General Meeting of the New Progressive Left Movement.

Phone: (415) 452-9992
E-Mail: [email protected]