Race and racism are social systems central to the rise of capitalism, and remain central to how our economic and political system is organized. In the United States, white supremacist settler colonialism has used racial hierarchies to organize society. Our state of Oregon was an example of this process, founded by white settlers who displaced the indigenous peoples of the state through genocidal violence and confined the survivors to reservations. Today, we in DSA Eugene-Springfield recognize we live and work on unceded lands stolen from the Kalapuyan peoples. We also recognize that descendants of the Kalapuyan peoples, BIPOC, differently statused, and working-class people continue to be disproportionally and negatively impacted by the violence and bureaucracy of local policies and the criminal justice system. We must work to untether resources and support from racist and violent institutions and policy if we are to advance into a healthier and more equitable society.