Socialist official in U.S. city wants Amazon 'taken into public ownership'

A socialist member of the Seattle City Council wants a takeover of Seattle-based Amazon.

Not by another company or by the government, but by the people.

She wants the digital retail giant to become a "social good" run by workers.

Yes, corporations like Amazon need to be taken into democratic public ownership, to be run by workers for social good. We will need militant mass movements, strike actions at workplaces, to begin to fight to win this. Because it will be a political strike against billionaires.

— Kshama Sawant (@cmkshama) May 3, 2020

MyNorthwest reported she called for a militant mass movement "to publicly take over Amazon."

Her tweet came after she pushed to rally anti-Amazon council members to pass an "Amazon tax" that would target local businesses.

"It’s no secret that Sawant believes businesses should be publicly owned and operated by the workforce, even if the workforce has no business acumen. Sawant, who lacks business acumen, previously tried to rally workers to overthrow Boeing management and build buses. That didn’t work. So she’s sticking to her message, this time with a Seattle-based company," the report said.

"If she can’t destroy Amazon with her tax, then she’ll aim to destroy it with a 'militant' takeover. It’s the move of a desperate ideologue running out of ways to try to hoodwink the council and constituency."

The report noted Sawant's language had been growing more hostile and "dehumanizing."

It's not the first time she has called for "militant resistance."

She previously protested a travel ban by President Donald Trump. She also called for "peaceful & militant mass resistance" against Trump.