You've heard of socialism in one country, get ready for socialism in one city! But seriously, what does this even mean in the context of the US?

Go Providence!

i'm skeptical

The implied "domino effect" of how this is news is being delivered has not gone unnoticed by me. And it isn't just the gaurdian alone who's presented in this specific way either.

""""""""socialist """""""""

Providence, Rhode Island

Providence organizers themselves studied ballot efforts in Somerville, Massachusetts – the first US city last year to vote to divest from Israel – and Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, where a divestment referendum was blocked by a legal challenge. Kligler said Pittsburgh organizers were especially helpful in providing guidance on how to check that addresses were correctly written and petitions were signed in acceptable colors so that they couldn’t be disqualified based on a technicality.

Organize in your city. Speak with organizers in other cities to find out how they reached success. There's no chance they don't want to share what they learned.