December 8, 2023
CONTENTS
UP FRONT
Metro DC DSA Local Convention this weekend
Montgomery County Action Alert: Email Your Montgomery County Councilmember to Fund Rent Stabilization
- DC Resident Action Alert: Say NO to ACT now — testimony requested for DC carceral legislation
Metro DC DSA Local Convention this weekend
Metro DC DSA’s Local Convention will be held on Saturday, December 9, and Sunday, December 10, 2023. Each day will start at 12pm and end at 5pm with a few breaks in between. It will be hybrid, with the option to attend virtually or in person Saturday at the Shaw Library (1630 7th St NW, close to the Shaw Metro) and Sunday at the Thurgood Marshall Center (1816 12th St NW, close to the Shaw and U Street Metro). Members in Good Standing should have received OpenSlides credentials. Whether you’re attending virtually or in person, register at #2023-local-convention in Slack. Brief overview:
- Saturday: Major agenda items will include a presentation of the Steering Committee report and officer reports, debate and voting on our budget for 2024, first read of any electoral candidate resolutions, as well as debate and discussion on applications for chapter priorities. NOTE: There will be live voting on Saturday on the budget for 2024. Priority campaign votes will occur via OpaVote ballots emailed to all chapter members alongside the Steering Committee election. If there is extra time, we may move on to debate and live voting of the proposed bylaw amendments in order and any submitted amendments to those initial proposals.
- Sunday: Major agenda items will include our keynote from Delaware State Representative Madinah Wilson-Anton, debate and voting on bylaw amendments, a presentation on relevant electoral districts to target in the future, and the first read of Electoral Endorsement Resolutions. NOTE: There will be live voting on Sunday for bylaw amendments and amendments to submitted bylaw amendments.
- Post-convention Happy Hour: Sunday, December 10th, location/time TBD.
- Tuesday, December 12 to Saturday, December 16 at 11:59 p.m. ET: OpaVote ballot open: All members in good standing will receive a ballot in their emails to vote for Priority Campaigns and Steering Committee candidates.
Montgomery County Action Alert: Email Your Montgomery County Councilmember to Fund Rent Stabilization
The community’s years-long fight to cap the rent in Montgomery County won this summer — the Montgomery County Council passed historic rent stabilization legislation. But the fight to make sure everyone has stable, affordable housing is far from over. Rent stabilization can’t be enforced until the government body in charge of implementation, the Department of Housing and Community Affairs (DHCA), has the needed staffing and resources. In the meantime, renters across the county continue to get unacceptable, double-digit rent increases every day. The full council will meet on Tuesday, December 12 to pass the requested funding for DHCA to implement and enforce rent stabilization. Please use this guide to email key councilmembers to ask them to support this funding.
Rent stabilization allies plan to attend the December 12 hearing in person, scheduled for 9:30am. Email montgomerycountydsa@gmail.com if you’re interested in attending!
DC Resident Action Alert: Say NO to ACT now — testimony requested for DC carceral legislation
A dangerous legislative package being considered by the DC Council — B25-0555, the Addressing Crime Trends (ACT) Now — would embolden violent policing methods and double down on the ’90s-style “tough on crime” legislation that created the modern carceral state. On Monday, December 11 at 6:30pm, a partnership of organizations are holding a virtual teach-in and testimony writing session to send a clear message to the DC Council: HELL NO to ACT Now.
B25-0555 contains incredibly dangerous provisions that would do little to address the upsurge in violence on DC’s streets. The bill would:
- impose new anti-loitering positions (“drug-free” zones), which have previously been deemed unconstitutional — a return to the policies trialed before in the failed war on drugs;
- undo recent reforms to body camera regulations, enabling officers to adjust their stories to match recordings;
- free up DC officers to strangle victims through use of chokeholds and neck restraints;
- fabricate new charges to compound sentences to combat so called “retail theft” syndicates.
None of these policies would heal or address the cycles of trauma, poverty and neglect that actually promote violence on our streets.
DC residents interested in learning about the bill are invited to attend a Monday teach-in, supported by Metro DC DSA, ACLU DC and Stop Police Terror DC this coming Monday, December 11 at 6:30pm. By the end of the hour, attendees will have an understanding of how these bills threaten our communities and how you can take action. Register for the teach-in here.
BRIEFS
DSA Elects new national co-chairs, labor commission leadership, and democracy commission
National DSA Convention delegates elected DSA’s new co-chairs, labor commission leadership and democracy commission. The new National Political Committee Co-Chairs are Megan Romer (At Large) and Ashik Siddique (At Large); the new National Labor Commission Co-Chairs are Ryan Andrews (Los Angeles) and Sarah Hurd (Chicago). Convention delegates also elected 21 members to sit on the new Democracy Commission, which will study best practices for DSA chapter democracy and structures. (Congratulations to local member Allison K for being chosen by delegates.)
Israel’s genocidal assault on Gaza continues — Join MoCO DSA for a Palestine Solidarity Phonebank on Tuesday
Following the end of a temporary ceasefire, Israel has resumed its assault on Gaza. The death toll has surpassed 17,000 people; nine out of ten people in North Gaza have gone at least one full day and night without food; “Footage published by the military correspondent of Israel’s Channel 11 shows Israeli forces deliberately stripping dozens of Palestinian civilian men naked during their arrest in northern Gaza.”
It is vital to continue organizing, rallying and pressuring Congress to call for a permanent ceasefire now. Join Montgomery County DSA this Tuesday, December 12 to call our Maryland state legislators in support of CASA, as well as call our Congressional representatives in support of a ceasefire in Gaza and ending military aid to Israel. State lawmakers, including the entire Montgomery County Senate delegation, have threatened to cut funding for CASA’s social services work after they issued a statement expressing solidarity with Palestine. RSVP to join the virtual phonebank here.
Have you heard the news about SkiMaskGate?
Alexandria’s public housing authority — in partnership with the Alexandria Police Department — recently sent a letter to residents in low-income housing warning them that the wearing of face coverings is illegal under Virginia law and that residents wearing ski masks were at risk of arrest. An anonymous tip from a DSA NoVA Abolition comrade to the local media soon had the housing authority and police department apologizing for the threatening letter, but legislation criminalizing face covering is still a serious problem putting Black and brown young people at risk. To learn more, check out our recent #SkiMasksAreNotACrime Twitter/X thread and give it a boost!
AI is Denying Americans Healthcare!
This recent episode of Lever Time examines how private health insurers are using artificial intelligence to deny treatment to Medicare Advantage enrollees in order to maximize profits. This is why we’re fighting to make healthcare a human right. If you’d like to join our campaign and help us build movement for universal healthcare, please join the #nova-medicare-for-all Slack channel or fill out our interest form!
Give SNAP a Raise Gets the Cold Shoulder
A few short months after Ward 4 Councilmember Janeese Lewis George passed an amendment to partially fund legislation to boost food aid to needy DC families (Give SNAP a Raise), Mayor Bowser is trying to swipe the funds. To take action, contact Mayor Bowser (202-727-2643), Deputy Mayor for Health and Human Services Wayne Turnage (202- 442-5988), Department of Human Services Director Laura Zeilinger (202-671-4200) and/or your DC Councilmember and tell them why you believe DC families deserve access to the SNAP dollars already approved by the DC Council. Optional prompt from the Fair Budget Coalition below:
“My name is ____, I live in Ward ___ (and/or: I work with ____ organization). It is essential that the Department of Human Services implement the raise for SNAP that was passed in the FY24 budget. Thousands and thousands of District residents are experiencing hunger and sliding deeper into poverty. DC must not break its commitment to them, and the Mayor must properly meet the obligations of the budget.”
A correction to the Kissinger obituary
Last week, the Publications team in listing out the numerous war crimes Kissinger enabled, erroneously referred to the genocide in Bangladesh as targeting Hindus. The 1971 genocide targeted the Bengali people as a whole and attempted to suppress the Bengali culture — inclusive of Muslims, Hindus, and other religious and ethnic minorities in what was then East Pakistan. We deeply regret the error. Education is a lifelong process, especially for socialists, and we encourage knowledgeable readers to reach out through Slack or the tip line in the inevitable event we make future errors.
Abolition (Formerly Defund MPD) Working Group Name Change
In 2023, the Abolition Working Group (formerly Defund MPD Working Group) successfully navigated the first full year after the dissolution of the city-wide Defund MPD coalition, which had been our work’s backbone since conception. After internal discussions on our role in the city’s abolitionist landscape, we pursued a productive mix of doing our own political education through community Brake Light Clinics, DC Council testimony and participatory budget workshops. Our DC contingent worked closely with political and community organizations that were engaged in a protracted battle against the DC Council’s aggressive campaign of carceral expansion (during budget season and beyond).
From these strategy discussions, we realized a name change was in order. After months of thoughtful discussion and input from group members, including from NoVA Defund and our partner groups, we decided an all-encompassing “Abolition Working Group” would give us a large umbrella to continue our work and better reflect the scope of our actual activity. This change took effect after a vote in November 2023, and we look forward to what we can accomplish in 2024 under the Abolition Working Group banner with each branch (DC, NoVA, MoCo). As always, feel free to reach out in the #abolition Slack for further information.
INFO ACCESS
MDC DSA Publications Schedule: The December issue of the Washington Socialist zine/newsletter appears with today’s December 8 Update, our pre-convention special. Succeeding December Updates will appear December 15th and 29th, skipping Friday the 22nd. Friday, January 6 will nominally be the Update plus the first Washington Socialist of 2024. But in these tumultuous times, we have been publishing comrades’ extended views week by week, each new article signaled in each new Update. Write yours for 2024 now; submit to washingtonsocialist@mdcdsa.org.
Would you like to participate in MDC DSA’s publications? We write, we edit, we design, we do the tech — there are so many ways your hand could lighten the load. Check us out on #publications and let us know what you would like to write, or write about, or …? If you would like to see something included in the Update, suggestions can be submitted to the tip line.
Quick reference links for MDC DSA:
Local Convention is coming from noon to 5pm on December 9 & 10 — See UP FRONT above for a roundup
Metro DC DSA members in good standing get your up to the minute info on the resolutions, endorsements, candidates for steering committee and full agenda for both days on the #2023-local-convention Slack channel. There’s still time to register on Slack for the convention but don’t wait till the last minute; help our convention planners.
- On MDC DSA’s public website, the DSA-curious can find:
- Our local structure — campaigns, working groups, etc.
- Capsule introduction to the chapter including our branches covering the DMV
- A home-grown history of our local chapter
- Archive of the Washington Socialist
- Archive of our MDC DSA Socialist Night School (recordings and some transcriptions)
- National DSA’s website
- DSA Feed, an RSS feed that aggregates multiple DSA publications — including our own Washington Socialist — in one convenient place. More from the National Tech Committee here.
And, live from our studio: Wednesday, December 20 from 8 to 9pm | Why You Should Join DSA / New Member Orientation including Q&A!
DSA CALENDAR OF EVENTS
Saturday, December 9
12 – 5pm | Metro DC DSA Local Convention 2023
Sunday, December 10
12 – 5pm | Metro DC DSA Local Convention 2023
Monday, December 11
7pm | Socialist Feminist Quarterly Meeting
Tuesday, December 12
6 – 7pm | Defund MPD WG Biweekly Meeting
Wednesday, December 13
7 – 8pm | NoVA Abolition Working Group Meeting
Thursday, December 14
6pm | Social Housing Organizing Meeting
6:30pm | NoVA Branch Monthly Organizing Meeting
Monday, December 18
6:30 – 8pm | Labor Working Group Meeting
Wednesday, December 20
COMMUNITY BULLETIN
Holiday Gift Match | Ward 4 Mutual Aid
Looking for a way to help a neighborhood family in need with gifts for the holidays? Sign up to sponsor a Ward 4 family! Ward 4 Mutual Aid has a number of options for you to support a neighborhood family this season. Through the gift match program you can choose to buy a gift or gifts that a family picks out for their child, choose gifts based on a child’s age, or support the family with a direct cash gift. Sign up here. Currently, the family sign up form is closed because there are far more families in need than sponsors — sign up ASAP to be a sponsor, if you can!
Art and Things Holiday Market | The Stew
Pop in to The Stew studio (925 Emerson St NW) for an art filled weekend and shop around for some truly one of a kind goodies! 25 local artists will be on site between December 9 and 10 to create an intimate, curated shopping experience. Come chat with the creators, learn about their processes, and get connected with their stories. Details and full list of artists here.
Transmasculine Support Group | DC Area Transmasculine Society (DCATS)
Join DCATS on December 10 for their online, monthly support group! The topic for this meeting is Recognizing and Celebrating the Year’s Progress. This event is open to transmasculine and questioning individuals that are 17+ years old. ASL interpretation will be provided and participants do not need to live in the DC area to attend. To attend, folks must sign up on Eventbrite and then register via Zoom after receiving the confirmation email.
Vintage and Vinyl | Slash Run
Get your holiday dose of vintage, vinyl, drinks, and great grub at Slash Run (201 Upshur St NW) on Sunday, December 10 from 3 to 7pm.
Updated Drag Storytime Schedule | Drag Story Hour DMV
Who doesn’t like a good story from a great drag queen?? Bring your kids, your friends, or even just yourself to a drag story hour this holiday season! Check out Drag Story Hour DMV’s updated schedule for December and January here.
GOOD READS / ESSENTIAL TRAFFIC
Why Drugs Are Disappearing From Your Insurance Coverage
Powerful companies are removing hundreds of medicines from insurance plans — and they’re spending millions to stop attempts at reform. The Lever via Portside
Auto Workers Direct Momentum Toward Organizing Plants Across the US
Thousands of non-union auto workers are already organizing across the 10 foreign-owned transplants, including Toyota, Hyundai, and Mercedes, as well as in the electric vehicle sector at Tesla, Rivian, and Lucid. Labor Notes via Portside
US-made munitions killed 43 civilians in two documented Israeli air strikes in Gaza
Complicity is revealed to be even more direct in this Amnesty International report: “US-made Joint Direct Attack Munitions (JDAM) were used by the Israeli military in two deadly, unlawful air strikes on homes full of civilians in the occupied Gaza Strip … The organization found that these air strikes were either direct attacks on civilians or civilian objects or indiscriminate attacks and is calling for them to be investigated as war crimes.”
A Trump Reelection Threatens To Make America Fascist Again
A leading historian, Clarence Lusane, writes in TomDispatch that “Trump is considering invoking the Insurrection Act on his first day back in office.”
The flame of thought, the magnificence of art, the wonder of discovery, and the audacity of invention all belong to revolutionary periods when humanity, tired of the chains of its restrictions, shatters them, and stops inebriated to breathe the breeze of a vaster and freer horizon.
—Virgilia D’Andrea