APRIL 5, 2024
CONTENTS
UP FRONT
Tell Biden “No” to genocide: Flyer for the Uncommitted vote in Maryland this weekend
TOPA is safe (for now); join Stomp Out Slumlords and others for a panel on its continued defense — Monday, April 8 at 6:30pm
- The fight for renter protections in the Maryland General Assembly continues
Tell Biden “No” to genocide: Flyer for the Uncommitted vote in Maryland this weekend
This weekend, Maryland socialists will be flyering to get out the Uncommitted vote in the Maryland Democratic Primary. With only six weeks until the election, socialists will be educating Maryland voters about the importance of voting Uncommitted as a way to send a message for peace and justice for Palestinians. The Uncommitted campaign aims to send a message to President Biden that his voter base does not approve of the US arming and funding a genocide against the Palestinian people. Maryland residents and voters can take the pledge to vote Uncommitted by May 14.
Anyone interested in challenging the current American government’s positioning towards Israel and Palestine is encouraged to join these canvass operations.
- Saturday, April 6 from 9:30am until 2pm at the Silver Spring Farmers Market: RSVP here. Canvassers will meet at the Fountain/Plaza in front of Dog Haus Biergarten for a brief training before walking over to the market. Accessible off the Red Line at the Silver Spring station as well as several bus lines.
- Sunday, April 7 from 9:30am until 1pm at the Takoma Park Farmers Market: RSVP here. Accessible off the Red Line’s Takoma Park station, with a social afterwards.
- Sunday, April 7 from 2 until 5pm at the Cedar Lane Unitarian Universalist Congregation: RSVP here and get tickets here. Accessible from the Red Line’s Medical Center station.
- Join phonebanking operations: The statewide coalition is also running consistent phonebanking operations. Sign up here.
TOPA is safe (for now); join Stomp Out Slumlords and others for a panel on its continued defense — Monday, April 8 at 6:30pm
Mayor Bowser has released her budget WITHOUT the landlord lobby’s provocative proposals to repeal TOPA (Tenant Opportunity to Purchase Act). But DC tenants should not celebrate this budget, which contains brutal cuts to rental assistance, legal aid, and affordable housing programs. Meanwhile, key members of the council continue to repeat the industry’s lie that strong tenants’ rights hurt the local economy. The fight to protect TOPA must continue over the long haul, including a campaign of public education.
On Monday, April 8, Stomp Out Slumlords and the George Washington University Socialist Action Initiative will be hosting a panel discussion on TOPA as a part of the citywide fight to defend it. This panel will be held at 6:30pm at 1957 E St NW Room 113. Dinner and iftar will be provided and all members of the community are invited — RSVP here. The panel will include:
- Amanda Huron, Associate Professor at the University of the District of Columbia and author of Carving Out the Commons: Tenant Organizing and Housing Cooperatives in Washington, D.C
- Silvia Ellis, a tenant leader from the Aspen Street Cooperative
- Stomp Out Slumlords organizer Rob Wohl
The fight for renter protections in the Maryland General Assembly continues
Earlier this week, renters and housing advocates rallied at Lawyer’s Mall in Annapolis in support of two crucial pieces of legislation to protect renters — the Tenant Safety Act and Good Cause Eviction. Tenant leaders from the Enclave Tenant Association, CASA and Everyday Canvassing shared powerful stories demonstrating the urgent need for safe housing conditions and protection against retaliatory eviction. The rally and subsequent bill hearings received positive coverage in Maryland Matters, and renters and allies have been flooding the phone lines and inboxes of Maryland Senate leaders all week urging them to bring both bills up for a vote. While the Tenant Safety Act was voted favorable with amendments by the committee on Thursday and now heads to the full Senate, Good Cause Eviction has not yet received a committee vote. Maryland residents can use the script created by the Renters United Maryland coalition to call Senate leaders urging passage of a Good Cause Eviction and Tenant Safety Act by Monday.
BRIEFS
Friday Socials on both sides of the Potomac — TODAY, April 5
Hosted by our new Community Builders team, local chapter members will convene at MetroBar today at 5:30pm. Members of our Street Team will also be tabling to speak with members and sign up interested attendees for DSA membership. All members, as well as those interested in DSA, are invited to attend. On the other side of the river, NoVA Branch’s regular ‘First Friday’ Gamenite starts at 6:30pm at the Board Room in Clarendon, VA, a five-minute walk from the Clarendon Metro Station. Look for the DSA sign or check for the table number in the #northern-virginia Slack channel. The Board Room provides games to check out, and people are also welcome to bring their own board or table-top games. Please RSVP here.
Sign-ups open: DC Labor History Walking Tour — May 11
Sign-ups are now open for the DC Labor History Walking Tour on Saturday, May 11 at 1pm. The tour will meet at Union Station, then visit several landmarks that pay tribute to the past and ongoing struggle of the American working class with a broad range of union organizers and labor experts as guides. Attendees will learn about the early rise of labor power, the violent state suppression of workers and corporate retaliation against unions that still impacts workers today, how workers fought back and won critical concessions through the Great Depression, how neoliberal international trade undercuts American labor and much more. Sign up in advance to receive weather notices, volunteer for the tour, or take part in wheatpasting outreach opportunities beforehand.
Canvass to re-elect DSA-endorsed Janeese Lewis George to the DC Council
Last weekend, Metro DC DSA members knocked over 2,000 doors for Councilmember Janeese Lewis George’s campaign along with DC for Democracy. Earlier this week Mayor Muriel Bowser proposed a budget that would slash programs like the Pay Equity Fund for early childcare workers and the Emergency Rental Assistance Program. This budget cycle shows the stark contrast between what Mayor Bowser wants to provide and what communities need. That’s why it’s important to defend Janeese, a socialist voice on the council fighting for workers, renters, families, and communities of color.
This weekend’s canvass will launch from Shepherd Park Community Center (1425 Jonquil St NW) at 1pm. Sign up here to join or to get updates on future canvasses, and help protect Councilmember Lewis George’s seat!
Arlington Medicare For All Coalition “Healing US” documentary screening and RIP Medical Debt fundraiser — Sunday, April 7
The Arlington M4A Resolution campaign kicks off tomorrow, April 7 at 2:00pm with a screening of the documentary Healing US at Arlington Central Library. Tickets are free but limited, so please RSVP to reserve your tickets. As part of the campaign kickoff, Arlington M4A is also launching a fundraiser for RIP Medical Debt, a nonprofit organization that buys and cancels medical debt that would ordinarily be sold to debt collection agencies. Please donate to help meet their ambitious goal of $1,000 raised, which will help cancel tens of thousands of dollars of outstanding medical debt in Northern Virginia.
Come join Stomp Out Slumlords for their next anti-eviction canvass — meeting on April 11, canvass on April 14
Stomp Out Slumlords, Metro DC DSA’s tenant organizing project, will be holding another meeting of its anti-eviction program on April 11 at 6pm at MLK Library. RSVP here to help plan the next several canvasses, solicit volunteers to help with on-site coordination and administrative support and discuss the future direction of anti-eviction canvassing. The next anti-eviction canvass is scheduled for Sunday, April 14. Canvassers will speak with tenants across the city to spread awareness about their rights as tenants. Tenants that speak with SOS are twice as likely to go to court and fight their eviction, so every volunteer makes a big impact. The canvassing group will meet at the L’Enfant Plaza Metro for a quick training at 1:30pm, and then pair up to canvass followed by a debrief/social at Sonny’s in Petworth. New members are always welcome and will be paired with an experienced canvasser to learn the ropes. Get more details at the sign up link, or email tenants@mdcdsa.org to ask questions or find out more ways to get involved. The canvassing group is always in need of cars, which can help canvassers get to Metro-inaccessible areas.
Socialist Night School: Environmental Justice Amendment Act — Thursday, April 18
Black, Brown, immigrant and working-class neighborhoods in DC, particularly those in Wards 5, 7, and 8, are forced to bear a disproportionate burden of pollution from traffic, industry, waste facilities, freight trains, scrap yards and countless other sources of harm. The Environmental Justice Amendment Act of 2023, co-written by We Power DC and introduced by Ward 5 Councilmember Zachary Parker, would represent a crucial step toward ending racist and dangerous zoning policies in the District by making it much more difficult to permit or re-permit polluting facilities in communities that face a disproportionately high level of environmental and public health stressors. Join this DSA Night School to hear more from the bill’s advocates about what the EJ Amendment Act could do for DC residents, how it came to be and how you can help make sure it becomes law. RSVP to join in person or online.
Montgomery County Branch Monthly Meeting — Sunday, April 7
The Montgomery County Branch will gather for their monthly meeting this Sunday, April 7 from 2 to 4pm at the Gaithersburg Regional Library. Those newer to organizing within the branch are invited to join at 1:45pm for a brief new member orientation. At the meeting, branch leaders will share updates on their campaigns for renter protections, funding for restorative justice coaches in public schools and Palestine solidarity, followed by a presentation and discussion on the branch’s vision, goals and budget for 2024. After the official meeting, there will be a happy hour at Saint’s Row Brewing starting at 4:30pm. RSVP here.
NoVA Branch Monthly Organizing Meeting — Thursday, April 11
This month’s NoVA Branch organizing and planning meeting is scheduled for Thursday, April 11 at 6:30pm at the Sterling Library in Loudoun County and on Zoom. This month’s theme is the 2024 election. New, old, and prospective members are invited and encouraged to discuss our current actions and campaigns as well as any current issues from our communities and allied organizations. Please RSVP to this event to access the agenda and the Zoom link. You must be vaccinated to join all in-person events, and extra hand sanitizer and face masks are provided at all branch meetings.
Metro DC DSA Street Team monthly meeting — Saturday, April 13
Build power in the DMV and join the Metro DC DSA Street Team by attending our monthly meeting at the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library on Saturday, April 13 at 3:30pm. This event is for anyone interested in getting active in the chapter’s newly formed Street Team. The Street Team will be hosting and attending community events to connect Metro DC DSA and its campaigns with the community in the DMV in order to expand the chapter’s base and build a more democratic society. Socialists interested in talking to DMV residents are invited to attend this meeting to help create our mission statement and develop our team’s culture. All are encouraged to attend in person on the fourth floor of the MLK Memorial Library, 901 G St NW, Washington, DC, room 401-D. Contact @Julie (she/her) on the chapter’s Slack for more information.
Metro DC DSA joins the “All In For DC” Tax Justice campaign
The chapter has signed onto The People’s Tax Plan, an initiative by the All in For DC campaign to raise taxes on concentrated wealth, high incomes and corporations while creating a child tax credit and property tax credit that benefits low and middle-income people. Tax Justice is more important than ever since Mayor Bowser’s recent budget proposal that guts essential social programs like the Emergency Rental Assistance Program and the Pay Equity Fund that gives raises to early childhood educators. Sign the petition to tell DC lawmakers we want a tax system by and for the people.
INFO ACCESS
MDC DSA Up Close
Find out more about our local chapter structure — our campaigns, working groups and branches covering the DMV, and the chapter’s detailed history since the mid-seventies. Then there’s our welcome to new members. Chapter members who have SSO access can browse our chapter wiki — still in beta. Browse the archive of the Washington Socialist to see how we write about ourselves and our socialism (some assembly required), and check out our newest political blog — REDBUG. DSA national has its own site of course. DSA Feed is an RSS feed that aggregates multiple DSA publications — including our own Washington Socialist — in one convenient place. More from the National Tech Committee here.
MDC DSA Publications Schedule: Washington Socialist is on a quarterly schedule. Updates to the current number will be published on a rolling basis over the next month. Get on record about your socialism! Contributors to the Washington Socialist can email submissions or questions to washingtonsocialist@mdcdsa.org. Weekly Updates are scheduled for Fridays — April 12, 19 and 26 this coming month. Want more INFO ACCESS? Submit your Update suggestions to the tip line, including nominating articles for ESSENTIAL PERSPECTIVES.
Or even better, participate in MDC DSA’s Publications effort. We write, we edit, we design, we do the tech — there are so many ways your hand could lighten the load in 2024 and beyond. Check us out on #publications and let us know what you would like to write, or write about.
DSA CALENDAR OF EVENTS
Friday, April 5
5:30 – 8pm | First Fridays with MDC DSA
6:30pm | NoVA DSA Gamenite
Saturday, April 6
9:30am – 2pm | Flyering at Silver Spring Farmers’ Market for Maryland Uncommitted
Sunday, April 7
9:30am – 1pm | Flyering at Takoma Park Farmers’ Market for Maryland Uncommitted
2 – 5pm | Flyering at Israelism film screening at Cedar Lane Unitarian Universalist Congregation
2 – 5pm | Canvass in Takoma Park for Maryland Uncommitted
2 – 4pm | MoCo Branch Monthly Meeting
7 – 8pm | NoVA Electoral Working Group meeting
Thursday, April 11
6:30 – 7:45pm | NoVA DSA Monthly Organizing Meeting
Saturday, April 13
3:30 – 5pm | Metro DC DSA Street Team monthly meeting
Sunday, April 14
1:30 – 4:30pm | Stomp Out Slumlords Anti-Eviction Canvas
Tuesday, April 16
6 – 7pm | NoVA Medicare for All Working Group Meeting
7 – 8pm | Abolition Working Group Biweekly Meeting
Wednesday, April 17
7 – 8pm | NoVA Abolition Working Group Biweekly Meeting
Thursday, April 18
6pm | Social Housing Organizing Meeting
6pm – 7:30pm | Environmental Justice Amendment Socialist Night School
6:30 – 8:30pm | Social Meetup — NoVA Branch
Friday, April 19
5:30 – 9pm | Adcom Social/Happy Hour
Saturday, April 20
1 – 2:15pm | MDC DSA Internationalism April monthly meeting
Tuesday, April 30
7 – 8pm | Abolition Working Group Biweekly Meeting
COMMUNITY BULLETIN
DC Urban Grower Crash Course | DUG Network
Learn everything you need to know to not only start a garden, but to grow a lot of veggies this growing season. The DUG Network — an all-volunteer local cooperative supporting food justice, urban agriculture and environmental sustainability — is launching the DC Urban Grower Crash Course, a two-week long series of eight online classes starting April 8. All class recordings and slides will be shared with participants. The series costs $80, with proceeds going to DUG Network’s newsletters and new website. Learn more and sign up here.
6th Annual Cooperative Jumpstart | Baltimore Roundtable for Economic Democracy
The Baltimore Roundtable for Economic Democracy (BRED) is hosting its 6th annual Cooperative Jumpstart at Impact Hub Baltimore on April 13. This jam-packed day of workshops is for all cooperatively-minded workers interested in learning about the basics of cooperative structure and economics, get ideas on how to start or structure their own cooperative and speak with other experienced worker-owners. Childcare is available. Register for free here.
Help Rhizome DC Buy a Forever Home
Community arts space Rhizome DC is financing its forever home. Though they plan to be at their current Maple Street location indefinitely, it is a rental situation that does not offer as much permanence and control as the building they are looking to purchase. Having received a large building purchase grant from The DC Arts Commission, they are now fundraising the remaining $400,000 they need. You can donate or learn more about their soon-to-come community financing model, which is an alternative way to purchase land without using banking institutions by accepting loans from community members.
Oral History at the DC History Conference | HumanitiesDC
This Saturday, April 6, from 1:15 to 3:15pm at the DC History Conference, HumanitiesDC’s Oral History Collaborative will host a listening and discussion experience from three recent oral history projects. Join them at the MLK Library (People’s Archive on the 4th Floor) for deep listening to Amanda Huron’s oral history project on Federal City College, Dominique Hazzard’s project on Oxon Run Park, and John A. Johnson’s interviews with Arnehl Lyon. See the lineup at the DC History Conference here.
ESSENTIAL PERSPECTIVES
Hogan Ignored Warnings, Promoted Mega-ships in Port of Baltimore
“As Maryland governor, current GOP senate candidate Larry Hogan flouted safety warnings and sought to attract massive cargo vessels to Baltimore’s port — vessels just like the one that crashed into the Key Bridge last week. His administration’s major public-private partnership to attract such mega-ships promised that it “reduces the occurrences of crashes, fatalities and injuries among transportation users.” Jacobin
Corporate Ride-Shares May Leave Minneapolis; Driver-Owned Collective Is Ready To Replace Them
As Uber and Lyft leave Minneapolis following a vote on minimum wages for drivers, a driver-owned collective is ready to step into the void. “A rideshare co-op is launching services in Minneapolis in the coming weeks. The Drivers Cooperative, founded in New York City in 2021, touts itself as the world’s first driver-owned rideshare platform. More than 12,000 drivers have joined since then, providing more than 300,000 trips in both the Big Apple and Denver. The co-op’s move into the Minneapolis market is in response to Uber’s and Lyft’s threats to end services on May 1 following a new ordinance passed by the City Council that would boost driver pay.” (CBS News) via Streetsblog
Prince George’s Officials Call For Ceasefire In Gaza:
“Over 20 Prince George’s County elected officials, both current and former, have signed onto a resolution calling for a cease-fire in Gaza. Their intent is for the County Council to vote on the resolution, adding more pressure for President Joe Biden (D) and Congress to change their stance.” Del. Gabriel Acevero (D-District 39) introduced the state Assembly resolution calling for a cease-fire; it is struggling but may benefit from the possible extension of the Assembly session. Washington Examiner via Maryland Reporter
‘Autocratic Rule’ of Erdogan Cracks As Secular Left Wins Big in Turkey Elections
“You opened the door to the rise of democracy, equality, and freedom,” Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoğlu said following his re-election. “You ignited hope at the ballot box.” Common Dreams
Billionaire Predicts Four-Day Work Week Coming
A hedge fund billionaire opines that AI will bring a four-day work week, sooner rather than later — in part because, he says, not much work gets done on Fridays anyway. He adds, though, that if the markets stay open Friday he won’t give his traders that extra day off. Humanitarianism is on the march. From CNBC.
Shouldn’t Every American Enjoy the Luxury of a Roof?
A frightening share of our richest don’t necessarily think so, Sam Pizzigati recounts. ‘For America’s poorest, meanwhile, “luxury” has come to mean keeping a roof over your head. The number of Americans chronically homeless… has been climbing since 2016 — in what Jeff Olivet, the director of the U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness, likens to a “game of really vicious musical chairs.” The United States, he explains, has “an incredible deficit of affordable housing units,” with only one unit available for every three extremely low-income renters.’ From Inequality.org via Portside.
ESSENTIAL PERSPECTIVES are articles and opinion pieces of interest to DMV leftists but not, generally, appearing in local media. They should have links without paywalls. Readers are invited to submit candidates at our tip line.
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