FEBRUARY 28, 2025
This is the weekly newsletter of the Metro DC Democratic Socialists of America (MDC DSA), which is produced by local members of the chapter’s Publications Working Group. The Weekly Update publishes every Friday at 9am. Ready to fight the Trumpocalypse? Join DSA, fight to win with a real alternative!
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CONTENTS
UP FRONT
All eyes on PG County special election — final canvassing for DSA-endorsed Shayla Adams-Stafford this weekend
Tenants organizing resistance to developer-backed gutting of DC tenant rights
Ballot statement submission period to DSA chapter amendment on immigrant rights resolution closes March 2
All eyes on PG County special election — final canvassing for DSA-endorsed Shayla Adams-Stafford this weekend
The Special Election in PG County’s District 5 seat is next Tuesday, March 4, making this weekend the last chance to join Metro DC DSA comrades in canvassing for DSA-endorsed Shayla Adams-Stafford in the Prince George’s County Council District 5 race. District 5 will be the swing vote that controls a Council split 5-5 between progressives and corporate developer-backed conservative Democrats, making this socialist intervention crucial. This pivotal race could come down to just dozens of votes, so every canvasser can make a huge difference.
Canvassers will be knocking on doors on Saturday (RSVP here) and Sunday (RSVP here) from 11am to 2pm, starting at the Progressive Maryland office (4500 Forbes Blvd, Lanham, MD) near New Carrollton Metro Station. Carpools going into Maryland will be available and can shuttle people from New Carrollton — please RSVP so we can coordinate rides ahead of time.
Shayla was a Washington Teachers’ Union shop steward during her time at DCPS, and while serving on the PG School Board she was a champion for replacing cops with counselors and ensuring public school projects were built with union labor (efforts that caused establishment Dems to try, unsuccessfully, to remove her from office four times). She has pledged to pursue strong rent stabilization and social housing legislation if elected. Corporate developer PACs, landlords, cops, and establishment Democrats are pouring money and endorsements into the race against her. Metro DC DSA members in the chapter Slack can check out #shayla-pg-district-5 for updates.
Are you a voter in PG County, or do you have friends who live there? Not sure what district you live in? Use this district lookup tool to find your district, and you can find more voter information tools on PG County’s website.
Tenants organizing resistance to developer-backed gutting of DC tenant rights
Mayor Muriel Bowser recently announced her intention to introduce the RENTAL Act. The bill would decimate the rights guaranteed to Washingtonians by the Tenant Opportunity to Purchase Act (TOPA), stripping rights from huge swaths of tenants in both new developments and covenanted affordable housing throughout the District. Under the RENTAL act, rights would be stripped from tenants in properties built within the last 25 years and tenants who live in designated affordable properties. It would also create new loopholes that would make it easier for landlords to avoid TOPA outright through manipulation of shady LLCs.
TOPA rights give tenants collective bargaining power to buy their building when their landlord tries to sell or waive their rights to an identified surrogate. This right creates an opportunity for tenants to gain power and leverage during the sale process to either buy their home outright (through a cooperative) or demand concessions in rent or building reinvestment in identifying their next landlord. TOPA rights have been a key point of leverage used by housing organizers across the city, particularly by Metro DC DSA’s tenant organizing arm, Stomp Out Slumlords.
A battle-plan is being developed to fight against this terrible legislation:
- Committee Dismissal: Once the bill is introduced, the bill will be assigned to the Committee on Housing chaired by Councilmember Robert White (D-At large). CM White has the opportunity to advocate for the bill to be introduced in the Housing Committee rather than the Committee of the Whole and prevent this bill from advancing. Locals can fill out this form to urge Robert White to oppose the RENTAL Act and save TOPA.
- All-Hands meeting on March 6: Stomp Out Slumlords will be holding a meeting on Thursday, March 6 at the Martin Luther King Library in downtown DC at 6:30pm. Attendees will receive updates on various building fights, talk about the new Washington Area Tenants Union, and discuss how to defeat Mayor Muriel Bowser’s RENTAL Act, which guts tenants’ rights on the Tenant Opportunity to Purchase Act. Register here.
- Notify reps of opposition: All District residents are urged to proactively contact their Councilmembers and ask them to oppose the RENTAL Act. Find a directory of Councilmember contact information here, and DC residents can find their Ward here.
Those looking to get involved with tenant organizing in DC are also invited to attend an SOS eviction canvass happening on March 1. SOS eviction canvasses inform tenants facing eviction of their rights in court, how to get a lawyer, and to gauge their interest in organizing their building. Organizing tenant power will be crucial for fighting against the rollback of rights in the city. The group will be meeting at the L’Enfant Plaza Metro station on the D street exit between 6th and 7th above the escalators at 1:30pm, and will have a short training on the process. Volunteers can fill out this form to receive snap updates on the canvass. If you are interested in our work but can’t canvass, reach out to tenants@mdcdsa.org to learn about other ways to get involved.
Ballot statement submission period to DSA chapter amendment on immigrant rights resolution closes March 2
At the chapter’s general body meeting on February 23, DSA members heard debate on Resolution 2025-02-GR01: Aqui estamos y no nos vamos! and Amendment 1 to Resolution 2025-02-GR01.
All members in good standing have the opportunity to submit a statement that will appear on the ballot either in favor or against passing the base resolution or the proposed amendment. You can submit ballot statements on Red Desk by selecting the Help Topic “Agenda Item / Submit Member Statement.” Fill out the information and enter the exact text of your statement or a link to a publicly accessible Google doc with your text where prompted. Please specify whether the statement is on the base resolution or the amendment.
The deadline to submit statements that will appear on the ballot for the amendment is Sunday, March 2 at 11:59pm ET. Member statements will be uploaded to the member portal with the first name and last initial of the submitter, and will be linked on the OpaVote ballot when it goes out via email on Monday, March 3. A second member statement period and OpaVote ballot will occur on the base resolution afterwards, as amended or unamended. Questions can be directed to steering-all@mdcdsa.org or post in #steering in the chapter Slack.
BRIEFS
Rockville socialists organizing canvass efforts for rent stabilization — Saturday, March 1 at noon
The Montgomery County branch of Metro DC DSA will be knocking doors in East Rockville to talk to residents about passing rent stabilization in the City of Rockville —which is currently not covered by Montgomery County’s 2023 rent stabilization law — and invite them to an upcoming rent stabilization community forum. Canvassers will meet up at Mary Trumbo Park, which is a short walk from the Rockville metro. RSVP for the rent stabilization canvass here.
Labor Working Group to hold Federal Worker Rights training — Sunday March 2
Trump, Musk, and DOG-E want to take away federal employees’ rights and economic security, but federal laws and union contracts still protect workers in critical ways. Are you worried about being illegally fired, transferred, placed on unpaid leave, or furloughed? This federal labor rights workshop, to be held on Sunday, March 2 at 2pm at Shaw Library, will cover the key protections that you have to fight back with your coworkers. This is part of a continuing series of “Know Your Labor Rights” workshops hosted by experienced labor lawyers and veteran organizers across the DC area. RSVP to the Federal Workers Rights Training here.
Migrant Justice Working Group to host first interest meeting — March 8 at 3:15pm
Looking to get involved in the fight to defend migrants and immigrants from state harassment, racist policing, and dehumanizing immigration policies? The newly reconstituted Migrant Justice subcommittee will be hosting its first hybrid interest meeting on Saturday, March 8 at 3:15pm at MLK Library. This meeting will cover the purpose of the subcommittee, discuss potential campaign proposals, and brainstorm ideas about how the chapter can collaborate on migrant justice in the face of an increasingly-hostile fascist administration. Work will be collaborative across all branches and working groups.
Organizers of this interest meeting are also looking for potential leaders to help bottom-line projects that come out of this committee, so please RSVP and talk to organizers if interested. A Zoom link will be shared before the meeting — in-person attendees are asked to wear a mask. RSVP to the interest meeting here.
Street Team Working Group meeting — Saturday, March 1 at 2:30pm
Build power in the DMV and join the Metro DC DSA Street Team by attending their monthly meeting at MLK Library (901 G St NW DC, Room 401-A) on Saturday, March 1 at 2:30pm. This event is for anyone interested in getting active in the chapter’s Street Team to build socialist power in the DMV. The Street Team hosts and attends area 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. A happy hour will follow the meeting, and all are encouraged to attend in-person. RSVP for the Street Team monthly meeting here.
DSA National Political Committee vacancy results
On Monday, February 24, it was announced that a vacancy on the Democratic Socialists’ National Political Committee (NPC) was filled by Kareem E following a vote of the standing NPC last week. Kareem is a member of NYC DSA, but previously served as chair of Metro DC DSA’s Steering Committee and maintains close connections to the local chapter. Kareem is a member of the Groundwork caucus (which had 3 seats on the NPC) although his nomination was won with additional support from the Marxist Unity Group (2), Bread & Roses (3) and Socialist Majority (2) caucuses. NPC members associated with Red Star (3) backed an alternative candidate along with the two independent members of the NPC.
DSA’s primary political leadership is the NPC, a sixteen-person body which functions as the board of directors of DSA and is elected every two years by the delegates to the DSA’s biennial National Convention. A new NPC will be elected by convention delegates at the 2025 DSA National Convention being held this summer.
Fight the real estate lobby with the Social Housing Working Group — March 9 at 2pm
The Metro DC DSA Social Housing Working Group is hosting a recruitment event and meet up from 2 to 4pm on Sunday, March 9 at the Shaw Library (1630 7th St NW). Come learn about and plug in to the movement to fight for social housing in DC.
The Social Housing Working Group is working to create an alternative to the corporate model of real estate development and to bring deeply and permanently affordable housing to DC. During the meeting, we’ll go over: what social housing is and the growth of the movement in the US and abroad; the history of DC’s fight for social housing; and ways to plug in to our campaign to enact social housing in DC. It’s critical that the District turns a leaf on gentrification and displacement — and builds housing that actually serves working class people. RSVP to the meet up to get involved. The meetup will be followed by a happy hour.
The working group will also be tabling at Politics and Prose @ The Wharf TODAY at 7pm, where Jonathan Tarleton will be discussing his book Homes for Living: The Fight for Social Housing and a New American Commons with Amanda Huron. The book talk is free, but seating is first-come first-serve.
Bodily Autonomy Working Group holding fundraiser for mutual aid — March 9 at 3pm
Join Metro DC DSA’s Bodily Autonomy Working Group for an afternoon of fun and mutual aid at As You Are (500 8th St SE) on Sunday, March 9, from 3 to 6pm. BAWG will be raising funds for their mutual aid efforts throughout the DMV, with dancing, drinks and a DJ set. Questions can be directed to bawg@mdcdsa.org, and readers can find more information on BAWG’s Linktree.
Hundreds of UMD community members rally for graduate student collective bargaining rights
About 1,000 University of Maryland community members formed picket lines and marched across campus Wednesday to call for collective bargaining rights for graduate student workers in an event organized by the Graduate Labor Union. Students spent an hour calling on the university’s administration and the University System of Maryland to recognize their right to unionize. Currently, Maryland law does not require UMD to recognize graduate student workers’ collective bargaining rights. However, the Maryland General Assembly has introduced legislation to grant graduate student workers the right to unionize every session since 2017, including HB0211 this 2025 session. Read more in The Diamondback (UMD student newspaper).
New Socialist Parents Club planning first meeting on Sunday, April 6
Parents in Metro DC DSA are invited to sign up to join and attend the first meeting of the Socialist Parents Club on Sunday, April 6 at 11am at Kalorama Park (1865 Kalorama Rd NW). This is an opportunity for parents in the chapter and their kids to connect with each other socially. Sit and hang out with comrades to chat about parenting bloopers or current events while the kids get to work their energy out on the playgrounds, open space, and basketball courts. If you are interested in joining this affinity group, make sure to fill out the sign up form even if you cannot make it.
INFO ACCESS
Learn more about our local MDC DSA chapter — structure, campaigns and working groups, Night School, and reading groups — HERE. This is how we structure our activism. And live from our studio, Wednesday, March 5, 7 – 8pm | Why You Should Join DSA/New Member Orientation (with Q&A). Want to fight fascism from the heart of the empire? Join DSA and fight to build socialism!
MDC DSA members: Join our all-member Slack for real-time info on working group and campaign events, convo, and inspiration. Email slack@mdcdsa.org with your most recent DSA dues receipt to get Slack access. Chapter members are also invited to read — and edit — MDC DSA’s internal wiki. Email techops@mdcdsa.org to get set up, or ask in #helpdesk.
MDC DSA Publications is information central not only for MDC DSA but the entire DMV left. #publications (our working group’s Slack channel) is always ready to onboard new socialist communicators. Weekly Updates like this one are scheduled and emailed on Fridays; current and past Updates are on the web here. Not subscribed? DSA member or not, sign up to get the Update here. Submit your Update suggestions or chapter political blog REDBUG tips to our tip line. The Washington Socialist, published since the 1970s, offers articles on a quarterly schedule; the Winter 2025 edition is now live and will be updated on a rolling basis. Next quarterly issue copy deadline is TONIGHT, February 28. Check our archive to see what we write — and what you can write. Anyone, MDC DSA member or not, interested in contributing to the Washington Socialist can email submissions or questions to washingtonsocialist@mdcdsa.org. Get your socialist self on the record. Donate to our Comradery page if you would like to financially support socialist publishing in the DMV.
DSA CALENDAR OF EVENTS
Friday, February 28
6pm | Final Friday Chapter Happy Hour
7pm | Social Housing Book Talk: “Homes for Living”
Saturday, March 1
9:30am | Transgender Unity Rally
11am – 2pm | Canvass for Shayla Adams-Stafford
12pm | Rockville Rent Stabilization Canvass
1:30pm | SOS Anti-eviction Canvass
2:30 – 4pm | MDC DSA Street Team March Monthly Meeting
Sunday, March 2
11am – 2pm | Canvass for Shayla Adams-Stafford
2pm – 4pm | Federal Workers’ Rights Training
7 – 8pm | NoVA Electoral Monthly Working Group Meeting
Monday, March 3
6:30pm | Monthly MoCo Branch Upcounty Organizing Meeting
7pm | Trans/Queer Liberation Bi-weekly Meeting
Tuesday, March 4
6pm | NoVA Medicare for All Working Group
Wednesday, March 5
7pm | Repro Justice Campaign Meeting
7 – 8pm | Why You Should Join DSA/New Member Orientation
Thursday, March 6
6pm | Social Housing Organizing Meeting
6:30 – 8pm | Stomp Out Slumlords All Hands Meeting
7pm | NoVA Electoral March Monthly Social
Friday, March 7
7 – 8:30pm | Pleasure Activism: An introduction to finding joy in movement work
Saturday, March 8
3:15 – 4:45pm | Chapter Migrant Justice Subcommittee Interest Meeting
Sunday, March 9
2 – 4pm | Montgomery County Branch March General Body Meeting
2 – 4 PM | Social Housing Working Group March Meet Up
Tuesday, March 11
6 – 7:30 pm | Labor Working Group March meeting
Thursday, March 13
8 – 9:30pm | Socialist Night School: Socialism 101
COMMUNITY BULLETIN
TranspoBINGO from February 27 to March 6
TranspoBINGO is a week-long game that challenges players to use and support public and active transportation and take advantage of local public spaces. The game rewards players for challenging themselves by taking different types of trips, exploring their city and its public spaces, and supporting and advocating for active transportation. Learn more here and play during the week of February 27 to March 6.
The People’s Response Town Hall on March 1 | Free DC and Harriet’s Wildest Dreams
DC politicians keep pouring money into policing, but we know safety comes from our communities, not cops. Join Free DC and Harriet’s Wildest Dreams on Saturday, March 1, from 3 to 5pm at the ONE DC Black Workers Center for the People’s Response Town Hall to discuss a public health approach to crisis response, how the DC Council works, and why home rule and statehood matter. RSVP for the town hall here.
People’s Music Network Monthly Song Circle on March 2 | BloomBars
Join the DC People’s Music Network at BloomBars this Sunday, March 2, from 3 to 5pm for their monthly song circle. Bring a song to share, your voice, or an instrument. The first hour will be for organizing and the second hour for singing. Visit the BloomBars website calendar to learn more.
People Power 101: Getting Started with Organizing Relationships | Rising Organizers and Free DC
On Monday, March 3, from 6:30 to 8:30pm, join Rising Organizers and Free DC for an in-person training to dive into the role of relationship building in creating robust, sustainable movements for democracy. During this training, break down the art of a 1:1 meeting — what it is, why it matters, and how to do it well. RSVP for the training here.
Testimony Power Hour: DC Tenants Speak Out About Displacement on March 3 | Empower DC
If you have applied for emergency rental assistance or experienced/been at risk of eviction, the DC Council needs to hear from you. Join Empower DC virtually on Monday, March 3, at 6:30pm to prepare testimony for upcoming oversight hearings and strategize talking points for in-person Council walk-arounds before the hearings. RSVP for the power hour here.
ESSENTIAL PERSPECTIVES
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.
Bernie Sanders is sending a piercing message about Musk and the oligarchy:
“Let us be clear,” Senator Sanders declared to a large crowd in Iowa City, “when we take on Trumpism, we are taking oligarchy and we are taking on the tale of two Americans: people on top doing phenomenally well, the working class struggling.” The senator is on the road across mainly red states explaining exactly what happens when the richest man in the world starts buying power. The Nation And here’s another take on Bernie’s expeditionary force from Jacobin.
Jeff Bezos declares opinions questioning “free markets” no longer welcome at The Washington Post
Months after insisting he would never allow his personal interests to influence the Post’s content, one of the world’s richest men decides opinions contrary to his “will be left to be published by others.” Nieman Lab [WaPo opinion editor David Shipley resigned Wednesday afternoon after the policy was announced to the staff, the paper reported Wednesday. Here is the NYT’s (rather smug) account.]
The question no one dares ask: what if Britain has to defend itself from the US?
All the talk now is of how we might defend ourselves without the US. But almost everyone with a voice in public life appears to be avoiding a much bigger and more troubling question: how we might defend ourselves against the US. As Keir Starmer visits the orange emperor’s court in Washington, let’s first consider the possibilities. I can’t comment on their likelihood, and I fervently hope that people with more knowledge and power than me are gaming them. One is that Donald Trump will not only clear the path for Vladimir Putin in Ukraine, but will actively assist him. What form could US support for Putin in Ukraine take? It could involve intelligence sharing. It could involve permanently withdrawing Elon Musk’s Starlink satellite internet service from Ukraine, which is strategically crucial there, while making it available to the Russian armed forces. Already, the US government has threatened to nix the service if Ukraine doesn’t hand over its minerals, as reparations for being invaded. This is how Trump operates: blackmailing desperate people who are seeking to defend themselves against an imperial war … George Monbiot, The Guardian
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
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