MAY 31, 2024
This is the weekly newsletter of the Metro DC Democratic Socialists of America, which is produced by local members of the chapter’s publications working group.
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CONTENTS
UP FRONT
DC primary elections — NEXT TUESDAY, June 4; Final weekend to canvass for Metro DC DSA-endorsed Janeese Lewis George
The Past & Future of Tenants Rights — Stomp Out Slumlords to launch city-wide campaign on Wednesday, June 5 at 6:30pm
Applications open for 2024 General Election MDC DSA Endorsements
DC primary elections — NEXT TUESDAY, June 4; Final weekend to canvass for Metro DC DSA-endorsed Janeese Lewis George
On Tuesday, June 4, DC will be holding its primary elections. Earlier this year, Metro DC DSA endorsed Janeese Lewis George in the Ward 4 Council election. Janeese Lewis George has been an unwavering champion for tenant and worker rights while on the Council and has pushed back against reactionary policing. Janeese is also using her office to pursue policies that will materially improve the lives of people in DC — a wealth tax to fund higher pay for childcare workers, expanded food assistance for families in DC and legislation to hold negligent landlords accountable. Her program has drawn ire from the Mayor, the police unions and business networks eager to oust their biggest rival on the Council.
This weekend is the last opportunity to knock doors to re-elect Janeese Lewis George to DC Council, and DSA members and allies are all invited to attend. Lunch will be provided in between shifts and canvassers are invited to a happy hour afterward. Sign up to defend Janeese Lewis George’s seat in Ward 4:
Saturday, June 1 (canvassing signup)
- Shift 1: 10am – 1pm, meet at Takoma Playground, 301 Van Buren St NW (blocks from Takoma metro)
- Shift 2: 2 – 5pm, meet at Takoma Playground
Sunday, June 2 (canvassing signup)
- Shift 1: 10am – 1pm, meet at Raymond Recreation Center, 3725 10th St NW (near Petworth metro station)
- Shift 2: 2 – 5pm, meet at Raymond Recreation Center
Resources for this election cycle:
- Find your voting place and check your voter registration status on the DC Board of Elections website.
- DC offers same day, in-person voting registration. To register, you must provide proof of residence that shows your name and DC address. Read more about requirements on the DC Board of Elections website.
- REDBUG’s list of candidates running for election, coverage of candidates responses to public safety questions, and Ward 8 candidate coverage on infrastructure policy.
The Past & Future of Tenants Rights — Stomp Out Slumlords to launch city-wide campaign on Wednesday, June 5 at 6:30pm
Stomp Out Slumlords, Metro DC DSA’s tenant organizing project, is calling for a citywide tenants meeting at the MLK Library (901 G St. NW) Room 401-D to launch a citywide campaign for tenants’ rights. The landlord lobby is telling the DC government that rent is too low, that tenants’ rights are too strong, that it’s too hard to evict in this city and want to take away the rights that have allowed tenants to fight displacement for decades. But tenants are ready to fight back, and Stomp Out Slumlords is launching a citywide campaign to defend tenants’ rights — from the right to organize to the right to collectively bargain under TOPA.
Current organizers will present on what the fight ahead looks like after SOS’ short-term victory in the spring, when planned deterioration of TOPA rights were successfully stopped. Former staffers from Washington Inner-city Self Help (WISH), which organized from 1978 to 2003, will talk about how they organized thousands of tenants to improve building conditions and exert control of their own housing. Tenants from buildings currently organizing with Stomp Out Slumlords will present on how current attacks on tenants’ rights have affected their organizing. RSVP here, and tenants interested in organizing their building can reach out to tenants@mdcdsa.org for help.
Applications open for 2024 General Election MDC DSA Endorsements
After our first set of endorsed campaigns during the Maryland and DC primary, the chapter is now accepting applications for endorsement in the general election. Endorsement questionnaires must be submitted to pec@mdcdsa.org by June 28. After a questionnaire has been submitted, chapter members can review the answers and write a resolution to endorse that campaign. Resolutions for endorsement require five cosponsors and must be submitted to Red Desk (Open New Ticket > Help Topic: Agenda Item/Submit Resolution) by July 10.
You can find our general candidate questionnaire, the Board of Education candidate questionnaire, an outline of the endorsement timeline and the full Endorsement Handbook here. Please ask any questions in the #2024-pec Slack channel or in an email to pec@mdcdsa.org.
BRIEFS
DSA to hold night with the Cuban Embassy — Monday, June 3 at 7pm
The Embassy of Cuba invites DSA members and friends to come learn about the realities of US-Cuba relations on Monday, June 3 at 7pm at the Takoma Park Busboys and Poets (253 Carroll St NW). The Embassy of Cuba will review how the US government’s classification of Cuba as a state sponsor of “terrorism” has affected the county and how it has sustained itself through constant pressure from American capital. The Embassy will also share their country’s experience with Palestinian solidarity and expand on how the two countries have survived against US imperialism. RSVP in advance is encouraged, so coordinators can plan appropriately. Sign up here.
Socialists convening at Midlands for Inaugural Final Fridays happy hour — Friday, May 31 at 6pm
Metro DC DSA will be holding its first Final Fridays happy hour, organized by our Community Builders team, TODAY, 6pm at Midlands (3333 Georgia Ave NW) near the Georgia Avenue–Petworth station. RSVP here. Chapter members new and old, as well as those interested in the DSA or socialist organizing, are invited to attend.
If you would like to get involved with the Community Builders team, check out #community-builders in the chapter’s digital workspace, Slack.
Metro DC DSA Street Team meeting — Saturday, June 1 at 3:30pm
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, June 1st at 3:30pm. This event is for anyone interested in getting active in the chapter’s newly formed Street Team, organized by the Metro DC DSA Political Education Working Group, to build socialist power in the DMV. The Street Team hosts and attends 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. We are interested in talking to DMV residents to hear what is going on in their everyday lives and talk about how many of these issues connect to our campaigns. In this meeting the Metro DC DSA Street Team will be discussing spring and summer events. All are encouraged to attend in person at MLK Memorial Library, 901 G St NW, Washington, DC, room 205-B. RSVP here.
PG County Branch holding general body meeting at New Carrollton Branch library — Saturday, June 1 at 1pm
This month, Metro DC DSA’s PG County branch will be providing a recap on the Uncommitted Maryland campaign and discuss the next steps of the Palestinian solidarity initiatives for support. The branch will also review updates from the rent stabilization campaign, structure of the branch, and steering committee composure. All MDC DSA members are invited to attend, and members in Maryland are encouraged to stop by in person. Register here.
Bethesda African Cemetery Coalition to hold Annual Juneteenth celebration
On June 19, members of the Bethesda African Cemetery Coalition (BACC) will be meeting at the entrance to Moses Cemetery in Bethesda (5214 River Road, MD) to honor the deceased and to call for an end of the desecration and ongoing flooding and theft of the cemetery’s land by private developers. Metro DC DSA will be tabling at the event and joining the rally in solidarity and in the spirit of resistance to white supremacy.
The BACC is a multi-racial and multi-generational organization that seeks to end the desecration of Moses African Cemetery in Bethesda, Maryland. Old Moses, a mass burial created and used during the death camps of slavery on River Road, dates to before 1894 — pre-Emancipation — and part of it is now currently in private hands, being developed as a storage unit. The BACC’s goal is to recover and repatriate the stolen artifacts and remains from the cemetery and return this sacred land back to the descendant community. Currently, the BACC is awaiting a decision from the Supreme Court of Maryland on whether a portion of the cemetery can be sold to a private developer without the permission of BACC and the descendant community.
The event will include a number of speakers, including historian C.R. Gibbs, Busboys and Poets Founder Andy Shallal and Peabody Award-winning journalist Carl Nelson. Free ice cream will be provided by Ben & Jerry’s, and the program will also feature local musicians, the Walt Whitman high school drumline and dance troupe and others.
Battle in the Bronx: New York City socialists approve endorsement of Rep. Bowman (NY) in showdown with Israel lobby
On Tuesday, May 28, New York City DSA voted to endorse Rep. Jamaal Bowman for re-election in New York’s 16th Congressional District. Bowman is facing a challenge from an opponent backed by AIPAC, a domestic political firm that represents the interests of Israeli fascists. AIPAC and similar groups have been dropping large pots of funding into Democratic primaries across the country in an attempt to unseat opponents of the Israeli government’s genocidal ambitions.
NYC DSA’s emergency vote was held citywide following a chapter-wide debate and deliberation on the matter. 895 voted to endorse Bowman, with 211 voting no.
The endorsement marks a thaw in relations between Bowman and the socialists. Bowman had a falling out with the DSA in 2021 due to support for Iron Dome funding, reluctance in supporting the BDS movement and in courting support from the liberal-Zionist groups. These positions proved to be tactical errors for Bowman — they did little to quell opposition from the Israel lobby and burned his closest allies, exposing him to corporate attack. Since this fight, and especially since October 7, Bowman has tacked back to the left and come to reiterate the DSA’s line. NYC DSA is planning to hold its first phone-bank for Bowman on Sunday and restart rapid on the ground operations to save the seat.
DSA NPC soliciting feedback on AOC endorsement; DSA members invited to submit opinions
DSA’s National Political Committee is considering whether to re-endorse Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez through the National DSA, and have requested input from members. DSA members can indicate whether they support or oppose this endorsement by following this link, along with a brief comment. Members of all levels of engagement are encouraged to participate in this opportunity to provide input on this important national decision.
Catch up with the debate occurring between DSA members across the country — national DSA’s revived digital publication, Democratic Left, published two articles discussing the matter:
DSA members organize to support striking workers at the University of California
UAW 4811, which represents 48,000 academic student employees, postdocs and researchers at the University of California (UC), are on strike to protect their rights to free speech, protest, collective action and safety at their workplace. The UC system allowed counter-protestors to attack peaceful demonstrations against genocide in Palestine and called riot cops on its students and workers. That’s why UAW 4811 members voted overwhelmingly in favor of authorizing an Unfair Labor Practice strike over the violation of basic workplace rights like safety. As these striking workers begin their action, socialists across the country are organizing support as they stand up for Palestine and for their rights at work.
According to national DSA, UAW 4811 has the highest concentration of DSA members of any union in the country. Just as DSA members mobilized in support of UAW autoworkers during their stand up strike against the Big 3, socialists can help their comrades in the UC system stay out one day longer and one day stronger. For the rest of the month, for every dollar that is donated to the UAW 4811 Hardship Fund, national DSA will match the amount in the form of grants to chapters doing picket support. In just a few days, DSA members have already kicked in over $1,000. Upload a screenshot of your receipt here for it to be matched.
Mayor Bowser proposes cuts to Pay Equity Fund for DC Childcare workers
As the DC Council continues its budget negotiation process, activists have been fighting to retain spending for DCs Pay Equity Fund, which ensures proper funding for DC childcare workers. Activists across the city are organizing through DC Action, a progressive/worker alliance in the city. DC Action’s Executive Director Kimberly Perry provided an update to the plan: ”We are grateful to Chairman Mendelson for marking up $70 million per year for the Pay Equity Fund, however, current spending is $87 million, therefore, we are concerned about the prospect of pay and health benefit cuts for early educators if the gap of $17 million is not closed. Meanwhile, funding remains flat for the organizations that serve youth experiencing homelessness [… and offer] mental health support … It should disturb us all that the District has no current plan to end youth homelessness or address the needs brought forward by young people themselves.”
DC Action is urging members of the DC Council to work between today’s vote and the second vote on the budget to further close the funding gap with an additional $17 million to ensure no pay and health care cuts to early educators and to address housing insecurity for youth and families.
We Keep Us Safe — Red Rabbits formation reconvening, soliciting interest
As part of the chapter’s preparation for the general election this fall, and the potential chaos that may result, MDC DSA chapter members are looking to expand and formalize marshal training and chapter security work. If you have an interest and inclination to do anti-fascist research, help vet members or marshal at protests, fill out this extremely easy survey. First meeting date TBD.
INFO ACCESS
MDC DSA Publications: The Washington Socialist publishes on a quarterly schedule. The Spring 2024 edition is now live and will be updated on a rolling basis until Summer’s issue. Added recently: a socialist evaluation of TOPA, the Tenant Opportunity to Purchase Act. Anyone interested in contributing to the Washington Socialist can email submissions or questions at washingtonsocialist@mdcdsa.org. Get your socialist self on the record.
Weekly Updates — are scheduled and emailed on Fridays — June 7, 14, 21 and 28. Current and past Updates are on the web here. We’re proud that the wider DMV left sees the Update as a utility for activists, and follows it weekly. Want more INFO ACCESS? Submit your Update suggestions to the tip line, including nominating articles for ESSENTIAL PERSPECTIVES.
Find out about our MDC DSA chapter — structure, campaigns and working groups, Night School and reading groups — HERE. The chapter’s nearly 50-year history is recounted in detail here. And live from our studio, Wednesday, June 5, 7 – 8pm | Why You Should Join DSA/New Member Orientation (with Q&A). AND new members (or long-timers): If you are not on the chapter’s Slack, you may be missing important organizing info and inspiration. Email slack@mdcdsa.org with your most recent DSA dues receipt to get added.
Now that we (maybe) have your attention about MDC DSA’s information sources, consider participating 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. You can even donate to our Comradery page if you would like to financially support socialist publishing in the DMV.
DSA CALENDAR OF EVENTS
Friday, May 31
6 – 8:30pm | Final Fridays (Happy Hour) with MDC DSA
Saturday, June 1
3:30 – 5pm | Metro DC DSA Street Team Monthly Meeting
Sunday, June 2
2 – 5pm | Labor Working Group Organizing School
2 – 4pm | MoCo DSA June Branch Meeting
Monday, June 3
7pm | A Night with the Cuban Embassy
Tuesday, June 4
6 – 7pm | NoVA Medicare for All Working Group
Wednesday, June 5
6:30pm | Stomp Out Slumlords: The Past & Future of Tenants Rights
7 – 8pm | Why You Should Join DSA/New Member Orientation
Thursday, June 6
7pm | NoVA Electoral June Social
Friday, June 7
6:30pm | NoVA June Gamenite
Saturday, June 8
12 – 4pm | DSA Contingent for June 8 Palestine rally @ White House
12pm | Nuts & Bolts: Labor Agitation
Sunday, June 9
7pm | Nova Electoral Working Group Meeting
Monday, June 10
7 – 8pm | TRBA Biweekly Organizing Call
Tuesday, June 11
7 – 8pm | Abolition Working Group Biweekly Meeting
Saturday, June 15
1 – 2:15pm | Internationalism WG June Monthly Meeting
2 – 4:30pm | Places We Call Home: A Benefit for Montgomery County DSA
Wednesday, June 19
COMMUNITY BULLETIN
Good Fortunes closing night on May 31 | Heurich House Museum
Local Asian American artist Xena Ni is closing out the Good Fortunes interactive art installation at Heurich House Museum tonight, May 31, from 5 to 8pm. Come travel to the future with visionary Asian Americans and return with reasons for hope in the present. During the evening, organizers from the Save Chinatown Solidarity Network will be sharing more about their work in the Biergarten. RSVP here.
Volunteer at the polls for Palestine on June 4 | Write-in DC
DC’s primary election day is Tuesday, June 4. This is the last chance to reach people where they vote and encourage voters to write in “Gaza” rather than voting for Joe Biden. Write-in DC 2024 is a grassroots effort by DC residents — Palestinians and allies, natives and transplants, all ages, all races and ethnicities — inspired by the national Vote Uncommitted movement to show Biden that his failure to address this issue is costing him electoral support. If you have time to volunteer at the polls, sign up here.
Go Live! Basics of Live Streaming | Gear in the Streets
On Wednesday, June 5, from 6 to 7:30pm, join the team at the Movement Infrastructure Project for their Gear in the Streets workshop, where they will train groups on how to use their wide range of professional-grade equipment. In the live stream session, learn how to use a mirrorless camera or camcorder with a LiveU encoder to livestream from the field. Learn about this and other sessions (on sound reinforcement and guerilla projection) here.
Restorative Justice as Spiritual Practice | Continuing Revolution 2024
Sign up by the end of tonight, May 31, to participate in this hybrid retreat at Friends Place, happening June 7 – 10. This year’s programming is centered around the concept of restorative justice, which is an approach to justice that seeks to both repair harm and address the root causes of the actions perpetrating harm. Learn more and RSVP 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.
Unions help US workers. Could the same model work for tenants? Collective bargaining has brought benefits to workers — now it’s being used to improve living conditions and fight rent increases. From the heartland of “Council Housing” (until Thatcher sold it off) an indicator that tenant power is back on the table — in the US as well as the UK. The Guardian
Will Mexico’s Elections Make a Difference?
This Sunday, June 2, voters in Mexico will cast their ballots for 20,375 political positions, including the president, deputies, senators, some governors, as well as local mayors, councilors, and other auxiliary positions. It’s the biggest election in Mexican history, but many of us who live in Mexico think it will change little in our daily lives.The rot in Mexico’s political system runs deep. Many voters know better than to assume that Sunday’s vote will transform the country. The Nation
How Much Do Companies Spend on Union-Busters?
Companies spend hundreds of millions of dollars each year hiring professional union-busters to campaign against and defeat union organizing drives. However, only a fraction of this spending is publicly reported because of loopholes and other weaknesses in the law and its enforcement. The Department of Labor has improved reporting requirements and enforcement — but more is needed. Economic Policy Institute via Portside
Spying, hacking and intimidation: Israel’s nine-year ‘war’ on the ICC exposed
Investigation reveals how intelligence agencies tried to derail war crimes prosecution, with Netanyahu ‘obsessed’ with intercepts. An investigation by the Guardian and the Israeli-based magazines +972 and Local Call can reveal how Israel has run an almost decade-long secret “war” against the court. The country deployed its intelligence agencies to surveil, hack, pressure, smear and allegedly threaten senior ICC staff in an effort to derail the court’s inquiries.
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