05/22/25 Issue
WELCOME
This is the first issue of the People’s Bulletin, a newsletter by the Prince George’s County Branch of the Metro DC Chapter of the Democratic Socialists of America (PG DSA). Monthly updates will be sent out the 4th Thursday of every month.
Let us know what you’re interested in. We want to hear from folks in our community. Please use this form to submit information or suggestions for future issues.
We hope this newsletter will provide tools for change in our county. A good deal of these tools for change are informational, which is where this monthly offering will come in. You may have noticed that Prince George’s stands out as a “news desert” even in an era when diminishing news coverage everywhere is being overwhelmed by online junk “facts”. We hope to provide some relief from that mess, in part by cataloging and making accessible the reliable sources for our county and for the larger regional “M” in the DMV. Read more about how we hope to make that difference.
Quick Action Items
Sign this letter to demand action from the school board in providing teachers with better working conditions. Our community stands with the Prince George’s County Educators’ Association and their fight to provide quality county-wide education.
Take this survey to help steer the future of the library system and extend resources. Our public libraries are important resource hubs. Beyond books, they offer community services – like free internet access, meetings with caseworkers and accessibility services.
Call Maryland Senators and urge them not to meet with anti-trans lobbyists. Senators Angela Alsobrooks (202-224-4524) and Chris Van Hollen (202-224-4654) have agreed to meet with WoLF, Women’s Liberation Front, a prominent anti-trans group using anti-LGBTQ+ pseudoscience under the guise of feminism to advocate for fewer protections and rights for trans women. Key talkings points to hit on:
- Our senators should ensure trans women are not incarcerated in prisons with men in the federal correctional system, which often leads to trans women being held in solitary confinement, tortured, and/or repeatedly assaulted if held in the general population.
- The pseudoscience spread by groups like WoLF endangers trans people, and has historically been used to suppress those among the most marginalized.
- It is essential, and expected, that our senators reaffirm their commitment to the rights of trans Marylanders at a time when their rights are under attack.
Upcoming Events
Monday, May 26 (Memorial Day) – Catch a screening of the 1966 classic The Battle of Algiers, a revolutionary film of hope following Algerian resistance fighters and their battle against the colonial French government. The screening will be followed by a discussion. Join us at 7PM at Greenbelt Cinema.
Wednesday, May 28 – Interested in shaping the future of PG DSA as part of the branch’s steering committee? Attend the virtual informational meeting with current members to learn more about running for a seat.
- Saturday, June 14 – PG DSA will be hosting a trip to the Chesapeake Baysox vs Harrisburg Senators baseball game. Final headcount is needed by May 25th, so please email pgdsa@mdcdsa.org if you plan to join.
County Politics:
Thursday, May 29 – The PG County Council holds its Budget Adoption Meeting. In-person and virtual options available. Read more about the proposed cuts to public media below.
Wednesday, June 4 – Have a say in PG county transportation by attending this public hearing virtually or in person as VDOT hears public feedback on their study of recommended alternatives to I-495 Southside Express Lanes.
Check out recent cultural and political events enriching the county this past spring.
Interested in events for the greater Metro DC DSA branch? Check the chapter event calendar.
PG Briefs
The Prince George’s County teachers union, PGCEA, organized a “Teacher Un-Appreciation Week” rally on May 8 to pressure the school board to take action on the staffing crisis in PGC schools. Teachers say understaffing is leading to daily shortages, burnout and class overcrowding. This was the final initiative of the PGCEA’s Spring into Action series to save our schools. Burnout and short-staffing are chronic in many states, as this Stateline roundup shows.
The County Council launched a Data Center Task Force to study the potential risks, community benefits, and revenue potential of Qualified Data Centers. Data centers are cloud-computing warehouses that have sprung up around the country, increasingly so as the data demands of AI increase. Are there any conditions in which data centers are a good deal for county and state residents? According to Good Jobs First research, 10 states or more are already losing millions of dollars in tax revenue due to tax exemptions for data centers. Stay tuned and follow how the PG task force engages with communities, the council, and economic development leaders.
ICE continues to threaten DMV-area undocumented residents. Kilmar Abrego Garcia is a PG county resident, husband, and father, who was illegally deported to El Salvador without due process. Stay up to date on your rights and find opportunities to get involved with CASA, a community organization providing critical aid to immigrants and working class families.
Community-run public media is vital in an information desert like our county. But the County Council has threatened nearly $700k in cuts to Prince George’s County’s Community Television, which could force the award-winning news organization to shut down. See the news station workers’ testimony on Instagram and tell the county to #SavePGCTV.
A new report classifies the cause of death for more than 40 people who died in police custody in Maryland as homicide. The analysis looked at the period of time cases were overseen by former Maryland State Medical Examiner Dr. David Fowler, whose highly controversial testimony in the murder of George Floyd defended killer-cop Derek Chauvin. Five of the cases were in Prince George’s.
Bonus
Calling all PG county readers! Metro DSA Summer Reading Groups kick off soon. Sign up to join one of the 12 groups. Reading groups are a great opportunity to share learning and political education in a group setting, allowing members and supporters’ organizing and knowledge to develop alongside comrades.
We (the workers on this newsletter) are promising to work against the county’s information desert by laying out the information sources that DO exist for Prince George’s County activists, PG DSA or otherwise. Here is a start. We hope you can help us build it.
Are you interested in building a socialist future? Join DSA to join the fight.
Stay connected with the greater Metro DC DSA chapter by signing up for the weekly updates or accessing the web version.
