GW student encampment holds strong; Beyond Crime: How We Fight Back Against "Secure DC;" Uncommitted canvassing continues and more ...
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.
Paid for by Metro DC DSA (mdcdsa.org). Not authorized by any candidate or committee.
UP FRONT
GW student encampment holds strong as nationwide, student-led struggle against genocide is met with state violence
Last Thursday, university students in the DMV erected their Palestine Solidarity encampment at George Washington University. Defying warnings and threats from the administration, students held ground and expanded their encampment. Late Saturday night, students dismantled and seized metal barricades set up by the university, expanding the camp and breaking the barriers that had previously kept the camp separated from the wider community convened in support. The student coalition is demanding local administrations (with current focus on GW) divest from the Israeli apartheid state and the companies that support it, disclose the university’s endowments and investments, end academic partnerships with Israel and provide amnesty to pro-Palestine student organizers.
Students have called for a consistent community presence and are using social media to broadcast specific requests and turn-out notices. Metro DC DSA members are organizing support and turnout at the GW encampment. Members are encouraged to join the #internationalism channel in the chapter Slack for further updates and coordination.
Requests to break up the encampment from the university’s administration were denied by Mayor Muriel Bowser and Metro PD, but there is extant risk of police violence: On Wednesday afternoon, Congressional Republicans threatened intervention following a media stunt led by Rep. Lauren Boebert (who, ever handsy, attempted to seize some Palestinian flags at the site).
Encampments erected as part of the nationwide student movement have been met with widespread police aggression that has exposed students, faculty and wider communities to heightened state violence. Video and images shared widely on social media demonstrated mass police violence at Virginia Tech, VCU, Columbia University, UT Austin, Emory, Dartmouth, Emerson and elsewhere. In Los Angeles, the encampment at UCLA was attacked by fascist supporters of the Israeli apartheid regime. Students resisted attacks from the gangs, who launched fireworks and teargas in an attempt to capture the barricade. The very next day, police attacked students in the solidarity encampment with tear gas and rubber bullets.
Beyond Crime: How We Fight Back Against “Secure DC” and the DC Police State teach-in — Thursday, May 9 at 7pm
While the Secure DC omnibus crime bill (“Crimnibus”) has unfortunately become law, the fight against mass incarceration and the police state continues. On May 9, Metro DC DSA’s Abolition Working Group will be holding a teach-in on this new law and the danger it poses to DC residents. The teach-in will go over the history of state repression and criminalization in DC, what is in the new Secure DC legislative package and review how we can fight back.
All community members and those interested in police reform and abolition are invited to attend. The event is hybrid – meeting on Zoom and in person at the MLK Library (901 G St NW) on Thursday, May 9 from 7 to 8:30pm. Food and child care will be provided onsite. RSVP here. Interested in helping build outreach for this event? The Abolition Working Group is continuing outreach activities alongside the Labor Working Group this Saturday. Sign up here.
Canvass for the Uncommitted Vote for Palestine in Maryland’s Democratic primary — early voting in Maryland open now until May 9, Election Day on May 14
Maryland’s Democratic primary is set to close in just two weeks, leaving the chapter in the final stretch of the campaign to push for the Uncommitted Vote for Palestine. Metro DC DSA, along with national DSA, has endorsed voting Uncommitted in the Maryland Democratic primary in order to send a strong message for peace and justice for Palestinians. Early voting ends next Thursday, May 9. Maryland residents can find more information about early voting and a list of early voting centers on the Maryland Board of Elections website.
Weekly canvassing operations, coordinated by Metro DC DSA’s Montgomery County and PG County branches, have resulted in well over 3,000 doors knocked to discuss the importance of voting Uncommitted in the Democratic Presidential primary in Maryland. Canvassing operations are continuing this weekend as follows:
Saturday, May 4, 11am canvass in Gaithersburg. Meeting point: Griffith Park, 29 S Summit Avenue, Gaithersburg. RSVP here.
Sunday, May 5, 10:30am in Forest Glen/Silver Spring. Meeting point: Forest Glen Metro station (on the red line), 9730 Georgia Ave, Silver Spring. RSVP here.
Sunday, May 5, 3:30pm in Takoma Park. Meeting point: Becca Lily Neighborhood Park: 7330 Glenside Drive, Takoma Park. RSVP here.
DC Labor History walking tour on May 11 — outreach efforts continue this Saturday at 1pm
Sign up now to join Metro DC DSA 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 and how neoliberal international trade undercuts US labor — and much more.
Metro DC DSA Street Team meeting this weekend, members new and old welcome — Saturday, May 4 at 3:30pm
The Metro DC DSA Street Team is holding its monthly meeting at the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library on Saturday, May 4 at 3:30pm. 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 to hear about what is going on in their everyday lives or helping plan tabling events at upcoming community events are invited to attend. RSVP here — DSA members can join the #street-team channel on the chapter’s Slack to get involved.
DSA-sponsored book talk at Creative Grounds DC — The Price is Wrong: Why Capitalism Won’t Save the Planet — Wednesday, May 6
Comrades are invited to register for a talk on the political economy of finance on May 6 at 7pm at Creative Grounds DC (1822 North Capitol St. NW). Brett Christophers, an expert on the political economy of finance, will be speaking at a Metro DC DSA sponsored event about his latest book, The Price is Wrong: Why Capitalism Won’t Save the Planet on how the green transition simply isn’t profitable despite governments’ efforts to make renewable energy safe for capitalism. His book is an essential read for public power campaigners and ecosocialists. Christophers will be speaking alongside Johanna Bozuwa, founder and executive director of the Climate and Community Project — and a former We Power DC member — and Dharna Noor, a journalist at The Guardian. This book talk is a great opportunity to understand how public power is essential for the green transition. Register to attend here.
Freedom to Leave Act would ban consent searches for traffic stops and improve data transparency in Montgomery County: Residents urged to contact reps in support
The Freedom to Leave Act will ban consent searches during traffic stops and improve collection of traffic enforcement-related data in Montgomery County. If passed, the bill will remove one of the reasons that officers stop drivers and reduce racial disparities in traffic enforcement. The next path for the legislation is at the Public Safety Committee worksession, which will be scheduled sometime in June. Supporters of the legislation, including MDC DSA’s Montgomery County branch, urge residents to contact councilmembers to demonstrate popular support. Residents can use this script to guide messaging.
Reproductive care kit packing event — NEW DATE/LOCATION — Wednesday, May 15 at 6pm
Join the Reproductive Justice Working Group for its reproductive care kit packing event for the DC Abortion Fund (DCAF) on Wednesday, May 15 at 6pm. The event, taking place at Red Derby, aims to raise money for DCAF and to pack close to 500 care kits for DCAF to distribute locally to people in need. All are invited to attend — the more people, the more kits packed. RSVP here. Also, consider donating to the workers at As You Are DC in their time of need.
We Power DC movement meeting — Saturday, May 18 at 2pm
The campaign to achieve a publicly owned utility company, We Power DC, is meeting at the Mt. Pleasant Library on Saturday, May 18, from 2 to 4pm. This event is perfect for people in DC who want to organize around rising energy costs, environmental justice and climate change but might not know where to start. We Power DC organizers will provide an overview of the campaign and lead skills-building sessions. RSVP here.
MDC DSA to table at Trans Pride — Saturday, May 18 from 9:30am – 5pm
The chapter’s Trans Rights and Bodily Autonomy Campaign will be building on the momentum gathered at Trans Day of Visibility in March and tabling at Trans Pride on May 18 at MLK Memorial Library. Come out to share more about our chapter with the community and get new folks involved. Interested comrades can register to attend Trans Pride here, and should be sure to stop by and say hello. People interested in getting involved in TRBA or looking to volunteer for a tabling shift should email [email protected].
Starbucks solidarity sip-in for fired barista — Sunday, May 5
Starbucks cannot stop union busting, this time firing a local organizing barista in Arlington. Starbucks Workers United is organizing another solidarity sip-in at the Courthouse Starbucks on Sunday, May 5 from 11am to 2pm. Show management that the community supports baristas and their efforts to unionize, despite Starbucks extensive history of retaliation. RSVP here, and consider donating directly to Jayde’s GoFundMe here.
Dennis Serrette: Presenté
Longtime peace advocate, labor organizer and Presidential candidate Dennis Serrette, passed away earlier this year at the age of 83. Dennis was a Vietnam veteran, a worker, a unionist, an educator, a committed activist organizing for racial and social justice. In a newly published article in Washington Socialist, chapter member Kurt Stand remembers the life and legacy of the labor hero.
Sign Ups for 2024 socialist summer reading groups now open
Everyone is invited to sign up and invite your friends and coworkers to Summer 2024 reading groups through Metro DC DSA — all start after Memorial Day and end before Labor Day. These reading groups are a great way to meet new people, learn core works connected to socialism and political economy, build our capacity to learn and debate ideas and get connected to political education in the chapter.
Summer offerings include a group on Logistics and Capitalism and why it is important when the Suez Canal gets blocked, a political economy group reading The Making of Global Capitalism, a Mobilize Your Union group for anyone looking to get more active in their workplace or union, an Internationalism group reading Vincent Bevins’ The Jakarta Method, a Socialism and Culture group reading Stuart Hall about how socialism can make itself “common sense,” a Communist Manifesto group reading through the original work along with its contemporaries and reactions to it today, a Socialist Feminist group reading Wordslut about feminism and language, a Reading the Caribbean group on fiction rooted in the Caribbean coordinated by experts on the topic, and the Know Your Chapter: Bylaws Reading Group to bring people together to read and discuss DSA’s existing rules and their history. Register one or more times to join — most groups will meet online but with regular in-person social meetups to build group camaraderie.
INFO ACCESS
MDC DSA Publications Schedule: 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. Anyone interested in contributing to the Washington Socialist can email submissions or questions at [email protected]. Write your socialism, and get your socialist self on the record.
Weekly Updates are scheduled for Fridays — May 10, 17, 24 and 31. Current and past Updates are on the web here. Want more INFO ACCESS? Submit your Update suggestions to the tip line, including nominating current, online articles (without paywalls) for ESSENTIAL PERSPECTIVES.
Find out about our MDC DSA chapter — structure, campaigns and working groups, Night School and reading groups — HERE. And live from our studio, Wednesday, May 8, 7 – 8pm | Why You Should Join DSA/New Member Orientation (with Q&A).
Or even better, participate in MDC DSA’s Publications effort, keeping our comrades Updated on activism opportunities. 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, write about, or turn your hand to…
COMMUNITY BULLETIN
Palestine & Climate Justice, panel and discussion on May 7 |Climate and Community Project livestream
As the genocide in Gaza continues with US support, the North American climate movement is becoming increasingly attuned to the role of US and allied militarism as a driver of our climate crisis and multiplier of the climate and environmental vulnerabilities our communites face. Featured: remarks from Rep. Delia Ramirez (D-IL); panel includes national DSA co-chair Ashik S. Note that the in-person event is sold out but a livestream can be signed up for here.
Charlie Chaplin’s 1936 classic Modern Times | DC Labor Filmfest
Movie starts at 6:45pm on Monday, May 6 at the AFI Silver Theater in Silver Spring — part of the DC Laborfest lineup and a special Solidarity Showing along with the UMWA, Labor Heritage Foundation and our chapter’s Labor Working Group. Witness Charlie Chaplin’s iconic Little Tramp character navigate the dehumanizing world of industrial automation. This hilarious and thought-provoking satire critiques the impact of technology on workers and the importance of human connection. Cost is $13, with discounts for union members (bring your card). DSA members will also be tabling. Register here.
Continuing Revolution: Restorative Justice as Spiritual Practice | Friends Place on Capitol Hill
Continuing Revolution is a retreat for young adults in the DMV seeking to explore connections between their spiritual, personal and political lives taking place from June 7 to 10. This year’s theme focuses on restorative justice and abolitionist futures. With food and fellowship, participants will learn how to organize together to repair root causes of harm and violence in their communities. Details 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.
The Attacks on the Palestinian Movement Are Getting Stupider by the Second “Politicians and the mainstream media outlets that support them are consistently simplistic in their analyses, or flat-out wrong, or, well, stupid. But over the last few weeks, it feels like the stupidity has ramped up to a level previously unreached — a level that can no longer be described as misinterpretation or obfuscation or spin, but rather as a complete detachment from reality. And this condition of near-psychosis appears to be spreading.” The Nation
UAW’s Latest Labor Victory Is a Huge Climate Win, Too “Unionization at Volkswagen’s Chattanooga plant shows a “just transition” could be possible, even in the anti-union South. That’s great news for climate politics.” The New Republic via Portside
Why are US campuses facing an orgy of state repression in the ‘land of the free’?
“Although government repression of student protests is not unique to either the US or this particular period, the current orgy of state repression is very much an illustration of the current crisis of liberal democracy as it is squeezed by both illiberalism and neoliberalism. … The far right has portrayed universities as “hotbeds of terrorist sympathizers” and “wokeness” that threaten core “American values” like freedom of speech. In far-right propaganda, universities are the dystopian future of the whole country, where women, non-whites and LGBTQ+ people oppress ‘real Americans’, ie white, Christian conservatives. And their propaganda has paid off.” The Guardian Opinion
UMD community members continue sit-in calling for ceasefire in Gaza, divestment “University of Maryland students are continuing a sit-in on McKeldin Mall this week to call on this university’s administration to divest from defense contractors and “denounce the genocide in Gaza.” About 100 students gathered throughout the day Monday in front of this university’s administration building for the sit-in.” The Diamondback
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.
Paid for by Metro DC DSA (mdcdsa.org). Not authorized by any candidate or committee.
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 its chains, shatters them and stops inebriated to breathe the breeze of a vast and free horizon. - Virgilia D'Andrea
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