Defend Rep Cori Bush's seat in Congress; picket and canvass for a DC ceasefire resolution; Rockville rent stabilization rally 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
Missouri Congressional Rep Cori Bush targeted by AIPAC, corporate interests — socialists across the country rally defense
St. Louis Congressional Rep Cori Bush, representing Missouri’s District 1, has been an exemplary representative of the working class in her district and nationally. The former nurse won election in 2020 in an upset, having made a name for herself as an avatar of St. Louis’ workers and as a protest organizer in the wake of Michael Brown’s murder by Ferguson police. In office, she has anchored the left in Congress: She’s been one of the few Congressional reps willing to stand up for Palestine in the face of Israel’s genocide, having introduced a ceasefire resolution and voted down military support for Israel in the past.
Now, Rep Bush is being challenged by corporate interests. A Super PAC called the United Democracy Project, a pro-Israel group working in tandem with AIPAC and other corporate interests, has funneled well over $2 million in funding to Cori’s opponent, Wesley Bell. The race is expected to be close, with early polls showing the race split.
Cori Bush is endorsed by the national DSA, and socialists across the country are mobilizing to support reelection. The Metro DC DSA Political Engagement Committee will be organizing local members to participate in phone banks to support Cori’s reelection, starting with St. Louis DSA’s 5pm phone bank on July 9 (sign-up here). Local DSA members with Slack access can check in on the #electoral channel for updates and coordinated mobilizations.
Workers to picket DC Council in support of ceasefire on Tuesday, July 9; residents to continue canvassing operations in support
In the absence of DC political leadership, labor unions across the District have taken the lead in passing their own resolutions calling for a ceasefire in Gaza and drawing connections between the plights of workers internationally. Despite these efforts, the DC Council has continued to avoid calls from residents for a ceasefire resolution. Workers are demanding an end to Israel’s genocide, and will be convening outside the Wilson Building on July 9 at 8am to demand action before the Council’s July 15 recess. (RSVP here.)
Residents across the District have been organizing in support of a ceasefire resolution as part of the broader anti-war, anti-genocide movement that has emerged in the city. Last weekend, Metro DC DSA, in coordination with allies, organized ceasefire canvassing — knocking over 300 doors — urging residents to contact their councilmembers to introduce a ceasefire resolution in the DC Council. Canvassing will continue this Saturday (July 6 starting at 11am) and Sunday (July 7 starting at 11am).
In the Wilson Building, the DC4Ceasefire Coalition has identified Councilmembers Mendelson, Nadeau, Frumin and Pinto as holdouts. The Coalition has released a toolkit for call script and phone numbers, urging calls to supportive councilmembers to motivate a resolution, and to oppositional councilmembers to reconsider their position. The Coalition has also developed a tool to send emails automatically to supportive councilmembers.
Rockville residents to rally for rent stabilization — Monday, July 8th at 5pm
On the evening of Monday, July 8th, the Rockville City Council will hold a hearing to discuss a potential rent stabilization policy for the city. Tenants in the City of Rockville are exempted from Montgomery County’s new rent stabilization policy. Before the hearing, tenants and allies will rally outside of City Hall and then attend the hearing to let the City Council know that we are listening. The Rockville City Hall building is around a 15-minute walk away from the Rockville Metro Station, and parking is available on the street outside of City Hall. RSVP here.
BRIEFS
We Power DC Social — Thursday, July 11 at 6pm
Annoyed at Pepco’s skyrocketing electricity bills this summer? Wondering how Metro DC DSA is building a green new deal in DC? Want to meet fellow socialists fighting climate change? Join We Power DC for its next campaign social on Thursday, July 11 at 6pm at Midlands Beer Garden (3333 Georgia Ave NW, Washington, DC 20010). Get to know your ecosocialist comrades and learn how to get involved with the campaign. Newcomers, curious friends, campaign organizers and everyone else are welcome! RSVP here.
Metro DC DSA Street Team meeting on Saturday, July 6 at 4pm at MLK Library in DC.
Build power in the DMV and join the Metro DC DSA Street Team by attending the monthly meeting at the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library on Saturday, July 6 at 4pm. 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. The team is 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 summer events with a happy hour to follow. All are invited to attend in person at MLK Memorial Library, 901 G St NW, Washington, DC, room 401-E. RSVP here.
Support organizing Compass Coffee workers ahead of July 16th union election
Compass Coffee United is urging customers and supporters to go to unionizing cafes to talk to workers about their upcoming July 16th union election. In the past several weeks, Compass Coffee CEO Michael Haft has hired anti-union management figures as “baristas” in unionizing cafes and harassed employees for openly supporting the unionization effort by wearing union buttons. As the union election date approaches, support from the community will be vital as workers face intimidation and threats of retaliation from management. Read more about Compass Coffee’s union busting in Washingtonian.
Five cafes are currently unionizing in DC: 849 18th St NW, 1703 H St NW, 1401 I Street NW, 1351 Wisconsin Ave NW, 4850 Massachusetts Ave NW. One store is also unionizing in Northern Virginia, at 1201 Wilson Blvd, Arlington VA.
Walking dead in the White House? Rumors of Joe Biden’s dropout circulate across the political press
The president’s conversations are the first indication that he is seriously considering whether he can recover after a devastating performance on the debate stage in Atlanta. People who have spent time with President Biden over the last few months have stated that lapses appear to have grown more frequent, more pronounced and, after Thursday’s debate, more worrisome.
As reported in the Washington Post, Democrats have begun to consider Harris at the top of their ticket: “[T]here are growing signs that many in the Democratic Party are willing to accept the notion of Vice President Harris at the top of their presidential ticket, a potentially significant shift.” In public, Biden loyalists (and the AFL-CIO) have swatted down rumors of egress along with aides to the vice president. However, confidence is shaking across the party. The Democrats’ national convention in Chicago, set for August 19th, is where the Party’s presidential candidate will receive formal nomination.
New report makes case for federal Green Social Housing Development Authority
The new report, “Green Social Housing at Scale: How a Federal Green Social Housing Development Authority Can Build, Repair, and Finance Homes for All,” shows that the only way out of our housing and climate crises is through a massive investment in housing as a social good — by developing a national green social housing agenda. The Climate and Community Project proposes the creation of a federal Green Social Housing Development Authority (Green SHDA) to build and preserve millions of homes outside of the predatory real estate market, allowing people to have a permanent roof over their heads, to build roots in their communities and to live safely in our changing climate. The analysis shows that with an initial investment of $30 billion, in annual appropriations, in its first 10 years, the Green SHDA would be able to stabilize housing and health for millions of families while shifting power from corporations to communities (and generating union building trades jobs).
Those interested in getting involved in the local fight for social housing can RSVP for the next local organizing meeting on July 11.
Metro DC DSA Book Exchange and writing workshop — Sunday, July 14
The Metro DC DSA Book Exchange and After the Storm are partnering for an afternoon of anticapitalist reading and writing on Sunday, July 14 from 2 to 4pm at Malcolm X Park. Bring, read and swap books and write in community with others. This open event is for everyone who wants to carve out some intentional time this summer and spend it in good company. Writing prompts will be available, with optional sharing time in a low-key, drop-in space. RSVP here.
Update to Metro DC DSA chapter event endorsement procedures
On Tuesday, the MDC DSA Steering Committee voted to begin using a new form, here, to receive requests for event endorsements from chapter members and others in the community. The goal of this new form is to streamline the event endorsement process, and to provide the Steering Committee a bit more information to make those decisions. Chapter members can discuss this form, endorsements in general, and any questions they have in #steering on Slack.
Note that the chapter event endorsement is separate from our Community Bulletin. Members of DSA, or community allies, interested in sharing socialist/leftist events or notices in the community bulletin are invited to submit a notice through the tip line, or get in contact with the chapter’s Publications cooperative (members on the Slack can visit the #publications channel to talk and share with members of the WG).
INFO ACCESS
MDC DSA Publications is information central for not just MDC DSA but the entire DMV left. TheWashington Socialist publishes on a quarterly schedule; the Summer 2024 edition is now live and will be updated on a rolling basis. Added recently: a socialist evaluation of TOPA, the Tenant Opportunity to Purchase Act. Anyone, MDC DSA members or not, interested in contributing to the Washington Socialist can email submissions or questions to [email protected]. Get your socialist self on the record.
Weekly Updates are scheduled and emailed on Fridays e.g. July 5th, 12th, 19th, and 26th. 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: Our Weekly Updates attract over 5k readers a week. Want more INFO ACCESS? Submit your Update suggestions to the tip line, including nominating articles for ESSENTIAL PERSPECTIVES. Join our Slack for real-time info and inspiration. Email [email protected] with your most recent DSA dues receipt to get Slack access.
Find out in depth about our MDC DSA chapter — structure, campaigns and working groups, Night School and reading groups — HERE. And live from our studio, Wednesday, July 17, 7 – 8pm, Why You Should Join DSA / New Member Orientation (with Q&A). #Publications (our Slack channel) is always ready to onboard new socialist communicators. Donate to our Comradery page if you would like to financially support socialist publishing in the DMV.
COMMUNITY BULLETIN
DC Museum of Sidewalk Stuff: Mutual Aid Stories | Gallery Y
On Thursday, July 11, from 6 to 8pm, catch the opening reception of the DC Museum of Sidewalk Stuff, about the stories behind the free stuff we leave for each other on the street. This exhibit by artist organizers Xena Ni and Allison Press reminds us that the ways we care for each other everyday are important. Come by Gallery Y at the Anthony Bowen YMCA and learn from local organizers who took to the sidewalk to share with their neighbors. Learn more here.
Free Food Preservation Workshops | Common Good City Farm
Common Good City Farm is hosting a series of three free food preservation workshops. On July 9 from 6 to 8pm, join Keepwell Vinegar to do some lacto-fermentation. Then, on July 16, learn about wild soda making with ReDelicious. Finally, make a spice blend with Green Things Work on July 30. Learn more and RSVP here. (They will also be hosting another three free mending workshops as part of the series.)
Wage Against the Machine Festival | Lamont Plaza
Join DC Jobs With Justice on July 13th at 2pm for Wage Against the Machine, a family-friendly festival celebrating DC’s minimum wage increase and the ongoing fight for fair wages. Let’s come together as a community to celebrate, and continue pushing for, economic justice. This FREE festival is a perfect opportunity to unite as workers, families, friends, and neighbors. Learn more and RSVP here.
Poetry Night for Palestine | Poets for a Free Palestine | Busboys and Poets (450 K St location) on Sunday July 14, 6 – 9pm
Poets for a Free Palestine is collaborating on this poetry, music, and storytelling event with Gaza Champions, who pair families in Palestine with pen pals in the US to support them and assist with their fundraising campaigns. Two DC-based pen pals will be sharing stories from their matched families and there will be jewelry, prints, and other items available for sale. Proceeds will go towards the fundraisers of the families highlighted by their pen pals to support in getting their basic needs met, escaping the violence, and covering their expenses in secondary locations. Info and signup [email protected].
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.
“When the agency that is supposed to be the final authority on the rule of law becomes lawless, what do you do? There is much we can do, and much of it will be new kinds of campaigns with new goals, because we are in unprecedented territory. While a lot of elected officials seemed immobilized by this much-anticipated legal ruling, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez vowed to introduce legislation to impeach some supreme court justices – she didn’t say which ones, but it seems likely that Samuel Alito and Clarence Thomas top her list…” Rebecca Solnit in The Guardian.
A free, shareable tool for protesters illustrating best practices for dealing with the police. “…we have seen a new generation taking to the streets in response to the ongoing genocide in Gaza. These protesters have faced mass arrests by heavily militarized cops, state surveillance, doxxing, and more. This escalated repertoire of repression requires a new set of practices and skills to keep us safe from both street-level police brutality and systems of carceral violence, so a group of cartoonists—some of whom were involved in the first volume—have updated [Black Lives Matter’s 2020] Safer in the Streets for the present moment.” In Jewish Currents
A coalition of movement journalism organizations has come together to uplift urgent reporting on the genocide. “Media Against Apartheid & Displacement (MAAD) is a collaboratively curated media hub that gathers and presents articles on the ongoing genocide in Gaza, Israeli apartheid and the occupation of Palestine, U.S. complicity, and resistance movements fighting for Palestinian liberation from a growing collective of different media organizations and platforms.” In These Times
By disrupting white businesses, often in a highly organized way, Black activists won social change. ‘By 1960, civil rights organizers were widely embracing this “economic weapon to fight segregation,” reported the national magazine Business Week. Three years later, Time magazine wrote that boycotts had proved “devastatingly effective” in pushing white business owners and government officials to desegregate. In Birmingham, for example, real estate tycoon Sidney Smyer led the elite push for integration. Smyer was a staunch racist, but he capitulated amid the boycott and related disruption. “I’m still a segregationist,” he said in May 1963, but “I’m not a damn fool.” ‘ The Conversation via Portside
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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