The end of home rule? TOPA and other tenant rights GUTTED by DC Council as Congress assaults the District’s autonomy; Maryland socialists continue working to elect comrades Omodamola Williams and Frankie Fritz; A People’s Tour of MoCo: Uncovering Genocide Enablers in Your Backyard — Sunday, September 21 at 2pm
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. Want to fight fascism from the heart of empire? Join DSA and fight to build socialism!
Paid for by Metro DC DSA (mdcdsa.org). Not authorized by any candidate or committee.
UP FRONT
The end of home rule? TOPA and other tenant rights GUTTED by DC Council as Congress assaults the District’s autonomy
On Wednesday, the DC Council voted to make the terrible RENTAL Act law. The law was pushed by Mayor Bowser and ushered through the DC Council by Robert White (at large). The law makes it easier to evict tenants and broadly strips tenants of their rights under the Tenant Opportunity to Purchase Act (TOPA). This new legislation shortens the timeframe for evictions, allowing landlords to evict tenants 10 days after serving notices. TOPA will not apply to new housing built in the city and also robs any tenant who lives in a building constructed within the last 15 years of their TOPA rights.
“I don’t want to move this bill,” White said from the dais. “This is terrible!” he continued, chuckling as though he was not the primary force behind the bill. But Robert White has greater ambitions. White’s ushering of the RENTAL Act is a transparent ploy to garner support among the real estate lobby and landlords in a future election. In exchange, he has traded the rights of tens of thousands of DC tenants.
Other councilmembers spelled out the politics clearly. Councilmember Henderson: “[Reducing TOPA rights] is not only about new construction…We need investors to find us attractive again.” To attract these investors, CM Henderson has offered up the rights and housing stability of the city’s working class. And in a dastardly surprise move, the council approved an amendment from Councilmember Anita Bonds (D-at large) to exempt buildings with four units or less from TOPA, further reducing tenant rights. (The council previously voted to strip single-family house tenants of their TOPA rights in 2018.)
But in a very small abatement, the council voted to pass an amendment circulated by CMs Nadeau (Ward 1), Lewis George (Ward 4) and Mendelson (chair) which most notably rescinded the TOPA exemptions to properties with affordability covenants from TOPA, in addition to striking language that would have allowed landlords to bypass TOPA to maintain units at 80% of the median area income ($86k/year). This amendment softens the blow and is a testament to the legislative skills of CMs Nadeau and Lewis George, but there is no denying that TOPA, and tenant rights as a whole, have been irrevocably damaged.
The TOPA repeal effort was a plot coordinated by the landlord lobby. Similar to the way Initiative 82 was repealed, highly paid lobbyists and neoliberal spin-doctors used questionable data, misleading reports, and sham polls to insinuate broken policy and political support. The DC Council’s failure to stand against this ploy stands in stark contrast to councils in the neighboring Montgomery and Prince George’s Counties. In both jurisdictions, the council moved on initiating strong rent control protections as mobilized tenants outmaneuvered landlord lobbyists.
All the while, Congress continued its assault on DC autonomy, passing two bills (with key support from dozens of Democrats) that attacked DC’s Judicial Nominations Commission and would expand police power to engage in dangerous vehicular pursuits. The connection between the council’s attack on working-class residents and Congress’s assault on home rule cannot be ignored. DC’s democracy can only be protected and won with a wide workers’ and tenants’ movement, connected to a broader political program that defends the autonomy of DC’s working class.
Maryland socialists continue working to elect comrades Omodamola Williams and Frankie Fritz
Socialists in Maryland are set to continue canvassing this weekend for working-class candidates that will fight to change the material conditions of life in the DMV. In Greenbelt, Frankie Fritz’s team will be canvassing on Saturday at 12pm starting at the Greenbelt metro. On Sunday, in lieu of a canvass, Frankie will be hosting a voter registration cookout at 3pm. RSVP and help let people know about the candidate who plans to cap rent increases, strengthen the right to collective bargaining, and enhance public transit in Greenbelt.
Meanwhile in Gaithersburg, a big weekend of action has been planned to turn out coalition partners to canvass for Omo and progressive candidates. Omo is running to get rent stabilization in the city, increase police accountability, give municipal workers the right to collectively bargain, and more. Four shifts are available: Saturday at 10am and 1pm, and Sunday at 10am and 1pm. If you haven’t been out to a canvass yet, this weekend is a great opportunity to get involved and see people power in action!
A People’s Tour of MoCo: Uncovering Genocide Enablers in Your Backyard — Sunday, September 21 at 2pm
The United Nations Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory this week officially concluded that Israel is committing genocide in Gaza. “The Commission concludes that the State of Israel bears responsibility for the failure to prevent genocide, the commission of genocide, and the failure to punish genocide against the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip,” said Chair Navi Pillay of South Africa, who served as president of the UN International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda.
That is the context in which the Maryland Israel Development Corporation (MIDC), funded through Marylanders’ taxes and complicit in the ongoing genocide in Gaza, continues to function. This Sunday, September 21, learn more with the Montgomery County branch of Metro DC DSA during a driving tour (professional shuttle service provided). Attendees will investigate the beneficiaries of local tax dollars and how that money is used to fund genocide. Working Marylanders demand a better quality of life for all MoCo residents and a county free of war profiteering!
The tour departure point is accessible via free two-hour parking and by metro (North Bethesda Metro Station). Learn more and RSVP here.
BRIEFS
Canvass training for the Apartheid Free DC campaign on Wednesday, September 24 at 6:30pm
Join Metro DC DSA’s Internationalism Working Group for a training at MLK Library in DC on how to canvass for the Apartheid Free DC campaign with DC for Palestine. As the two-year mark of the intensified genocide in Gaza approaches, this training will equip activists with the skills and knowledge needed to join the campaign. The canvass invites local businesses and organizations to sign onto the Apartheid Free pledge to boycott Israeli goods. Attendees will learn about the crime of apartheid, how to participate in canvassing efforts, and how to support organizations in finding alternatives to products that support the Zionist occupation of Palestine. RSVP here.
Attention bar, restaurant, and night life workers: Join the restaurant workers solidarity and support network
As federal invasion continues in DC, bar, restaurant, and late night workers are finding themselves on the front line of federal harassment and assault. Workers are getting organized to coordinate against the takeover regime and to build long-term power among service workers.
Workers who fill out this secure survey can be plugged in to a larger group of restaurant workers from specific neighborhoods to share information, ask for support, and coordinate with neighborhood anti-occupation efforts. Service workers will also be preparing community defense trainings for those interested in learning best practices if ICE or other agents enter the workplace or are harassing community members in your neighborhood. The project is a collaborative effort by ROC DC and the Fair Price Fair Wage Coalition, with support from the Metro DC DSA Labor Working Group. Workers with questions can email [email protected].
Socialists taking part in Whitman Walker’s 39th annual Walk and 5k to End HIV — Saturday, September 20
Walk or help raise money in support of the Metro DC DSA’s Bodily Autonomy Working Group’s team for Whitman Walker’s 39th annual Walk and 5k to End HIV. This Saturday, September 20, members of Metro DC DSA will be walking Anacostia Park to help Whitman Walker raise money for HIV prevention programs and research. The foundation’s efforts have allowed them to administer nearly 15,000 HIV and STI tests last year in the DC area. To show your support, please consider signing up for the free walk or making a donation.
Metro DC DSA Street Team Monthly Meeting — Sunday, September 21 at 3pm
Join the Street Team at its next monthly meeting on Sunday, September 21 at 3pm at the Shaw Library, conference room 2, where the working group will debrief from its September 20 tabling at H Street Festival (reach out to #street-team in the chapter’s Slack if you’d like to take a shift) and the Bodily Autonomy Working Group will be handing out reproductive and sexual health care kits, courtesy of EC 4 DC. Anyone interested in getting active in the chapter’s Street Team can attend this monthly meeting to learn how to get involved in hosting and attending community events, all aimed at connecting 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. RSVP here for this in-person meeting.
Abolition’s KYR Training on DC’s Family & Domestic Violence Courts — Saturday, September 27 at 3pm
Join Metro DC DSA’s Abolition Working Group for a Know Your Rights presentation about DC’s Family Court and Domestic Violence Court on Saturday, September 27 from 3 – 4:30pm on Zoom, with Spanish interpretation available. Participants will learn how to navigate child custody matters without a lawyer, discuss how to file a Civil Protection Order and the impact that has on custody cases, and get resources on legal organizations that provide free legal advice or representation. Folks will leave this event empowered to fight for themselves and their children.
Angola, Apartheid, and “Our Type of National Liberation:” New Washington Socialist article explores US imperialism, history’s rhymes
“The popular podcast series Blowback will release its new season on September 22nd, now focused on Angola and the US-backed wars in Southern Africa. Nothing could be more relevant to the current political moment, as the US once again allies with an apartheid state that commits aggressive proxy wars on its behalf in the name of regional stability,” MDC DSA member Patrick Dalton writes. Read more in the Washington Socialist.
INFO ACCESS
The DMV is under siege by militarist authoritarians. Want to fight fascism from the heart of the empire? Join DSA and fight to build socialism! We’re the alternative that works for people, not profiteers and their captive politicians. The next session of MDC DSA’s “Why You Should Join DSA/New Member Orientation” is a virtual version, set for Wednesday, October 22, 7 – 8pm. Learn about the Metro DC chapter — branches, working groups, campaigns, current activities, and enduring values — at any time right here. Members are encouraged to join our Slack for real-time info on working group and campaign events, strategy/tactic exchange, and inspiration. Email [email protected] with your most recent DSA dues receipt to get access.
Staying current with MDC DSA — Weekly Updates, like the one you are reading, are scheduled and emailed on Fridays; current and past Updates are available anytime on our website. Not subscribed? DSA member or not, sign up to get the Update, the go-to source for the DMV Left. The MDC Dispatch is the chapter’s new video news series, published on the first and third Sunday of each month. Submit your Update or Dispatch suggestions (or DMV scandal tips) to our tip line. The Washington Socialist, published since the 1970s, offers in-depth analytical/opinion articles on a quarterly schedule; the Summer 2025 issue is available now. Anyone, MDC DSA member or not, interested in contributing to the Washington Socialist can email submissions or questions to [email protected]. Members, look in on us or join at #publications on Slack.
DMV LEFT COMMUNITY BULLETIN
People’s Budget Forum on September 20 | Fair Budget Coalition
Tomorrow, on September 20, from 1 – 4pm at Hamilton Square, join the Fair Budget Coalition for a People’s Budget Forum. The budget is everybody’s business, so community members are encouraged to attend to share your priorities. Learn more and RSVP here.
Anti-Corruption March on September 21 | Anakbayan DC
Tired of the Philippine government’s corruption? Join Anakbayan this Sunday, September 21, from 2 – 4pm at Dupont Circle to fight back. September 21 serves as a stark reminder of martial law, of the Marcos dictatorship, and that the entire Marcos political dynasty is built on the corruption, plunder, and systematic theft of the Filipino people. Learn more on Instagram here.
Andor & DC: Lessons on Resistance and Rebellion on September 23 | Bol Coop, Ward 1 Mutual Aid, and Ward 2 Mutual Aid
Join your DC neighbors for a group discussion about what the show Andor tells us about resisting fascism and what we can apply here in DC. Attend and discuss on Tuesday, September 23, from 7 – 8:30pm at Bol Coop, facilitated by Ward 1 Mutual Aid and Ward 2 Mutual Aid. RSVP here.
Boycott Target on September 27 | Jewish Voice for Peace-DC Metro
On Saturday, September 27, join JVP-DC Metro on the picket line at 11am at the Columbia Heights Target. The Boycott Target DMV Coalition, alongside national organizers, have called for a boycott of Target until they reverse their decisions capitulating to racist fascists. Plus, learn about the connections between the fight for Palestinian liberation, against antisemitism, and against racist fascism. 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.
Reflections from DSA 2025 Convention: International observers from PSOL, or the Socialism and Liberty Party, wrote: “The convention seemed to create the conditions for DSA to truly move forward. … Along the way, they will face the limits and contradictions inherent in the class struggle and the workers’ movement as it truly exists in the United States. But, without a doubt, they appear to be emerging stronger, seizing opportunities to resist and struggle against Trump.” And Metro DC DSA’s own Sam D. recapped a convention panel on the role of culture in our fight for a better world: “… We have to live in this world even as we try to change it, and culture and community is the way.” Democratic Left.
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.
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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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