Dear Comrade,

Yesterday, the New York Times published a report about Metro D.C. DSA chapter member and sitting Maryland state delegate Gabriel Acevero. The story details how the Fraternal Order of Police (FOP) pressured UFCW Local 1994 — a local union based in Gaithersburg — in the firing of Delegate Acevero from his job as a UFCW 1994 field organizer.

UFCW 1994 fired Delegate Acevero only after he refused to back off from his support of much stronger police accountability and transparency policies in Maryland. Delegate Acevero is the lead sponsor of Anton’s Law, which would enact these policies throughout the state. He is also a top proponent of repealing Maryland’s Law Enforcement Officers’ Bill of Rights.

Can you take action to stand with Delegate Acevero? Use one of the links below to demand that political and labor leaders across Maryland support reinstating Gabriel to his job and passing strong police accountability legislation.

[ Maryland residents click here. | Non-Maryland residents click here. ]

Delegate Gabriel Acevero speaking at a DSA rally for defunding the police and investing in communities.

Our DSA chapter stands in solidarity with Delegate Acevero. We commend Gabriel for his courage in fighting for important legislation, even when doing so came at significant professional cost. We also condemn the actions of the Fraternal Order of Police and UFCW 1994 leadership. It’s clear that the FOP will use whatever coercive tactics it can to strong-arm anyone they disagree with — including state lawmakers.

Delegate Acevero began pushing for stronger police accountability rules as soon as he took office in 2019 — and for good reason. Maryland’s laws are among the worst in the country when it comes to the public’s right to know whether a police officer is under investigation, the results of investigations, and whether officers have ever been disciplined. Under Maryland’s Law Enforcement Officers’ Bill of Rights, investigative and disciplinary records of the police — who are public employees — are not available to the public.

Our chapter is committed to supporting Gabriel in his fight against police violence in Maryland. We believe that, in addition to defunding police, we must also push for dismantling obstructive policies that hide ubiquitous police brutality. Therefore, in response to Delegate Acevero’s firing, our DSA chapter demands that:

UFCW Local 1994 immediately reinstate Gabriel Acevero to his job, with full back pay;
Maryland state lawmakers pass Anton’s Law and repeal the Law Enforcement Officers’ Bill of Rights;
Elected officials at the local and county levels in Maryland advocate for Anton’s Law and the repeal of the Law Enforcement Officers’ Bill of Rights with their county’s delegation to the state general assembly; and
Maryland elected officials and candidates refuse all donations, endorsements, and institutional support from law enforcement entities and return all such donations accepted previously.

Use the links below to send Maryland’s political leaders an email with these demands. We can deliver the message that we will not back down from the Fraternal Order of Police’s intimidation and attempts to evade accountability.

[ Maryland residents click here. | Non-Maryland residents click here. ]

Our chapter is proud to stand alongside elected officials like Delegate Gabriel Acevero. Together, we can end police violence and win a better world.

Solidarity Forever,

Metro D.C. DSA