|
Friend --
 On a cold evening in February two years ago, you
and hundreds of your neighbors joined me and District leaders at a
rally outside of the Capitol to say "Hands Off DC" when an
overzealous (and now out of office) congressman from Utah threatened
to mess with a locally passed DC law. DC stood strong that day and
continued the hard work of Statehood advocates who have been fighting
for equal rights as US citizens for decades.
Tomorrow, there's a hearing on a bill
that would make the District of Columbia the 51st state in the United
States. The last time the House of Representatives even considered
DC Statehood was more than a quarter-century ago. We need you to show
up tomorrow morning and stand up for DC Statehood:
Here are
the key details:
September 19 at 10:00 a.m.
Hearing Room
2154
Rayburn House Office Building
45 Independence Avenue SW
Getting there – It is best to take public
transportation to the hearing as there is very limited available
parking. The nearest Metro station is Capital South. The entrance to
the building is on Independence Avenue. It has been suggested that you
want to enter via the Longworth or Cannon Buildings and access Rayburn
through the tunnels -- likely the security line will be much
shorter.
The building is open to the public at 7:30 a.m. Plan that
it will take some time to get through security (here's
a quick list of what you can and cannot bring into the
building).
It's not just about what we don't have, but also pushing back on
what's been done to us. Just in the past few decades, congressmen
(emphasis on men) have:
- blocked DC establishing a needle exchange program to prevent the
spread of HIV (when the ban was finally lifted after years and the
program began, there
was a 70% drop in new HIV cases),
- tried to overturn Marriage Equality laws and extending benefits to
spouses,
- tried to overturn every single District gun law,
- blocked DC spending DC tax dollars on women's health and
reproductive rights,
- and so much more.
We pay taxes. We serve in the military. Tomorrow is our chance to
#ShowUp4DC. I'm showing up as the Ward 6 Councilmember, but also as a
Dad. I want my kids to grow up and when they're old enough, to have
the same rights of citizenship since they'll have the same
responsibilities. DC residents have fought in every war. They pay some
of the highest taxes. And it's far past time to end taxation without
representation.
What if I can't
make it tomorrow?
If you can't get down there
for the hearing, don't worry, there are still ways to get involved.
Call, email, tweet, or take time to go and say thank you to any
members who are cosponsors
of the House bill or the Senate's
companion version. Tell your neighbors about the hearing and your
co-workers. Use #ShowUp4DC in all of your posts.
Charles Allen
|