Dear comrades,

We had a terrific branch meeting on Sunday. There were so many good conversations about community and organizing, and we ended with a rousing rendition of "Solidarity Forever." It was so enjoyable to talk with fellow socialists that a bunch of us kept the conversation going at a local bar afterwards. If you've never been to a MoCo DSA branch meeting, we hope you'll check one out soon! It's wonderful to feel the connections and humanity that capitalism too often prevents us from experiencing.

All MoCo DSA members should expect to receive a phone call from a fellow comrade over the next couple of months. The calls will be about getting to know our members better, and kicking off our campaign for rent control in MoCo. Stay tuned for even more next steps on our fight for affordable housing in our county!

We are planning a field trip to Greenbelt, MD and the Greenbelt Museum, likely on Sunday, Oct. 27. Greenbelt was the very first co-operative New Deal town created by federal government in 1935 - with a walkable town center, co-operative businesses, and New Deal housing (much of which is now co-op!). Please RSVP here if you'd like to join us!

We've received some questions about renewing DSA membership. The membership process has changed a bit, and there hasn't been good communication about it, for which we apologize. As of now, *all* membership renewals and new memberships must be done through national DSA (here). The National office then shares a portion of the dues with our chapter. Any payments made directly to our Metro DC DSA chapter are donations - which are very much appreciated and are definitely put to good use - but those donations can no longer be used for membership renewals. Confused? Unsure if your membership has expired? Just ask us!

Upcoming DSA events:

 Wednesday, October 16 at 7 pm: Rent Control campaign planning meeting in DTSS
Interested in helping to plan and strategize for our fight for rent control in the county? Join us on the 16th - send us an email for location info!

 Sunday, November 3 from 2 pm-4:30 pm at Silver Spring library: MoCo DSA Branch meeting
Please join us at our monthly branch meeting to continue planning our rent control fight and hear updates about other DSA initiatives and events! Details and RSVP here.

 Check out the Metro DC DSA Meetup page to find many DSA events throughout the Washington Metro region!

Upcoming community events:
 Sunday, October 20 from 2-4 pm at Gaithersburg Library: Medicare for All Town Hall
Join a number of panelists, including DSA member and state delegate Gabe Acevero, to discuss the fight for Medicare for All, in Maryland and nationwide! Details can be found here.

 Sunday, October 24 from 6-8 pm in DC: ICE Out of DMV Teach-In
Join this teach-in to learn more about the criminalization of immigrants and how to fight back. This year, ICE proposes to build migrant detention centers in DC, Maryland, and Virginia. Plug into the campaigns against these ICE jails and against local cooperation with ICE. Details can be found here.

Good Reads:
 From Jacobin: "A letter from Lula to the Labour Party" by imprisoned former Brazilian president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. "Comrades of the Labour Party: At seventy-three years of age, fifty of which I’ve dedicated to the fight against inequality, I feel rejuvenated by my nomination to the honorary presidency of Young Labour. This honor proves, above all, that one is only old when he abandons the dreams of his youth, and I will never abandon mine. It also proves that injustice exists everywhere, and that workers’ struggles are the same around the world."

 "Break Up the Dem Party" by Michael Hudson. "Here’s the trick that the TV debates sweep under the rug: It is not the voters who are empowered to choose the Democratic Party’s candidate. That privilege belongs legally to the Democratic National Committee (DNC)."

 From the Washington Post: "The Socialist who ran for president from prison - and won nearly a million votes" by Terence Mcardle. "Eugene V. Debs did not speak on election night in 1920. The Socialist presidential contender was imprisoned in the Atlanta Federal Penitentiary for speaking out against the draft during World War I. 'I thank the capitalist masters for putting me here,' he wrote. 'They know where I belong under their criminal and corrupting system. It is the only compliment they could pay me.'”

In solidarity,