Hello!

We start today with an important bit of news. ICE has called longtime Maryland resident Agbegnigan "Coach Fofo" Amouzou - a local soccer coach, mentor and teacher - to another check-in at its Baltimore field office on Monday, October 28. There, he faces the risk of arrest and deportation for the "crime" of coming to the United States to escape the threat of violence in his home country. Our friends at CASA are organizing a protest/prayer circle in support of Coach Fofo that morning outside the ICE office.

As you may recall, Coach Fofo faced a similar situation back in March. MoCo DSA joined an impromptu coalition of numerous organizations, including Jews United for Justice, Takoma Park Mobilization, the Progressive Alliance, Progressive Neighbors, and others, under CASA's leadership, to support Coach Fofo's continued liberty and denounce ICE's broader pattern of abuse and racist oppression. The Montgomery County Council and County Executive Marc Elrich also wrote to ICE, requesting that Coach Fofo be allowed to stay in the country. At that time, he was given a temporary reprieve.

If you are capable, please consider attending CASA's protest in support of Coach Fofo on Monday morning in Baltimore. If you cannot attend, please consider signing and sharing their petition in support of him.

 The Metro D.C. chapter DSA, of which MoCo DSA is a branch, has announced its endorsement of Mckayla Wilkes in her campaign for United States Representative for Maryland's 5th District! Wilkes is running in the Democratic primary against longtime U.S. Representative and current House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer -- a corporate Democrat with a campaign chest funded by the fossil fuel industry, the health insurance industry, pharmaceutical companies, and defense contractors. Wilkes, by contrast, is a proud democratic socialist with an all-grassroots campaign who will fight for Medicare for All, the Green New Deal, and the interests of the working class. Please consider making a donation to her campaign here.

As you may know, the Montgomery County Council is considering a bill to create a Police Advisory Commission. As it currently stands, the Commission would be a mostly-toothless measure, but our allies at Jews United for Justice are working to improve the bill. JUFJ is calling on County residents to write to the Council asking them to include members from over-policed communities, particularly young people and poor people of color. Please consider signing their petition. 

We're planning a field trip to Greenbelt, MD and the Greenbelt Museum this 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!

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!

Wondering about renewing your DSA membership? As of now, *all* membership renewals and new memberships must be done through national DSA (here). One can make donations to our Metro DC DSA chapter, but those donations can no longer be used for membership renewals. Confused? Unsure if your membership has expired? Just ask us!

Upcoming DSA events:
 Sunday, October 27 from 1-5 pm: Trip to Greenbelt Museum
Please RSVP here to join our field trip to the first New Deal town, Greenbelt, MD!

 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 on 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:
 Thursday, 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. ICE wants 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.

 Monday, October 28 from 7-10:30 AM: Protest/Prayer Circle in Support of Coach Fofo (CASA)
From the organizers: CASA and allies will gather outside ICE Headquarters in support of Coach Fofo Amouzou where he may be detained for deportation at a routine ICE check-in on Monday, October 28th. Buses will leave from White Oak Soccer Field, 1700 April Lane, Silver Spring MD 20904 at 6:00 AM. For more information contact, Ana Martinez, [email protected], 240-274-0437. If you cannot attend on Monday, October 28th but would like to support Fofo, sign our petition: https://secure.everyaction.com/LrEq9TxIakOpkMKKH62Zvw2.

 Wednesday, October 30 from 7-8:30 PM: FY21 Montgomery County Operating Budget Forum
Montgomery County Executive Marc Elrich will host a public forum on the recommended operating budget he's going to announce in March. Don't miss a chance to tell our County's leaders what your budget priorities are! Details here.

Good Reads:
 From the Intercept: "Bernie Sanders Vows to Revive Criminal Prosecutions of CEOs for Unfair Trade Practices" by Ryan Grim. "Bernie Sanders, if he were elected president, would revive the criminal provisions of the Sherman Antitrust Act to prosecute CEOs who have illegally monopolized a market, he told The Intercept in an interview."

 From Telesur English: "Evo Morales Wins Bolivia's Presidency in the 1st Round" by staff. "The left-wing leader claimed victory on Sunday night adding that 'most importantly, we again have an absolute majority in the chambers of Deputies and Senators. That is the result of the consciousness of the Bolivian people.' "

 From The Nation: "Amazon Is Spending Big to Oust Seattle's Socialist Council Member" by Hallie Golden. "The tech giant has poured an unprecedented $1.45 million to influence Seattle's City Council races. Can Kshama Sawant keep her seat?"

 From the New York Times: "Why Some Young Voters are Choosing Democratic Socialism Over the Democratic Party" by Isabella Grullón Paz. "As the presidential debate comes to Ohio, the students in a local chapter of the Young Democratic Socialists of America are defining their political identity."

In solidarity,