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This week in MoCo DSA
Comrades,

There is a rally at 3 pm TODAY at the Capitol in DC, with Sen. Bernie Sanders and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, where they will introduce legislation on PUBLIC HOUSING. Called the "Public Housing Green New Deal" Act, it calls for building new public housing, retrofitting existing housing, and creating many new jobs. More info is below!

On the topic of housing justice, we are also having a MoCo Rent Control Campaign planning meeting TONIGHT in downtown Silver Spring at 7 pm. Please join us if you can - more info is below!

There was a Police Accountability Workshop last week, organized by SURJ and co-hosted by MoCo DSA member Del. Gabriel Acevero (D-District 39). Key points from the forum were:
* The County is considering adopting a model in which trained mental health professionals respond to certain emergency calls first instead of police.
* The FOP is a major barrier to police reform, particularly to changing the laws so that the public has access to the personnel records of abusive officers.

Read more here ([link removed]) , in an account authored by SURJ leader Laurel H.

You have likely heard the news that the President of Bolivia, Evo Morales of the Movement for Socialism Party (MAS), resigned this weekend in the wake of protests against the results of last month's presidential election. What you likely did not hear, if you only get your news from the corporate media, is that this was a clear coup d'état. Morales resigned only after being forced to do so by the military ([link removed]) -- and this coming in the wake of mob violence against MAS leaders ([link removed]) and the burning of public buildings ([link removed]) .

White supremacy and anti-indigenous bigotry ([link removed]) is endemic amongst the coup supporters. Coup supporters have desecrated the indigenous Wiphala flag ([link removed]) and Bolivian police have begun cutting the Wiphala ([link removed]) off of their uniforms. The coup, coming at the behest of the Trump administration ([link removed]) , has apparently been a goal of capitalists and white supremacists in Bolivia for a very long time. ([link removed])

Metro D.C. Democratic Socialists of America, of which Montgomery County DSA is a branch, has released a statement ([link removed]) condemning the coup. The MoCo DSA Steering Committee has endorsed this statement. The DSA National Office has also condemned the coup. ([link removed]) As we pursue democratic socialism in America, the Bolivian crisis provides a powerful reminder of the violence of which capital is capable when its interests are threatened.

MoCo DSA's branch bylaws expire soon, and the Steering Committee has formed a Bylaws Committee to work on refining our governance rules next year. If you have any ideas or want to get involved, please contact us (mailto:[email protected]?subject=MoCo%20DSA%20bylaws) !

Upcoming events:
TODAY - Thursday, November 14 at 3:00 PM at the United States Capitol: Public Housing Green New Deal Act Press Conference with Sen. Bernie Sanders and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez
From our friends at the Sunrise Movement: Location is the "Senate Swamp," the grassy area just east of the Capitol. The Public Housing Green New Deal Act is a bill co-authored by Sen. Bernie Sanders and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez with input from many national advocacy groups. It is a bold act which would remove barriers to construction of new affordable public housing, empower resident councils, invest in local businesses, and create millions of good-paying jobs as part of a program to retrofit, electrify, and equip every public housing unit in the country with clean water and community renewable energy. Here is a one-pager ([link removed]) with a summary. Join us to make a strong statement that every aspect of the Green New Deal must be centered on economic justice, climate justice, and our communities before anything else.

TODAY - Thursday, November 14 from 7 pm-9 pm in downtown Silver Spring: MoCo DSA Rent Control campaign planning meeting
Please join us at our next Rent Control planning meeting. We'll be discussing more specifics of the campaign, including member organizing, communications, and research. Send us an email to get the location (mailto:[email protected]) if you'd like to attend!

Wednesday, Nov. 20 at 6:00 PM at Takoma Busboys & Poets: The Greensboro Massacre at 40: Lessons for Movement Building
Panel discussion with Rev. Nelson Johnson and Joyce Hobson Johnson (both survivors of the massacre) and retired Attorney Lewis Pitts who represented the widows and survivors of the Massacre in their successful civil suit against the KKK, the Nazis, and the City of Greensboro. The panel will be preceded by a short documentary about the attack. Details here ([link removed]) .

Sunday, December 15 from 2 pm-4:30 pm at Silver Spring library: MoCo DSA Branch Meeting
Please join us at our monthly branch meeting to hear about state-level legislation from DSA members and state delegates Gabe Acevero and Vaughn Stewart! Details and RSVP here ([link removed]) .

Check out the Metro DC DSA Meetup page ([link removed]) to find many DSA events throughout the Washington Metro region!

Good Reads:

From the Washington Post: "Amazon Spent $1.5 Million on Seattle City Council Races. The Socialist It Opposed Has Won" ([link removed]) by Hannah Knowles. "Kshama Sawant has long been at odds with big business. In her six years on Seattle’s City Council as its first socialist elected in nearly a century, she has backed a tax on large companies and pushed successfully to make Seattle the first major city with a $15-per-hour minimum wage. But Sawant’s campaign for reelection this year pitted her against Amazon, Seattle’s largest private employer, more conspicuously than ever. The retail giant has put $1.5 million toward City Council races this cycle, via a business-interest group that spent nearly half a million dollars in support of Sawant’s opponent — a massive expansion of the company’s efforts to shape politics on its home turf. Sawant’s faceoff with big tech was on full display
over the weekend as she declared victory, from a podium in front of a bright orange banner with the words 'TAX Amazon' in giant print."

From Bethesda Beat: "Elrich Says Legalizing Marijuana Could Mean Education Money" ([link removed]) by Caitlynn Peetz. "Montgomery County Executive Marc Elrich this week said the state should legalize and control the sale of marijuana to help fund recommendations, totaling $4 billion annually, to improve public education in Maryland.... Elrich’s vision includes the state government controlling marijuana dispensaries, much like how the county government operates liquor stores. Montgomery County is known as a “control state,” meaning liquor sales and distribution are controlled through the county’s Alcohol Beverage Services department. Private licensees can only sell beer and wine purchased through a county-operated warehouse or county-owned stores. County stores, which can sell liquor, also purchase products through the warehouse."

From The Intercept: "With Bold Immigration Plan, Bernie Sanders Becomes the Only Candidate to Call for Break Up of ICE and CBP" ([link removed]) by Aída Chávez. "On Thursday morning, Sen. Bernie Sanders dropped his long-anticipated immigration platform. Arguably the most ambitious of any Democratic presidential candidate’s so far, the plan goes beyond a general call for a path to legal status for immigrants and takes full aim at President Donald Trump’s racist policies at the southern border. Unlike any other candidate, Sanders calls for the break up of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and U.S. Customs and Border Protection, and to improve working conditions and labor protections for industries that rely on an immigrant workforce. One piece of this is the Domestic Workers Bill of Rights, which would 'provide domestic workers with at least a $15 minimum wage,
strong protections for collective bargaining, workers’ rights, workplace safety, and fair scheduling,' regardless of immigration status."

In solidarity,
Zach, Elissa, Frank, David and John
MoCo DSA Steering Committee

Follow us on Twitter: @MoCo_DSA ([link removed])
Follow us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/DSAMoCo
{MoCo DSA is a branch of the Metro DC chapter of DSA}

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