Recent Posts
Congress’ Plan to Defund DC by $1 Billion Is Not Yet a Done Deal
Once more for the folks in the back: Congress’ Plan to Defund DC by $1 Billion Is Not Yet a Done Deal!
The Congress has jurisdiction over the District of Columbia. [If you were raised in the District of Columbia, you will have learned this in your DC History class.] It means that we have a shadow senator and two shadow “representatives” of the House but neither of them have the right to vote in either congressional body. In essence, DC residents have no federal representation. Despite this, we pay plenty of federal taxes.
Even if you learned your American History outside of the District, you probably remember that “no taxation without representation” was a key rallying cry during the lead-up to the American Revolution. Back then, folks willing to fight a tyrannical regime thought it was unjust to impose taxes on citizens without giving them a voice in the legislative body that determines how taxes would be levied. It’s still unjust.
It’s been some time since many of us had any kind of history class [decades for me]. I don’t know why the US Constitution was set up to screw over the citizens of the capital city but that’s where we are and have been since the nation’s founding. But let’s not digress.
Because Congress has jurisdiction over the District of Columbia, the argument can be made that every DC resident is a constituent of every senator and representative that does have a vote. It is perfectly legitimate for each and every DC resident to go to the congressional office buildings, knock on the doors of the elected officials there and say, “I didn’t vote for you. You do not represent me. You have no right to tell DC’s city council and mayor—the people who do represent me—how to spend the taxes that I pay to the District of Columbia.”
On the other hand, we may not be prepared to do a repeat of the Revolutionary War. A more strategic option might be to ask them to pass the DC Local Funds Act. Below is a plan of attack put together by Free DC. We can get some control over our tax dollars without firing a single musket.
https://freedcproject.org/news/encourage-representatives-to-pass-the-dc-local-funds-act
Deadly Exchange: What Does Israel Have To Do With MPD?
As of March 2024 there have been 140 Black people killed by D.C. police since 2013. The department has been accused of using other racially biased tactics such as stop and frisk, and jump out units. Jump-Out squads aren’t the only police units committing brutal acts against Washingtonians. A mandated MPD report revealed that Black people made up the majority of people who were stopped, frisked, arrested, and violated by special units in 2019 and 2020. These units are a part of the Narcotics and Specialized Investigations Division; officers usually wear plain clothes, and their duties are to remove illegal guns from the streets and handle investigations dealing with narcotics.
After the launch of the Law Enforcement Exchange programs, U.S. Law enforcement continues to intensify the militarization of its agencies, most notably through the 1033 Program. This program was created to supply U.S. police departments with surplus military equipment ranging from weapons to uniform gear. In the last decade, protestors have been met with local police agencies dressed in riot gear. MPD is among the many U.S. police departments that have had to settle large sum civil lawsuits against its officers for misconduct, excessive force, unlawful arrests, and unjust murders. In 2021, D.C. chose to settle two lawsuits in the amount $1.6 million dollars for police misconduct during the infamous 2017 Inaugural protests aka J-20. Wards 7 & 8 are often referred to as police “occupied territories”, similar to Gaza and the West Bank being occupied by IDF soldiers and Israel Border Patrol agents.
The IDF (Israel Defense Force) is a military style unit within the West Bank, Jerusalem, and Gaza. The atrocities committed by the IDF against Palestinians have been well documented since its inception. This same unit is one of the security entities responsible for training U.S. Law Enforcement agencies. The IDF is also referred to as “IOF: Israel Occupying Forces” by its critics, Palestinians, and activists. The INP (Israel National Police), is the police force that was established the same year as the beginning of the Nakaba.
In the beginning half of 2023, the Malcolm X Grassroots Movement and Black Lives Matter D.C. hosted several hybrid “Cop Watch'' trainings, one was held at the Black Worker Wellness Center located in Southeast, D.C. Impacted communities are becoming more experimental with creating alternatives to policing that are grounded in love, community self-defense, and autonomy. Providing a glimmer of hope in a world of doom.
Affordable Housing in the District
With inflation rising more households are on verge of being displaced. The cost to live in the District is rising rapidly without properly being addressed.
DC has had issues with housing for years and has made slight improvements. Many residents have relocated due to waiting for assistance.
Keeping Housing Affordable: Baldwin House
On July 24th, DC Ward 1 Mutual Aid/the Baldwin House organizers held an event at the building they’re buying to celebrate their wins, gather community, and create space for current building tenants to share their stories. During this event, Natacia generously allowed the team at Grassroots DC to interview them.