DC Metro Action is a listing of local actions, entertainment, volunteer opportunities and the occasional rant on a wide range of socially just issues.
contact me at dcmetroaction@comcast.net
Action of the Day Many of these action alerts are found on the listservs and websites of organizations listed in our "Act Locally" section (Left).
Monday, June 30, 2003
Sand, Lies and Videotape
Reporting from a war zone is always challenging. During the war in Iraq, reporters endured trying physical conditions, wrestled with a tightlipped and perhaps less than truthful US Central Command, and struggled to bring perspective as television aired the war live. Donna Leinwand, who recently returned from almost four months in the Persian Gulf for USA Today, will discuss how these challenges and opportunities shaped the war picture.
"Sand, Lies, and Videotape: A Reporter's Notebook from the War in Iraq" will be held at the DC Jewish Community Center, 1529 16th St. NW, at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, July 1. Admission is $4 for members, $7 for nonmembers, and includes a light reception. For more information or to register, call Stacy Immerman at 202/777-3238 or send an e-mail.
Join WISH and the tenants of Capitol Park Plaza and Capitol Park Towers to gather signatures on a petition demanding the closure of the loopholes in the DC Tenants’ Right to Purchase Act. The Capitol Park buildings, which contain more than 650 units, were sold by the owner without the tenants ever being notified due to a loophole in the act.
This problem for tenants is becoming all too common in Washington as more landlords across the city use the loophole, which allows them to sell 95 percent of a building, wait one year, and then sell the remaining 5 percent – thereby excluding tenants from the right to purchase the building where they reside. Capitol Park tenants now face skyrocketing rents and displacement.
To help with the petition, meet at noon on Saturday, June 28, in front of the Capitol Park Plaza building. Take Metro to the Waterfront station, walk straight through the Waterfront Mall to I Street, and take a right on I to 201 I St. SW. A "Close the Loophole" rally will take place Saturday, July 12.
Join the Hiroshima/Nagasaki Peace Committee of the National Capital Area as it gives former DC City Councilmember Hilda Mason the Third Annual Josephine Butler Nuclear Free Future Award.
Butler, co-founder of the committee, was dedicated to the struggle for peace, justice and nuclear abolition. She was an activist for labor, public health, human rights, social justice, the environment and peace. She was unique in the history of our community, and it is in her honor and to preserve her legacy that the Josephine Butler Nuclear Free Future Award was inaugurated.
Mason, called the matriarch of the DC statehood movement, exemplifies the spirit and substance of Butler’s memory. She was always a progressive voice for justice and peace on the City Council. When virtually every other politician opposed it, Mason was a strong proponent of Initiative 37 (Proposition One) for nuclear disarmament and economic conversion: “Do we continue to spend hundreds of billions of dollars on weapons we can only hope will never be used, or do we use that fabulous wealth to build more schools - homes - hospitals - and promote more meaningful careers for our young people?”
Because of dedicated people like Mason, Initiative 37 passed resoundingly and has been regularly introduced in Congress by DC Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton.
Come celebrate on Friday, June 27, at the Josephine Butler Parks Center, 2437 15th St. NW:
* 7:30 p.m. Performance by Luci Murphy and Richard Miller * 8 p.m. Tribute to Josephine Butler * 8:10 p.m. Introduction of Hilda Mason by the Hon. Eleanor Holmes Norton * 8:20 p.m. Presentation of the award by Michele Tingling-Clemmons * 8:25 p.m. Remarks by Hilda Mason * 8:30 p.m. Performance by Luci Murphy and Richard Miller
Admission is $10 and refreshments will be provided.
Meeting for DC Voting Rights Make your voice heard at DC Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton's town meeting on the next steps to take to secure voting rights for Washington residents. Everyone who supports full democratic rights for DC should attend the event, which takes place Tuesday, March 4, 6:30 to 8:30 p.m., at the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library, Ninth and G Streets NW (Metro: Gallery Place or Metro Center).
Come to a discussion on how the CIA and the Bush administration blatantly falsified evidence used to support the Iraq war, and what we can do to stop such actions in the future. This teach-in features 27-year CIA veteran Ray McGovern of Veteran Intelligence Professionals for Sanity and Allistair Millar, author of "Unproven: The Controversy Over Justifying the War in Iraq" and the director of The Fourth Freedom Foundation.
The teach-in is sponsored by the DC Anti-War Network and takes place at 7 p.m. on Thursday, June 26, at the DC Center for Arts And Activism, 1611 Connecticut Ave. (Metro: Dupont Circle).
Free Trade Area of the Americas would expand to the entire Western Hemisphere corporate domination and NAFTA's broken promises, secrecy and disaster for workers. Trans-border peoples movements are fighting to stop it. Come learn more at a teach-in on Thursday, June 26, from 7 to 9 p.m., at the Friends Meeting House of Washington, 2111 Florida Ave. NW. For more information, log on to this website or call Herb Ettel at 202/291-2258.
Immigrant workers, living and paying taxes in the United States, want the right to apply for citizenship, to reunify their families, and to have a voice on the job without regard to legal status – rights denied by their undocumented status and outdated laws. The road to citizenship needs a new map. The goal of the Immigrant Workers Freedom Ride is to help draw that map.
Inspired by the Freedom Riders of the Civil Rights Movement, thousands of immigrant workers and friends from 10 major US cities will ride buses to Washington, DC, to lobby Congress for: * A path to citizenship * Improved systems to reunite families and * The right to organize in the workplace.
The DC Planning Committee is linking this national effort to the struggles of local immigrants and other working people who are particularly vulnerable during the current period. Come learn more about the Immigrant Workers Freedom Ride at a meeting sponsored by Jews United for Justice on Wednesday, June 25, 6 p.m., at St. Stephen's Church, 16th and Newton Streets NW. For more information, call 202/483-1953.
The Shirts Off Our Backs is partnering with members of the United Steelworkers of America to expose the role of the American Enterprise Institute (AEI) on issues that affect organized labor, such as teachers' salaries, free trade and privatization.
The most influential think tank in the country has been the incubator for the US government's domestic and foreign policies that serve corporate rather than public interests. AEI has attacked workers' rights and wages through its promotion of privatization and trickle-down policy. A recent AEI seminar noted that a majority of teachers are NOT paid too little.
AEI brought us the Gulf War II and no doubt will supply justifications for the next US intervention.
Come out and help expose AEI's lies before they become Bush administration policy. Stop by the AEI building at 1150 17th St. NW before work and lend your support on Wednesday, June 25, 8:30 a.m. To learn more about this campaign, check out this website or send an e-mail.
In the documentary "The New Rulers of the World," John Pilger explores the impact of globalization, taking as his prime example Indonesia, a country that the World Bank described as a "model pupil" until its "globalized" economy collapsed in 1998. Under scrutiny are the increasingly powerful multinationals and the institutions that back them, notably the IMF and the World Bank.
The film is part of the 6th Annual Film and Speaker Series at the Institute for Policy Studies, presented by Foreign Policy in Focus. It will be shown on Wednesday, June 25, from noon to 2 p.m., at 733 15th Street NW, Suite 1020. For more information, contact Isis at 202/234-9382 or e-mail.
Meet legendary defense attorney Leonard Weinglass at a town hall meeting and discussion on US-Cuba relations on Tuesday, June 24. He is currently representing the Cuban Five, who are being unjustly held in US prisons.
I first became aware of Weinglass in 1969, when he and William Kunstler defended the Chicago Seven. They brought defense witness Norman Mailer to the stand, who testified that "left-wingers are incapable of conspiracy because they're all egomaniacs." Another witness, Abbie Hoffman, declared, "Conspiracy? Hell, we couldn't even agree on lunch!" Black Panther Bobby Seale was bound and gagged in the courtroom. And deliberations had no sooner begun when the judge sentenced all of the defendants – and Kunstler and Weinglass – to lengthy prison terms on 159 specifications for criminal contempt.
More recently, Weinglass defended political prisoner Mumia Abu-Jamal.
At the town hall meeting, Weinglass will be joined by the Rev. Lucius Walker, founder of IFCO/Pastors for Peace; Jose Pertierra, a Cuban-American immigration rights lawyer; and a representative of the Cuban Interests Section, the official diplomatic office of Cuba in the U.S.
The purpose of the forum is to gain a better understanding of US policy toward Cuba and the impact the Bush regime has had on it, the legal case of the Cuban Five, and the effect of the blockade on Cuban Americans and other U.S. citizens. It will be held Tuesday, June 24, 6 to 8:30 p.m., at the All Saints Church, on the corner of Harvard and 16th Streets NW. This event may be aired live on Pacifica radio, 89.3 FM. For more information, contact the No War On Cuba Movement by phone at 202/722-1307, via e-mail, or online at this website.
The Center for Environmental Citizenship (CEC) is hosting a series of training and networking sessions this summer for DC interns. Topics for the program include: Fear No Fundraising on June 25; Building Coalitions on July 16; and Campus Campaigns 101 on Aug. 12.
The series is free and open to all DC student interns. Each session will run from noon to 1:30 p.m. at CEC's headquarters, 200 G St. NE, Suite 300. Take Metro to Union Station, exit toward the Thurgood Marshall Federal Judiciary Building, and make a left down Second Street. Please RSVP before each session to Allison at 202/547-8453, ext. 17, or by email.
The folks at MoveOn have come up with a terrific idea. Members of what the National Journal called "the PAC of the future" will have 24 hours, beginning at midnight on June 24, to vote online for their choice of the Democratic presidential nominees. MoveOn will endorse whoever its members select.
Anyone can vote – even the disenfranchised citizens of Washington, DC! Just go to www.moveon.org and register. The results will be announced early in the presidential silly season. Log on and vote, and then maybe pundits, pollsters and big donors won't be the only voices that count at this early and important stage of the election process.
Have you heard about the federal government's latest proposed infringement into our personal lives? Republican Sen. Orrin Hatch of Utah wants computers that download music to be "destroyed" with some sort of magic-bullet virus fired remotely from some federal agency at offending hard drives all over the world. This from a senator who, according to Wired News, is using pirated software on his own website. By the way, last year Hatch earned royalties of $18,000 as a composer.
Sundance award-winner Guerrilla News Network brings its controversial new documentary, "AfterMath: Unanswered Questions from 9/11," to Washington at a forum sponsored by DC Indymedia. The event takes place Friday, June 20, from 7 to 9 p.m., at the Flemming Center, 1426 Ninth St. NW at P St (Metro: Howard/Shaw). The suggested donation is $5, but nobody will be turned away for lack of funds.
Join Section 8 tenants from across the U.S. for a national day of action to save subsidized housing, hosted by the residents of an at-risk building right here in DC. The rally and press conference, which takes place Monday, June 23, at 10 a.m., will be hosted by the Cavalier Tenants Association at 3500 14th St. NW, and is sponsored by the National Alliance of HUD Tenants and Washington Innercity Self Help. Call 202/332-8800 for more information.
Union workers at area Syms clothing stores have been on strike since Saturday, June 14. The workers, represented by United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) Locals 400 and 27, are resisting the attempt by Syms to take control of their medical/hospitalization benefits, which could result in reduced benefits and elimination of coverage for current and future retirees.
Show your support by not shopping there, honking your horn if you drive by, or walking the line with the striking workers. The picket line will be set up Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m.; Saturday from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.; and Sunday from noon to 5:30 p.m. at these locations: 1000 East Broad Street in Falls Church, 1900 Chapman Avenue in Rockville and 6631 Governor Richie Highway in Glen Burnie. For more information, call UFCW at 301/459-3400.
Last week's actions opposing the use of public money to finance a baseball team and stadium in Washington were a great success. TV coverage of the June 12 rally and city council hearing focused completely on the opposition to publicly financing the stadium. But there's still a lot to do.
* Call or e-mail members of the DC City Council and tell them to vote against any proposal that includes public funding – and let them know what you think we should be spending our money on instead:
Sandy Allen, Ward 8, 724-8045, e-mail Linda Cropp, Chair, 724-8023, e-mail Jack Evans, Chair, Ward 2, 724-8058, e-mail Kathy Patterson, Ward 3, 724-8062, e-mail Adrian Fenty, Ward 4, 724-8052, e-mail Vincent Orange, Ward 5, 724-8028, e-mail Kevin Chavous, Ward 7, 724-8068, e-mail Jim Graham, Ward 1, 724-8181, e-mail Phil Mendelson, At Large, 724-8064, e-mail David Catania, At Large, 724-7772, e-mail Carol Schwartz, At Large, 724-8105, e-mail Harold Brazil, At Large, 724-8174, e-mail Sharon Ambrose, Ward 6, 724-8072, e-mail
Learn how to build and sustain relationships between local religious communities and unions to support working people's struggles. Presenters include Rabbi Jeremy Winaker, Adas Israel Congregation; the Rev. Graylan Hagler, Plymouth Congregational Church; Laureen Lazarovici, Jews United for Justice; and Robin Williams, UFCW Local 400.
The organizing roundtable takes place Wednesday, June 18, 9 a.m. to noon, at the New York Avenue Presbyterian Church, 13th Street and New York Avenue NW. It's free, but you must pre-register by sending an e-mail. For more information, call 202/483-1953.
Judy Shepard, the mother of murder victim Matthew Shepard, will be in Washington to lobby for the Hate Crimes Prevention Act (HCPA) and she needs your help. Annually, more than 1,500 people are killed as the result of hate crimes based on sexual orientation. Since Matthew's murder, Judy has been an impassioned and effective advocate for the importance of strong legislation aimed at preventing hate crimes.
HCPA would provide for federal protection against hate crimes in two ways. First, it would extend federal hate crimes protections to victims of crimes based on gender, disability and sexual orientation. Second, the new law would allow for federal prosecution of crimes perpetrated even when the victim is not engaged in a limited range of "federally protected activities," such as voting or serving on a jury. This legislation has repeatedly garnered bipartisan support but has been blocked in the past by right-wing leadership. The bill needs your help.
Judy Shepard will rally with many of the leaders on this issue in the Senate, including Sen. Ted Kennedy (D-Mass.). Come to the rally and show the Republican congressional leadership that their obstruction of this important legislation is unacceptable and now is the time for the federal government to stand up to hate. The rally will be held Tuesday, June 17, at 11 a.m. in Russell Park at the intersection of Constitution and Delaware Avenues, across from the Capitol.
On Flag Day, join an ad hoc, interfaith, multiracial committee of people for peace and justice at a speakout ceremony to scrub Old Glory of the 13 stains of:
Blind Patriotism, Classism, Consumerism and Environmental Injustice, Government and Corporate Corruption, Deception, Demonization, Fear, Imperialism/Unilateralism, Militarism, Racism, Sexism, Criminal Injustice and Violence
At the rally, sponsored by www.washtheflag.org, speakers will briefly address each of the 13 stains on our flag and talk about what the flag should truly stand for. The sponsors ask that, if possible, you bring:
* An American flag, dirty or clean, to wash onstage in the tubs of justice and democracy.
* Any flag that celebrates your beliefs, such as peace flags, DC flags, Palestinian flags or ecology flags, for example.
* Banners that demonstrate your right to free expression, in support of our Bill of Rights.
* Drums, noisemakers, voices and friends.
Come cleanse the stains of America's shame at noon on Saturday, June 14, at the Archives Plaza, Pennsylvania Avenue and Eighth Street NW (Metro: Archives/Navy Memorial). For more information, call 202/484-FLAG (3524) or 202/548-7640, or send an e-mail.
On Monday, June 16, the Social Action & Leadership School for Activists (SALSA) will present "The Media's Mess-Age," part 3 of its Iraq Post-War Damage Report series. A global audience observed a complex and shocking series of events that led up to a war, glorified by the media and fiercely contested by what was possibly the largest anti-war movement in history. This discussion forum will assess how the media did or didn't serve the public interest and why. Noted speakers will include American University journalism professor Chris Simpson; George Curry, editor in chief of the National Newspaper Publishers Wire Service and former editor of Emerge magazine; and Rob Timm, host of the RadioActivity show on WHFS.
SALSA is at 733 15th St. NW, Suite 1020, and the forum will run from 6:45 to 8:45 p.m. Space is limited, and pre-registration is strongly suggested. Call 202/234-9382, ext. 229.
Educator and software developer Phil Shapiro will teach a free workshop on blogging on Saturday, June 14, 10:30 a.m. to noon, in the computer training center (Room 315) of the Martin Luther King Jr. Library in downtown DC. The workshop will explain the different ways you can publish your own blog, including a look at how to do it via a blog Phil set up. The workshop will also explain why blogs are one of the best tools that nonprofit organizations can use to get their ideas out to the public.
Zoe went to Monday's protest at DC Mayor Tony Williams's block party to oppose public financing of a baseball team. She says:
"There's nothing wrong with baseball. There is something wrong with a limited debate on the issue. There is something wrong when the Mayor's pro-baseball rally receives little opposition. There will be something wrong if only a few people show up on Thursday."
Read her report of the protest, and go to Thursday's rally sponsored by Washington Innercity Self Help, MANNA Inc., the Fair Budget Coalition, the Coalition of Homeless and Housing Organizations, the National Coalition for the Homeless, the DC Fiscal Policy Institute, Friends of the Earth, the Community Council for the Homeless at Friendship Place, the DC Statehood Green Party and the Institute for Local Self Reliance. It's at the Wilson Building, 1350 Pennsylvania Ave. NW, from 9:30 to 10:30 a.m.
The Drug Policy Alliance will host a short vigil at the Royal Thai Embassy in Washington, DC, in support of the "International Day of Action in Solidarity with Thai Activists." In an effort to eradicate all drugs in Thailand by December, the Thai government is pursuing a hugely intensified "war on drugs." The country's own statistics confirm that more than 2,200 Thai citizens have been killed in this war, although the police have admitted to only 42 of the murders.
Call on the Thai government to take all available measures to prevent further extra-judicial killings of its citizens, ensure that there is justice and proper investigations into the many murders that have already occurred, and invest properly in effective treatment for drug problems.
Assemble at the Royal Thai Embassy, 1024 Wisconsin Ave. NW (at South Street, just below The Shops at Georgetown Park), on Thursday, June 12, from 11:45 a.m. to 12:45 p.m. If possible, bring a single red flower as a symbol of the blood that has been shed. If you wish to bring signs, please be respectful of the memory of those who have been murdered, and remember: this is a vigil as well as a protest.
And don't forget to fax the embassy a message in support of human rights, compassion and fairness for Thai citizens. For more background on the Thai drug war, click here.
In honor of the ACLU's first National Membership Conference, attend a free show featuring political punk band Blowback with local area poets and puppetistas. This unique performance will take place as one continuous narrative, blurring the line between art and politics. Experience the show on Friday, June 13, from 9:30 p.m. to midnight, at the Sanctuary Theater, 1459 Columbia Rd. NW. For more information, call 202/236-6481.
Since I live just a few short blocks from the Capitol dome – which I believe was the target of the plane shot down in Pennsylvania on Sept. 11 by the U.S. military… uh… I mean, brought down by hero-citizens shouting, "Let's roll!" – this item caught my eye:
"In an effort to help foster increased cohesion and build resilience in our neighborhoods, the Intergenerational Dialogue for Homeland Security will aim to catalyze a grassroots dialogue within the Capitol Hill community about recovery and rebalancing under the ongoing threat of terrorism. This important event, free of charge and open to all interested DC residents, is carefully structured around participants’ generational experience of war and terrorism. This structure helps to ensure that all ages are represented and that all our residents’ voices are heard. It has the potential to offer your neighbors and yourselves a powerful means of breaking down some of the isolation and fear that have been awash in our communities since the tragedies of September 11."
This event is sponsored by Project DC, a division of the DC Department of Mental Health. It takes place Wednesday, June 11, 6:30 to 8:30 p.m., at St. Mark’s Episcopal Church, 118 Third St. NE. For more information, call 202/671-2977.
I don't usually pitch an event with a $20 admissions fee, but it's not often you get to hear author, humorist and populist activist Jim Hightower speak in person – and at the historic Lincoln Theater at that!
Hightower will headline the 10th Anniversary Celebration for Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility (PEER). PEER is the nation's only watchdog organization dedicated to defending public servants who raise environmental issues. Other guests include Republican Sen. Charles Grassley of Iowa, Congress's staunchest defender of government whistleblowers, who will introduce former public employees who will share their personal stories of courage under fire.
It all happens on Thursday, June 12, at the Lincoln Theater, 1215 U St. NW. The celebration begins at 8 p.m., with a VIP reception at 6:30 p.m. Tickets are $20 for the main event and $50 with the VIP reception. For more information or to order tickets, call PEER at 202/265-7337 or e-mail here.
I can't idly stand by while Mayor Williams goes off on another pie-in-the-sky scheme to increase funds in the city's coffers. I don't believe a word he says about how new revenues generated by baseball will make Washington a better place to live. But I do believe his attempt to bring Major League Baseball here will line the pockets of his wealthy business friends.
Hey Anthony, try to bring adequate education to our city. You'd be surprised what a new generation of college students will do for Washington's economy. Prescription drug coverage for those in need will strengthen the economic base of DC's seniors and disabled. And Mr. Mayor, while you're growing DC's economy, don't forget we need affordable housing so our working class can continue to live here.
There are just too many other issues requiring the mayor's attention and support. Besides, the recent failures with Grand Prix racing and boxing indicate that the DC government probably can't even successfully manage the hog dog concession at a baseball stadium, let alone a half-billion-dollar project like this one.
There's a lot we can do to help out in this fight; here’s the lineup:
* On Monday, June 9, from 5 to 7 p.m., picket the mayor’s pro-baseball block party at Eighth and D Streets NW (Archives/Navy Memorial Metro).
* On Tuesday, June 10, from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m., come to a sign-making party for a rally on Thursday. Pizza and sign-making materials will be available at 1419 V St. NW. Call 202/332-8800 to RSVP.
* On Wednesday, June 11, from noon to 1 p.m., Kojo Nnamdi will be talking baseball on his WAMU radio show. Call in to 800/433-8850 and voice your opinion.
* On Thursday, June 12, from 9:30 to 10:30 a.m., attend the Human Needs Not Baseball Schemes rally at Freedom Plaza, 14th and Pennsylvania NW.
And don't forget to sign the online petition against using public money for Major League Baseball in DC.
The Capital Pride Festival winds up this weekend with a parade on Saturday, June 7, starting at 6:30 p.m. from Frances Junior High School at 24th and N Streets, winding through Dupont Circle to its finish at 17th Street and Rhode Island Avenue NW (parade map). Then on Sunday, June 8, attend the street festival on Pennsylvania Avenue from Third to Seventh Streets NW, starting at 1:30 p.m. Check out the entire schedule of parties and dances this weekend right here.
The DC Department of Transportation is undertaking a comprehensive update of the city's 30-year-old bike plan. Bike rides and workshops are planned in Wards 1 and 2 in June, and everyone is welcome. Come to the workshops to hear about the new bike plan and offer suggestions. Help to mark maps with commonly used routes and to identify areas needing improvement.
Ward 1 ride: Saturday, June 7, 9 a.m.-12 p.m. Meet at the Columbia Heights Metro, west side bike racks. Ward 1 workshop: Tuesday, June 10, 7-9 p.m., St. Stephens Church, 16th and Newton Streets NW.
Ward 2 ride: Saturday, June 7, 1-4 p.m. Meet at the Dupont Circle Metro, Q Street exit bike racks. Ward 2 workshop: Tuesday, June 12, 7-9 p.m. Johns Hopkins University Nitze Building, 1740 Massachusetts Ave. NW.
For more information, click here or contact DC Bicycle Program Manager Jim Sebastian at 202/671-2331.
Global Exchange and the Rainforest Action Network are organizing the National Day of Action on Ford Motor Company. Currently, Ford vehicles account for approximately one month of the United States’ annual oil consumption, an amount equal to the yearly oil consumption of Italy. In addition, Ford cars are the worst global-warming polluters in the industry. In April, Ford announced that it was breaking its promise to reduce SUV emissions by 25 percent by 2005, further confirming its unwillingness to change. Ford vehicles help fuel war, the global warming crisis, rainforest destruction, toxic waste and oil spills, human rights abuses and air pollution. Log onto www.jumpstartford.com to learn more.
On Saturday, June 7, five days before Ford's centennial celebration, people around the U.S. will hold demonstrations at Ford dealerships to send a loud and clear message that we will no longer tolerate the production of primitive gas-guzzling vehicles that put us all at risk. Demand that Ford change its business practices and lead the American auto industry in clean vehicle technologies now. Ask Ford to increase fuel economy to 50 mpg by 2010 and to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to zero by 2020.
The DC-area action takes place at noon on Saturday, June 7, at Koons Ford, 8315 Baltimore Ave. (Hwy. 1) in College Park.
Take the Green Line to the College Park Metro station, where shuttles can take you to the protest. Or it's about a 20-minute walk from the Metro station: take a left on Paint Branch Parkway, go 0.9 miles, take a right on Hwy. 1, go 0.3 miles, and the dealership is on the right.
For more information, call Maritza Valenzuela at 202/462-1916 or send an e-mail.
The National Lawyers Guild invites you to attend its 2003 Mideast Regional Convention for a day of critical panel presentations:
* The Immigration Crackdown * Animal Rights: A Social Justice Issue * Drug Policy * Grassroots Opposition to the USA Patriot Act * Privacy for Radicals in This Electronic Age
The event is Saturday, June 7, 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m., at the University of the District of Columbia, David A. Clarke School of Law, 4200 Connecticut Ave. NW (Van Ness Metro).
Registration fees are $25 for attorneys, $15 for legal workers, and $10 for activists and law students, but no one will be turned away for lack of funds. You can register at the door; please pay by check or money order made out to National Lawyers Guild, Mid-Atlantic Region. For more information, contact Ed Elder, 202/296-5600, or send an e-mail.
Join a lively discussion of how the media cover local issues and events, and why – sometimes – they don’t. How do journalists view current issues that concern our neighborhoods? What are the important emerging stories elsewhere in DC that will affect us? What does it take to get your letter to the editor published?
All are welcome at the monthly public meeting of the Cleveland Park Citizens Association for "Meet Our Press! How Well Do Local Media Serve the Community?" with Mark Plotkin, WTOP radio; Judith Havemann, editor, Washington Post DC Extra; Davis Kennedy, editor/publisher, Northwest Current; and Kathryn Sinzinger, editor/publisher, The Common Denominator. The meeting is Saturday, June 7, 10:15 a.m., at the Cleveland Park Library, Connecticut Avenue and Newark Street NW. For more information, call the Cleveland Park Citizens Association, 202/362-4279.
Come to an open house at the Arthur S. Flemming Center, a cooperative project of Emmaus Services for the aging and other diverse non-profit organizations. The center seeks to create a community with a shared sense of service, creativity and justice. Check out its new office space at 1426 Ninth St. NW on Saturday, June 7, starting at 1 p.m. Singer David Rovicks will perform at 7 p.m. Contact Mark Andersen of the Emmaus Senior Services at 202/745-1200 or Jen Carr of the Washington Peace Center at 202/234-2000.
Here's a chance to hear some hip hop straight out of Havana. Doble Filo and Grupo Obsesion, two of Cuba's up-and-coming hip hop groups, will conduct an afternoon workshop for youths and present an evening performance of rap "Cubano style." The afternoon workshop will offer an opportunity for people from the community to hear directly from young Cuban hip hop artists about their artistic endeavors as well as to share their own work. Stick around for the evening performance, when Doble Filo and Grupo Obsesion will shout out rhymes and social commentary, and kick back beats with a Cuban twist.
The event is part of the 2nd Annual DC Hip Hop Theatre Festival and is being co-presented by the DC Commission on the Arts & Humanities, the New York International Hip Hop Exchange Project, Sol y Soul and the New York City Hip Hop Theater Festival. It all takes place Thursday, June 5, at the Josephine Butler Parks Center, 2437 15th St. NW. The workshop is free and runs from 4 to 6 p.m. The performance is at 8 p.m., with a "pay what you can" admission. Contact Quique Aviles at Sol y Soul, 202/526-4417, for reservations or more information.
Come to a Millionaire March and Rally for Bush and Cheney on Friday, June 6. Join ACORN, the Campaign for America’s Future, the Fair Taxes for All Coalition, Jobs with Justice, New Jersey Citizen Action, Progressive Maryland, United for a Fair Economy, and USAction to express our deep gratitude to Bush and Cheney for:
$ The dividend, capital gains and income-tax breaks for millionaires that are — blissfully — moving through Congress.
$ Starving state governments, thus leading to the elimination of wasteful programs like long-term health care for sick senior citizens and public schools for “no-count” children.
$ Privatizing Medicare and Social Security, wasteful programs that encourage senior citizens to live beyond their time and take money from those who really produce the wealth in this great nation.
Meet at the Omni Shoreham Hotel, 2550 Calvert St. NW (near the Woodley Park Metro) on Friday, June 6, at 2 p.m., then march to the corner of 34th Street and Massachusetts Avenue NW for the Millionaire Rally at 3:15 p.m. Come dressed as your favorite millionaire! Call USAction at 202/624-1730 for more information.
Come to a benefit concert for the Washington Peace Center at The Potter's House, 1658 Columbia Rd. NW, with music by Pat Humphries, Sandy Opatow and the Rhythmworkers Union on Friday, June 6, from 6:30 to 11 p.m. Admission is $10 at the door with a sliding scale. Contact Jen Carr at 202/234-2000 for more information.
If you don't regularly read Zoe Mitchell's Nominally-Arbitrary Project, you should. This tireless warrior sits front-row center at some of Washington's most important actions. Her latest:
Ed Rosenthal Needs Your Help! Come outraged and determined to help the DC chapter of Americans for Safe Access educate the average citizen about the benefits of medical marijuana and their rights as jurors. Americans for Safe Access is an action-oriented, grassroots campaign of patients and supporters working at the national level to change the unjust laws that prevent patients from accessing medical marijuana.
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Jury Education Direct Action on Medical Marijuana Wednesday, June 4, 8 to 9 a.m. E. Bartlett Prettyman Federal Courthouse, 333 Constitution Ave. NW
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The U.S. District Court in Northern California will be sentencing Ed Rosenthal, the world’s leading marijuana cultivation expert and best-selling author, on Thursday, June 4, at 2:15 p.m. His conviction includes conspiracy to manufacture marijuana, manufacturing marijuana, and maintaining a place for manufacturing marijuana.
Earlier this year, several jurors from Rosenthal’s trial called for a re-trial on the grounds that they had not been allowed to consider the California law that makes medical marijuana legal. Rosenthal was indicted under federal law, which does not allow the growing of marijuana for any purpose. In fact, the former jurors made a public apology after the decision was made, saying that they did not know the marijuana was actually grown was for medical purposes.
A jury has the power to decide the issues of law under which a defendant is charged as well as the facts. Jurors can question the law, have the right to acquit, and can use discretion in applying the law. We want citizens to know that jurors have just as much power to judge law and fact as Congress, the president, or even the Supreme Court and must keep in check the power of government.
Stop the Bush administration from taking money from our schools and communities to subsidize the Bechtel Corporation, a construction company with one of the worst human rights and environmental abuse records in the world. On Thursday, June 5, from noon to 1 p.m., join a nationwide protest against the company at Bechtel's DC lobbying office at 1015 15th St. NW, between K and L. For more information, call the Washington Peace Center at 202/234-2000.
DC Action for Children and Friends of the Earth invite advocates, environmentalists and others to a strategy meeting to prepare for the DC City Council's June 12 hearing on baseball stadium financing. The two groups have voiced opposition to the stadium because of concerns that Mayor Williams's financing plan would deplete funds needed for health, human services, education and environmental programs.
The legislation – Bill 15-270, "The Ballpark Revenue Amendment Act of 2003” – is available online here or by calling 202/724-8050. At the meeting, the DC Fiscal Policy Institute will summarize the legislation and provide an overview of the research showing that baseball is bad economic development.
The strategy meeting takes place Thursday, June 5, from 4 to 5:30 p.m., at Friends of the Earth, 1025 Vermont Ave. NW, Third Floor (near Metro Center). Come prepared to develop common language for the June 12 public hearing, share strategies and tactics already under way, and identify others who should be engaged in this effort. For more information, contact Chris Weiss, Friends of the Earth, at 202/783-7400, ext. 120, or e-mail here; or Susie Cambria, DC Action for Children, at 202/234-9404 or this e-mail.
Against obvious odds, the Peace Park Antinuclear Vigil for peace, justice, wisdom, honesty and global disarmament continues 24 hours a day in Lafayette (Peace) Park, north of the White House. Come celebrate the group's 22nd anniversary on Tuesday, June 3, with music and a potluck supper.
Join them in the park at 5 p.m., at dark the group will noisily but legally march from the White House to the Peace House, 1233 12th St. NW (between M and N). If it rains, the marching will begin at once. Bring drums, musical instruments and your favorite food, and come share what you are doing to make the world a better place.
And learn about the status of Proposition One, the "Nuclear Disarmament and Economic Conversion Act," which will be reintroduced into Congress by DC Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton later in June. Visit this website, send an e-mail, or call 202/682-4282 for more information.
The DC Independent Media Center hosts "Unprecedented: The 2000 Presidential Election," the riveting story about the battle for the presidency in Florida and the undermining of democracy in America. Filmmakers Richard Ray Perez and Joan Sekler examine modern America's most controversial political contest: the election of George W. Bush.
What emerges is a disturbing picture of an election marred by suspicious irregularities, electoral injustices and sinister voter purges in a state governed by the winning candidate's brother. George W. Bush stole the presidency of the United States – and got away with it.
"Unprecedented" and other indy films produced by local video makers will be shown at Visions Cinema on Tuesday, June 3, at 7 p.m. Tickets are $9. Visions is located where 20th Street meets Florida Avenue between Connecticut and T streets. The closest Metro stop is Dupont Circle, Q Street exit.
The lineup for the evening:
7 p.m. DC Independent Media Center newsreel: "Beats for Peace," "Code Pink Slips the FCC Chair Powell," "Day After the War Started"
7:15 p.m. "Unprecedented" (51 min)
8:15 p.m. "Not My President!" (30 min), a documentary about the protests that erupted at GW's inauguration.
DC Metro Action is published by Michael Schlesinger, a 32-year veteran of electoral and issue organizing who is committed to social justice and to increasing participation in the political process.
All original content (C) 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006 Michael Schlesinger
