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).
Tuesday, September 30, 2003
Welcome the Freedom Riders
The Immigrant Workers Freedom Ride arrives in Washington on Wednesday, Oct. 1. You can meet the buses coming into the Best Western Capitol Skyline at 10 I St. SW at 2 p.m. (Navy Yard Metro). At 6 p.m., come to the official welcome at the Bible Way Temple, 110 New Jersey Ave. NW, featuring Congressman John Lewis of Georgia.
On Oct. 1, the first day of the new fiscal year, demand that Congress stop controlling the DC city budget and adding undemocratic riders to the DC appropriations bill. At noon on Wednesday, join activists from the DC Statehood Green Party, the Stand Up for Democracy in DC Coalition and other local groups at a rally outside the Republican National Committee headquarters, First and C Streets SE, across from the Capitol South Metro stop. For more information, click here.
The Dennis Kucinich/Ralph Nader Democracy Rising rally, which was postponed because of Hurricane Isabel, needs help getting the word out about the rally's new date in Washington: Tuesday, Oct. 7. If you'd like to help, attend an organizational meeting at 7 p.m. on Monday, Sept. 29, or Wednesday, Oct. 1, on the third floor of Cafe Luna, 1633 P St. NW. For more information, call 202/319-2422 or click here.
Join hundreds of high school students, parents, teachers, residents, community activists, union members, school system employees and others at a rally to demand full funding of the DC Public Schools. The event takes place Wednesday, Sept. 30 at 4 p.m. at Freedom Plaza (14th Street and Pennsylvania Avenue NW). A student/youth rally will kick things off at 1 p.m.
The rally is sponsored by the DCPS Full Funding Campaign, a coalition of students, parents, teachers, city residents, community organizations, civil rights groups and unions representing DCPS employees. For more information, call 202/624-8100.
The Carlisle Indian School, in operation from 1879 to 1918, was a social experiment. Its main purpose was to assimilate and acculturate young Native Americans, who lived isolated from their tribes. Most of the more than 10,000 students who attended Carlisle, which was created by an army general and backed by the U.S. government, were forbidden to speak their own languages and forced to transform their identities – to be more "civilized."
On the left is Navajo Tom Torlino upon his arrival at the Carlisle School. On the right, is Tom Torlino three years later. From Photographs From Indian Boarding Schools
When Puerto Rico was placed under U.S. control at the end of the Spanish-American War in 1898, a group of about 60 young Puerto Ricans were sent to the Carlisle Indian School. Their story has yet to be told.
Participate in a conversation about this almost forgotten chapter of American history led by Sonia Rosa, a writer who will discuss new information that has been uncovered about this mystery.
Georgetown law professor David Cole's new book, Enemy Aliens, examines the detention of more than 1,200 people in connection with the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. Former New York Times columnist Anthony Lewis said, "Cole is the country's great voice for civil liberties today. In this important book he shows how 9/11 has been used to undermine the legal rights of immigrants — and that after them, it will be easy to target American citizens."
Cole, a volunteer staff attorney for the Center for Constitutional Rights and the legal affairs correspondent for The Nation, will discuss his new book at 5 p.m. on Sunday, Sept. 28, at Politics and Prose, 5015 Connecticut Ave. NW.
We Ain't Down with Death and DestructionJoin the DC Anti-War Network every Friday night (weather permitting) at Dupont Circle, where DJ's play the latest in political hip hop and reggae as well as old-school classics. Bring your poetry, imagination and thoughts for the folks in the park, and speak out at the open mic between DJ sets.
Critical Mass is a monthly bicycle ride that celebrates cycling and asserts cyclists' right to the road. Started in San Francisco in 1992, Critical Mass has no leaders, and no central organization sanctions the rides that take place in cities all over the world.
Bring your bike, board or skates to Kazm Collective's Critical Mass/Critical Thrash on Friday, Sept. 26, at 6 p.m. Meet behind the Silver Diner at the intersection of Rockville Pike and Montrose Road in Rockville. For more information about Critical Mass bike rides, go to this website.
The Metropolitan/Delta Adult Literacy Council is seeking tutors to help adults improve their basic reading skills. Volunteers work with one student and meet days, evenings or weekends at a mutually agreeable location, such as a public library. Volunteers work about three hours a week; teaching materials are provided.
A one-hour orientation will be held at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 25, at 1218 R St. NW. It will be followed by a 15-hour training workshop held over two Saturdays, Oct. 4 and 18, from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., at the Metropolitan Baptist Church, 1225 R St. NW. Call 202/234-BOOK (2665) to receive a registration form.
Wesley Clark's sudden rise to frontrunner status tells me that people weren't happy with the Democrats' choice of presidential challengers. I know I'm not.
My heart is with Dennis Kucinich, but it's unlikely he can go the distance.
Howard Dean, the darling of the left and – until the General showed up – the media, flip-flops on a lot of issues, including the death penalty, Social Security, free trade and campaign finance. And frankly, his Park Avenue childhood just didn’t prepare him to outreach to the kind of diversity I'm comfortable with.
John Kerry lacks a populous base to make it all the way to 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. And if I decide I do want a Republican in the White House, I'll vote for Joe Lieberman.
It's only a matter of time until the Wesley Clark myth unravels, and then we'll be left with the also-rans. So, here I am, with a vote to cast and lots of energy to put toward a challenger – and nowhere to go.
While the Sept. 11 terrorists were busy finalizing their plans to destroy America, police in Washington, D.C., were actively attempting to destroy local activists’ organizing for the scheduled World Bank and IMF meetings by tearing down posters on lampposts and threatening to fine protestors. These severe violations of First Amendment rights are documented in a video shot by renowned activist artist Mike Flugennock.
This video presentation is part of a celebration of Flugennock’s activist art and the public release of “Mike Flugennock’s 2004 Protest Poster Art Calendar,” produced by the Mintwood Media Collective, a progressive, worker-owned and -operated D.C. public relations firm.
See the video and meet the artist, who will be signing copies of the calendar and discussing his work, at 8 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 25, at Idle Time Books, 2467 18th St. NW. More information is available online.
Just as the Freedom Rides of the early 1960s exposed to the nation the brutality of legal segregation in the South, this year's Immigrant Workers Freedom Ride will expose the injustice of current policies toward immigrants.
Immigrants are construction workers, doctors, nurses, janitors, meat packers, chefs, engineers, farm workers and soldiers. They work hard, pay taxes and sacrifice for their families. They care for our children and elderly, pick and serve our food, and build and clean our houses. Immigrants want what we all want: a fair shot at the American Dream.
But our broken immigration system keeps millions of hardworking immigrants from enjoying equal rights and becoming full members of our society. They are subjected to exploitation, separated from loved ones and unprotected by our laws. The Immigrant Workers Freedom Ride will help draw a new map of the road to U.S. citizenship.
On Saturday, Sept. 20, nearly 1,000 immigrant workers and their allies boarded buses in Seattle, Portland, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Las Vegas, Minneapolis, Chicago, Houston, Miami and Boston. These new Freedom Riders will travel some 20,000 miles of U.S. highways and stop at more than 100 cities, towns and workplaces. On Oct. 1 and 2, they will arrive in Washington, D.C., to meet with members of Congress. On Oct. 3, they will travel to Liberty State Park, which overlooks the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island, for an event hosted by the governor of New Jersey. On Oct. 4, they will come together at Flushing Meadows Park in Queens, N.Y., for a rally expected to attract tens of thousands of people.
Join the DC Freedom Ride Welcome Team, hosted by Union City!, and become a part of history. Listed below are the volunteer time slots available. Whatever time you can give will make all the difference as you welcome our brothers and sisters to Washington for this historic event.
Wednesday, Oct. 1: 9 a.m. to noon: Preparation and Setup Noon to 3 p.m.: Welcome Freedom Riders 3 to 6 p.m.: Welcome Freedom Riders/Dinner 6:30 to 9 p.m.: Welcome Event at Bible Way Temple
Thursday, Oct. 2: 9 to 10 a.m.: Load Buses from Hotel to Capitol Hill 1 to 5 p.m.: Capitol Hill Lobbying/AFL-CIO Dinner 6 to 9 p.m.: Parking Lot Attendant March and Rally
E-mail your preferred time slot to streetheat@dclabor.org, or call 202/857-3410. All volunteers will receive a commemorative T-shirt. For more information, click here.
We consider ourselves very lucky. No flooding, no loss of power, no downed trees nearby. Sure glad I'm not waiting on line for dry ice. Now it's time to get the backyard back together again. There's some post-hurricane partying in my future.
The first Prayer Vigil for the Earth in 1993 was inspired by a vision of an eagle that called for healing and prayer in the U.S. capital and emphasized the importance of including Native American wisdom keepers. Since 1997, one of the key goals of the vigil has been to create a continuous prayer circle around the world as the sun rises on the morning of the last Saturday in September.
Experience the ebb and flow of the Prayer Vigil for the Earth in spirited expressions of prayer and silence, gospel singing, Taiko drumming and dancing the hora. Chant with Buddhist monks, help create a sacred Yantra, walk around the Stupa, and hear the magical sounds of a shofar.
The 11th Annual Prayer Vigil for the Earth will begin at sunrise on Saturday, Sept. 20, and end at 3 p.m. on Sunday, Sept. 21, in West Potomac Park. You are welcome to come for an hour or for the day. For more information, see this website.
Isabel, we're ready for you. OK, maybe not entirely ready – our food stockpile is non-existent, and we have only a six-pack of Evian (buy French!) on hand. Look, I'm a city kid, and I fully expect to be able to go out to the store whenever I need to.
But the plants and trees (I've got a half-dozen giant redwood seedlings, a red cedar and a couple of dwarf plum trees in pots) are nicely tucked away on the back porch. The backyard table is turned upside down, and the chairs are stacked against a wall.
It's 11 a.m. and the wind is starting to blow out there – quite a bit. Could be there's a storm coming.
I'm not Why I Hate DC, but I can't help but wonder why DC Metro shut down so early? What about the chunk of the population that doesn't have the luxury of taking the day off? How will they get home? It's not likely many cabs will be on duty this afternoon.
I understand the dangers of the suburban outdoor platforms, but what about getting from Dupont Circle or Columbia Heights to Capitol Hill? Isn't public transportation supposed to play a critical role in emergencies? Oh, I forgot – in DC, the regular rules don't apply. Third-class citizens till the end.
Congrats to all at the First Primary Blog. They invited each of the presidential candidates to be a guest blogger -- Joe Lieberman was the first to post.
The "People Have the Power" rally scheduled for Thursday, September 18, 2003 with Ralph Nader, Dennis Kucinich and others has been postponed due to the impending hurricane Isabel. Please stay tuned for the new date at www.DemocracyRising.org.
Ralph Nader, Dennis Kucinich and Patti Smith will lead the D.C. rally of the "People Have the Power Tour: Democracy Rising" on Thursday, Sept. 18. The doors open at 6 p.m. at the Metropolitan African Methodist Episcopal Church, 1518 M St. NW. For more information, click here.
The Stamp Act Congress sure hopes so. The group wants to start a nationwide discussion on the injustice in the U.S. capital that denies Washington's 500,000 citizens a voice in Congress. And it's all going to start with a rubber stamp.
The Stamp Act Congress will imprint money with its website, www.stampouttax.com, and its motto: "Stamp out taxation without representation in Washington DC!" On Wednesday, Sept. 17, at 7 p.m., the group will kick off its effort with the first Stamp Act Congress Rally for DC at 712 Butternut St. NW. For more information, look here.
DC residents, developers and housing advocates (loosely known as the Affordable Housing Alliance) will meet on Wednesday, Sept. 17, at 10 a.m. at the Coalition for Nonprofit Housing and Economic Development, 5 Thomas Circle NW, to discuss pressing and emerging housing issues in the city and to plan activities to address them. For more information, call Nina Dastur at 202/342-0519, ext. 385.
Last week I was watching Bill Maher's show. He had Gen. Wesley Clark on as a guest. Now I'm not usually open minded about someone who chooses the military as a way of life, let alone a guy who is so successful at it that he rises to the rank of general. And then there are all those stories about how crazy Clark was in Kosovo. So I approached the interview with a high level of skepticism.
Clark talked about his opposition to the war, and about how the Patriot Act and Bush tax cuts must be repealed. I was a bit taken aback. I didn't expect to hear such rhetoric from someone in the moderate, or even conservative, wing of the Democratic party, which is where I think a four-star general would be. Clark went on to defend dissent, stressing the importance of its role in democracy.
Hoo boy! I was shaken and stirred – totally turned upside-down. Then over the weekend, I received this Michael Moore e-mail: "Michael Moore to Wesley Clark: Run!" Please read it and let me know what you think about of all this.
The 1999 HBO documentary "Innocent Until Proven Guilty" takes a critical look at the U.S. criminal justice system through the eyes of a D.C. public defender, who continues the struggle for civil rights by defending young black men and women who cannot afford representation and trying to help them break an ongoing cycle of crime and incarceration. The film follows James Forman Jr., who founded the Maya Angelou Public Charter School, an alternative high school for juvenile ex-offenders.
Attend a screening of the film, followed by a panel discussion about the role of education in breaking the cycle of poverty and crime, and what the DC community is doing to improve education for all of its children. The event begins at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 16, at Visions Cinema Bistro Lounge, 1927 Florida Ave. NW. Admission is $7 and all proceeds will benefit the students of the Maya Angelou School. For more information, e-mail Lauren Struck.
The Arlington chapter of Amnesty International is hosting a public forum on the Patriot Act and other dangerous new laws that threaten Americans' constitutional and civil rights. Join Congressman Jim Moran (D-Va.), Kit Gage of the National Coalition Against Repressive Legislation, Sherifah Rafiq of the Muslim American Society Freedom Foundation, Jeanne Herrick-Stare of the Friends Committee on National Legislation, and a representative of the American Civil Liberties Union as they discuss these laws as well as what can be done to preserve our rights and liberties.
The forum is on Sunday, Sept. 14, from 1:30 to 4:30 p.m., at the Arlington Public Library, 1015 N. Quincy St. Co-sponsors of the event include the American Civil Liberties Union, Northern Virginians for Peace and Justice, and NOVAREPEAL. Elected officials from Arlington, Alexandria, Fairfax and Falls Church also have been invited to participate. For more information, contact Richard Bromberg at 202/835-0660 or via e-mail.
Oct. 1 is the first day of the federal government's fiscal year. Because of the District's colonial status, Congress has assumed the right to hold up DC's budget until it is reviewed and passed as part of the federal appropriations process – even though 75 percent of the city's budget is raised from local tax funds, about the same as most states. If the pattern of recent years holds, the federal government will not have approved Washington's budget by its own fiscal deadline.
Because Congress cannot finish its work on time, the enactment of DC's budget is usually delayed well into the fiscal year (this year, by nearly four months), which prevents the District from spending new funds on essentials like health care, education and public safety.
Moreover, as the city's budget moves through the appropriations process, members of Congress can add restrictions that are at odds with the wishes of DC voters. Current riders include a ban on a needle-exchange program to prevent AIDS and a prohibition on implementing an initiative that would let marijuana be used for medical purposes.
It’s time to get Congress out of our local affairs. On Oct. 1, the Budget Autonomy Day (BAD) Coalition will engage in direct action on Capitol Hill to demand that Congress free Washington's budget. Help build this event by attending the next planning meeting on Monday, Sept. 15, at 7:30 p.m. at the Flemming Center, 1426 Ninth St. NW (Metro: Howard University/Shaw). Call the Stand Up for Democracy in DC Coalition at 202/232-2500, ext. 3, to volunteer or for more information.
The apostles of "free trade" are at it again: Trade ministers from around the world will gather for their fifth World Trade Organization (WTO) meeting in Cancun, Mexico, from Sept. 10 to 14. Dancing to the tune called by their corporate masters, these "representatives" are convening to promote a militarized and commodified vision of our world. Their plans will lead to further environmental degradation, eroded standards of living for workers (especially people of color and women), and obscene profits for transnational corporations unconstrained by democratic accountability.
On Friday, Sept. 12, join a demonstration and march here in Washington and stand in solidarity with those gathered in opposition to the WTO meeting in Mexico. Meet at McPherson Square at noon. For more information, click here.
A reading to celebrate the publication of D.C. Poets Against the War: An Anthology is planned for Friday, Sept. 12, at 7 p.m., at the Resource Center for Activism & Arts, 1611 Connecticut Ave. NW. The event will also commemorate the victims of the Sept. 11 attacks.
The reading and the reception to follow are free and open to the public. Copies of the anthology will be available for purchase at the discounted price of $8. Donations also will be accepted to support the ongoing work of D.C. Poets Against the War.
On Friday, Sept. 12, more than a dozen town hall meetings on U.S.-Islamic world relations will take place across the country. In Washington, the town hall will be held from 7 to 9 p.m. on the George Washington University campus at the Elliot School of International Affairs (1957 E St. NW, between 19th and 20th streets). The meeting will begin with brief remarks from a panel of distinguished speakers, including the Al Jazeera Washington bureau chief. The panel will then lead a discussion on how the United States and the Islamic world can work together to stem our growing mutual hatred.
For more information on the series of town hall meetings, visit this website.
Tomorrow is Sept. 11, a day we will remember for a very long time. But how best to mark the day?
We certainly will remember it with deep sorrow for all of the families that lost a loved one. But let us also remember it as the day that our cowboy president set this country on the road to isolation with a billion-dollar-a-week military cattle drive. Unlike Pepsi and the NFL – which capitalize on the horror of this war to sell their products – we should use the memories of Sept. 11 to think about peace and to dream of a nation that spends $1 billion a week on health care, education and affordable housing for its children and their grandparents.
His Holiness the Dalai Lama will participate in a devotional ceremony at the Washington National Cathedral on the second anniversary of Sept. 11, 2001. The Dalai Lama will give a talk titled "Cultivating Peace as an Antidote to Violence." This event is free and open to the public, and no tickets are necessary. Doors will open at 2:30 p.m. For more information, log on here.
The DC Anti-War Network is working hard on two 9/11 events. At noon on Thursday, Sept. 11, gather at the White House for a "Vigil of Truth and Justice" with others who want an end to U.S. hypocrisy and violence around the world.
At 6 p.m., attend a rally at Dupont Circle and speak out against the injustices of the U.S. government in the wake of the so-called "War on Terrorism." In attendance will be various peace and justice organizations, which will provide information on how to plug into organizing in the DC metro area.
Thirty years ago, the U.S. government orchestrated one of the bloodiest coups in Latin America. On Sept. 11, 1973, the Nixon/Kissinger administration, following the orders of the multinational corporations ITT and Kennecot Copper, overthrew the socialist administration of President Salvador Allende. Tens of thousands of Chileans were killed on that day. Every progressive reform implemented by the Allende administration was overturned.
As we remember the lives of those lost on Sept. 11 at the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, let us also remember the victims of the other Sept. 11.
Notices went up last night that the Gales Shelter will not close on Sept. 19. Although this news is positive, residents are very concerned that the building continue to be available to permanently serve homeless residents in the downtown area. Current Gales School Shelter residents and advocates state that the alternative site for shelter at New York Ave. NE -- two miles away -- will not meet downtown shelter needs. City shelter administrators report existing emergency shelter sites as currently full or over-capacity.
The vigil previously planned for tonight will still take place (see post from Mon., Sept. 8) to support the 150 residents at Gales. Join in celebrating the current stay of closure and supporting the twin goals of the Gales residents:
1) to keep the Gales School permanently open as a downtown area shelter; and 2) to see the Gales School Shelter renovated.
Residents of Capitol Park Plaza and Towers in Southwest D.C. started a rent strike this summer, protesting unsafe housing conditions and rents raised to unaffordable levels since a legislative loophole let the building change hands without first giving the tenants the right to purchase the property.
Many Capitol Park residents withheld their rent for the first time in August and will be appearing in Landlord/Tenant Court on Thursday, Sept. 11. Come rally with the strikers at 8 a.m. outside the DC Courthouse, 500 Indiana Ave. NW (Metro: Judiciary Square). For more information, call 202/484-8558.
Attend a special Black Voices for Peace meeting, "9/11 – Remembering ALL the Victims of Terrorism: The U.S. 'War on Terrorism,'" where speakers will examine US foreign policy since the tragic events of Sept. 11, 2001, and its impact on the black community in the U.S., Africa and the Caribbean. The meeting will be held at the Foundry Methodist Church, 1500 16th St. NW, on Wednesday, Sept. 10, from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m.
As I drove up Massachusetts Avenue near Union Station over the weekend, I was startled to see block after block of luxury housing nearing completion. About a half dozen buildings between Fifth and Ninth streets. I guess the new convention center is expected to spruce up the area enough to support some serious yuppie action.
Across the street from some of the luxury apartments is a small park with a modest building that belongs to the House of Ruth, a homeless women's facility. As I thought about the contrasting structures, I realized the Mayor would never allow homeless people to mingle with the 100,000 upper-income residents he is moving into the city, and I wondered how long it would be before it was shut down. Barely a month after the city relented and reopened the Franklin School as a weather-related shelter, another shelter is being closed (see the item below).
Mr. Mayor, we really don’t care about the luxury housing you are building. It won't win you any votes, and the money that your business pals contribute won't be enough to help you keep your job. The grassroots in DC isn't impressed with your leadership. We're tired of your mismanagement and woefully upside-down priorities – from your baseball schemes to your fatcat dreams. You're going to be surprised at the strength of your opposition in the next election, if you make it that far.
The District has announced that on Friday, Sept. 19, it will close the Gales School Shelter, where approximately 150 homeless men and women currently live. Join Gales School residents and members of the Coalition of Housing and Homeless Organizations for a speak-out and vigil in support of keeping the shelter open at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 9, at 65 Massachusetts Ave. NW.
If you missed it the first time, make plans to see the encore screening of "Liberia: America's Stepchild," on Tuesday, Sept. 9, at Visions Cinema. After the movie, stay for a brief Q&A led by Dr. Carl Patrick Burrowes, a Liberian historian and professor at Morgan University who will discuss recent events in Liberia and explain the effects of U.S. policy on Africa.
The film starts at 7 p.m. and admission is $7. The last showing sold out, so purchasing tickets in advance is recommended. For ticket information, contact Visions Cinema (1927 Florida Ave. NW) at 202/667-0090 or visit www.VisionsDC.com.
Come out to a clean-energy open house at Maryland’s only 100% renewable-energy home. See a corn-burning furnace, solar panels, low-energy refrigerator, hybrid cars, solar oven-baked cookies and a tofu-powered lawn mower! It's sponsored by the Chesapeake Climate Action Network and is free to all on Saturday, Sept. 6, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., at 7125 Willow Ave. in Takoma Park, Md. For more information, call 301/270-3722.
The 25th Annual Adams Morgan Festival will be celebrated with a series of events culminating with the traditional 18th Street Festival on Sunday, Sept. 7, from noon to 6pm. The festival highlights the best of Adams Morgan, Washington's most densely populated and ethnically diverse neighborhood. The weekend of festivities will open on Saturday, Sept. 6, with an arts market on Belmont Road at 18th Street, jazz performances in Kalorama Park, finals for a youth soccer tournament at Lincoln Field, and a youth basketball tournament at Marie Reed School on 18th Street. For a complete schedule of activities, log on here.
Takoma Park's 26th Annual Folk Festival is also this weekend. The performance lineup, on 8 stages, is packed with folk, roots, rock and world musicians. Add in some tasty food, folk art and tons of community tables, and you have one fine festival. For all the information, visit the festival website.
The US government has declared a War on Music. Congress recently passed the RAVE Act, which threatens club owners and entertainment promoters with imprisonment of up to 20 years and fines of up to $500,000 if controlled substances are distributed or used by patrons at their venues. The RAVE Act threatens to scare club owners and promoters into shutting down events nationwide, ultimately destroying a culture of music.
ROAR! – the National Dance and Music Rights Alliance – is sponsoring a 12-hour demonstration against the assault on music with a festival that celebrates civil liberties. Come witness the force and unity of the music culture through performances by international artists and speakers from major industry groups and political organizations.
The National Dance and Music Rights Alliance Rally + Music Event will be held Saturday, Sept. 6, from noon to midnight, at the Upper Senate Park on the grounds of the US Capitol (Constitution Avenue between New Jersey NW and Delaware NE; Union Station Metro is closest).
Don't bother trying to drive home on Thursday! The NFL kickoff - a virtual bread and circus that promises short skirts, Gulf War 2 heroes and massive amounts of machismo - expects to draw 500,000 people who will converge on the mall from all across the region, clogging up the streets and metro stations from early afternoon until late evening.
Come out instead for a healthy dose of activism CODEPINK-style in a protest of the FCC followed up by a presence at the NFL Kick-Off itself.
CODEPINK Angels of Public Interest
"The night after I was sworn in, I waited for a visit from the angel of the public interest. I waited all night, but she did not come." - Michael Powell, FCC Chairman
Alright Chairman Powell - You Asked for it!
The CODEPINK Angels of Public Interest will visit the FCC (445 12th St., SW), September 4th at 5pm. We need to remind the Commissioner of his pledge to protect the airwaves in the public interest. He needs to hear from you! Join us by meeting at the CODEPINK office (733 15th St.NW Room 507) at 4:30pm. Bring your own wings or let us know if you need a pair and we'll make it happen - just give us a call at 202-393-5016.
If you can't meet us at the office, then meet us there by taking metro to the Smithsonian station, and exiting at the Independence Ave/Bureau of Engraving/Holocaust Memorial exit. Make a right when you exit the metro and proceed about a block and a half to the FCC.
Then, stick with the Angels (or meet us at the FCC before 6pm), as we head over to the NFL Kickoff to make our counter statement to the celebration of football and militarism - BRING THE TROOPS HOME NOW. There are rumors that President will be making an appearance. Don't miss it.
The DC Statehood Green Party and the DC Anti-War Network present a "We Ain't Down with Death and Destruction" rally, where DJs Spinfinity and Funk DC will play the latest in political hip hop and reggae as well as the old school classics. Bring your poetry, imagination and thoughts and speak out at the open mic between DJ sets.
It's this Friday (weather permitting), Sept. 5, from 5:30 to 9 p.m. in the Dupont Circle park.
Black Voices for Peace will hold a general meeting for the Washington metro area on Wednesday, Sept. 3, from 6:30 to 9 p.m. at the Foundry Methodist Church, 1500 16th St. NW (at P Street).
SpiritHouse will host an impromptu evening with spoken word artist Staceyann Chin and musician Doria Roberts.
Chin comes to D.C. fresh from her performance in Broadway's Def Poetry Jam. Her work has been featured on Pacifica radio as well as in Curve and the Village Voice. Roberts, a self-described "part-time activist" for social change, has performed at venues like LadyFest South and Lilith Fair. Her music has been described as an eclectic mix of jazz, funk, folk and other musical genres.
The show is at 8 p.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 3, at the Warehouse Theater, 1017 Seventh St. NW. For more information, call 202/548-7640.
SpiritHouse is a DC non-profit dedicated to the elimination of social injustice through the arts, research, reflection, dialogue and education. For more information, send an e-mail here.
Voice of the Hill is available at these locations on Capitol Hill, or you can read the story, "Climb Aboard the Bandwagon: Hill Residents Join the Latest Online Revolution," in this large PDF of the entire issue (see page 21).
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
