DC Metro Action is a listing of local actions, entertainment, volunteer opportunities and the occasional rant on a wide range of socially just issues.
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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).
Friday, February 27, 2004
Unfair Labor Practices at Sterling Laundry
Workers at Sterling Laundry, which is located right here in Washington, have been on an unfair labor practice strike since early September, when the company responded to their efforts to organize a union by harassing, bribing and cutting the hours of union supporters – a violation of federal labor law.
Sterling holds more than $1.2 million in taxpayer-funded federal contracts that are regulated by the Service Contract Act, which sets minimum wage and benefit requirements for companies that contract with the federal government. Workers at Sterling earn, on average, $2.50 per hour below rates required by the act. They cannot afford health insurance and have no retirement benefits.
Glenys Pichardo, a packer at the laundry, said, "Sterling is a dangerous place to work. We clean dirty linens for hotels, hospitals and the Department of Defense that could be infectious. But we can't even afford health insurance on the wages we earn."
You can help give these workers the resources they need so that they can continue to fight to improve their own lives. Attend a happy-hour fundraiser to support the Sterling Laundry workers on Wednesday, March 3, at 6 p.m., at Cafe Citron (1343 Connecticut Ave. NW; 202/321-2025). There is a suggested donation of $8 ($4 dollars for students) but no one will be turned away. Best of all, $1 from every union drink you buy supports the campaign.
Get involved in the campaign by joining the picket line, educating Sterling customers or lending support in other ways. E-mail Mario to get plugged in.
Make a direct donation to the strike fund by sending a check to:
Patrick Forth 903 Russell Ave., Suite 400 Gaithersburg, MD 20879
Make the check out to: UNITE! Mid-Atlantic Region, and write "Sterling Strike" on the memo line.
Amalia Molina is a faithful witness to her own trauma and that of countless others who endure the indignity of immigration detention in the United States. From the day when she and her husband were handcuffed and taken away, through the legal battles and the anguish of being far from her children, she made a daily decision to be a positive presence behind bars.
Thanks to a grant from the Jesuit Relief Services, Molina's story has been published. "The Power of Love: My Experience in a U.S. Immigration Jail" is both a chilling description of the human toll of U.S. policies and an inspiring voice for love in the midst of powerlessness. Meet the author and hear about her experiences at a book signing and talk sponsored by the Ecumenical Program in Central America and the Caribbean (EPICA) on Thursday, Feb. 26, from 6 to 8 p.m. at EPICA's office at 1470 Irving St. NW (Columbia Heights Metro). For more information, call 202/332-0292.
W's latest shenanigan, calling for a constitutional amendment to protect the sanctity of his version of marrige, is certainly outrageous. I feel a need to write about it, but I couldn't do it as well as three of our own: The Republic of T, Stop That Train and Zoe.
After a successful tenant leafleting on Tuesday morning, Crystal City is ready for some rush hour noise! Join members and supporters of Local 27, and parking workers organizing from across the city, at a picket line this Thursday, Feb. 26, from 4:30 to 6 p.m., at the PMI Garage, at 2345 Crystal Dr. (at 23rd Street) in Crystal City, Va. For more information, contact Monica Bunton at 202/545-1789.
Come by the NARAL Pro-Choice Action Center (1110 F St. NW) to help build the crowd for the April 25 March for Women's Lives. Volunteers are needed every Wednesday from 6 to 9 p.m. for phone banking and mailings to turn out Maryland and Virginia marchers. Free pizza! Other volunteer opportunities are available throughout the week. For more information, call NARAL DC Metro Organizer Sara Schreiber at 202/530-4162.
Join in a spirited street theatre demonstration in front of the offices of Bechtel and Halliburton during lunch hours on Tuesday, Feb. 24. The action is part of an international day of protest to end the corporate invasion of Iraq and to support Iraqi workers' rights.
Meet at 11:30 a.m. at McPherson Square, which is across the street from Bechtel's offices (1015 15th St; 15th and K Streets). Then at noon, cross the street and gather in front of Bechtel's offices, doling out money and contracts while Bechtel employees and others pass by. At 1 p.m., head over to Halliburton (1150 18th St.; 18th & L, M) for more street theater.
For more information, click here, or call Pat Elder at 202/302-5548 or Gael Murphy at 202/412-6700.
Come hear the unfiltered story directly from the people who fight for justice in Ireland at a brunch and briefing featuring the national chair of the Irish Northern Aid Committee, Paul Doris, and the national president of the Ancient Order of Hibernians, Ned McGinley.
Since the Good Friday Agreement was signed in 1998, the British government has unilaterally suspended the devolved government four times and now directly rules the north of Ireland once again. Last time they said it was because Sinn Fein was running a spying operation inside the government, but charges were quietly dropped after hugely publicized raids on offices and homes.
The brunch will start with a great meal from Flanagan's Pub owner Steve Nugent (originally from the streets of Belfast), with live music from Clare's finest, Conor Malone, and lots of information, letter-writing materials, books and the most involved folks in our region.
Tickets are $18 or two for $30 and should be paid in advance. Purchase them here. The brunch starts at noon on Sunday, Feb. 22, at Flanagan's Pub (7637 Old Georgetown Rd., Bethesda). For more information, call Randy at 301/325-5560.
Attend a benefit for the Free DC Defense Fund and the upcoming trial of the B.A.D. Day Seven. Rock with your friends to the music of The Liberation, The Saviours, The NoSkilz Sound and Video Syndicate with Special Guest Kathy Cashel. Show your support on Saturday, Feb. 21, from 7 to 11 p.m. at Chief Ike's Mambo Room (1725 Columbia Rd. NW), with a $10 donation at the door.
On March 31, Mayor Anthony Williams plans to permanently close two key year-round city shelters. Together, the Gales Shelter (65 Massachusetts Ave. NW) and the Randall Shelter (Half and I Streets SW) provide 320 emergency and rehabilitative shelter beds for homeless men and women.
Williams will close these facilities even though the homeless rate is rising. Outreach workers have documented a 20 percent increase in people sleeping on Washington's streets over the past year. Gales and Randall are particularly important because they are in neighborhoods where many homeless individuals stay during the day. Having shelters readily accessible encourages people to come inside rather than stay outside, where they risk illness and death from severe weather.
If the shelters close, the city's plans are woefully inadequate. Men from Gales are expected to go to a new shelter on New York Avenue NE. However, that shelter is more than two miles away from Gales, is currently full, and renovations for additional space have not begun. No adequate replacement for Randall has been announced.
It will take citizen lobbying to keep these shelters open – e-mails and phone calls are needed to pressure the DC government. Contact DC officials right away and tell them: "Please keep Randall Shelter and Gales Shelter open as permanent, year-round shelters. Please keep Randall as a low-barrier shelter and a rehabilitative program for homeless men, and renovate Gales to continue to be a low-barrier shelter." Contact:
Join the Howard University chapter of the National Coalition of Blacks for Reparations in America (N'COBRA) for a Black History Month program featuring Brother Bob Brown. Brown, the co-director of Pan-African Roots, will use a slide presentation to discuss his recently filed reparations lawsuit. It's on Wednesday, Feb. 18, from 6:30 to 10 p.m. at Howard University's Blackburn Center Gallery Lounge (2397 Sixth St. NW). Admission is free. For more information, call 202/413-4575.
I have a warm spot in my heart for John. Back in the day, not many Vietnam vets helped to mobilize against the war. Ron Kovic was one (read "Born on the Fourth of July"). He talked the talk after he walked the walk in Nam. So did John Kerry. This is the guy who told the Senate Foreign Relations Committee in 1971, "How do you ask a man to be the last man to die for a mistake?"
We cheered when he entered public service, and celebrated his election to the Senate. But the years since have not been good to John Kerry. He became caught up in the pomp of it all, eased into his comfy Senate chair and availed himself of all the perks that came with the office. He is indicative of what is wrong with the Democratic party. Even our "progressive" senators fall under the spell of fat-cat luxury.
John Kerry, I was one of the 500,000 who saw you speak at the 1971 Mobilization to End the War on the lawn of the US Capitol. You brought us to our feet, screaming and cheering for your passion, honesty and energy. Please, if you succeed in the quest for the White House, reach deep down inside yourself and relive that passion. Help make this world a better place.
Mayor Tony Williams is holding neighborhood summits to hear from DC residents about the budget needs for fiscal 2005, which starts Oct. 1, 2004. Go hear what your neighbors are concerned about or to tell your own story, and ask for additional local dollars for what you want. Each of these summits start at 7 p.m., with doors opening at 6:30 p.m.:
Tuesday, Feb. 17 Ward 8, Allen Chapel A.M.E. Church, 2498 Alabama Ave. SE
Mayor Williams' latest outrage is presiding over a city government where not only does lead in the water system go unreported, but also water agency staffers who contact federal authorities get fired. There are already two terrific websites dealing with this issue. Water for DC Kids looks specifically at how this problem affects children. And Pure Water DC has tonz of information, along with a group blog. Check them both out, and TAKE ACTION!
Stop the constitutional amendment to ban same-sex marriage. Rally for equal rights for gays, lesbians, bisexuals and transgendered people on Friday, Sept. 13, from 7 to 10 p.m. at the Metropolitan Community Church (474 Ridge St. NW; 202/638-7373). For more information, log on here.
If you can't make the rally but want to take action, click here to sign a petition to tell federal, state and local elected officials that you will not vote for them if they support anti-gay amendments to the U.S. Constitution.
At dusk on Sunday, Feb. 15, help make something extraordinary happen. Join with people in your community and around the world to stand together for peace. This international solidarity event will mark the first anniversary of the historic day when more than 10 million people in over 600 cities worldwide demonstrated against the Bush administration's plans for the US invasion of Iraq. It was the largest protest for peace in world history.
More than 80 cities are planning vigils, including two here in the Washington area. At 5 p.m. at Dupont Circle, the Washington Peace Center and other groups are hosting a candlelight vigil with an interfaith message for peace and a commemoration of the human cost of the war on Iraq. Volunteers are needed. Contact the Washington Peace Center at 202/234-2000. At 6 p.m., join a vigil at the Gazebo on Carroll Avenue in Takoma Park, Md. After the vigil head over to Sangha Cafe for hot cocoa and a special musical performance for peace by Argentine cellist Graciela Prados. Donations will be accepted at the door.
Last month at the World Social Forum (WSF) in Mumbai, India, more than 100,000 people from over 100 countries gathered to organize an opposition to global inequality, hunger and war and to create an alternative to a world that puts profits before people. Come hear reports from activists who attended the WSF, and participate in a discussion about the upcoming mobilization against the World Bank and IMF here in Washington. The event is at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 11, at St. Stephen’s Church (16th and Newton Streets NW; Columbia Heights Metro). For more information, call 202/321-9378 or log on here.
Check out DC Poets Against the War for another national day of poetry against the war. Resist with your voice as well as your vote. Share your poems of protest and hope at a first anniversary open mic reading on Thursday, Feb. 12, at the Flemming Center (1426 Ninth St. NW; Shaw/Howard Metro), starting at 7 p.m. A reception will follow. For more information, call 202/986-4533 or send an e-mail.
Author Linda Faye Williams' new book, "The Constraint of Race: Legacies of White Skin Privilege in America", offers a challenging new approach to understanding the evolution of American social policy and the racial politics shaping it. Rather than focusing on the disadvantages suffered by blacks in the American welfare state, Williams looks at the other side of the coin: the advantages enjoyed by whites. Her hope is that rendering the benefits of "white skin privilege" more visible will help undermine their acceptance as "normal" and motivate renewed efforts toward achieving a more just and equitable society.
The author will discuss her book on Tuesday, Feb. 10, from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. at Howard University's Blackburn Center (2400 Sixth St. NW; Hilltop Lounge, 2nd floor). For more information, call 202/332-5333.
Spray-paint artist Brett Cook-Dizney discusses the visionaries he selects for his paintings and drawings, among them Thich Nhat Hanh, Cesar Chavez, Arundhati Roy, Mahatma Ghandi, Julia “ Butterfly” Hill, Edward Said, Aung San Suu Kyi, Fela Anikulapo Kuti, June Jordan, De La Soul, Sarah Jones, Public Enemy and Amiri Baraka. The exhibit runs through Feb. 29 at Provisions Library (1611 Connecticut Ave. NW), with a reception with the artist on Friday, Feb. 6, at 6 p.m., and a gallery talk on Saturday, Feb. 7, at 4 p.m. A donation of $5 is suggested. For more information, click here or call 202/299-0460.
The cost of parking in DC continues to rise, but the workers who staff our region's parking garages don't benefit from the increased revenue. Rather than share the profits with their workers, parking companies would prefer to pass on the rising cost of health insurance. Workers at Colonial Parking must pay $55 a month for individual health insurance, although they earn only $7 or $8 an hour. Meanwhile, workers at union parking companies have affordable health insurance that costs up to $5 a month. On your way to work or school on Friday, Feb. 6, stand up for parking workers' rights at an 8 a.m. rally at the Colonial Garage at 19th and G Streets NW.
It's official: Yesterday was the start of the 180-day window to collect 50,000 signatures on a petition to recall Mayor Anthony Williams. Save Our City is organizing the campaign, which you can read about in this Common Denominator article.
The grand opening of the Save Our City headquarters is Wednesday, Feb. 4, from 5 to 9 p.m. Stop by 705 Irving St. NW (near Georgia Avenue) to pick up petitions and get trained to gather signatures.
Code Pink: Women for Peace invites you to a community forum to hear a firsthand report from an all women's delegation that recently returned from Iraq. The report will focus on the status of women in Iraq, leading to a community dialogue about the ongoing occupation of Iraq and it effects on women in Iraq, the United States and around the world. “Twilight of Empire: Responses to Occupation” will be signed by contributors and Code Pink co-founders Jodie Evans and Medea Benjamin. For more information, call 202/319-5016 or send an e-mail. The event is Thursday, Feb. 5, from 6 to 8 p.m. at Sisterspace Books (1515 U St. NW).
Stand up for affordable housing in DC at Mayor Anthony Williams's 2004 State of the District address. Washington Inner-City Self Help (WISH) is asking members and friends to pledge to attend the event and wear red – the color of the affordable housing movement in DC. WISH's goal is to have 100 people there representing the housing crisis.
The 2004 State of the District is at the Lincoln Theatre (1215 U St. NW; U Street Metro) on Tuesday, Feb. 3, at 7 p.m. (doors open at 6). For more information, call the Office of Community Outreach at 202/442-8150.
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
