Maryland socialists launching canvasses in Gaithersburg and Greenbelt to build working-class power; Maryland socialists launching canvasses in Gaithersburg and Greenbelt to build working-class powerMaryland socialists launching canvasses in Gaithersburg and Greenbelt to build working-class power; Trump threatens to deploy National Guard, “federalize” the District
This is the weekly newsletter of the Metro DC Democratic Socialists of America (MDC DSA), which is
produced by local members of the chapter's Publications Working Group. The Weekly Update publishes every
Friday at 9am. Want to fight fascism from the heart of empire? Join DSA and fight to build socialism!
Paid for by Metro DC DSA (mdcdsa.org). Not authorized by any candidate or committee.
UP FRONT
Maryland socialists launching canvasses in Gaithersburg and Greenbelt to build working-class power
Metro DC DSA member and recently endorsed candidate for Gaithersburg City Council Omodamola Williams is having his first canvasses this weekend on Saturday, August 9 and Sunday, August 10. The campaign plans to hold canvasses every weekend leading up to election day on November 4, so socialist participation is encouraged.
This weekend, canvassers will meet at Bohrer Park next to Gaithersburg High School at 1pm for a brief training before heading out to the doors of the many apartment complexes up and down Frederick Avenue (MD 355). If you have any questions or need any help getting to the event, visit the #montgomery-county or #electoral channels in the chapter Slack.
Gaithersburg has a large and diverse working-class population that is severely underrepresented by the current council. Omodamola is fighting for rent stabilization implementation, increased police accountability, and to protect the city’s large immigrant population from displacement. With federal-level turmoil, working people are looking to local politics as a buffer against the Trump regime’s austerity agenda. Ahead of larger county and federal elections in 2026, intervention in Gaithersburg presents a great opportunity for socialists to rally working people in support of tenants’ and workers’ rights. A victory here would offer an opportunity to expand rent stabilization, recently passed by Montgomery County, to the city. There is currently a majority aligned against rent stabilization on the Gaithersburg City Council — a win for Omodamola would tilt the scales towards tenants and workers.
ALSO THIS WEEKEND: Our chapter stalwart, Frankie Santos Fritz, is running for election to the Greenbelt City Council. Canvasses for Frankie continue from the Greenbelt Metrorail Station on August 9 and August 10, plus next weekend on August 16. Frankie has been a member of Metro DC DSA since 2016; in addition to a number of other leadership roles, he served as Interim Chair of the Steering Committee of the Prince George’s County Branch, and has been deeply involved in branch-level electoral operations.
On Greenbelt’s City Council, Frankie plans to fight for Greenbelt’s workers; quality and affordable housing; improved public transportation; a stronger democracy in Greenbelt; a diverse, equitable, and inclusive Greenbelt; and fairer taxation to support strong public services. Frankie’s love for Greenbelt’s often-radical origin and history is well known, and he will bring that to the council and public. The DSA is playing a leading role in shaping this campaign, and socialists will be hitting the doors for weekend canvasses on Saturday, August 9, and Sunday, August 10. Learn more and engage with the campaign in the #electoral channel of the chapter Slack.
Metro DC DSA holding free backpack drive this Saturday, August 9 in Marshall Heights, DC
Metro DC DSA’s Abolition Working Group is hosting its 2nd Annual Free Backpack Distribution starting at 10am this Saturday, August 9. Taking place at Open Door Baptist Church in Marshall Heights (5600 Central Ave SE, DC), DSA members will be distributing backpacks filled with school supplies to ALL students and families — no questions asked, no barriers. Generous community support empowered the working group to purchase backpacks and essential school supplies (notebooks, pencils, crayons, glue, etc.) for students in the community. All that’s left now is the distribution; community members can RSVP to help out here.
Trump threatens to deploy National Guard, “federalize” the District
President Trump is once again threatening to eliminate Home Rule in DC after the alleged attempted carjacking of former DOGE staffer Edward Coristine, a 19-year-old nicknamed “Big Balls.” In remarks to the press and a crazed outburst on Truth Social, the president conjured many of the same buzzwords employed when Congress and President Joe Biden violated DC Home Rule in 2023, also signalling the Trump administration’s rabid desire to call in the National Guard (something the president is allowed to do without local consent in DC).
Actually repealing Home Rule would, technically, require action by Congress. However, because the people of the District lack the protections of statehood, the president can violate DC autonomy in other ways, including by taking control of DC police for up to 30 days if he "determines that special conditions of an emergency nature exist which require the use of the Metropolitan Police force for federal purposes." Trump also issued an executive order this year creating the "D.C. Safe and Beautiful Task Force," cited by the National Park Service as part of its justification for recently announced plans to reinstall a Confederate statue that protesters tore down in 2020, according to NPR.
It appears unlikely that the DC government has the will to fight back, as proven by last week’s ruling-class looting of DC workers disguised as a budget. By rolling back tenants’ rights, expanding the police state, and essentially repealing Initiative 82, elected leaders in DC have normalized anti-democratic rule. Resistance to Trumpian fascism must be built from the ground up: by the people, for the people. Comrades across the DMV are organizing for working-class power, fighting not just against the president but for the better world that socialists know is possible. If you are not yet a member of Metro DC DSA, join today.
BRIEFS
Power company pulls in millions in profits over electricity rate hikes in DC
Long-time District residents may have noticed larger than average electricity bills this year. The DC government’s failure to stop Pepco from launching its near 20% rate hike on customers shows the drawbacks of the quasi public-private partnership management of DC’s electrical utility. A recent longform article by Washington City Paper investigated Pepco’s poor spending: “Pepco Raked in $108 million Thanks To Recent Rate Increases. Another Bump Could Kick in Next Year, But It’s Being Challenged in Court.” See We Power DC — Metro DC DSA’s utility municipalization campaign — as quoted in the article. (We Power was also cited in another article on soaring electricity rates in The 51st).
A brief summary from 730DC: “In 2019, Pepco asked the commission that regulates DC utility companies for a rate hike—saying they needed to raise $108M for ‘infrastructure improvements.’ A lawsuit brought by the Office of People’s Counsel argues that at least $94M of that revenue was misspent, City Paper reports. Then, in 2023, Pepco asked for another hike—now approved, in addition to the increases we’ve seen this summer due to rising supplier costs. OPC is asking: Why isn’t the Public Service Commission protecting customers and holding Pepco accountable? DC’s low income communities already face a disproportionate, often severe energy burden, making any rate increase particularly challenging to absorb.”
Metro DC DSA’s ecosocialists continue to organize for public power in the District and beyond. Read more about Pepco’s recent rate hike in Washington Socialist. Locals looking to get involved can fill out this interest form.
New to the DSA and want to connect with others? Next New Member Cohort starting in September
Anyone new to Metro DC DSA is invited to apply to join the Fall 2025 New Member Cohort. The cohort will participate in weekly sessions throughout September on Wednesday evenings. The first session covers the concept of organizing, the second provides an overview of socialism and capitalism, and the final session explains how MDC DSA works and provides opportunities to talk to people who run chapter campaigns. At least one session will be followed by a social outing. Applications are due by August 30.
Join comrades organizing mutual aid in Northern Virginia — August 21 at 7pm
The NoVA Mutual Aid Working Group will be holding its next virtual meeting on August 21 at 7pm. Join comrades interested in directly improving the material conditions of workers in Northern Virginia in ways that challenge and replace capitalist exploitation. Anyone interested in attending is free to add items to the agenda, which currently includes organizing a recurring mutual aid distro, creating an intra-DSA timebank, and researching and compiling existing mutual aid projects in the area. RSVP for the meeting here.
Informational picket at Le Diplomate — Friday, August 22, 5:30pm
UNITE HERE Local 25 is holding informational pickets outside of STARR’s Le Diplomate to let the public know the workers there do not have a union contract.
Metro DC DSA’s Labor Working Group is mobilizing the community and its members to come out for ongoing pickets in support of the restaurant workers organizing to join UNITE HERE Local 25. RSVP to join comrades and community members for this informational picket at Le Diplomate on Friday, August 22 at 5:30pm.
If you are interested in helping with volunteer mobilization to get community members to show up to these pickets, please fill out this interest form. You don’t have to be a member of DSA to join these pickets or participate in solidarity actions; anyone who wants to help grow the labor movement is welcome.
Sign up for August tabling opportunities with Metro DC DSA Street Team
Interested in tabling with the Street Team this month? Take a look at the calendar of August events, and sign up here to indicate availability. Is there a community engagement event not on the list that Metro DC DSA Street Team can support? Fill out the event suggestion form and help build socialist power and chapter presence in the DMV. Visit the #street-team channel in the chapter’s Slack for more info.
Want to stay current? Weekly Updates, like the one you are reading, are scheduled and emailed on Fridays; current and past Current and past Updates are available anytime on our website. Not subscribed? DSA member or not, sign up to get the Update, the go-to source for the DMV Left. The MDC Dispatch is the chapter’s new video news series, published on the first and third Sunday of each month. Subscribe to our YouTube channel and submit your Update or Dispatch suggestions or DMV scandal tips to our tip line. The Washington Socialist, published since the 1970s, offers in-depth analytical/opinion articles on a quarterly schedule; the Summer 2025 issue is available here. Check out the Socialist’s topic-indexed and searchable archive to see what we write — and what you can write. Anyone, MDC DSA member or not, interested in contributing to the Washington Socialist can email submissions or questions to [email protected].
Members — want to stay updated in our local chapter workspace? MDC DSA members are encouraged to join our all-member Slack for real-time info on working group and campaign events, strategy/tactic exchange, and inspiration. Email [email protected] with your most recent DSA dues receipt to get Slack access.
DMV LEFT COMMUNITY BULLETIN
Writing Liberatory Futures on August 21 | Workshops 4 Gaza
This virtual workshop on Thursday, August 21, at 6pm will lead participants through writing liberatory speculative fiction in a near future. Join academic, organizer, and writer Eman Abdelhadi to discuss short story structures and create characters and story arcs collectively. Learn more here.
Film screening: Silent Fallout — How Nuclear Testing Poisoned America | Reel and Meal at the New Deal, Monday, August 18, 6:30pm
Timed to coincide with the 80th anniversary of the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the film Silent Fallout: My Body is My Proof delves into the devastating impacts of radioactive fallout in the US. The 101 above-ground tests conducted in Nevada in the 1950s and 1960s contaminated the entire country. 67 nuclear tests were also performed in the Marshall Islands in the Pacific. People suffered acute and long-term health effects from radioactive fallout, including increased cancer rates and other illnesses, while the Atomic Energy Commission publicly denied any such health risks. The film will be shown at the New Deal Café, 113 Centerway, Greenbelt, MD, on Monday, August 18, at 6:30pm, with a post-screening discussion led by the film’s director, Hideaki Ito. People may also attend by Zoom: Zoom registration required. Arrive/log on by 6:15pm, as the program starts promptly at 6:30pm.
Organizing Festival on September 6 | Rising Organizers
On Sunday, September 6, from 12 – 4pm at UDC, Rising Organizers is bringing together DC’s grassroots ecosystem for a day of community, organizing, and collective action. Show up for hands-on organizing trainings, free food, workshops for all ages, and a vibrant local organization fair. Sign up here.
Cuba 101: Political Education Series| National Network on Cuba and Venceremos Brigade
Join National Network on Cuba and Venceremos Brigade for a 7-part educational series to learn about the true history of Cuba. More info on topics here. The next session takes place on Zoom on Thursday, August 21, and will focus on the Cuban Revolution (part two). Sign up here.
ESSENTIAL PERSPECTIVES
ESSENTIAL PERSPECTIVES are articles and opinion pieces of
interest to DMV leftists but not, generally, appearing in local media.
They should have links without paywalls. Readers are invited to submit
candidates at our tip line.
“No Tax on Tips” Is an Industry Plant : Trump’s “populist” policy is backed by the National Restaurant Association — probably because it won’t stop establishments from paying servers below the minimum wage. “According to Yale’s Budget Lab, thirty-seven per cent of tipped workers don’t make enough money to pay any federal income taxes. Under the new law, casino dealers earning six-figure salaries with tips will receive large tax breaks, whereas busboys making poverty wages will get no benefit. And, though ending taxes on tips has a populist veneer, it won’t cost the owners of hotels and restaurants a penny. …According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the median hourly pay of waiters and waitresses (including tips) was $15.36 in 2023. A quarter of full-time servers earn less than twenty-four thousand dollars [New Yorker style for $24,000] a year.” The article features the D.C. Council majority’s fealty to the National Restaurant Association lobby (“the other NRA”) and “fuck the workers” response to two overwhelming initiative victories for restaurant workers: “in June the D.C. Council overrode voters for a second time. It paused the minimum wage for tipped workers, which was scheduled to go up to twelve dollars an hour in July, at its current level—ten dollars an hour. The city’s minimum wage is $17.95.” The New Yorker via Portside
Holding the Line on Minimum wage: State solutions to the U.S. worker rights crisis
Federal worker protections are under attack. Here is what states should do to protect and expand minimum wage standards. The Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) establishes a “floor under wages” mandating that employers pay covered employees no less than a minimum hourly rate for all hours worked, whether they are paid on an hourly or salaried basis. The current federal minimum wage is $7.25 per hour — a rate set in 2009. FLSA minimum wage rules apply to all private businesses with annual revenue of at least $500,000, as well as hospitals, care centers, schools, and public agencies. (Article also details some exceptions.) A big and quite current explainer from the Economic Policy Institute
Enough of the billionaires and their big tech. ‘Frugal tech’ will build us all a better world
The fact is, while generative AI is lauded as the technology of the minute, iterations such as Dall-E 3, Google Gemini, and GPT are irrelevant to those who don’t have enough internet bandwidth to use them. The new digital divide is the gap between the top end of the global population — who have access to these power-intensive technologies — and those at the bottom, whose internet access, or lack of, remains static. That’s why some of today’s most brilliant minds are working out how to manage the trade-off between internet range and bandwidth, and whether there are obstacles in the way such as mountains and foliage. While most of what we consider to be “hi-tech” is closed off behind proprietary algorithms, the open-source technologies above all require community involvement. This can be immensely empowering, and can improve public trust: it’s hard (and unwise) to give yourself over to a technology that won’t tell you how it works, particularly when its predefined settings allow only for meagre approaches to “user privacy.” The Guardian
“Give Us Equality or Give Us Death” — History shows that increasing wealth inequality consistently precedes [societal] collapse
“We can’t put a date on Doomsday, but by looking at the [previous] 5,000 years, we can understand the trajectories we face today – and self-termination is most likely,” says Dr. Luke Kemp at the Centre for the Study of Existential Risk at the University of Cambridge. “I’m pessimistic about the future,” he says. “But I’m optimistic about people.” In his book, Goliath’s Curse, he suggests “History is best told as a story of organised crime,” …. “It is one group creating a monopoly on resources through the use of violence over a certain territory and population. … History shows that increasing wealth inequality consistently precedes collapse … for the citizens of early rapacious regimes, collapse often improved their lives because they were freed from domination and taxation and returned to farming. After the fall of Rome, people actually got taller and healthier,” Kemp says. Collapses in the past were at a regional level and often beneficial for most people, but collapse today would be global and disastrous for all. Book review from The Guardian via Portside.
August 6 was Hiroshima Day — marking the 80th anniversary of the first use of a nuclear weapon in combat. Three days later, the second bomb was dropped on Nagasaki. It is a day to mourn and to recommit to the struggle against nuclear war, to the struggle against all wars. Tim Collins’ article in Common Dreams — Remembering the Children of Hiroshima and Nagasaki — tells us all we should need to know.
Prisons, like war, show special cruelty toward women and children — as is evident in the callousness shown toward pregnant women. Marissa Potts, in her Prism piece ”What it’s Like to be Pregnant in Jail,” explores the traumatization that occurs once behind bars.
Trump/DOGE policy aims to traumatize federal workers — who are fighting back. Hadas Thier’s “A Spark of Hope From Scrappy Federal Workers,” in Hammer & Hoe, highlights the worker-to-worker organizing being built by the Federal Unionist Network (FUN).
Resistance requires creative struggle. Sam Rosenthal writes in Truthout about the challenges Zohran Mamdani and Omar Fateh will face if (and it is still an if in both cases) they win their respective mayoral campaigns in New York City and Minneapolis.
This is the weekly newsletter of the Metro DC Democratic Socialists of America (MDC DSA), which is produced by
local members of the chapter's Publications working group. The Weekly Update publishes every Friday at
9am.
Paid for by Metro DC DSA (mdcdsa.org). Not authorized by any candidate or committee.
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The flame of thought, the magnificence of art, the wonder of discovery, and the audacity of invention
all belong to revolutionary periods when humanity, tired of its chains, shatters them and stops inebriated to
breathe the breeze of a vast and free horizon. - Virgilia D'Andrea
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