DCAARPR February Newsletter |
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Hi friends,
Despite being the shortest month of the year, this February was packed with both sobering news and increased action. The month began with the release of millions more pages of the Epstein Files, which contained information that is horrific and reality-breaking to digest. But instead of being frozen and helpless, this is the moment where we encourage organizing.
We’ve persisted in our solidarity with Minneapolis, where continued protests demonstrate that Minneapolis residents are not falling for the lie that the ICE occupation is winding down. And their strategies will become more and more relevant for DC residents, who are confronted with the construction of another neighboring ICE facility in Hagerstown, MD. If completed, this is sure to be a site of violence for us and our neighbors.
In addition to skyrocketing PEPCO bills due to nearby data centers, the month also ended with the assassination of Ayatollah Ali Khomeini and a declaration of war on Iran by the U.S. and Israel. Keep on reading to learn more about how these struggles are connected, and how we fight back against Trump, the police, and all those responsible for the terror in our communities! |
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Black and Filipino Solidarity Week of Action |
In the spirit of Black History Month and the International Filipino Solidarity Month, we collaborated with International Coalition for Human Rights in the Philippines (ICHRP) and Bayan DMV to host a Black and Filipino Solidarity Week of Action.
The week began with a teach-in at Sankofa Cafe in DC. Attendees learned about the connections between Black Americans’ struggle for sovereignty in the South and Filipinos’ struggle for liberation from Spain and the U.S.
A few days later, we hosted a screening of the Revolution Selfie: The Red Battalion at the Black Workers & Wellness Center, where viewers saw first-person documentary footage of the New People’s Army revolutionary struggles against the U.S.-backed regime in the Philippines.
We ended the week putting our knowledge into action with a rally and march to the White House to demand that US troops leave the Philippines. The energy and chants reflected an understanding of the linked struggles facing Black American and Filipino communities: “Indict, convict, send those killer cops to jail” and "The whole damn system is guilty as hell!” |
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Legalization for All National Day of Action |
We organized an ICE OUT rally at ICE headquarters in solidarity with the Legalization 4 All Network’s National Day of Action. We showed up in sub-zero temperatures – neither snow, nor ICE can hold us back! This protest marked the one month anniversary of Renee Good’s murder. With chants such as “When Killer ICE are on patrol, what do we need? Community Control!”, we showed that our fight against ICE is the same fight against police repression of all sorts.
This rally is pertinent as ICE plans to build another HQ in Southeast, and as a new detention center is being built in nearby Hagerstown, MD. Minneapolis’ struggle is not separate from ours. As a protestor aptly put it: “We will not survive if we can’t face the problem together”. |
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On February 11th, U.S. Marshals murdered Julian Marquette Bailey, a 43-year-old native of Northeast DC. SHAME!
In solidarity with Julian’s family, we participated in a candlelight vigil and balloon release to honor Julian and victims of police violence everywhere. At the vigil, Julian’s wife Trenise shared heartfelt stories of his character and their relationship. He was described as an amazing man, an amazing father, an amazing son. We will continue to fight for justice for Julian and his family. Community control of the police now! |
FNF Feds out of DC rally at City Hall / Testimony at MPD oversight hearing |
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This month, we continued our growing work with Families Not Feds. On February 25th, we rallied in front of the Wilson Building and testified at City Council’s MPD Oversight Hearing to demand an end to their collaboration with the Feds. The hearing was held by the DC Council’s Committee on Justice and Public Safety, which is chaired by Councilmember Brooke Pinto, notorious for her complicity in ICE raids and police violence across our city.
At the hearing, we packed the room for hours to share our lived experience with the terrorism committed by the MPD and the Feds, and demanded that funding be invested into our community needs, not our community foes (who openly declare their allegiance to white supremacy and Christian nationalism). Trenise Wells-Bailey bravely spoke about the nightmare she has gone through since her husband Julian was killed by US Marshals earlier this month. DCAARPR and FNF organizer Merawi Gerima also spoke of our work with the mother of Phillip Brown, who was nearly killed by HSI in October.
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Around 3:00 a.m. on February 28, DC residents awoke to the news that the Trump administration had begun a bombing campaign on Iran. Within hours, the DC Against the Trump Agenda Coalition (DCATA) made the call for people of conscience in the DMV area to join in protest at the White House.
Elizabeth Paige White, a movement lawyer with the DC Lawyers Against the Trump Agenda (DCLATA) told the crowd, “Donald Trump’s lawlessness has extended to every single resident here. I’m in court every single day defending people who were wrongfully – illegally – arrested, searched, shot at, and almost killed in this city because of these illegal police gangs, these feds riding around with MPD, violating our rights day in and day out. Why do we expect [Trump] to do differently around this country and around the world?”
As the DCATA program continued, over 1000 people from the March For Democracy protest led by 50501 DC joined the No War on Iran protest. Thousands of people marched down the streets of DC protesting attacks on Iran, Palestine, Cuba and Venezuela, as well as immigrants and Black people in the U.S. MPD continuously tried to thwart the march by blocking their path at every turn; however, the people stood firm, and marched right through them. The march ended at the Department of State building, and the program closed out with a few more speakers.
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DCAARPR Events: Court Support Christina Murdoch, March 13th 9:30 AM Superior Court of DC, Courtroom TBA Justice for Dalaneo "Debo" Martin 5:00 PM Benning Road and Minnesota Ave NE
People’s Forum, TBD DCATA Events: International Women’s Day, March 8th Rally 2pm Malcolm X Park Cultural event 6 pm Marx Cafe
No Kings Day Rally, March 28th Time/Location for contingent TBD Community and General Body Meetings: Mondays, 6pm, Virtual Committee Events:
Field Ops Committee Tuesdays at 6 PM, Virtual unless otherwise indicated Media Committee Tuesdays at 7 PM, Virtual Dragon Committee Thursdays at 7 PM, Virtual Tabling: TBD Executive Committee Meeting: Thursday, March 19th, 8:30PM, Virtual
Please don’t hesitate to reach out to us [dcaarpr@gmail.com] or @DCAARPR on Instagram if you’d like more information or learn how to get involved in our fight. We welcome feedback and criticisms. |
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