Hi friends,
In March, we had two major victories – including passing emergency legislation – the FAAR Act (Full Accountability in Arrest Reporting), requiring MPD to document and report on federal agents' involvement in local arrests and their use of force. We were also able to get bogus charges dropped on all four of our organizers who were wrongfully arrested for using their first amendment rights to protest MPD’s racial profiling of Black youth in Navy Yard.
The struggle continues for true police accountability in DC. Keep reading for more about how we are fighting for community control of the police in DC — and how we connect this fight to struggles of oppressed people around the world!
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International Women's Day Rally |
On March 8, we took to the streets of Washington, D.C. with DC Against the Trump Agenda for an International Women’s Day march to stand up for immigrant women, women affected by police violence and war, and for working women struggling for their rights around the world.
One of the speakers included the mother of Phillip Brown, a Black man who barely escaped being shot to death in his car when Homeland Security agents occupying DC shot into his vehicle. His mother spoke on the ways that police violence particularly impacts women and families and reiterated the need for Black and brown women to stand together in the fight for justice.
Rally participants marched through the crowded U Street Corridor to disrupt the city’s plans to impose a racist youth curfew zone. Several onlookers cheered and even joined the march, which concluded at the historic Florida Avenue with Go-Go music playing in the background. |
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We rallied in front of the John Wilson Building in support of the EASE Act, a bill that removes barriers so incarcerated residents can access the same democratic processes available to all DC residents. After the rally, we went inside to testify to DC Council in support of the bill. Free them all, free them now! |
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On Saturday, March 28, hundreds gathered in Anacostia to join a contingent for the No Kings protest demanding “No Trump, no war, no ICE.” The contingent began with a rally at the Anacostia Metro station before marching to join the large protest.
After the rally, the contingent resumed its march together across the Frederick Douglass bridge, where protesters spotted known killer cop Jason Bagshaw patrolling the crowd. Bagshaw shot and killed 23-year-old Lazarus Wilson back in 2023 while off duty. No sooner was he pointed out by the people than leaders of the contingent launched into chants of “Shame! Shame on Jason Bagshaw” and “Indict, convict, send Bagshaw to jail! The whole damn system is guilty as hell!” while residents swarmed him with cameras and phones.
“Protesting Bagshaw is absolutely part of protesting Donald Trump,” said Merawi Gerima of the DC Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression (DCAARPR), “it’s Trump’s policies that enable someone like Bagshaw to stay on the force and terrorize our communities, and so it is absolutely our duty to fight to see him put behind bars where he belongs!”
The march continued on to Fort McNair, the current residence of Trump advisor Stephen Miller, with chants of “Stephen Miller is his name! Separating families is his game!”
“He’s a white supremacist,” Katie Sayour, co-chair of the DC Against The Trump Agenda (DCATA) coalition said of Miller. “And we feel this administration’s white supremacist policies particularly hard in DC, where Black people like Phillip Brown and Justin Nelson are being shot at – and in the case of Julian Bailey, killed – by federal agents, and where these national guard thugs hang out to intimidate us every day.” |
Victory! Press Conference for the FAAR Act
Photo credit nickm.photo |
Through our community pressure campaign with the Families Not Feds Coalition, we were able to successfully lobby for the passage of the Full Accountability in Arrest Reporting (FAAR) Act twice. We held a press conference at the Wilson Building with other DC organizations and Phillip Brown’s mother and attorney demanding that City Council override Mayor Bowser’s bad faith veto of the legislation.The bill is the bare minimum towards transparency and accountability, requiring the documentation of federal agents in use-of-force incidents and who make arrests in DC, like in the case of Phillip Brown.
Passing the FAAR Act once again is an important step towards transparency and accountability. While we are encouraged by the outcome of this vote, our fight is far from over. Families Not Feds remains committed to ending MPD’s collaboration with the federal agents who are terrorizing our streets. |
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Victory! Charges dropped on all Navy Yard Protestors |
The night after Halloween, Christina Murdoch and three other DCAARPR organizers were arrested for protesting against MPD’s racial profiling of Black youth in Navy Yard. The OAG was attempting to convict her on false charges of resisting and targeting her for her activism. After 5 months of fighting, including against purposeful delays by Federal Prosecutors, Christina’s bogus “resisting arrest” charge has been dismissed! ALL FOUR OF THE NAVY YARD PROTESTORS WALK FREE!
Thank you to everyone who called, rallied, and supported us in this fight. And special thanks to E. Paige White, the relentless organizer and fearless movement lawyer who represented all 4 protesters and helped force the Feds to drop the charges! When we fight, we win! |
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Upcoming events Tabling: Every Sunday: 3-5 pm, Benning Road Metro Phonebanking: Wednesdays 5:30pm-7:30 pm, Virtual Community and General Body Meetings: Mondays, 6pm, Virtual Committee Meetings:
Media Committee Tuesdays at 7 PM, Virtual Executive Committee Meeting: Thursday, April 16th, 8:30PM, Virtual
Please don’t hesitate to reach out to us [email protected] 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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