The DC City Council has two crucial emergency votes tomorrow that could protect or threaten DC residents. We invite you to take action and call the Council TODAY using the script below.

SCRIPT (adapt as you’d like)

My name is [name] and I am a Ward [#] DC resident and member of [org(s) i.e. Collective Action for Safe Spaces].

I believe our Councilmembers should be working to build a DC in which every one of our neighbors has a right to safe housing and safe public spaces. Tomorrow, Councilmember [name] should vote YES on the D.C. General Resident Relocation Emergency Act of 2018 to assure safe housing for the families living there.

In the face of alarming reports that DC plans to being demolishing buildings as few as 250 feet from the DC General shelter with families still living there, exposing children to lead, asbestos, and rodents, we need the Council to step in to prevent this harm to the 170 families currently living at DC General — most of whom are Black and lower income and already experiencing disenfranchisement.

Second, the Councilmember should vote NO on the Amplified Noise Amendment Act of 2018, which would threaten residents playing music with jail time and fines. This bill would silence our city’s vibrant streets and subject street musicians to police harassment. The Council could instead explore evidence-based options that work for everyone, like requiring new residential developments in entertainment districts to absorb the added cost of extra sound insulation.

How will Councilmember [name] be voting on these issues?

CALL NUMBERS

Starred Councilmembers are especially important to call on these bills.

First, call your Councilmember:

• WARD 1 – Brianne Nadeau, 202-724-8181**
• WARD 2 – Jack Evans, 202-724-8058**
• WARD 3 – Mary Cheh, 202-824-8062**
• WARD 4 – Brandon Todd, 202-824-8052
• WARD 5 – Kenyan McDuffie, 202-724-8028
• WARD 6 – Charles Allen, 202-724-8072
• WARD 7 – Vincent Gray, 202-724-8068
• WARD 8 – Trayon White Sr., 202-724-8045

Then, call the Chairman and as many At Large Members as you can:

• Phil Mendelson (Chairman), 202-724-8032**
• Anita Bonds (Member At-Large), 202-724-8064**
• Elissa Silverman (Member At-Large), 202-724-7772
• Robert White, Jr. (Member At-Large), 202-724-8174
• David Grosso (Member At-Large), 202-724-8105

BACKGROUND

–> Support the D.C. General Resident Relocation Emergency Act of 2018: In a horrendous example environmental racism and of DC’s disregard for families experiencing homelessness, DC plans to begin demolishing buildings on the Reservation 13 campus that are as few as 250 feet from the DC General shelter (and playground) while 170 families are still living there, exposing them to toxins (including dust, lead, and asbestos) and rodents. This in our city where the asthma rate is more than twice as high in majority black wards than in majority white wards. It remains unclear why demolition must occur prior to the closure of DC General and the relocation of families from the campus. In response to the complaints of residents and work of advocates, Councilmember Trayon White introduced this emergency legislation on the closure of DC General. The legislation would 1. Halt any abatement, demolition or deconstruction activity until all of the families have exited the campus and 2. Ensure that families are relocated to safe, stable settings before the shelter is closed. Read this article for more.

–>  Oppose the Amplified Noise Amendment Act of 2018:  This bill is an example of how gentrification is killing culture in DC. As new, largely white and wealthy residents have moved into luxury apartments downtown, noise complaints have increased. Musicians explain that this legislation is a response to these new wealthy downtown residents and business owners, and not to any real issue of increasing sound levels. A conflict over sound in the city that could be solved by developers installing noise insulation might instead be “solved” with criminalization. the bill would threaten a $300 time and 10 days in jail, dispatching police officers to harass mostly Black and brown musicians on street corners where they have played music that has been the soundtrack of the city for decades. Read this article for more.

Thanks to the Washington Legal Clinic for the Homeless, Amber Harding, Ruqiyyah Abu-Anbar, Jay Mills, and Kymone Freeman for the action texts, letters, and testimonies they wrote in their advocacy, from which this action alert is adapted.