June 2015

The residents of Museum Square, one of the last Section 8 rentals in Chinatown are facing mass eviction followed by demolition and condo construction. Bush Companies (of Williamsburg, Va.), the landlord, offers only an option to buy the building for nearly ten times what the DC government assessed it as being worth for property taxes. On the 23ed of June, the tenants staged a mass protest against the planned evictions. They were backed by the National Alliance of HUD Tenants.

Video highlights of the rally (2 min)

On June 21, the DC Food Justice Bike Tour visited a number of locations with economic and food justice significance. The first was a Ben and Jerry's outlet in Georgetown, where the Milk with Dignity campaign is seeking higher wages for dairy workers in Vermont. This campaign is following in the footsteps of the sucessful Coalition of Immokalee Workers campaign for higher wages in tomato fields. Ben and Jerry's is a major customer of the dairy factory farms in Vermont, just as Burger King is a major customer of tomato producers.

Video of activists entering Ben and Jerry's

On the 16th of June, DC Ferguson returned to the streets and shut down Chinatown, demanding not only that Police Chief Lanier keep the de facto promise she just made to end jump-outs, but also an end to gentrifcation and homelessness. The 16th of June was the 39th anniversary of the Soweto Uprising that marked the start of the movement that ultimately ended Apartheid in South Africa.

1 min 30 sec video of DC Ferguson march in Chinatown

On the 15th of June, the Smithsonian's Board of Regents met at the museum's "castle." Outside were climate activists demanding the removal of David H Koch from the boards of both of the Smithsonian's Museums of Natural History (DC and NYC). In addition, they demanded the Smithsonian reject financial contributions from the Koch Brothers, who have spent billions on climate change denial. The activists delivered four boxes filled with petitions asking the Smithsonian to cut ties with the Koch's to the board meeting, they were accepted by Smithsonian staff.

Video-protest demanding the Smithsonian dump the Koch Brothers