Above: Anise Jenkins, Stand Up! for Democracy in DC/Free D.C. president and executive director, protests before a 2011 trial resulting from demonstrators arrested on Capitol in April. SHFWire photo by Lyudmila Tsubiks
October 6 is D.C. Statehood Call-in Day!
D.C. Statehood Greens and friends are invited to attend a press conference at Lafayette Park on Pennsylvania Avenue NW near the White House on Monday, Oct. 6 at 1:00 p.m. Candidates Eugene Puryear and David Schwartzman will speak and Eugene will deliver a letter to President Obama urging him to support and promote legislation that would grant statehood to the District of Columbia. Bring banners and flags, wear D.C. statehood tee shirts and buttons to show your support!
The D.C. Statehood Green Party invites you call your U.S. Representatives, Senators, and President Obama on Monday, Oct. 6 and urge them to support legislation that will grant statehood to the District of Columbia.
On Oct. 6, Eugene Puryear, Statehood Green nominee for At-Large Member of City Council (http://www.EugenePuryear.com)
Legislation has been introduced in Congress that would make D.C. a state, called the “New Columbia Admissions Act” (Senate Bill 132, House Bill 292). Encourage your Senators and Reps to co-sponsor, promote, and vote for these bills!
We also invite Green candidates, officeholders, and activists to speak out publicly in support of D.C. statehood, in whatever way they can, on Oct. 6. (For Talking Points, read this press release: http://tinyurl.com/lb3ogsj). If you publish a statement, please send it to us!
How to call Congress and the White House:
• U.S. Capitol Switchboard: 202-224-3121
• White House: 202-456-1111 (public comment line)
Call the Capitol Switchboard during normal business hours and ask to speak to your Senator or Representative. You’ll probably talk to a staff member.
D.C. statehood has been called part of the unfinished business of the Civil Rights Movement. Winning statehood will require strong support from people across the country. The D.C. Statehood Party was founded in 1970 with D.C. at the top of its agenda. The D.C. Statehood Party became the D.C. Statehood Green Party in 1999. Unlike the platforms of the Democratic and Republican parties, the Green Party’s national platform endorses D.C. statehood.
Please forward this message to Green Party members and friends. If hundreds or thousands of people call on Oct. 6, Congress and President Obama won’t be able to ignore us!
Learn more about the movement for D.C. statehood:
• D.C. Statehood Green Party urges Congress to pass D.C. statehood bills
D.C. Statehood Green Party press release, Sept. 15, 2014
http://www.gp.org/newsroom/
• Congress’s threats against a marijuana ballot initiative prove the need for D.C. statehood, say D.C. Statehood Green candidates Eugene Puryear and David Schwartzman
D.C. Statehood Green Party press release, July 14, 2014
http://www.gp.org/newsroom/
• A Step Forward for Democracy in D.C.
By Scott McLarty, FireDogLake, Sept. 16, 2014
http://my.firedoglake.com/
• The D.C. Statehood Papers: Writings on D.C. Statehood & self-government
By Sam Smith http://prorev.com/dcsthdintro.