TOPA For All: Your weekly Civics Roundup

Every Thursday, we list some ways to get engaged in the city – whether that’s protesting, organizing with your neighbors, or testifying before your councilmembers. This isn't an exhaustive list; share your events and trainings with us using this form. For more ways to get connected, check out our resources roundup. 

THURSDAY, MAY 22

Anti-Displacement Network Meeting
Join Empower DC, the DC Fiscal Policy Institute, and the National Low Income Housing Coalition for a meeting to protect D.C. renters. With ERAP weakened and potential cuts to eviction protection resources (as well as federal threats to end a Section 8 housing voucher program), the city's housing services face a precarious moment. You'll learn about the current state of local and federal plans for housing policy and how you can take action. Get locked in ahead of what is already a chaotic D.C. budget season. The event will be held on Zoom at 6:30 p.m. Register here.

Washington Gas: Exposed (Part Three)
This is the final seminar of a three-part series from the Chesapeake Climate Action Network, investigating the environmental, health, and financial impacts of natural gas in D.C. This final meeting will focus on the detrimental health impacts of methane gas in the home. The event will be held in person at THEARC Recital Hall, from 6 - 8 p.m. RSVP here.

SUNDAY, MAY 25

Sunrise DC Open Hub Meeting
Climate activist collective Sunrise DC is hosting its monthly hub meeting from 1 – 4 p.m. (Address provided upon registration.) The group will recap what they accomplished in April and May and look ahead to June. You don't need prior experience with Sunrise to attend; the hub meetings are designed to catch you up to speed and plug you in. If you're new, organizers recommend showing up early to chat with folks. Lunch will be provided at 1 p.m., and those attending virtually can plan to log in at 2 p.m. RSVP here.

TUESDAY, MAY 27

TOPA For All Town Hall
Now that's a snappy name. DC Jobs with Justice is hosting a town hall on TOPA, or the Tenant Opportunity to Purchase Act. It's a decades-old law in D.C. that can prevent displacement and protect renters by giving tenants the opportunity to purchase (duh) their building if it goes up for sale. Community members who have engaged in the TOPA in the process (as well as those who have lost that opportunity) will gather to discuss the law and its role in preserving affordable housing. At-Large Councilmember Robert White is co-sponsoring the event, which comes as Mayor Bowser pushes her RENTAL Act — a bill that would weaken TOPA protections. Meet at Foundary United Methodist Church for the talk from 6 - 7:30 p.m. RSVP here.

A public conversation with Badar Khan Suri and Nader Hashemi
Badar Khan Suri, the Georgetown professor who was wrongfully arrested and detained for over a month by ICE officials, will be visiting the 14th Street Busboys and Poets to speak on his experience and what it means for academic freedom and civil liberties in the U.S. He'll be in conversation with Nader Hashemi, the Director of the Alwaleed Center for Muslim-Christian Understanding at Georgetown. The event is free, but you can register here. It starts at 6 p.m.

WEDNESDAY, MAY 28

D.C. Council public hearing on housing bills
Take everything you've learned at the TOPA town hall or anti-displacement meeting and bring it before the D.C. Council's Committee on Housing. Chair Robert White will hear residents' opinions on various bills — including the Fair Housing Practices Amendment Act (which would prevent landlords from charging residents utilities related to common spaces), the Eviction Reform Amendment Act (which would embolden and expedite the courts' eviction powers), the RENTAL Act (Bowser's mega-bill that would reshape TOPA among other provisions), and the Common Sense TOPA Reform Amendment Act (which would create consequences for "bad actors" who try to mislead or delay TOPA processes for tenants, connect tenants to organizing resources, and exempt all new residential buildings from TOPA for the first three years). That's a lot to read up on! The meeting starts at 9:30 a.m. Sign up to testify in-person or submit written testimony here.

Informational picket at Le Diplomate
Workers at Le Diplomate are still fighting for a union contract from Starr restaurant group – the company that owns Le Dip and other glitzy spots like The Occidental and St. Anselm. Unite Here 25 (the union that workers are organizing to join) is holding information pickets outside the restaurant. Stop by Lep Dip on Wednesday from 5 - 8 p.m. to learn more. RSVP here.

Looking for more ways to get involved? Below, you'll find a list of public meeting calendars for various city agencies, important contact information, and more