Metro DC Democratic Socialists of America is a local chapter of the Democratic Socialists of America. The group engages in far-left socialist activism in the greater Washington, D.C. area and was involved in the Shut Down DC environmentalist protests on September 23, 2019, that sought to force the adoption of radical environmentalist policy demands by stopping traffic throughout the city.

History and Organization

Metro DC Demcratic Socialists of America is a chapter of the Democratic Socialists of America. The group has claimed a high level of growth in recent years, with 500 percent growth reported in 2017. ¹

Activities

In the summer of 2018, Metro DC DSA activists harassed then-Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen when she was at dinner. In 2018, the group campaigned to elect DSA members as Advisory Neighborhood Commissioners in the city. ²

The Metro DC chapter promoted a number of left-of-center causes, with working groups focused on protesting immigration enforcement, raising the cost of evictions, supporting international anti-capitalism, and opposing the use of conventional energy. The group has an Ecosocialist Caucus, a Gramsci Study Caucus and a Socialist Feminist Caucus. ³

The group was involved in the Shut Down DC protests in September 2019 that sought to stop traffic in Washington, D.C. as a way to force the adoption of radical environmentalist policies. ⁴

People

The chapter is led by a steering committee chosen by group members. ⁵

Critics have objected to Metro DC DSA’s continuing association with Kurt Stand,⁶ a frequent writer for the organization’s “Washington Socialist” newsletter. ⁷ A federal jury convicted Stand in 1998 of spying on behalf of Communist-ruled East Germany. ⁸

1. “D.C.’s Democratic Socialists Chapter Has Grown By 500 Percent In A Year. Now What?” DCist, October 23, 2017. Accessed September 20, 2019.  https://dcist.com/story/17/10/23/metro-dc-dsa-has-grown-by-500-percent/.
2. Cohen, Matt. “D.C. Democratic Socialists Are Going Hyperlocal for the Upcoming General Election.” Washington City Paper, October 11, 2019. https://www.washingtoncitypaper.com/news/article/21026812/the-dc-democratic-socialists-of-america-are-going-hyperlocal-for-the-upcoming-general-election.
3. “Chapter Structure and Campaigns.” Accessed September 20, 2019. https://mdcdsa.org/get-involved/structure-and-campaigns/.
4. “Climate Groups Will Shut Down DC with Mass Nonviolent Civil Disobedience During the Youth Global Climate Strike and UN Climate Summit This September.” StrikeDC.Org, September 11, 2019. Accessed September 20, 2019. https://www.strikedc.org/index.php/press/.
5. “Chapter Structure and Campaigns.” Accessed September 20, 2019. https://mdcdsa.org/get-involved/structure-and-campaigns/.
6. Vadum, Matthew. “The ‘New’ Left: The Curious Case of Kurt Stand.” Capital Research Center. Capital Research Center, August 27, 2018. https://capitalresearch.org/article/the-new-left-part-3/.
7. See “Search Results for: Kurt Stand.” Metro DC DSA. Accessed September 25, 2019. https://mdcdsa.org/search/kurt stand/.
8. “Couple Found Guilty Of Spying.” CBS News. CBS Interactive, October 23, 1998. https://www.cbsnews.com/news/couple-found-guilty-of-spying/.