We're a group of SW Waterfront residents who organize and advocate for a more equitable, anti-racist, and environmentally sustainable neighborhood. You can find us on Facebook and Twitter.
We meet quarterly on the 1st Sunday of the month. Email swdcaction@gmail.com for the location and time.
The Amidon-Bowen Elementary School is scheduled to be renovated starting in school year 2027-28. The estimated time period for renovation is two years and our students will need to be relocated to an alternative location during the renovation. According to the current plan from DCPS, the students will be relocated to Meyer Elementary School, nearly 3.5 miles away in Columbia Heights. We are pushing DCPS, City Council, and other city leaders to find an alternative swing space that keeps our students in SW during the renovation period. You can sign the petition here.
This weekend, SW Action + DC Central Kitchen hosted a cooking demonstration for SW community members. We learned how to make a summer squash salad using fresh, local, and affordable produce. Looking forward to our next demo on September 23!
Our advocacy for a community land trust at 4th & M was noticed by an architecture student at Notre Dame, who ended up writing her thesis project on an alternative vision for the site. You can browse through the different documents in the project here.
The DC Department of Energy and Environment has released a draft SW & Buzzard Point Flood Resilience Strategy. Our neighborhood is at risk of flooding from extreme rain events and the Strategy proposes a system of infrastructure projects that could protect us against flooding by absorbing and moving excess water away from residential and commercial areas. You can learn more about the project and download the draft plan here.
You can read the comments we left regarding the strategy here.
On May 4th, Ginger Rumph, of the Douglass CLT, and Coy McKinney, of SW Action, met with Mayor Muriel Bowser, the Director of the Office of Planning, the Interim and Deputy directors of the Department of Housing and Community Development, and the Interim Deputy Mayor of Planning and Economic Development. We hope this is the first of several meetings to bring collective ownership and community-driven development to the two parcels. You can view the presentation that was given here and one-page summary here.
After almost a year of organizing and more than 1,000 people signing on in support for the DC government to purchase the two parcels at 4th & M and transfer them to the Douglass CLT, we have been granted a meeting with the Mayor to discuss the proposal. You can read our press release about the news here.
For the March meeting of the Southwest Neighborhood Assembly, Coy McKinney of SW Action and the Douglass CLT spoke to the audience about the effort to bring a community land trust to the community. You can view the presentation here.
On February 23rd, a small group of Southwest residents and pastors met to set goals and begin a vision statement with assistance from the River East Design Center. The session was the first in a multi-step process that will gather input to ultimately form a proposal for a community land trust in Southwest at 1101 Half Street SW. You can read the full document here.
In response to King-Greenleaf Recreation Center being used as an emergency shelter again, and in solidarity with the resident council President of James Creek, we wrote this letter to government officials urging them to find another location. You can read the letter and send an email of your own here.
Pamela McKinney went on WPFW 89.3's radio station to discuss the petition to purchase the lots at 4th & M and transfer ownership to the Douglass Community Land Trust. You can listen to the interview here at the 28 minute mark.