The lots at 4th & M, 425 and 375, are on the market. They were initially purchased for $10. We are calling on the DC Government to purchase the land and transfer ownership to the Douglass Community Land Trust to allow for community-led and community-owned development. The lots have become a vital gathering space in the neighborhood that provide a place to gather, obtain fresh, locally grown produce for people of all incomes, and support small, predominantly Black and Brown, artists and vendors. To sign the petition, click here.

In response to the loss of 10 significantly sized trees on public land, the minimal amount of money paid by the developer, and the lack of transparency involved in all of this, we wrote the letter linked below.

The loss of our tree canopy is not just an environmental issue, but also a racial one as well, since people of color are more likely to be exposed to the heat island effect than Whites. Although the Black population has decreased 20%, due to developments like these that offer minimal amounts of affordable housing, there is still a significant Black population that live in the area that deserve to receive the benefits an established tree canopy provides. If you agree with the concerns listed, please sign on in support. Link to letter.

Residents of Greenleaf Gardens were given a resolution that did not include a promise to fulfill the promise of "Build First" in order to prevent displacement during its redevelop. We wrote this letter and sent it to the DC Housing Authority's Board of Commissioners asking that they vote against the resolution and ensure that the promise Build First is fulfilled: Link to letter.

Our latest on why it makes sense to expand the Douglass Community Land Trust into Southwest with quotes from Kymone Freeman of We Act Radio, Silvia Salazar, a resident and Board member of Douglass CLT, and analysis from the Council Office of Racial Equity on how public land should be disposed. Link to article.

Don't know much about SW Action? Check out this document to learn about what we've been doing since forming in December 2019 and where we hope to go in the future. If you care about racial justice and environmental sustainability, get in touch!

Members of SW Action wrote a letter to the sub-committee on redistricting detailing their concerns about the redistricting process and requesting that the committee focus on making sure racial equity, among other topics, is central to the process. The chairperson of the committee, Councilmember Silverman, reached out and would like to arrange a meeting with the group. You can read the letter here.

The community development working group was interested in learning from residents what types of businesses and community organizations they'd like to see in our neighborhood, so they conducted a survey. The group's plan is to use the survey results to inform our outreach to elected officials. You can browse through the results of the survey here.

Members of SW Action wrote an op-ed in The Southwester newspaper about the DC Auditor's report detailing a failure to address lead in Greenleaf housing. To read the story, click here.

On August 12th, Coy McKinney and Vaughn Perry, presented to a hybrid crowd of people in-person and on Zoom about Community Land Trusts and about the effort to establish one in Southwest. A reporter from the DC Line and Street Sense, attended and wrote an article on the effort. Although it is not a complete recording, you can watch about 25 minutes of the presentation here.

Back in April, we launched a petition to expand the Douglass Community Land Trust into the Southwest neighborhood. The petition calls for the government-owned property at 1101 Half St., SW, the current site of the fire engine repair shop, to be transferred to the Douglass CLT, which will establish a SW chapter to oversee the property.

Since April, over 200 residents have signed on in support. ANC 6D has expressed interest in pursuing the plan further, and Ward 6 Councilmember, Charles Allen, wrote a letter to the Deputy Mayor of Planning and Economic Development, John Falcicchio, asking him to explore the CLT concept for the site.

As part of our outreach efforts, Westminster Presbyterian Church has offered to host a forum and discussion on CLTs, specifically to address the petition.