Grassroots Alexandria July update

[Grassroots Alexandria]

Grassroots Alexandria July update

This is an update following our monthly action meeting on July 3. 

1. Take action now! 

- This month we have one action request, under Housing. Our ICE Out coalition is offering teach-ins about the impact of ICE on Alexandria. Please scroll down and have a look.

2. Housing: Housing Equity Project

- We are working with African Communities Together to develop our proposed update to the Alexandria Landlord-Tenant Guide. A PDF of the full document and a one-page executive summary are on our updated housing page. ACT is gathering substantive feedback on the landlord-tenant guide. 

- Please act now: as noted on our housing web page, we are asking folks to attend one of the “pop up” Housing 2040 meetings. If you want, we can go as a group.  

- We are meeting with various allied groups to build a coalition in favor of tenant protections. We hosted a positive meeting with the Alexandria YIMBYs and received positive reactions from other groups, such as NAACP Alexandria and TWU. 

3. Education: Restorative Practices Project

- The Education team meets virtually on the 4th Tuesday of the month. The next meeting is on July 22.

- Expansion of police in schools (SROs) delayed: Last month we talked about a proposed update of the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the ACPS and the Alexandria Police Department (APD). The MOU would significantly expand police access to student records, reduce transparency, and newly allow officers to interview students without prior parental notification. The MOU has a) been delayed and b) the expanded access to student records has been dropped. 

- Graduation rates. We’ve been talking to community stakeholders about ACPS graduation rates. We have identified the following concerns at Alexandria City High School:

• International academy ESL (English as a second language) students are predominantly students of color and are primarily located at the King St campus. The predominantly-White STEM academy is at the Braddock Rd campus. We are concerned about reports of very different behaviors from security officers in each campus. 

• Some ESL students have been living in the US for too long to qualify for the international academy. These students are at risk of dropping out. 

• We are concerned about high ACPS faculty turnover rates.

- Background: Our education goals are spelled out in our outreach one-pager. Specific strategies to reach these goals are being shaped by our conversations with various stakeholder groups. 

4. Alexandria Human Rights: Community Voices project

- The Community Voices team meets virtually on the 1st Wednesday of the month. The next meeting is on August 6. We gather and advertise events and actions to protect our community from the dismantling of due process and the expanding power of ICE.

- Team and skill building: We are inviting the public to attend protests and other events with us. These opportunities are posted to our email list. 

We also encourage team members to access skill-building opportunities so we can more effectively support protests. We note that Indivisible has upcoming sessions of "One Million Rising: Strategic Non-Cooperation to Fight Authoritarianism" (7/30, 8/13). Free DC, the DC Peace Team, and other groups also offer training. 

5. Alexandria Human Rights: ICE Out of Alexandria project

- The ICE Out team meets virtually on the 3rd Wednesday of the month. The next meeting is on August 20.

- Public engagement teach-ins: We are working with Tenants and Workers United (TWU) and other community leaders to promote teach-ins to educate the public. We are developing materials with which to educate city council members. If you would like us to talk about ICE in Alexandria at your local organization meeting, please reach out. 

- Our ICE response projects (joint with TWU): rapid response, patrols, courtwatch, and know-your-rights outreach, are continuing. Volunteers needed. Good ways to start are to join our ICE Out Team or fill out the New Virginia Majority volunteer form.  

- Background: For those interested, a document from 2023 describes Alexandria’s cooperation with ICE. To the best of our knowledge, this 2023 report is still accurate.

6. Transportation Equity

- The Transportation Equity team meets virtually on the 4th Wednesday of the month. The next meeting is on July 23.

- Alexandria's DASH bus system: Additional funding is needed to replace buses at their end-of-useful service life with electric buses to meet the City’s approved environmental goals. The current budget provides funding for diesel rather than electric replacement buses. Additional buses (and associated operating funds) are needed to increase service frequency on routes serving high density areas. Dedicated DASH capital and operating funds are needed to fill these shortfalls and will enable DASH to continue contributing to Alexandria's economic health. 

- More students DASHing to school: Alexandria High School students already use DASH buses to get to school, but this utilization could be increased. Starting in SY2026-2027, DASH bus use is expected to increase as traditional school bus service decreases. This will save money and free up ACPS resources for other student needs. Staff’s June 24 presentation to City Council is here, Council’s very informative discussion can be viewed starting at the 1 hour 9 minute point of this video, and additional docket material for this topic is here. 

In 2024, the updated Minnie Howard Campus of Alexandria City High School opened to students on W. Braddock Road, leading to an increase of pedestrian traffic with many students walking between campuses along this corridor. We expect an opportunity to start commenting about the safety issues and need for change on W. Braddock Road starting July 21. More to follow. 

7. Environment 

- The Environment team is interested in resource and recovery, green building, climate adaptation, and resilience. We met with the chair of the Environment Policy Commission and are attending EPC meetings to build on that connection. We will be working together over the summer to develop specific policy proposals. 

- The Environment Team is working on initiatives related to resource recovery, green and efficient buildings, and climate adaptation and resilience. Based on our meeting with Environment Policy Commission (EPC) Chair Schantz, we are also thinking about looking into utility rates, renewable energy, and CCAs (community choice aggregation).

Currently, the team is working on proposals for the Grassroots and Alexandria legislative packet. The team is looking into developing two topics: 1) resilient buildings and 2) natural hazard relief.

8. GrA reading group

- The Grassroots Alexandria Reading Group is reading On Tyranny by Timothy Snyder. At our August meeting, we will discuss chapters 13-16.

People who wish to join a GrA project team should reach out to  grassroots...@gmail.com. 

This is public information. Please share or repost this update with friends and neighbors, as appropriate.