STAND UP! FOR DEMOCRACY IN DC COALITION

1715 4^th St. NW Washington, DC 20001 freedc.org

CALL CONTACTS FOR MEDIA INTERVIEWS

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Bill Mosley

Friday, July 18, 2008 Tel.: (202) 360-5414 Contact: Anise Jenkins

Tel.: (202) 361-9739

STAND UP! FOR DEMOCRACY IN DC COALITION ASKS POLITICAL PARTIES TO SUPPORT DC STATEHOOD

As the 2008 national election campaigns heat up, the Stand Up! for Democracy in DC Coalition has asked the Democratic, Republican and Libertarian parties to adopt support for DC statehood as a strong plank in each party’s campaign platform.

“The next president of the United States can and should play a decisive role in helping to end the colonial status of DC residents,” wrote Stand Up! President Anise Jenkins in letters sent to the members of each party’s platform committee on June 29. “Please commit your party to granting the people of the District of Columbia these basic civil and human rights by including DC statehood in your national party platform for 2008.”

The national Democratic Party expressed support for DC statehood in its platform beginning in 1988 but dropped the plank in 2004, adopting instead a plank endorsing only voting representation in Congress. The Republican and Libertarian parties have never previously supported DC statehood. The Green Party’s platform has included a plank supporting DC Statehood since 2004.

The Stand Up! for Democracy in DC Coalition was founded in 1997 to demand full democratic rights for the District of Columbia – including full voting representation in Congress; local control over the District’s budgets, laws and criminal justice system; and action by Congress on the District’s long-standing petition for statehood.

The texts of the letters follow:

June 29, 2008

Dear National Democratic Party Platform Committee Members: 

Stand Up! For Democracy in DC Coalition is a grassroots, nonpartisan organization whose mission is to achieve full civil rights and statehood for the people living in Washington, DC.  District of Columbia residents are the only U.S. citizens in the country completely subject to Congressional veto over how we spend our local budget and Congressional veto or change of our local laws, and our local judges are selected by the President and Congress.  Yet we pay the highest federal taxes per person in the country and are subject to many of the responsibilities of states, and have no voting representation in the U.S. House or Senate. DC residents voted for statehood in 1980, and Senator Edward M. Kennedy was one of the statehood bill’s original co-sponsors. Since then DC statehood was a part of the Party’s platform until 2004.  Our colonial status continues to have a tremendous effect on our health care system, our financial standing, education system and almost every other area of our everyday life.

During this presidential campaign season, Stand Up! requests that the National Democratic Platform Committee include DC statehood as a strong plank in its 2008 Presidential platform.  DC statehood will end the over 200 year denial of first-class citizenship for the almost 600,000 people living in the nation’s capital. The next president of the United States can and should play a decisive role in helping to end the colonial status of D.C. residents. The denial of the our right to independent decisions on our local budget, legislation, and criminal justice system and our exclusion from full voting representation in both houses of the U.S. Congress is an national and international disgrace. DC Statehood will remove this roadblock to America’s on-going mission to form a more perfect union.

Please commit your party to granting the people of the District of Columbia these basic civil and human rights by including DC statehood in your national party platform for 2008.

Thank you.

Sincerely,

Anise Jenkins, president

Stand Up! for Democracy in DC Coalition

202-232-2500

www.FreeDC.org

June 29, 2008

June 29, 2008

Dear National Republican Party Platform Committee Members: 

Stand Up! For Democracy in DC Coalition is a grassroots, nonpartisan organization whose mission is to achieve full civil rights and statehood for the people living in Washington, DC.  District of Columbia residents are the only U.S. citizens in the country completely subject to Congressional veto over how we spend our local budget and Congressional veto or change of our local laws, and our local judges are selected by the President and Congress.  Yet we pay the highest federal taxes per person in the country and are subject to many of the responsibilities of states, and have no voting representation in the U.S. House or Senate. DC residents voted for statehood in 1980. Our colonial status continues to have a tremendous effect on our health care system, our financial standing, education system and almost every other area of our everyday life.

During this presidential campaign season, Stand Up! requests that the National Republican Platform Committee include DC statehood as a strong plank in its 2008 Presidential platform.  DC statehood will end the over 200 year denial of first-class citizenship for the almost 600,000 people living in the nation’s capital. The next president of the United States can and should play a decisive role in helping to end the colonial status of D.C. residents. The denial of the our right to independent decisions on our local budget, legislation, and criminal justice system and our exclusion from full voting representation in both houses of the U.S. Congress is an national and international disgrace. DC Statehood will remove this roadblock to America’s on-going mission to form a more perfect union.

Please commit your party to granting the people of the District of Columbia these basic civil and human rights by including DC statehood in your national party platform for 2008.

Thank you.

Sincerely,

Anise Jenkins, president

Stand Up! for Democracy in DC Coalition

202-232-2500

www.FreeDC.org

Dear National Libertarian Party Platform Committee Members: 

Stand Up! For Democracy in DC Coalition is a grassroots, nonpartisan organization whose mission is to achieve full civil rights and statehood for the people living in Washington, DC.  District of Columbia residents are the only U.S. citizens in the country completely subject to Congressional veto over how we spend our local budget and Congressional veto or change of our local laws, and our local judges are selected by the President and Congress.  Yet we pay the highest federal taxes per person in the country and are subject to many of the responsibilities of states, and have no voting representation in the U.S. House or Senate. DC residents voted for statehood in 1980. Our colonial status continues to have a tremendous effect on our health care system, our financial standing, education system and almost every other area of our everyday life.

During this presidential campaign season, Stand Up! requests that the National Libertarian Platform Committee include DC statehood as a strong plank in its 2008 Presidential platform.  DC statehood will end the over 200 year denial of first-class citizenship for the almost 600,000 people living in the nation’s capital. The next president of the United States can and should play a decisive role in helping to end the colonial status of D.C. residents. The denial of the our right to independent decisions on our local budget, legislation, and criminal justice system and our exclusion from full voting representation in both houses of the U.S. Congress is an national and international disgrace. DC Statehood will remove this roadblock to America’s on-going mission to form a more perfect union.

Please commit your party to granting the people of the District of Columbia these basic civil and human rights by including DC statehood in your national party platform for 2008.

Thank you.

Sincerely,

Anise Jenkins, president

Stand Up! for Democracy in DC Coalition

202-232-2500

www.FreeDC.org

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