Robert White, City Councilmember At-Large, is considering carrying more water for Mayor Bowser by shifting housing conditions and eviction cases to the DC Office of Administrative Hearings (OAH) from the DC Landlord Tenant Court.
From: East Peterson-Trujillo <east@gndfordc.org>
Date: Mon, Jun 23, 2025 at 12:46 PM
Subject: RELEASE: Activists “Sleep In” in Council Member White's office to demand housing
To:
PRESS RELEASE
Contact: Sophia Bos Shadi | sophia@fairbudget.org | 779-279-4251
Community Members call on Robert White to “Tax the Rich, House the District” in Sleep-In at Wilson Building
WASHINGTON, DC — Over a dozen community members joined a “sleep-in” at the John A. Wilson Building in Council Member At-Large Robert White's office on the morning of June 23rd to call on the Council Member to raise revenue to fund housing programs in this year’s budget.
“We are a group of folks directly impacted by homelessness and housing issues and their allies. We are here to demand that Robert White CHOOSE US, and commit to tax wealth to fund the housing programs we rely on to survive,” said Taniya Rogers, Community Organizer with ONE DC.
Advocates engaged in a sleep-in in solidarity with people who navigate life without a place to lay their head each night.
Bearing sleeping bags and blankets, residents laid down in the office and demanded that Council Member White tax the rich to invest in housing in the District. They chanted, “What do we want? Housing! How do we get it? Tax the Rich!”
Rogers also said, “A lot of our families who are homeless are upset, are sad, and are trying to find comfort in the city that they helped to create and build…So if this is what it is that we have to do to support them, then this is what we are going to do.”
Residents demonstrated ahead of the Housing Committee’s budget markup on June 24th. Advocates are calling on the Council to fund Emergency Rental Assistance, affordable housing preservation in the Housing Production Trust Fund, public housing repairs, vouchers, and to protect the Tenant Opportunity to Purchase Act.
One teacher who participated in the sleep-in shared that they were taking action to advocate for their students who are homeless.
Outside, a rally was planned to bring together diverse communities from across DC to hear from speakers directly impacted by issues of housing and homelessness, but was canceled due to this week's extreme heat, which advocates noted will impact unhoused folks first and worst.
Photos and video of the Sleep-In can be found here.
About FBC
The Fair Budget Coalition (FBC) advocates for budget and public policy initiatives that address systemic social, racial and economic inequality in the District of Columbia. We work to accomplish these goals by leveraging the collective power of our Coalition Member organizations and impacted community members, particularly those from Black and other communities of color.