GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. (KKCO) – Mayor Anna Stout of Grand Junction and around 50 mayors from across the country met with members of Congress in Washington D.C. These mayors are from the U.S. Conference of Mayors, and they took part in a two-day meeting to advocate for federal solutions to the housing and homelessness crisis affecting cities across the county.

Each mayor brought their perspective and experience on how their communities have dealt with the homelessness crisis. Elected representatives and White House officials shared resources and future federal budget insights to help city leaders with funding and programs. The three priorities that the mayoral delegation focused were on helping veterans qualify for vouchers and assistance, increasing funding for housing vouchers, and increasing the cap for project-based vouchers.

Under Mayor Stout, the City of Grand Junction has allocated over 13 million dollars to housing and homelessness projects in the past two years, and she told us that there is more work to do and much more resources are needed. “…it’s almost like being tasked with building a house but only given a hammer and nails. We need more tools, and we need more funding.”

Scott Beilfuss, an outspoken houselessness advocate and Grand Junction City Council member believes the city is not moving fast enough. “…there are some more things that I believe we could be doing here locally… …the focus of what we can do with the money we have, is not moving longer, quick enough for me.”

Copyright 2024 KKCO. All rights reserved.

Washington, DC — On April 25, at 5 a.m., students from Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) chapters from multiple DC universities took to George Washington University’s campus and started a Washington DC student encampment for Palestine.

George Washington University has been criticized for repressing its Palestinian students and their allies on campus while defending both on and off-campus Zionists. The university called the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) to intimidate the students and start the sweep of the encampment. The MPD then sent out a notice to all students ordering their dispersal at 7 p.m.. In response, the organizers in DMV (DC, Maryland, Virginia) SJP made a call for increased community mobilization to stave off the police. Within a few hours, the DC community mobilized to support the encampment in the thousands. At its peak, around 2000 people were on campus at the event, chanting and supporting the students. University faculty and alumni from multiple DC universities formed a barrier between students and the police.

Because of this mass mobilization effort, 7 p.m. came and went; the police did not follow through on their dispersal order, instead waiting until late in the evening, when people had started to go home, to try to sweep the encampment.

As of April 26, the encampment is still standing, and the community continues to rally around the four demands of the students, which are for the university to one, disclose how their endowment is spent; two, divest from all companies and partnerships who participate in the colonization and ethnic cleansing of the Palestinian people; three, defend Palestine activism which has been repressed and censored, and four, declare the Zionist occupation, colonization and ethnic cleansing of the Palestinian people and the U.S.-Israeli genocide on Gaza illegal and indefensible.

There were many community organizations present, participating in teach-ins and protests, including the Palestinian Youth Movement, Anakbayan DC, the DC Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression (DCAARPR), and many more.

A member of DCAARPR stated in their speech, “We are engaged in an act of rebellion. This moment of struggle on GW’s campus is a powerful thread in the worldwide struggle against Zionism and, by extension, American imperialism. The student movement has always been at the forefront of anti-imperialist struggles, and who has always been called as the first line of defense against them? The police!” This was followed by the masses of people chanting in unison, “MPD, KKK, IOF, they’re all the same!”.

The students continue to call for community mobilization and support in the D.C. area.

#WashingtonDC #StudentMovement #SDS #AntiWarMovement #International #MiddleEast #Palestine #DCAARPR #PYM #Anakbayan #GWU

Thompson Restaurants has opened its seventh Wiseguy Pizza. It is located in a residential neighborhood of Dupont Circle in Washington, D.C., according to a press release.

The pizza brand is known for its New York-style pizza. Wiseguy also has a rotating menu of specials which includes vegan and vegetarian offerings.

“We are ecstatic to introduce our award-winning pizza slices and pies to the vibrant Dupont Circle neighborhood,” Alex Berentzen, COO of Thompson Hospitality, said in the release. “We are very much looking forward to the Dupont community experiencing Wiseguy’s renowned New York-style pizza and exceptional quality, a hallmark of our presence across the DMV region.”

The Dupont Circle Wiseguy Pizza features dine-in and carryout services. It has a small dining room and an extensive patio.

Thompson Restaurants owns and operates15 brands with more than 70 locations.