While the scope and length of the current economic crisis is still unclear – unemployment rates are at a record high, the number of day laborers looking for work at Home Depot is growing, and a quarter of DC residents are living below the poverty line — what is clear is that Mayor Fenty’s administration is chipping away at DC’s safety net by selling off the public sector to private interests. This summer DC Jobs with Justice launched the Take Back DC campaign in conjunction with Empower DC, the American Federation of Government Employees and the Dominion of Cab Drivers to protect the public sector and hold elected officials accountable. Public health is just one of the sectors on the chopping block. DC’s Addiction, Prevention and Recovery Administration shut down this month, putting hundreds of patients out on the street while they wait for a private provider to be selected. A few months ago, the Community Services Agency of the Department of Mental Health was also privatized. 800 patients are still not linked to providers. According to John Walker, President of AFGE
Continue reading Take Back DC: Protecting the Public Sector, Holding Elected Officials Accountable
