Margaret McLaughlin

Margaret McLaughlin

Margaret McLaughlin is a "socialist activist" working as the Political Coordinator, Elections Team at Progressive Change Campaign Committee (PCCC). She joined the Metro DC Democratic Socialists of America Election Day 2016. She is dating Hamid Bendaas.

Fighting Landlords; Strategic Canvassing against Capitalism

In August 2018, Jimmy Tobias from The Nation quoted Allison Hrabar as a participant in the Metro DC Democratic Socialists of America campaign: "Stomp Out Slumlords", which would fight landlords who want to evict their tenants. Their vision "is to make dignified housing a universal human right, rather than a commodity, just as Medicare for All proponents hope to do with health care." “We decided to go to the courthouse and pull all of the dockets and start canvassing tenants facing eviction,” says Margaret McLaughlin, the chair of the Metro DC Democratic Socialists of America chapter. “The court system is mostly working right now as a conveyor belt to evict people,” says Allison Hrabar, a member of the chapter’s steering committee. “We are throwing a wrench in that system.”

Other Democratic Socialists of America members quoted in the article were Jen Snyder, an organizer with San Francisco Democratic Socialists of America who explained that the movement to focus on housing is strategic: She was quoted as saying: "When we talk about building a movement, we’re talking about getting the most amount of people to see that capitalism is working directly against their best interests. And housing is a damn good way to talk about that.” The San Francisco Democratic Socialists of America claims to have been pivotal in the success of a recent ballot initiative that passed in San Francisco that "establishes a universal right to legal counsel for tenants facing eviction."

“DSA members were the vast majority of the canvassers and door knockers,” says SF DSA’s Jen Snyder, who was the campaign manager for Proposition F. “We were the main driving volunteer force, we were the campaign staff, the campaign office was the DSA office.”

It’s "also a powerful way to organize a political base," explains Cea Weaver, a member of New York City Democratic Socialists of America’s steering committee as well as its housing working group. “As socialists, our goal is to build working-class power—whether at the polls, in our homes, or in our workplaces. New York tenants are a millions-strong constituency that cuts across lines of race, class, gender, and age. Many of us may vote as workers, students, or parents, but if we unite as tenants, we represent an unstoppable political force.”

From the article:

"The Metro DC Democratic Socialists of America started sending out 10 to 20 volunteer canvassers each weekend to do long days of door-knocking at rental units across the city. They hit roughly 200 doors on any given weekend, encouraging tenants to defend themselves from eviction."

According to an "operations manual," their "strategy is to make it as difficult as possible to wield eviction as a weapon by raising the costs of evicting a tenant and flooding the channels that permit and carry out evictions."

From their manual:

"A DSA working group in Washington, D.C. has identified a strategic chokepoint that will allow us to effectively challenge the city’s landlords: landlord-tenant court, the institution responsible for evictions. The power and profit of landlords always depends on eviction: housing can only be a commodity as long as owners have the right to deny shelter to people who do not pay. Our strategy is to make it as difficult as possible to wield eviction as a weapon by raising the costs of evicting a tenant and flooding the channels that permit and carry out evictions. Poor tenants have the latent power to clog the machinery of displacement, and we have developed a program to unlock that power."

Tweets address of the DHS secretary at dinner

Tweet Doxxing DHS Secretary

On June 19 2018, Margaret McLaughlin tweeted the address of DHS secretary, prompting fellow comrades to come troll her at dinner. Other DSA members included Allison Hrabar and Jesse Rabinowitz as reported at the Daily Beast in an article titled "DSA Says They’re Coming After More Trump Officials After Ruining Kirstjen Nielsen's Dinner." Metro DC Democratic Socialists of America member Austin Kendall also joined the ambush. The group Smash Racism DC tweeted that the D.C. branch of the Industrial Workers of the World were also in attendance.

Tweet Doxxing DHS Secretary from IWW

From the New York Post:

"Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen was forced to leave a trendy Mexican restaurant in Washington, DC, Tuesday night when protesters descended on the eatery shouting “Shame!”

"Demonstrators occupied DXDC Cocina Mexicana at around 8 p.m. as Nielsen was attempting to have a meal with an unidentified man, according to a video posted on Facebook.

"Staff members try to contain the situation as members of the Metro DC Democratic Socialists of America flood the restaurant, the video shows.

Socialism Will Win

Margaret McLaughlin got leftist news coverage after posting a video telling Senator Ted Cruz on January 1 2018 that "Socialism will win." Hamid Bendaas was present at the time.

Socialist Activist

Hamid Bendaas praises Margaret McLaughlin's socialist organizing.

Keith Ellison's staffer Hamid Bendaas praises Margaret McLaughlin for her "socialist organizing."

DSA Ella Baker & Lucy Parsons Training Closed FB Group

Members of the DSA Ella Baker & Lucy Parsons Training Closed FB Group, as of August 20, 2017 included Margaret McLaughlin.

DSA delegate

In 2017, the Metro DC Democratic Socialists of America Election Working Group finalized a 29 member convention delegate list. The list included Margaret McLaughlin.

Metro DC DSA Public Facbook group

Moderators of the Metro DC Democratic Socialists of America, public Facebook group, as of March 12, 2017 included Margaret McLaughlin.

Socialist Feminists (DSA) Facebook page

Members of the Socialist Feminists (DSA), closed Facebook group, as of June 20, 2017 included Margaret McLaughlin.

2018 leadership

Metro DC Democratic Socialists of America leaders, as of May17 2018;

Congratulations to the newly elected Steering Committee for 2018

• Secretary Nat. S.
• Treasurer Gabriel Rodriguez

At-Large Members (7) Elizabeth Golden, Allison Hrabar, Stu K., Kim Lehmkuhl, Margaret McLaughlin, Jacquelyn Smith, Rob Wohl.