Bowser: “Will you be with us when they threaten to put your Mayor in jail?” The crowd roared: “Yes!” Click to enlarge.
About 400 people showed up to support the Mayor and DC City Council Members in their protest of federal government control of the District.
Councilmember Charles Allen hosted a meeting to organize the opposition at the Atlas Theater on H Street
Mayor Bowser Headlines Protest Rally at Rayburn House Office Building #HandsOffDC
CM Allen Moves to Organize the Opposition to Federal Control of the District
by Larry Janezich
About 400 protesters gathered in tonight’s early evening in the park behind the Rayburn Office Building to send a message to the U.S. Congress and to Representative Jason Chaffetz in particular that – in Bowser’s words – “the best thing the federal government can do for us is leave us alone.”
Several Councilmembers spoke to the protesters including Councilmembers Allen, Todd, Silverman, Nadeau, and Cheh.
Bowser urged the crowd to “Stand up, speak up, and fight back….”
The rally preceded an organizing meeting hosted by Councilmember Charles Allen at H Street’s Atlas Theater, to connect neighbors, increase awareness and participation, and turn energy into activism. To that end, after a panel discussion and Q&A, the over-capacity crowd broke up into individual action groups to discuss ways of moving forward. The working groups – which spilled over into nearby H Street restaurants – included:
Congressional Lobby Working Group
Protests, Rallies, Youth Working Group
Phone Banking Working Group
CHAW Sign Making Workshop
Visibility and Media Working Group
Written Advocacy Working Group
CAPITOL HILL CORNER 
If the District really wanted to drive home a point, it could institute a travel ban against individuals from Utah. It would both highlight the overreach by Chaffetz and the Trump Administration. Granted, it would be nothing more than a publicity stunt, but it might draw some national attention to the issue.