The WMATA Board of Directors is voting on a new rule to allow Metro Transit Police to suspend or ban people from transit after being arrested — not convicted, just arrested — for certain criminalized actions. This would bypass any sense of due process.

As residents of the DMV who depend on critical public infrastructure like WMATA, we refuse to give police this authority. This rule would expand the power of police and infringe on our rights by blocking access to critical public services without due process.

Blanket expansions of power of policing agencies lead to abuses of power. Metro Transit Police already lacks significant oversight, something that the WMATA Board of Directors has failed to address throughout the years. The official proposal is also seemingly intentionally vague as to what kinds of criminalized behaviors would result in suspension.

Expanding police power will not make us safer, it will not make Metro safer, and it will not deter behavior. It will simply expand police control and increase harm. Use this form to send a letter to the WMATA Board of Directors demanding they vote NO on this proposal at their Thursday, July 29 meeting.

This action is co-sponsored Sunrise DC, DC Working Families Party, DC Justice Lab, the Stop Police Terror Project, Harriet's Wildest Dreams, Freedom Fighters DC, Black Lives Matter DC, and the Metro DC DSA Defund MPD Working Group, in partnership through the Defund MPD Coalition.