OurDC joins Respect DC and District Residents Condemning Mayor’s Veto
Statement on Mayor Vincent Gray’s Veto of Large Retailer Accountability Act
Contact: Rev Graylan Hagler 202-302-0307 or Rev Edwin Jones at 202-468-0513 for comment.
WASHINGTON, D.C.,(September 12, 2013)— Mayor Gray’s veto of the LRAA represents his callous disregard and abandonment of the Districts poor and working families. The Mayor clearly answers the question who’s side are you on the rich or the rest of us. Gray’s veto sentences District families to the growing ranks of poverty stricken working poor. The Mayor lacked courage in the face of Walmarts brazen intimidation. We won’t forget.
Our DC joined Respect DC and a coalition of grassroots-based organizations, pastors, workers, and community members concerned about the quality of life in the nation’s capital today. The following statement is our unified response to Mayor Vincent Gray’s veto of the Large Retailer Accountability Act (LRAA).
Gray’s veto comes just two days after the Fair Political Practices Commission in California announced that it would be investigating whether Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson had a conflict of interest in a vote on a big box bill due to charitable donations he solicited from Wal-Mart and the Walton Foundation.
Kimberly Mitchell, a Macy’s employee and lifelong Ward 7 resident:
“I am incredibly upset, disappointed and angry that Mayor Gray has decided to stand with Wal-Mart and other large corporations instead of with the residents of this city. Mayor Gray has made it clear who he stands with and it’s not with me, my neighbors or the residents of D.C. We are now counting on the City Council to do the right thing, stand up with D.C. residents and override this veto.
“Mayor Gray had the opportunity to stand up for the residents of this city, but instead he allowed large, out-of-town companies, like Wal-Mart, to threaten him and ultimately dictate the policies of our city. By vetoing this bill, he has further eroded the ability of D.C. residents and workers to earn enough money to take care of themselves and their families while remaining in the city.”
The Rev. Graylan Hagler, of Plymouth United Congregational Church of Christ and Faith Strategies:
“Unfortunately, the mayor’s decision is hardly surprising because this is exactly what Wal-Mart’s lobbyists said would happen. The mayor’s office and Wal-Mart have been working together to defeat this bill from the start.
“If we cannot demand higher wages and good jobs from the nation’s and world’s largest corporations, D.C. will not be able to remain a diverse and vibrant city. We strongly urge the City Council to override this misguided veto.”
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