Print This

Email This

Power for the People campaign

Electricity is a right!

Crystal Kim, Justice First Executive Director, being interviewed at a demonstration in defense of a D.C. resident threatened with a shut-off.

The District of Columbia is home to about 600,000 residents. Electricity for all D.C. residences is provided by Pepco, a subsidiary of Pepco Holdings, Inc., which has 1.9 million customers in the District of Columbia, Maryland and New Jersey combined. In the District of Columbia, without having to compete with other distributors of electricity, Pepco operates as a monopoly.

As a for-profit monopoly with governmental protection, Pepco (and Pepco Holdings, Inc.) has become one of the most profitable corporations in Washington, D.C. In 2009, the Washington Post listed Pepco Holdings, Inc., whose headquarters are in the Chinatown area of the District, as one of the top companies in the “Post 200” rankings—a list of D.C. metro businesses ranked largely according to revenue. According to the Post, in 2008, Pepco Holdings had $10,700,000,000 ($10.7 billion) in revenues, and $300,000,000 ($300 million) in profit.

The economic crisis has had a far greater impact on working-class people than any multibillion dollar company.  More and more poor and working people are losing their jobs, being foreclosed from their homes, unable to afford to see a doctor, and unable to afford an education. And now, people are fighting to keep their lights on.

The Power for the People campaign demands:

• No more heat or electricity shutoffs.
• Roll back utility rates by 50 percent.

The Power for the People presently contains the following components:

• Our Support Program pairs up D.C. residents threatened with a shut-off with a trained volunteer who helps them negotiate with the utility company and keep their lights on.
• Our Microloan Program (under development) will provide limited financial assistance for D.C. residents struggling to avert a shut-off.
• Our activists organize street protests to mobilize the community and bring visibility to the abuses committed by privately-owned utility companies.

Heat and light are a right! No one should be forced to freeze and lose power so that the executives of energy companies can live lavishly.

Donate to support Justice First.

Volunteer with the Power for the People campaign.