The People's Petition

The People’s Petition

Whereas:

The people of the former District of Columbia desire, deserve and demand full citizenship rights in the place where they live and work.

Be it resolved by the undersigned:

That the City Council of the former District of Columbia is hereby petitioned to declare itself the Territorial Senate of the Territory of Ellingtonia, declaring as well the inclusion of the Non-Voting Delegate of the District of Columbia to the United States House of Representatives as the thirteenth Territorial Senator.

That the Advisory Neighborhood Commissioners of the former District of Columbia are hereby petitioned to declare themselves the Territorial House of Representatives of the Territory of Ellingtonia, declaring as well the inclusion of the Shadow Representative and Shadow Senators as Territorial Representatives.

That the Mayor of the former District of Columbia is hereby petitioned to declare himself the Territorial Governor of the Territory of Ellingtonia pro tem and to submit a referendum to the people as to whether the citizens of the former District of Columbia ratify the holder of that office as the Territorial Governor of the Territory of Ellingtonia, ratify the procedure of petitioning Congress for admission of the Territory of Ellingtonia to Statehood, and ratify a Territorial Constitution.

That the Territorial Governor of the Territory of Ellingtonia is hereby petitioned to submit a proposed Territorial Constitution to the Territorial Legislature of the Territory of Ellingtonia, the resultant Constitution to be submitted to the people in referendum as above.

That the Territorial Governor and Territorial Legislature of the Territory of Ellingtonia are hereby petitioned to define the boundaries of the Territory as coterminous with those of the former (post-1847) District of Columbia, with the exception of a linked block of land encompassing the Capitol, the Supreme Court, the Mall, the White House and the Executive Office Buildings. The excepted block of land will remain as the District of Columbia under the sole authority of the Congress of the United States, with no residents, no representation and no voting rights, with its law enforcement provided by the Executive Protection Service, the US Capitol Police, and the US Supreme Court Police, and its fire service either contracted from the Territory of Ellingtonia or independently established at no cost to the Territory's citizens.

That the Territorial Governor and Territorial Legislature of the Territory of Ellingtonia are hereby petitioned to adopt the District Judiciary as the Territorial Judiciary and make provision for a State Judiciary to become effective at Statehood.

That upon approval of the above referendum and simultaneous or subsequent ratification of the Territorial Constitution, the Territorial Governor and Territorial Legislature of the Territory of Ellingtonia are hereby authorized to petition the Congress of the United States for admission to Statehood as the Fifty-First State.

That the Territorial Flag of the Territory of Ellingtonia adapt the design of the former District of Columbia flag with the substitution of a red ball, chain and leg clamp in place of the three stars currently displayed above the two red bars on the white field, with provision to revert to the three stars at such time as the State of Ellingtonia is admitted to the United States.

That the citizens of the Territory of Ellingtonia be asked to voluntarily abstain from casting their votes for the office of President of the United States until such time as the State of Ellingtonia is admitted to the United States as a symbolic statement of the inadequacies of Home Rule.

That the statue of Boss Alexander Robey Shepherd (1835-1902) be moved to the intersections of Pennsylvania and Constitution Avenues NW in a mini-traffic-circle, taking a lane of traffic away from each direction at that spot, on Emancipation Day 2010, to remain emplaced there until such time as the State of Ellingtonia is admitted to the United States.