On August 23, 2025, a group of 40 local organizations delivered the following joint open letter to Flash DC, who is responsible for hosting and producing DC’s Boiler Room Event at their Berhta location. Sign to demonstrate the broad support of our community in divesting from genocide, as we await their response:

23 AUGUST, 2025

Flash Nightclub DC
Washington, DC 20018

To the owners and management of Flash,

We are a collective of artists, dancers, producers,  and community organizers in the greater Washington, D.C. (DMV) area,  writing to urge you to cancel the upcoming Boiler Room event you are scheduled to host. In solidarity with the people of Palestine and the international grassroots boycott movement built by nightlife workers and performers in our music scene,  we are taking a stand against Boiler Room’s new ownership under KKR. In the spirit of D.C.’s legacy of activist music culture—from punk and hardcore communities that championed social causes, to modern movements for justice—we refuse to let our cultural spaces be complicit in oppression.

The ongoing assault on the Palestinian people in Gaza is a genocide. Over the past 22 months, the Israeli military, with U.S. support, has inflicted catastrophic violence: over 62,000 Palestinians have been killed, over 2 million displaced, and countless others face starvation under an illegal blockade. We are horrified by this reality, and will not allow our music culture to whitewash these atrocities. 

Boiler Room is now owned by Superstruct Entertainment, which was recently acquired by KKR (Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co.)*, a private equity firm with direct investments in weapons manufacturers, defense contractors, and tech companies fueling Israel’s occupation. In short: KKR profits from the destruction of Gaza. Every dollar spent on a Boiler Room ticket or sponsorship  helps fund the machinery of genocide and enriches those enabling Israel’s war machine.  Our community and culture will not be weaponized for genocide.

Boiler Room’s response has been grossly inadequate. A March statement claiming to be "unapologetically pro-Palestine” rings hollow when the company has an unbreakable fiduciary duty to its owner,  KKR. The reality is that Boiler Room materially supports the genocide. Further, Boiler Room and Superstruct have demonstrated willingness to bring in an extra police presence at events to suppress  peaceful protest. Protecting profits at the expense of principle is not solidarity—it’s betrayal.

We are far from alone. Around the world, the boycott of Boiler Room and KKR-backed events is  growing: 

• São Paulo: Boiler Room cancelled after nearly all local DJs publicly dropped out in protest.
• San Francisco: A respected Bay Area venue cancelled its planned production in response to community pushback.
• San Juan: A petition with 149 local signatures led to a cancelled August event.
• Detroit: Renowned artists, including DJ Slugo and DJ Clent,  dropped out to deassociate from KKR. Community members even crowdfunded to cover lost fees. 
• New York City: Activists disrupted a Boiler Room party to call out KKR’s ties, directly challenging attendees to question the event’s ethics.
• London & Barcelona: Major  Superstruct festivals (Field Day,  Sónar) have faced mass  artist withdrawals and protests over their KKR connections.
• Australia: Over 700 artists signed an open letter refusing to participate in Boiler Room’s upcoming tour. Their letter flatly states: “We will not play at Boiler Room while it is owned by KKR... We refuse to let our culture be weaponized for genocide."

This same sentiment is alive in D.C., with an overwhelming sentiment that we must stand on the right side of history. Many of us will simply not attend or support an event tainted by KKR’s involvement. Some local DJs have already quietly declined invitations to play at the Boiler Room weekend on moral grounds.

Our request  is simple: cancel the Boiler Room event at Flash’s Berhta Warehouse. Join the likes of venues in San Francisco and Puerto Rico that chose to act ethically, stand with their community, and do the right thing.

We understand contracts may be in place and tickets may be sold out. But contracts can be voided. Tickets can be refunded. Reputations—and lives—are not so easily restored.  

If you choose to proceed, ignoring this plea, we will act in accordance with our principles:

1. Boycott: We will continue to promote and escalate  the  boycott of this and any future events involving Boiler Room, Superstruct, or other KKR-funded entities.
2. No Collaboration: Local DJs, crews, and promoters  signing this letter will not work with Flash so long as it partners with KKR ventures or prioritizes police suppression of dissent. Flash risks alienating the very community that built its reputation.

We reach out in good faith and truly hope you will engage with us. If you are open to discussing the possibility of cancelling the event, please contact us at BoilerRoomBoycottDC@proton.me by August 30, 2025. We would be happy to meet and discuss constructive solutions. Our goal is not to antagonize, but to protect the integrity of our scene and take a principled stand for human life.

This boycott is about preserving the soul of our community and standing in solidarity with the oppressed. We hope you will stand with us, with your community. The choice is yours.

Thank you for your attention.

Sincerely,

• 140+
• 618 Productions
• A7A
• Asians 4 Palestine DMV
• Adobo DMV
• Beatitude
• Break-A-Leg
• Chinatown Funk Express
• Claudia Jones School
• DC Dyke Night
• DC Sabha
• Digital Xscape
• DMV PYM
• DMV SARI
• Electric Kingdom
• Extended Play
• Feral
• FQRD
• FWB
• Ghetto Witchez
• HdF
• Heaven Dancing Club
• Hochi Runs
• Joint Custody
• Lavender Evolutions
• Luv.202
• Midwest Plenty
• Midnight FM
• No Pride in Genocide
• Occupation Free DC
• People’s House
• People’s Power Assembly
• Petal Dance
• Queer Mubarak
• Save Chinatown Network
• Sinners and Saints 
• Tender
• XUNT
• Zap Outdoorz

…and many more

On behalf of the concerned artists and fans in  the greater Washington, D.C. (DMV) area