Baltimore
Activist Alert April 21 – July 28, 2019
"I
speak as an American to the leaders of my own nation. The great initiative in
this war is ours. The initiative to stop it must be ours." -Martin Luther
King Jr.
Friends,
this list and other email documents which I send out are done under the
auspices of the Baltimore Nonviolence Center. Go to www.baltimorenonviolencecenter.blogspot.com.
If you appreciate this information and would like to make a donation, send
contributions to BNC, 325 East 25th Street, Baltimore, MD 21218. Max
Obuszewski can be reached at 410-323-1607 or mobuszewski2001 [at] comcast.net.
1]
Books, buttons and
stickers
2]
Web site for info on
federal legislation
3]
Get involved with
NCNR
4]
Buy an
Anti-War Veteran hat
5]
Lawyers Against War
6] “Explore &
Live Palestine” from July 11 through July 25, 2019
7] SUPPORT AMAZON WORKERS OF CONSCIENCE
8] CODEPINK NEEDS YOU AT THE VENEZUELA
EMBASSY
9] Shadows and Ashes: The Peril of Nuclear Weapons – through May 31
10] Community
Land Trusts – April 21
11]
Get involved with a Butterfly Garden Cleanup – April 21
12] Baltimore Green Party meeting – April 21
13] ERA Call – April 21
14]
Civil Rights double
header – April 21
15] Persecution of Julian
Assange – April 21
16]
Pentagon Protest – April 22
17] Bird Banding – April 22
18] Earth Day giveaway – April 22
19] Food Rescue – April 22
20] Food Rescue Pop-Up – April 22
21]
Artificial
Intelligence film – April 22
22] Get the Money Out conference call –
April 22
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1]
– Buttons,
bumperstickers and books are available. “God Bless the Whole World, No
Exceptions” stickers are in stock. Call Max at 410-323-1607.
2]
–
To obtain
information how your federal legislators voted on particular bills, go to http://thomas.loc.gov/. Congressional toll-free numbers
are 888-818-6641, 888-355-3588 or 800-426-8073. The White House Comment Email
is accessible at http://www.whitehouse.gov/contact/.
3]
– THE ORGANIZING LIST will be the
primary decision-making mechanism of the National Campaign of Nonviolent
Resistance [NCNR]. It
will be augmented by conference calls and possibly in-person meetings as
needed. It will consist of 1 or 2 representatives from each local,
regional, or national organization (not coalitions) that wishes to actively
work to carry out the NCNR campaign of facilitating and organizing nonviolent
resistance to U.S. wars.
To join
the ORGANIZING List, please send your name, group affiliation, city and email
address to mobuszewski2001 at Comcast dot net. Different local chapters
of a national organization are encouraged to subscribe.
4]
– Get a good-looking black hat which says Anti-War Veteran in the
front and Viva House 50th in the back. The cost is $10.
Contact Max at 410-323-1607 or mobuszewski2001 at Comcast dot net.
5] – Jeff Ross, an attorney in Maryland, is interested in gathering
with other lawyers to discuss ways in which the legal profession and the law
generally can be conceptualized as a peace-building and war-resisting
institution and redirected to these ends. Areas to explore might include: 1)
ways in which this group could support with legal analysis/writing those lawyers
who are representing peace-builders/war-resisters in criminal prosecutions; 2)
ways in which, from a more theoretical perspective, the law might be grounded
in an ethic of non-violence; and 3) ways in which law students and young
lawyers might be exposed to a non-violent vision of the law. All
religious, philosophical, and critical perspectives on the law are welcome. The
group might want to call itself Lawyers Against War. Jeff can be reached at
443-690-6872 and jross50@hotmail.com.
6] – If
you are 18 to 35, don't miss this unique opportunity to visit Palestine!
Registration is Now Open at https://kthps.org/join.
For more information, please visit: https://kthps.org/.
Know Thy Heritage, Inc. is offering a Leadership Initiative “Explore & Live
Palestine” from July 11 through July 25, 2019. This is a program of The
Arab American Institute. Visit http://www.aaiusa.org/.
7] -- SUPPORT
AMAZON WORKERS OF CONSCIENCE. We are in a deep struggle to support
conscience within the high tech community, which may be the only way to prevent
a major leap into artificial intelligence warfare that we see the beginnings of
in the expanding global U.S. drone war system. This may be of particular
interest to Johns Hopkins' Navy-funded researchers, some of whom have been
working on swarming drone technology.
These are not major asks
and can be a powerful reinforcement of conscience at an extremely critical
moment. Please consider circulating this link to your lists encouraging people
to sign the linked RootsAction petition - https://www.knowdrones.com/blog/2019/3/6/support-amazon-workers-who-dont-want-to-work-for-war and leafletting Whole Foods in your areas. This
is a link to the leaflet -- https://gallery.mailchimp.com/dd110b000ca250d868d4f419b/files/107fc695-8af9-4f7e-a523-ecd1d1dfd28f/Wholefoods_Leaflet.pdf.
Should you have interest in circulating the links and possibly leafletting,
contact Nick Mottern at nickmottern at gmail.com.
8]
– Urgent:
CODEPINK
needs you at the Venezuela
Embassy, 1099 30th St. NW, WDC, through all of next week. A group of
activists have been living in the embassy to protect it from a hostile takeover
by the opposition, in violation of international law. We’ll also have events all week long. For a list of all the
activities, see https://www.codepink.org/washington_dc_24_7_protection_of_dc_venezuelan_embassy.
The events are part of an ongoing presence at the Venezuelan
embassy by the Embassy Protection Collective. We have been staging a
round-the-clock vigil inside the embassy for the past two weeks, including
overnight shifts, and organizing activities at the embassy every
night. We think this will be the week that the opposition comes to
take over. So this coming week is critical, especially Thursday and
Friday. You can come anytime, or join us overnight.
The opposition already took over the Venezuelan military attaché
office in Washington, DC and the Venezuelan consulate in New York City in
violation of Article 22 of the Vienna Convention and has announced its
intention to take over the Embassy next week. Call 415-235-6517.
9]
– An
important art exhibition continues at the Takoma Park campus of Montgomery
College through May 31. The exhibit is named Shadows and Ashes: The Peril of
Nuclear Weapons, and features works by photographer Gary Schoichet;
drawings by the child survivors of Hiroshima; ceramic masks by multimedia
artist Marion Held; the poetry of John Canaday; and the Program on Science
and Global Security at Princeton University This is a traveling
exhibition from Princeton University, sponsored by Montgomery College’s
Institute for Race, Justice, and Civic Engagement, Peace Action Montgomery, and
Prevent Nuclear War/Maryland, and it will be on view at Montgomery College’s
Cultural Arts Center, 7995 Georgia Ave., Silver Spring. It will be accompanied
by various events, including films, lectures, and discussion.
This
exhibition of art and science examines the role of nuclear weapons in our
society and reflects on their results. By combining artwork and scientific
information, it opens conversations on the practical and the philosophical
implications of humans’ continued efforts to create and to dismantle nuclear
weapons. This multi-faceted exploration of the implications of nuclear weapons
includes photographs, drawings, masks, and technical information. Photographer
Gary Schoichet provides portraits and reflective comments of Hiroshima
survivors, as well as documentary photographs of the historic 1982 Anti-Nuclear
Rally in New York City. All Souls Church in Washington, D.C., contributes
Hiroshima Children’s Drawings in crayon from 1947 by young survivors. In
commemoration of the human catastrophe in Japan, multimedia artist Marion Held
has made ceramic masks as a response to her exploration of the site of the
bombing at Hiroshima. Related events will be posted throughout the time of
the exhibition on the website, www.peaceactionmc.org/.
For information on exhibit hours and parking, visit mcblogs/montgomerycollege.edu/cac.
10] –Usually, the Baltimore Ethical Society, 2521 St. Paul St.,
Baltimore 21218, meets on Sundays, and generally there is a speaker and
discussion at 10:30 AM. On Sun., April 21, the platform address is “Community
Land Trusts: Tools for Uplifting Community Values.” The Charm City Land Trusts is a resident-led organization designed
to hold land together and cultivate a neighborhood vision that promotes the
values, prioritizes the needs, and creates a path for community ownership of
its residents. CCLT is active in East Baltimore, a historically redlined
community that is stewarding vibrant community green space, reclaiming vacants,
and organizing for policy change that will support the CLT movement. CCLT is
becoming a tool through which neighbors values are made evident in the space we
inhabit, especially as we grapple with market forces that displace and
disorganize our communities.
Adriana Foster is a leadership organizer with United Workers
and a co-facilitator of the Baltimore Housing Roundtable. She lives and works
in East Baltimore and is a member of Charm City Land Trusts. Her work centers
on the human right to land, housing, and development that meets community needs.
Call 410-581-2322 or email ask@bmorethical.org.
11] – On Sun., April 21 from 2 to 5 PM, get involved with a Butterfly
Garden Cleanup, hosted by JHU Students for Environmental Action, outside
of the FFC, JHU. Come help prepare the butterfly garden for spring! Weed
and prepare the ground for later plantings. The garden is full of native plants
to support native species! Go to https://www.facebook.com/events/553668908473875/.
12]
– On
Sun., April 21 from 4 to 6 PM, there is a General Membership Meeting of the
Baltimore City Green Party. Following that meeting, there are meetings on
Sun., May 19, 4 to 6 PM and Sun., June 16 from 4 to 6 PM. These meetings
will be at the University Of Baltimore Law School Library, top floor. 1401 N.
Charles St. The meeting of the Baltimore City Green Party is an opportunity for
members and interested individuals to discuss, debate, decide and plan for the
work of the Baltimore City Green Party. See https://www.facebook.com/events/1967876273521515/?event_time_id=1967876276854848.
13] – On Sun., April 21, April 28 and May 5 from 4 to 5 PM, get on The
CALL - ERA Education Program at Katrina's Dream, PO Box 32003, WDC 20007.
Tickets are at www.katrinasdream.org. Please come
each Sunday and help build the groundswell. The collaboration of grassroots
organizers, lobbyists, and professionals is dedicated to promoting and
educating folks across the United States of America to empowering women around
the world.
The CALL IN NUMBER is 563.999.2090, the CONFERENCE NO:
898879#. Visit https://www.facebook.com/events/1710130249022424/?event_time_id=1710130255689090.
14]
– On Sun., April 21 from
5:45 to 9:40 PM, see a Double Feature: “Nothing But A Man” and “The Cool World”
at the AFI Silver Theatre and Cultural Center, 8633 Colesville Road, Silver
Spring 20910. Tickets are at silver.afi.com. NOTHING BUT A MAN
[1964] is set against the stirrings of the Civil Rights Movement and a rising
wave of burgeoning black pride. It tells the story of Duff (Ivan Dixon),
who went on to direct 1973's THE SPOOK WHO SAT BY THE DOOR), a railroad section
hand who is forced to confront racial prejudice and self-denial when he falls
in love with Josie (Abbey Lincoln), an educated preacher's daughter. The film
explores the painful nuances of life in the 1960s South, and themes of
fatherhood and sacrifice.
THE COOL WORLD [1963] was produced by famed documentarian
Frederick Wiseman and propelled by the sounds of Dizzy Gillespie. This is
a fictional snapshot of teenagers surrounded by pimps, prostitutes and corrupt
cops in turbulent 1960s Harlem which packs a punch still undiminished five
decades later. The enigmatic Duke is a wannabe gangster who dreams of procuring
guns so he can walk tall with the thugs he idolizes. Tickets can be had at https://bit.ly/2Gx8g7j. This is part of the "Library
of Congress Film Preservation Showcase." The full schedule and tickets are
at http://bit.ly/LOCPreservationShowcase.
See https://www.facebook.com/events/571425056670717/.
15] --
On
Sun., April 21 from 7 to 8 PM, hear about the Persecution of Julian Assange,
hosted by the Embassy Protection Collective at the Venezuela embassy,
1099 30th St., WDC. Joe Lauria, editor of Consortium News and host of the
Friday night #Unity4J online vigils, will speak about the current situation
with Julian's incarceration and the future of WikiLeaks. Events are being
held at the Venezuelan embassy to protect this space from a take-over by the
opposition. Children and families are welcome. The entrance is in the back. See
https://www.facebook.com/events/664322450655312/.
16]
– There is a
weekly Pentagon Peace Vigil from 7 to 8 AM on Mondays, since 1987, outside the
Pentagon Metro stop. The next vigil is Apr. 22, and it is sponsored by
the Dorothy Day Catholic Worker. Email artlaffin@hotmail.com or call
202-882-9649. The vigil will be outside the Pentagon's south Metro
entrance and in the designated "protest zone" behind
bicycle fences across from the entrance to the Metro. By Metro, take
Yellow Line and get out at the "Pentagon" stop. Do not go to the
Pentagon City stop! Go up south escalators and turn left and walk across to
protest area. By car from D.C. area, take 395 South and get off
at Exit 8A-Pentagon South Parking. Take slight right onto S. Rotary
Rd. at end of ramp and right on S. Fern St. Then take left onto Army
Navy Dr. You can "pay to park" on Army Navy Dr., and there is
meter parking one block on right on Eads St. Payment for both of these spots
begin at 8 AM. No cameras are allowed on Pentagon grounds.
Restrooms are located inside Marriott Residence Inn on corner of S.
Fern and Army Navy Dr.
17] – On Mon., April 22 from 9 AM to noon , do Earth Day Bird Banding
with BMore Food Parks, hosted by Baltimore Free
Farm and Baltimore Foodparks, 3510 Ash Street, Baltimore 21211.
Even small patches of green space can serve an important purpose in the local ecosystem
and can go a long way in improving a neighborhood. Through his project
Baltimore Foodparks, a program of Fusion Partnerships Inc., Eric Fishel is
working to improve vacant lots, conduct scientific research, and help conserve
Baltimore’s greenspace and wildlife all while educating and engaging
communities. Working with the Smithsonian Migratory Bird Center, he will
be responsible for banding local birds and then work with community members to
observe the birds in public green spaces and vacant lots. Through research,
Fishel hopes to expose young people in Baltimore City to careers in scientific
research and spark a passion for science and nature. Even if they don’t pursue
a career in science, they will learn more about research and develop new skills
in the process. Eric’s passion for connecting people to nature has been
evident throughout his career as a naturalist. Eric Fishel is working with
schools and community groups to learn more about conservation and conduct
migratory bird research. Meet at the Ash Street Community Garden. Go to https://www.facebook.com/events/413872946056313/.
18]
– On
Mon., April 22 from 11 AM to 2 PM, get over to an Earth Day Giveaway, hosted
by CARE at the JHU Breezeway, Baltimore 21218. Join PHSF (Public
Health Student Forum) and CARE (Compassion, Awareness, and Responsible Eating)
for free metal straws, reusable bags, eco-friendly snacks and the usual CARE
merch including stickers, buttons, and posters! Pass by the Breezeway to
celebrate THE EARTH with compassionate choices that take public health into
consideration! Check out https://www.facebook.com/events/2203310216663618/
19]
– On
Mon., Apr. 22 at noon, there will be a Food Rescue at Land of Kush, 840 N.
Eutaw St., Baltimore 21201. Food Rescue Baltimore is honored to partner with
The Land of Kush each and every Monday to bring access to free
vegan/plant-based food in the community. Bring a bag. Take what you want from
noon to 1PM or while supplies last. No purchase is necessary to take
advantage of the Food Rescue Baltimore give away. Items from The Land of Kush's
menu are not included in the give-away but will be available for sale. See https://www.facebook.com/events/415842178868197/.
20] –On
Mon., April 22 and 29 from 3 to 4 PM, there is a Food Rescue Pop-Up at
Flourish, 3418 Belair Road, Baltimore 21213-1233. Bring a bag, and take
home healthy, free food! View https://www.facebook.com/events/301851223848295/?event_time_id=301851250514959.
21]
– On Mon., April 22 from 4 to 5:40 PM, see a SCREENING of "CyberWork
and the American Dream," hosted by The Cato Institute, 1000
Massachusetts Ave. NW, WDC 20001. Tickets are at www.cato.org. The perceived threat of artificial
intelligence (AI) to the American workforce and society more broadly has become
a common topic of discussion among policymakers, academics, and the wider
public. But is AI a threat? And if so, are there appropriate policy
solutions? History is replete with examples of disruption caused by past
technological advances. Are the lessons from those advances applicable to AI?
These are just some of the questions addressed by the PBS television
documentary. Enjoy a discussion after the film. REGISTER at https://www.cato.org/event/cyberwork-american-dream.
If you can’t make it to the event, you can watch it live at www.cato.org/live and join the conversation
on Twitter using #CatoTechnology. Visit https://www.facebook.com/events/827872140901039/.
22] – Join the Get Money Out of Maryland Teleconference on Monday, April
22 from 8:30 to 9:30 PM. Call 605-475-6711, code 1136243#. Work
only on brainstorming ideas for participation in the upcoming General Election.
To
be continued.
Donations
can be sent to the Baltimore Nonviolence Center, 325 E. 25th St., Baltimore, MD
21218. Ph: 410-323-1607; Email: mobuszewski2001 [at] comcast.net. Go to http://baltimorenonviolencecenter.blogspot.com/.
"The
master class has always declared the wars; the subject class has always fought
the battles. The master class has had all to gain and nothing to lose, while
the subject class has had nothing to gain and everything to lose--especially
their lives." Eugene Victor Debs
