Friday, February 17, 2012

Baltimore Activist Alert - Part 1

Baltimore Activist Alert Feb. 17– Feb. 23, 2012

 

"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 410-366-1637 or mobuszewski [at] verizon.net.

 

Tune into the Maryland Progressive Blog at http://mdprogblog.org.

   

1] Books, buttons and stickers

2] Web site for info on federal legislation

3] Join Nonviolent Resistance lists  

4] Buy coffee through HoCoFoLA  

5] Occupy Freedom Plaza is undergoing a transformation

6] Occupy Baltimore evicted—vows to stay relevant

7] Reflections on Combat – through Feb. 17

8] Windows & Mirrors exhibit at Goucher – through Feb. 22

9] Passage on the Underground Railroad – through Mar. 22

10] Rethinking nuclear weapons -- Feb. 17

11] White House vigil – Feb. 17

12] WIB Inner Harbor vigil – Feb. 17

13] WIB Roland Park vigil – Feb. 17

14] Justice for Palestine/Israel vigil – Feb. 17

15] Silent peace vigil -- Feb. 17

16] West Bank graffiti -- Feb. 17

17] GROWING CHANGE -- Feb. 17

18] Salsa Dance fundraiser – Feb. 17

19] Ballroom dancing – Feb. 17

20] Farmer's Market – Feb. 18

21] LGBTQIA Leadership Summit – Feb. 18

22] Olney peace vigil – Feb. 18

23] West Chester, PA demo – Feb. 18

24] Silent vigil at Capitol – Feb. 18

25] Save Read's Drug Store – Feb. 18

26] Film CRISIS IN THE CONGO – Feb. 18

27] Slave rebellions – Feb. 18

28] Amend the Constitution – Feb. 18

29] Importance of nonprofits -- Feb. 19

30] Get on Bridge for Peace – Feb. 19

31] Whistleblower is castigated – Feb. 19

32] Philadelphia Peace Vigil – Feb. 19

33] House of Ruth benefit – Feb. 19

34] Film OCCUPATION 101 – Feb. 19

35] Meditation training – Feb. 19

36] Red Emma's meeting – Feb. 19

37] Pentagon Vigil – Feb. 20

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1] – Buttons, bumperstickers and books are available.  "God Bless the Whole World, No Exceptions" stickers are in stock. Donate your books to Max. Call him at 410-366-1637.

                           

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 the war in Iraq.

 

To join the ORGANIZING List, please send your name, group affiliation, city and email address to donmuller@msn.com.  Different local chapters of a national organization are encouraged to subscribe.  

 

THE NOTICES LIST will include only notices of NCNR actions and related information and is open to any interested person to subscribe.  It will be moderated to maintain focus & will include periodic notices about getting involved in NCNR national organizing.  To join the NOTICES List, send an email message to ncnrnotices-subscribe@lists.riseup.net. You will get a confirmation message once subscribed.  If you have problems, please write to the list manager at ncnrnotices-admin@lists.riseup.net.

 

4] – You can help safeguard human rights and fragile ecosystems through your purchase of HOCOFOLA Café Quetzal. Bags of ground coffee or whole beans can be ordered by mailing in an order form. Also note organic cocoa and sugar are for sale.  For more details and to download the order form, go to http://friendsoflatinamerica.typepad.com/hocofola/2010/02/hocofola-cafe-quetzal-order-form-2010.html. The coffee comes in one-pound bags.

 

Fill out the form and mail it with a check made out to HOCOFOLA on or before the second week of the month.  Be sure you indicate ground or beans for each type of coffee ordered.  Send it to Adela Hirsch, 5358 Eliots Oak Rd., Columbia, MD 21044.  Be sure you indicate ground (G) or bean (B) for each type of coffee ordered. The coffee will arrive some time the following week and you will be notified where to pick it up.  Contact Adela at 410-997-5662 or via e-mail at adela4peace@verizon.net.

 

5] – The occupation of Freedom Plaza, 14th & Pennsylvania Ave. NW, is in a state of flux.  For recent developments, go to http://october2011.org/.

 

6] – Occupy Baltimore was evicted from McKeldin Square, Pratt and Light Sts.  Participants indicate the operation will continue in some fashion.  Sign up at http://groups.google.com/group/occupy-baltimore/.  Ask for the digest or you get hundreds of emails. 

 

7] Friends School of Baltimore, 5114 N Charles St., is presenting an exhibit "Reflections on Combat: The Work of the Combat Paper Project" in the Forbush Building's ground floor gallery (located outside the Learning Center) through Fri., Feb. 17.  Featuring artworks produced by veterans of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, the Combat Paper Project engages veterans in cathartic paper-making, writing and printmaking workshops to help them reconcile and share their combat experiences through the creative process. The paper used in the artwork is created from the soldiers' own combat uniforms, which are torn and mashed into a pulp that is then formed into canvas-like sheets. The project's Friends School show is made possible by The Jay Katz '45 Art Fund. Go to http://www.combatpaper.org/.

 

8] There is a TRAVELING EXHIBIT at GOUCHER: Windows and Mirrors: Reflections on the War in Afghanistan, which will continue through Wed., Feb. 22 in the Lenrow Gallery, 4th floor, Athenaeum. The war in Afghanistan is now the longest in U.S. history, yet for many of us it has been rendered largely invisible. Windows and Mirrors: Reflections on the War in Afghanistan is an invitation to reflect upon the impact of this war on a civilian population caught in the crossfire. This exhibit of murals by Afghan and American artists and students memorializing Afghan civilian deaths and the daily reality of life in Afghanistan is on loan from the American Friends Service Committee. Visit http://windowsandmirrors.org/.

 

 Student volunteers are needed to staff the exhibit as well as to lead and participate in February 21st's discussion.  Training will be provided! To volunteer, contact Ann Duncan, Dept. of Philosophy and Religion, at ann.duncan@goucher.edu or Gary Gillespie, Baltimore College Peace Network,  at garygillespie@collegepeace.org. For directions and a campus map, visit http://www.goucher.edu/x4643.xml. These events have been organized and sponsored by the Goucher Quakers and the Goucher Department of Philosophy and Religion, and the Baltimore College Peace Network

 

9] –  Passage on the Underground Railroad is on exhibit through Thurs., Mar. 22 at the Albin O. Kuhn Library Gallery, Univ. of Maryland Baltimore County, 1000 Hilltop Circle.  Exhibit hours are Sundays & Saturdays, 1 to 5 PM and Mondays through Wednesdays and Fridays, noon to 4 PM and Thursdays, noon to 8 PM. 

 

Tempe, Arizona-based artist Stephen Marc, tenured professor at the Arizona State Univ. Herberger Institute for Design and the Arts, presents a lecture on his work on Mar. 7 at 4 PM in the Albin O Kuhn Library Gallery of the University of Maryland, Baltimore County. Dr. Marc's work documents his visits to Underground Railroad sites, from which he creates photo-montages combining both historic and new imagery dealing with the African-American experience in American society through the centuries.  Call 410-455-3827 or go to http://aok.lib.umbc.edu/gallery.

 

10] – On Fri., Feb. 17 from noon to 1:30 PM hear Ward Wilson, Monterey Institute, address "Rethinking Nuclear Weapons" at Elliott School of International Affairs, George Washington Univ., Room 505, 1957 E St. NW, WDC. The event is sponsored by Nuclear Policy Talks. RSVP at

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/viewform?formkey=dE81U01mV3c2U2tHN0p2ZDNjMVYzWmc6MQ.

 

11] – A peace vigil takes place every Friday from noon to 1 PM at Lafayette Park facing the White House.  Join the Dorothy Day Catholic Worker and friends. Contact Art Laffin: artlaffin@hotmail.com.   

 

12] – Every Friday from noon to 1 PM, Women in Black, Baltimore, host a vigil at Pratt and Light Sts. in the Inner Harbor. Peace signs will be available. See http://www.peacepath911.com/ or write wibbaltimore@hotmail.com or call 410-467-9114.

 

13] – There is also a noon vigil on Feb. 17 at Roland Park Place at 830 W. 40th St.  Call 410-467-9114.

 

14] – A vigil for Justice in Palestine/Israel (now in its 8th year) takes place every Friday from noon to 1 PM at 19th & JFK Blvd., Philadelphia (across from Israeli Consulate.  It is sponsored by Bubbies & Zaydes (Grandparents) for Peace in the Middle East. Email cswartz@pil.net. Go to http://phillyjewishpeace.org/.

 

15] – There is a silent vigil on Fri., Feb. 17 from 5 to 6 PM outside of Homewood Friends Meeting, 3107 N. Charles St., in opposition to war in Afghanistan, Iraq and Pakistan. Placards say: "War Is Not the Answer." The silent vigil is sponsored by AFSC, Homewood Friends and Stony Run Meetings.

 

16] – On Fri., Feb. 17 from 6 to 8 PM, the PEACE CAFE presents author William Parry who will sign and discuss his book, "Against the Wall: The Art of Resistance in Palestine." The event sponsored by Amnesty International takes place at Bus Boys and Poets, 1025 5th St. NW, WDC 20001.  Parry documents West Bank Wall graffiti and his interactions with Palestinians whose lives are made nearly impossible under the guise of ensuring Israeli security.

 

17] – GROWING CHANGE follows the filmmaker's journey to understand why current food systems leave hundreds of millions of people in hunger. It's a journey to understand how the world will feed itself in the future in the face of major environmental challenges. At the core of Venezuela's country-wide process toward "food sovereignty" are principles of social justice and sustainability. It's an inspirational story full of lively characters, thought provoking insights, stunning scenery and ideas to transform the food system. The screening will take place on Fri., Feb. 17 from 7 to 9 PM at the Howard University Blackburn Center, Hilltop Lounge, 2400 Sixth St. NW, WDC, and leading a discussion afterwards are Fred Magdoff, editor of the Monthly Review Magazine, and William Camacaro, Venezuelan activist, co-founder and coordinator of the Alberto Lovera Bolivarian Circle of New York. He is an artist, radio host, and activist in New York City. Go to http://www.ips-dc.org/events/film_growing_change.

 

18] – Join Casa Baltimore/Limay for a Salsa Sensation Dance Fundraiser on Fri., Feb. 17 at 2640 St. Paul St. from 7:30 to 10:30 PM.  The price is $15 for general admission, and $10 for Students and Low Income.  The price includes refreshments and non alcoholic beverages.  At 8 PM there will be Salsa Dance Instruction by Tabitha Holiday from DanceInTime Productions, and at 9 PM the music will be provided by MC Guillermo Brown from WEAA 88.9 FM.  Help fund Friendship projects linking Baltimore with Limay, Nicaragua.  Go to www.CasaBaltimoreLimay.org.

 

19] – There is an opportunity to participate in ballroom dancing, usually every Friday of the month, in the JHU ROTC Bldg. at 8 PM.  Turn south on San Martin Dr. from the intersection of Univ. Parkway and 39th St.  Drive on campus by taking the third left turn. The next dance will be Feb. 17.  Call Dave Greene at 410-599-3725.

20] – Go to the West Baltimore Farmer's Market for fresh fruits, vegetables, breads and other treats every Saturday from 8 to noon.  CPHA has worked with the West Baltimore Marc TOD and Transit Inc. (WBMTTI) to establish a Farmer's Market at the West Baltimore Marc Train stop at Smallwood Road at Franklin and Mulberry Sts.  Since opening in June, over 300 people buy fresh groceries there every Saturday morning. WBMTTI will continue to include the community in the transit-oriented developments on the west side and continue to improve the area around "the highway to nowhere" until it becomes the highway to somewhere. Go to www.cphabaltimore.org.

 

21] – The 3rd Annual B+More Proud LGBTQIA Leadership Summit is on Sat., Feb. 18 beginning at 8 AM at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC).  Over 200 LGBTQIA students, volunteers and non-profit organizations from the Baltimore area will be brought together for a day of workshops, speakers, and an evening of entertainment.  The hope is to create a space for LGBTQIA students to meet, network, build leadership skills, and learn more about their community in hopes of creating a stronger one.  This conference has the potential to create opportunities for LGBTQIA student leadership in the area and provide a largely under-served student population with outstanding professional and personal development opportunities. Call 410-455-3463. 

 

22] – Friends House, 17715 Meeting House Rd., Sandy Spring, MD 20860, hosts a peace vigil every Saturday, 10:30 to 11:30 AM, on the corner of Rt. 108 and Georgia Ave. in Olney, MD.  The next vigil is Feb. 18. Call Chuck Harker at 301-570-7167. 

 

23] –  Each Saturday, 11 AM – 1 PM, Chester County Peace Movement holds a peace vigil in West Chester in front of the Chester County Courthouse, High & Market Sts. Go to www.ccpeace.org. Email ccpeacemovement@aol.com.

 

24] – There will be a peace vigil on the West Lawn of the Capitol at noon on Feb. 18. Look for the blue banner with the message, "Seek Peace and Pursue It.--Psalms 34:14." The vigil lasts one hour and is silent except when one responds to the occasional questions. Go to http://www.quaker.org/langleyhill/seekpeace.htm or email seekpeacevigil@yahoo.com.

 

25] – Activists from the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, Job Is A Right Campaign/ Occupy 4 Jobs Network, All Peoples Congress and many others will hold a dynamic protest and teach-in at the site of the former Read's Drug Store. On Sat., Feb. 18 at noon at Howard & Lexington Sts., join a campaign to Defend Baltimore's Black History/Save Reads Drug Store.  Call 443-909-8964 or go to Facebook: Save Reads Drug Store.  Saving Reads and elevating the history of this period is relevant to the urgent struggle for jobs and justice, education, housing and health care, and against today's racism and bigotry of all kinds. The immediate fight is to force the City administration to live up to legal agreements and to put on a roof, so that illegal "demolition by neglect" doesn't occur.

 

26] – See the documentary "Crisis in the Congo, Uncovering the Truth" on Sat., Feb. 18 at 1 PM at the Cascades Library, Loudoun County Public Library, 21030 Whitfield Place, Potomac Falls, VA.  The Loudoun County Public Library in collaboration with the Friends of the Congo presents this film which locates the Congo crisis in a historical, social and political context. It unveils analysis and prescriptions by leading experts, practitioners, activists and intellectuals that are not normally available to the general public. Call Monica Light, reference librarian, at 703-444-3228.

 

27] – There is a Black History Month Public Forum on Feb. 18 at 1 PM at Peace and a Cup of Joe, 713 W. Pratt St.  The history of slavery in the Americas is usually over-simplified as a history of victims and oppressors. But such a view ignores the rich tradition of slave rebellion. The legacies of Nat Turner, Gabriel Prosser and Toussaint L'Overture, among countless others, demonstrate that those enslaved did not merely acquiesce to their conditions, but instead fought valiantly, choosing to organize and struggle to change history. Call 443-731-6471.

 

28] – See a portion of "The Corporation" on Sat., Feb. 18 from 2 to 5 PM at The Tenley Library, 4450 Wisconsin Ave. NW [at Albemarle St.], WDC 20016. The Coalition on Corporate Personhood - DC has a meeting at which participants can see some of the movie, and then discuss organizing around the issue.  Use the Tenleytown Metro Station.  Call 202-727-1488.  

 

29] – Usually, the Baltimore Ethical Society, 306 W. Franklin St., Suite 102, Baltimore, MD 21201-4661, meets on Sundays, and generally there is a speaker and discussion from 10:30 to 11:30 AM.  On Sun., Feb. 19, the topic of discussion is "Maryland's Nonprofits – Transforming Lives" led by Tracey Durant, EdD, director, professional development, Maryland Nonprofits.  It would be difficult to imagine what life in Maryland would be like without nonprofits. Their work impacts, transforms, and shapes our communities and our lives. The ways in which Maryland Nonprofits strengthens, educates, and engages nonprofit organizations and the value of you as an individual to this important work will form the heart of this presentation.

 

Tracey Durant – prior to her current Maryland Nonprofits' position – was the founding executive director of the 100 Black Men of Maryland College Access Program (100 CAP), whose mission was to help low-income, first-generation, underserved students navigate the college access process. Call 410-581-2322 or visit www.baltimoreethicalsociety.org.

 

30] – Maryland Bridges for Peace welcomes you to stand for peace Sundays from noon (or thereabouts) to 1 PM on the Spa Creek Bridge in Annapolis.  Contact Lucy at 410-263-7271 or mdbridgesforpeace@toadmail.com. Signs are not allowed to be on a stick or pole.   If there is interest, people will be standing on the Stoney Creek Bridge on Fort Smallwood Road in Pasadena [410-437-5379 or magicalgodmom@aol.com]. Go to http://BridgePeace.blogspot.com/.

 

31] – There is a reading and discussion with Dr. Coleman-Adebayo, author of "No Fear: A Whistleblower's Triumph over Corruption and Retaliation at the EPA" on Sun., Feb. 19 at 2 PM at The Writer's Center, 4508 Walsh St., Bethesda.  The book describes Dr. Coleman-Adebayo's experiences at EPA and her work with vanadium mine workers in South Africa. She served as the liaison to the White House on the Gore-Mbeki Commission, a Clinton administration foreign policy program with South Africa. She was relieved of her responsibilities on the Commission after she reported that an American company exposed its African miners and their families to vanadium dust, a deadly substance.  Her efforts to conduct an investigation were stifled and she was made a target of personal abuse. Visit www.writer.org.

 

32] – Every Sunday, 4 to 5 PM, there is a Quaker Peace Vigil at Independence Mall, N. side of Market between 5th and 6th Sts., Philadelphia. Call 215-421-5811.

 

33] – See "The Vagina Monologues" and support The House of Ruth.  The V-Day is a global movement to end violence against women and girls.  Go to www.vday.org.  It raises funds and awareness through benefit productions of playwright/founder Eve Ensler's award winning play "The Vagina Monologues" and other artistic works. To date, the V-Day movement has raised over $85 million and educated millions about the issue of violence against women and the efforts to end it, crafted international educational, media, and PSA campaigns, launched the Karama program in the Middle East, reopened shelters, and funded over 13,000 community-based anti-violence programs and safe houses in Democratic Republic of Congo, Haiti, Kenya, South Dakota, Egypt, and Iraq. See the play on Sat., Feb. 18 at 3 PM and on Sun., Feb. 19 at 4 PM at the Select Lounge, 414 N. Paca St. Tickets are $20, and students with ID get in at $15. Call 443-485-8817.

 

34] – On Sun., Feb. 19 from 7 to 10 PM at the Radical Space, 5525 Illinois Ave. NW, see the documentary "Occupation 101," a thought-provoking and powerful documentary film on the current and historical root causes of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The film presents a comprehensive analysis of the facts and hidden truths surrounding the never ending controversy and dispels many of its long-perceived myths and misconceptions. Go to www.facebook.com/events/292114640851704/.

 

35] – A VEDIC MEDITATION TRAINING with Dr. Gyanendra Mahapatra takes place on Sun., Feb. 19 at 7 PM at 4209 East West Hwy., Chevy Chase 20815.  This free orientation lecture leads into a meditation instruction on Mon., Feb. 20 with a follow up on Tues., Feb. 21 and Wed., Feb. 22. There is no charge for this course, but donations are welcome to support Dr. Mahapatra's work. RSVP at shantiyoga2@earthlink.net.

 

36] – Red Emma's needs volunteers.  Stop in to the weekly Sunday meeting at 7 PM at 800 St. Paul St. or email info@redemmas.org.  The next meeting is Feb. 19. There is no meeting on the first Sunday of the month.  Call 410-230-0450. If you would be interested in volunteering or becoming a collective member of 2640, send an email to 2640@redemmas.org.

 

37] – 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 Mon., Feb. 20, and it is sponsored by the Dorothy Day Catholic Worker.  Call 202-882-9649.

 

To be continued.

 

Donations can be sent to the Baltimore Nonviolence Center, 325 E. 25th St., Baltimore, MD 21218.  Ph: 410-366-1637; Email: mobuszewski [at] verizon.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

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