Baltimore Activist Alert - Part 1

Baltimore Activist Alert Mar. 9– Mar. 15, 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] Passage on the Underground Railroad – through Mar. 22

8] Windows & Mirrors exhibit – through Mar. 22

9] Consistent Life Conference – Mar. 9

10] Nuclear Deterrence – Mar. 9

11] White House vigil – Mar. 9

12] WIB Inner Harbor vigil – Mar. 9

13] WIB Roland Park vigil – Mar. 9

14] Justice for Palestine/Israel vigil – Mar. 9

15] Pre-conference witness – Mar. 9

16] Boycott Wells Fargo – Mar. 9

17] Silent peace vigil -- Mar. 9

18] Flood ambassador's residence – Mar. 9

19] Ballroom dancing – Mar. 9

20] Farmer's Market – Mar. 3

21] Money Power Day – Mar. 9

22] Fast for farmworkers -- Mar. 9

23] Celebrate Life Restoration Ministry – Mar. 9-10

24] Strategic Initiative Mar. 10

25] Olney peace vigil – Mar. 10

26] West Chester, PA demo – Mar. 10

27] Silent vigil at Capitol – Mar. 10

28] Evening with Labor – Mar. 10

29] Arun Gupta at Red Emma's -- Mar. 10

30] Apocalyptic Environmentalism – Mar. 11

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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] – 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.

 

8] – The American Friends Service Committee invites you to see the traveling art exhibit: Windows and Mirrors: Reflections on the War in Afghanistan. The mural panels created by international artists and US students help us imagine the experience of Afghan civilians - from death and destruction to hopes for peace. Drawings by Afghan students in Kabul – collected in June 2010 – provide an up close look at life in a war zone. The exhibit is not a single image, but a tapestry, a statement on the human cost of war. The "windows" they have created help us feel the impact of war on the Afghan people, become "mirrors" reflecting our own identity as citizens of a nation at war — and call us to act. Visit http://windowsandmirrors.org/.

 

 It is open to the public at the Methodist Building, 100 Maryland Ave. NE, WDC through Thurs., Mar. 22 from 9 AM to 5 PM.  Also the exhibit can be seen on Thursdays, Mar. 8, 15 & 22, from 5 to 8 PM at the First Congregational United Church of Christ, 945 G St. NW. The exhibit features a collection of 4' x 6' murals created by U.S. and international artists to memorialize the civilian casualties in Afghanistan, as well as artwork by Afghan schoolchildren about living with war.   Go to http://www.afsc.org/.

 

9] – From Fri., Mar. 9 through Sun., Mar. 11, there will be a Consistent Life 25th Anniversary Conference - Celebrating a quarter century of working for Peace, Justice and Life! This is a weekend to rejuvenate and invigorate your commitment to the Consistent Life Ethic.  Contact Bill Samuel at president@consistent-life.org.  If you can't make the full weekend, attend when you can. .

 

10] – On Fri., Mar. 9 from 11:30 AM to 1 PM, Maj. Gen. William Chambers, Assistant Chief of Staff for Strategic Deterrence and Nuclear Integration, will address "Nuclear Deterrence in the Post, Post-Cold War Era" at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, 1800 K St. NW, WDC. RSVP to Stephanie Spies at sspies@csis.org.

 

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 Mar. 9 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] – On Fri., Mar. 9 from 1 to 3 PM, there is a Consistent Life Pre-Conference Witness – walk to Armed Forces Recruiting Station, 14th & L Sts. NW for witness. Then from 2 to 3 PM, promote 40 Days for Life at Planned Parenthood, 1108 16th St. NW.

 

16] – Every Friday, from 4 to 6 PM, there will be an ODC protest to boycott Wells Fargo. It will take place at two locations: 3325 14th St NW, Columbia Heights and 1901 7th St NW, WDC, next to the Shaw/Howard University Metro station.  Go to http://www.commoncause.org.  Did you know that Wells is the major financier of The GEO group, which owns and runs the Rivers Correctional Institution in Winston North Carolina, where thousands of D.C. residents are sent and abused? Did you know that 50% of individuals detained in immigration detention centers are in centers owned by for-profit companies, like GEO Group?

 

ODC protest to boycott Wells Fargo on Fri., Mar. 9 from 4 to 6 PM. Every Friday ODC members organize protests in front of two Wells Fargo locations: 3325 14th St. NW, WDC [Columbia Heights Metro station] and 1901 7th St. NW, WDC [Shaw/Howard University Metro station]. Go to http://www.commoncause.org

 

17] – There is a silent vigil on Fri., Mar. 9 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.

 

18] – "Flood" the Colombian Ambassador's Residence on Fri., Mar. 9 at 6 PM at 20th St. & Q St. NW. After several years of organizing, members of ASOQUIMBO in Huila, Colombia have organized a regional general strike for several weeks in 2012 to stop construction of the Quimbo Dam. The strikers were violently assaulted by riot police on Feb. 16, and pressure has been building on the Minister of the Environment Frank Pearl and President Juan Manuel Santos to halt the dam's construction.  HELP "FLOOD" the Colombian ambassador's residence (Dupont Metro-Q St entrance) with people power to tell President Santos and Ambassador Silva: "The Quimbo Dam is a State Crime! Stop the Diversion NOT the Strike!"  Go to http://www.facebook.com/events/288511311220389/.

 

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 Mar. 9.  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] – Then, would you like to have fun and help secure your financial future at the same time? Bring your family and come this Saturday, March 10, from 9am-3pm, to Baltimore's City College High School and attend Money Power Day, a FREE event that provides Baltimore area families with quality financial services including: free tax preparation, free credit reports, credit counseling, customized financial planning, housing counseling, screening for public benefits, and financial programs for youth. Tonight  Bert J. Hash, Jr., President & CEO of Municipal Employees Credit Union of Baltimore (MECU) and Sara Johnson, director of the Baltimore CASH Campaign will talk about how families who come to Money Power Day will gain the resources, tools, and support needed to change their financial futures.

 

22] – Starting Sat., Mar. 10 and through Thurs., May 15, there will be a Coalition of Immokalee Workers fast at Publix Headquarters, Lakeland FL.  Fifty farmworkers and their allies -- faith leaders, students, and community leaders from across Florida and across the country -- will come together in a six-day fast, their sacrifice undertaken in the hope of raising awareness of Publix's role in blocking progress in the fields and expanding the rights of the farmworkers who harvest the nation's food. On March 10th, Day Six of the fast, Fair Food allies will converge on Lakeland for a protest at a Publix location followed by a 3.5-mile procession leading to Publix headquarters, where they will join the fasters in a ceremony to break the fast. Go to http://ciw-online.org/.

 

23] – The 2nd Anniversary of Life Restoration Ministry is on Sat., Mar. 10 and Sun., Mar. 11.  On Saturday, attend "African Christian Women in Diaspora Conference." The theme is "God is Love: Love does not Hurt."  On Sunday, celebrate the 2nd Anniversary Celebration. Click www.liferestorationministry.vpweb.com.  Email Mankekolo@aol.com.

 

24] – Join United Workers for another Strategic Dialogue on Sat., Mar. 10 in collaboration with the Poverty Initiative.  With a rich Abolitionist history in Maryland, travel back to examine this transformative moment in our country's past. Profound political and economic inequalities preceding the Civil War set the stage for a battle, on the field, but more importantly in the hearts and minds.  Discuss the important role of religion and faith in arguments both for and against slavery. Finally, look to Harriet Tubman, Frederick Douglass, and John Brown. It takes place from 10:30 AM to 2:30 PM at "2640" St. Paul St. (aka St. John's Church).  There will be a light breakfast and lunch. RSVP at 410-230-1998 or ashley@unitedworkers.org.

 

25] – 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 Mar. 10. Call Chuck Harker at 301-570-7167. 

 

26] –  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.

 

27] – There will be a peace vigil on the West Lawn of the Capitol at noon on Mar. 10. 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.

 

28] – The 35th Annual Evening with Labor takes place on Sat., Mar. 10 at 6:30 PM at the Omni Shoreham Hotel, 2500 Calvert St. NW, WDC.  The dinner begins at 7:30 PM.  The Metro Washington labor community will gather to honor its own at the 35th annual Evening With Labor awards dinner. Tickets are still available-- kmckirch@dclabor.org or call 202-974-8221.

 

29] – On Sat., Mar., 10 at 7 PM @ Red Emma's, 800 St. Paul St., Arun Gupta will expound on the Occupy Movement.  In the last four months, Gupta (of the NYC Indypendent) and Michelle Fawcett have visited more than 30 occupations in 21 states.  Find out what they've learned about the state of the Movement. Go to http://redemmas.org/event/2655 or http://occupyusatoday.com/. Email info@redemmas.org.

 

30] – 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., Mar. 11, the topic is "Apocalyptic Environmentalism: Is the End Near?" Hugh Taft-Morales, leader, Baltimore Ethical Society will look at many questions.  Many environmental activists warn that ignoring climate change is leading to dramatic ecological and humanitarian catastrophe. Some say we've already passed the tipping point – that rising sea levels and collapsed ecosystems will threaten our very survival. How do we process such challenging predictions? Do we take comfort in critics who denounce these activists as exaggerating Cassandras? Or has the horror of ecological apocalypse driven our species into nearly suicidal denial? What's a humanist to do?   Call 410-581-2322 or visit www.baltimoreethicalsociety.org.

 

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