Baltimore Activist Alert Mar. 29 – Apr. 4, 2013 - Part 1

Baltimore Activist Alert Mar. 29 – Apr. 4, 2013


"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 & stickers

2] Web site for info on federal legislation

3] Join Nonviolent Resistance lists

4] Buy coffee through HoCoFoLa

5] Jerusalem Fund Gallery exhibit – through Apr. 12

6] LIGHT by Art Spirit – through May 12

7] Homage to Harriet – through June 23

8] Support gun control legislation – Mar. 29

9] "U.S. Outer Space Diplomacy in President Obama's Second Term" -- Mar. 29

10] White House vigil – Mar. 29

11] Good Friday Ecological and Economic Way of the Cross – Mar. 29

12] Protest Lockheed Martin – Mar. 29

13] Pax Christi Baltimore Stations of the Cross – Mar. 29

14] WIB Roland Park vigil – Mar. 29

15] Justice for Palestine/Israel vigil – Mar. 29

16] Silent peace vigil – Mar. 29

17] The Wishnia Brothers read – Mar. 29

18] Ballroom dancing – Mar. 29

19] Olney peace vigil – Mar. 30

20] West Chester, PA demo – Mar. 30

21] Silent vigil at Capitol – Mar. 30

22] Rally for Trans Equality and Economic Justice – Mar. 30

23] “The Challenge of Integration in Fractured Communities” – Mar. 31

24] Peace and Pancakes – Mar. 31

25] Red Emma’s meeting – Mar. 31

26] Concert Wake Up Call -- Mar. 31

27] Pentagon Vigil – Apr. 1

28] Fasting for the climate – Apr. 1 – Apr. 30

29] "Negotiating with Iran: How Best to Reach Success" – Apr. 1





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] – "Undefeated Despair: Precarity, Public Art, and Solidarity in Palestine and Lebanon" continues through Fri., Apr. 12 at 6 PM at The Jerusalem Fund Gallery, 2425 Virginia Ave. NW, WDC 22037. This exhibit brings together examples of work from three mural projects coordinated by Break The Silence Media and Arts Project. Based in San Francisco, BTS/MAP works in the intersection of trauma, memory, creativity, resilience and resistance, aims to engage people on multiple levels through murals, video, art/research, multi and trans media projects to see and imagine new possibilities, think critically and organize to reveal hidden histories and the connections between struggles for social justice globally. Visit http://www.thejerusalemfund.org/ht/d/sp/i/9242/pid/9242.



6] – The Arts Council of Metropolitan Memorial United Methodist Church presents LIGHT by Art Spirit, an Arts Collective, through Sun., May 12 at the Great Hall, 3401 Nebraska Ave. NW, WDC 20016. The exhibition hours are Monday-Friday, 9 AM to 5 PM, and Sundays, 9 AM to 12:30 PM. Call 202-363-4900 or go to www.nationalchurch.org.



7] – Homage to Harriet, works about and inspired by the life and legacy of Maryland-born abolitionist Harriet Tubman, continues through June 23 at Reginald F. Lewis Museum of Maryland African American History and Culture, 830 E. Pratt St. Call 443-263-1800. Go to http://www.africanamericanculture.org/.



8] – Marylanders to Prevent Gun Violence is urging you to come to Annapolis on Fri., Mar. 29 as the House Judiciary and Health & Government Operations Committees will be voting jointly on the Governor's Firearms Safety Act of 2013. THE HEARING IS EXPECTED TO START AT 11 AM IN THE JUDICIARY HEARING ROOM, FIRST FLOOR OF THE HOUSE OFFICE BUILDING, 6 BLADEN STREET, ANNAPOLIS, MD, 21401.



PLEASE ALSO MARK YOUR CALENDAR FOR TUESDAY AND WEDNESDAY OF NEXT WEEK AND BE IN THE HOUSE GALLERY OF THE STATE HOUSE FOR THE FLOOR VOTE. Email contact@marylanderstopreventgunviolence.org.



9] – On Fri., Mar. 29 from 11 AM to noon, Frank Rose, Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Space and Defense Policy, will address "U.S. Outer Space Diplomacy in President Obama's Second Term" at the International Institute for Strategic Studies, 2121 K St. NW, Suite 801, WDC 20037. Email events-washington@iiss.org or call 202 659 1490. RSVP at https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1H9du9kX3P6U-gh3E72mcafNOpXxoeZXhFauMVJkjXA4/viewform.

10] – 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. However, on Good Friday, it takes place from 11:30 to 12:30 PM. Contact Art Laffin: artlaffin@hotmail.com.



11] – On. Fri., Mar. 29 at noon, join the Good Friday Ecological and Economic Way of the Cross starting at the corner of First Street and Constitution Ave. NW. It should end around 3 PM at Murrow Park, near the World Bank. Go to https://www.facebook.com/#!/events/217635538382529/. .



12] – Lockheed Martin, the world’s largest war profiteer and the United States’ chief Pentagon contractor (more than $40 billion annually), is among the chief manufacturers of drone warfare technology - the remote-controlled plane, the hellfire missiles they fire, and the space-based satellites which control the drones from the continental U.S. On Mar. 29 at noon, there will be a Good Friday Stations of Justice, Peace, and Nonviolent Resistance to Lockheed Martin at Mall & Goddard Boulevards, King of Prussia, PA (directly behind the King of Prussia Mall, and across from the UA King of Prussia movieplex). For nonviolence discipline, go to http://www.brandywinepeace.com/nonviolence.html. Call the Brandywine Peace Community at 610- 544-1818 if you interested in participating in the nonviolent resistance and willing to face arrest. There will be an on-site meeting at 11 AM for those planning to risk arrest.



13] – Pax Christi-Baltimore will host the 28TH ANNUAL STATIONS OF THE CROSS FOR JUSTICE IN DOWNTOWN BALTIMORE on Fri., Mar. 29, starting at noon at City Hall. The Stations procession will through downtown Baltimore, and a short prayer service will connect a traditional Station with a current issue or concern. The entire procession should conclude in about two hours, returning to City Hall. Email Chuck Michaels at cwmichaels@igc.org.



14] – There is also a noon Women in Black vigil on Mar. 29 at Roland Park Place, 830 W. 40th St. Call 410-467-9114.



15] – A vigil for Justice in Palestine/Israel 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/.

16] – There is a silent peace vigil on Fri., Mar. 29 from 5 to 6 PM outside Homewood Friends Meetinghouse, 3107 N. Charles St. Placards say: "War Is Not the Answer." The silent vigil is sponsored by Homewood Friends and Stony Run Meetings.

17] – On Fri., Mar. 29 at 7 PM @ Red Emma's, 800 St. Paul Sr., listen to readings with the Wishnia brothers. The Brothers in Crime are coming to Baltimore with novels set in the grit of New York City's old Lower East Side. Join readings with Steven Wishnia, author of “When the Drumming Stops” (2012, Manic D Press) and Kenneth Wishnia, author of “23 Shades of Black” (2012, PM Press). Call 410- 230-0450 or go to http://www.redemmas.org.



18] – 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. 29. Call Dave Greene at 410-599-3725.



19] – 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. [Route 97] in Olney, MD. The next vigil is Mar. 30. Call Chuck Harker at 301-570-7167.



20] – 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.

21] – There will be a peace vigil on the West Lawn of the Capitol at noon on Sat., Mar. 30. 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.

22] – There is a Rally for Trans Equality and Economic Justice on Sat., Mar. 30 at 4 PM at Columbia Heights Civic Plaza Circle, 14th and Park Rd. NW, WDC. The event is organized by DC trans organizers, the National Transgender Month of Action 2013, Trans Health Care Access, and DC trans coalition. For the first time, LGBT equality groups and labor unions folks are working together to advance access to basic health care for transgender people, and to expand health care insurance to cover trans-related health care nationwide. Celebrate victories and continue to build momentum and power to fight for trans equality, trans economic justice and equal access to quality jobs, health care and housing for DC trans residents. Go to https://www.facebook.com/events/501459483222848/.



23] – Usually, the Baltimore Ethical Society, 306 W. Franklin St., Suite 102, Baltimore 21201-4661, meets on Sundays, and generally there is a speaker and discussion from 10:30 to 11:30 AM. On Sun., Mar. 31, enjoy the platform address –“The Challenge of Integration in Fractured Communities” with Fabio Lomelino, project director, Community Conversations, Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service. For the past year Lomelino has been traveling to several communities across the US hosting community conversations around the question: “What creates a sense of belonging for newcomers?” He will share what he has learned and provoke you to re-think the issue of integration in an age of fractured community structures. With the country reaching historically high levels of foreign-born residents and historically low levels of social cohesion, a challenge emerges to the traditional notion of receiving communities welcoming newcomers. The talk will encourage exploration of the difficult question: “Who is an alien in the face of widespread social alienation?”



Lomelino is a “reverse migrant,” born and raised in Sao Paulo, Brazil, who moved to Baltimore less than a decade ago. Baltimore is his great-grandfather’s childhood home. Lomelino attended St. John’s College in Annapolis, where he fell in love with philosophy, the liberal arts, and good conversation. He joined Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service (LIRS) in 2010 to help the organization work toward its vision of creating welcoming communities for migrants and refugees. You can follow him on Twitter (@lomelinofh). Go to http://www.bmorethical.org. Call 410-581-2322 or email ask@bmorethical.org.



24] – Join the Kadampa Meditation Center for Peace and Pancakes on Sundays at 10:30 AM at KMC Maryland, 2937 North Charles St. All are invited to participate in guided meditation and chant praying for world peace. There will be a talk based on Buddhist thought followed by brunch. Call 410- 243-3837. Brunch is $5.



25] – 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 Mar. 31. 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.



26] – On Sun., Mar. 31 at 7:30 PM, attend the "Wake Up Call" concert by singer/songwriter Roy Zimmerman. He is smart, and savvy, and he performs socially conscious songs. Visit http://meetu.ps/L14yv.

27] – 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., Apr. 1, and it is sponsored by the Dorothy Day Catholic Worker. Email artlaffin@hotmail.com or call 202-882-9649.

28] – From Mon., Apr. 1 through Tues., Apr. 30, join fasting for the climate, go to http://www.1future.net.



29] – On Mon., Apr. 1 from 10 to 11:30 AM, Gary Samore, former White House Coordinator for Arms Control and the Weapons of Mass Destruction Terrorism, will discuss "Negotiating with Iran: How Best to Reach Success" at Brookings Institution, Falk Auditorium, 1775 Massachusetts Ave. NW, WDC 20036. RSVP at https://www.cvent.com/events/negotiating-with-iran-how-best-to-reach-success/registration-8a8a3974ec6541f1a04d444ffa85da8a.aspx

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