Baltimore Activist Alert May 17 – May 23, 2013

Baltimore Activist Alert May 17 – May 23, 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] See THE CARETAKER – through May 25

6] Homage to Harriet – through June 23

7] Tour de Peace – through July 3

8] BUILD's 35 Years of Organizing -- through Aug. 31

9] Commemorate the Catonsville Nine – May 17

10] DC Demonstration on Day 100 of the Gitmo Hunger Strike – May 17

11] Justice for Palestine/Israel vigil – May 17

12] Protest President Obama – May 17

13] U.S. Policy in a Time of Transition – May 17

14] Silent peace vigil – May 17

15] Film “Genetic Roulette: The Gamble of our Lives” – May 17

16] NIGHT OF 1000 DYLANS – May 17

17] Ballroom dancing – May 17

18] Operation Green Jobs – May 18 - 24

19] Out 4 Justice – May 18

20] Wall Street Accountability Week of Action – May 18-24

21] Olney Peace vigil – May 18

22] West Chester, PA demo – May 18

23] Silent vigil at Capitol – May 18

24] Healthcare Speak-Out! – May 18

25] Direct Action Training – May 18

26] African Liberation Day – May 18







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] – See “The Caretaker, ”Harold Pinter's 1960's play about a homeless man (played by Marc Horwitz) who is invited by two working class brothers to stay in a dilapidated London flat that begins a war of treachery, dominance, and mystery. It will be performed through May 25, Sundays, 3 PM, Fridays-Saturdays, 8 PM, and May 23, 8 PM, at the Performance Workshop Theatre, 5426 Harford Road. Call 410-659-7830. See http://www.performanceworkshoptheatre.org. The ticket price is $22, but students pay $15.



6] – 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/.



7] – From Thurs., Apr. 4 through Wed., July 3 follow the Tour de Peace across the country. Visit http://cindysheehanssoapbox.blogspot.com/p/tour-de-peace-road-less-taken.html.



8] – The Enoch Pratt Free Library, Central Library, 400 Cathedral St., hosts an exhibit Learning, Listening, Leading: BUILD's 35 Years of Organizing in Baltimore City, which documents the achievements of BUILD, featuring the leaders who made these changes possible, through Sat., Aug. 31. Call 410-396-5430. Go to http://www.prattlibrary.org/locations/central.



9] – Join the Baltimore Philip Berrigan Veterans For Peace group on Fri., May 17 at 11:30 AM at the Catonsville Post Office on Frederick Road, near Melvin Ave. After leafleting, participants will march over to the Knights of Columbus Hall to commemorate the Catonsville Nine Viet Nam War burning of draft files on May 17, 1968.

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 May 17, the 100th day of the current hunger strike, the vigil will Support Guantanamo Hunger Strikers--Close Guantanamo & End Indefinite Detention. The men detained at the U.S. prison in Guantánamo are engaged in a large-scale hunger strike, which began in early February. Recent reports indicate that 84 men are on the hunger strike, 16 are being force-fed and 3 are now hospitalized. Last weekend guards used excessive force and rubber bullets on prisoners who resisted being forcibly moved from communal to individual cells. This was done in attempt to stop the hunger strike. The vast majority of the 166 men have been held for more than 11 years without any charge or fair trial, with no end to their detention in sight. Help ddeliver over 300,000 petitions and demand that President Obama use his authority to close Guantánamo! See www.witnesstorture.org. Contact Art Laffin: artlaffin@hotmail.com.

11] – 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/.

12] – President Obama is coming to Baltimore. Greet him with a clear message: stop the Keystone XL pipeline! RSVP at http://act.350.org/go/3192?t=2&akid=3164.75494.yebrdS. Baltimore Tells Obama: No KXL! on Fri., May 17 at 12:30 PM at 1611 Bush St. Be at the corner of Bush St. and Wicomico St.

The President is speaking at Ellicott Dredges, a company whose CEO testified in support of the Keystone XL pipeline. Let Obama know Baltimore is fired up to fight the pipeline, one of the dirtiest energy projects in the world. If you can make a sign and bring it with you, here are some ideas for messages: "Baltimore says: No Keystone XL pipeline," or "Tar Sands= Climate Disaster!"

13] – What is U.S. Policy in a Time of Transition: Ending Occupation, Enhancing Israel's Security, Realizing Palestinian Sovereignty? Catch this discussion on Fri., May 17 from 3 to 4:30 PM at the SEIU Building, 1800 Massachusetts Ave. NW, WDC 20036. The Middle East Institute is pleased to welcome Amb. Thomas Pickering, Col. Philip Dermer, and Geoffrey Aronson for a discussion of their new report entitled "U.S. Policy in a Time of Transition: Ending Occupation, Enhancing Israel's Security, Realizing Palestinian Sovereignty." This report is the product of an independent study group chaired by Ambassador Pickering. RSVP at http://www.mei.edu/events/us-policy-time-transition-ending-occupation-enhancing-israels-security-realizing-palestinian.

14] – There is a silent peace vigil on Fri., May 17 from 5 to 6 PM starting 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. It is believed that the vigil will move to Charles St. and University Parkway because of the construction on Charles St.



15] – BloomScreen and GMO Free DC present the film “Genetic Roulette: The Gamble of our Lives” on Fri., May 17 from 7 to 9 PM at Bloombars, 3222 11th St. NW. This is in preparation for the "March Against Monsanto" World Event (May 25). The film by Jeffrey M. Smith is about the US government allowing untested genetically modified (GM) crops into our environment and food supply. Go to https://www.facebook.com/events/290060524462457/.



16] – THE ROOTS CAFÉ PRESENTS THE NIGHT OF 1000 DYLANS. Bob Dylan reinvented American songwriting by combining hillbilly folk music, African-America blues and Beat poetry, and Baltimore’s best singer-songwriters continue to reinvent music in similar ways. For the fifth annual “Night of 1000 Dylans," Howard Markman & Palookaville, Red Sammy, Sam Nitzberg & Matt Douglass, the Farmer Market’s Merdalf, the Mole Suit Choir’s Liz Downing and Rupert Wondolowski, Geoffrey Himes and Love Riot’s Willem Elsevier will celebrate Dylan’s 72nd birthday (actually May 24) with an evening of his compositions—both familiar and obscure—performed in the always-surprising ways of Baltimore musicians.



This benefit concert on for Sat., May 18 at 7:30 PM is hosted by Geoffrey Himes at the Creative Alliance at the Patterson, 3134 Eastern Ave. Call 410-276-1651. Tickets are $17, $12 for members. All proceeds benefit the Baltimore College Peace Network, the Roots Café and the Creative Alliance. Go to www.creativealliance.org.



17] – 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 May 17. Call Dave Greene at 410-599-3725.



18] – Operation Green Jobs is a Poor People’s March from Philadelphia to Washington D.C. from Sat., May 18 through Fri., May 24. Demand Green Jobs & Economic Human Rights. It begins at W. Cumberland St., Philadelphia and ends at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, 1615 H St. NW. Contact Cheri Honkala at 215-869-4753 or go to http://www.economichumanrights.org/#opGreenJobs.



19] – On Sat., May 18 be part of “Baltimore Speaks,” a Community Conversation called Out 4 Justice. From 9 AM to noon, with registration at 8:30 AM, at the First Franklin Presbyterian Church, 210 West Madison St. (corner of Park Ave. and Madison St.) Admission to this event is free, but a suggested donation of $10 is greatly appreciated. Enjoy refreshments. RSVP at 410.889.5072.



20] – Wall Street Accountability Week of Action begins at 10 AM on Sat., May 18 in Washington at 3900 Wisconsin Ave. On March 6th, US Attorney General Eric Holder admitted that he thought "too big to fail" also means "Too Big to Jail" which is why not one banker has been prosecuted for helping bring down the world's economy. Meanwhile homeowners and communities are still suffering from Wall Street’s foreclosure crisis.



The week of May 18-25th is the week to fight back. Hundreds of homeowners, foreclosure victims and allies will converge on DC and engage in dramatic action at the Department of Justice, holding the Obama Administration accountable for not being willing to jail any bankers. Directly affected people are planning a host of powerful events for the entire week.



21] – 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 May 18. Call Chuck Harker at 301-570-7167.



22] – 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.



23] – There will be a peace vigil on the West Lawn of the Capitol at noon on Sat., May 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.



24] – Healthcare is a Human Right - Maryland invites you to a Howard County Healthcare Speak-Out! on Sat., May 18 from 2 - 4 PM at the Miller Branch Library, 9421 Frederick Road, Ellicott City 21042. Hear testimony from neighbors and friends who have dealt with debt due to medical bills, bankruptcy, inability to afford medical treatment, needless healthcare complications, loss of employment because of illness and other misfortunes that result from our profit driven medical system. Demand that this end, as all deserve the right to healthcare. Email Sergio Espana - HealthcareisaHumanRightMD@gmail.com.



25] – Do Direct Action Training and then enjoy Dinner on Sat., May 18 from 3 to 6:30 PM at Guildfield Baptist Church, 1023 Otis St. NE. Empower DC hosts DIRECT ACTION & CIVIL DISOBEDIENCE: What it is, why it's done and how to do it! The church is two blocks from the Brookland Metro/on-site parking. It is $2 for the training, $3 for dinner. RSVP to Parisa@empowerdc.org or 202-234-9119 x 100.



26] – Enjoy African Liberation Day on Sat., May 18 from 4:30 to 11 PM at the Emergence Community Arts Collective, 733 Euclid St. NW. Come out to part one of the two part event!! The theme for 2013 is Pan-Africanism is Power: We Must Unite!!! There will be an International Symposium and Round Table Discussion and Malcolm X Drummers and Dancers and a representative from the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela. Visit http://www.aaprp-intl.org/?q=node/84.



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