Baltimore Activist Alert - Sept. 17-19, 2013

17] What We Need to Know About Syria – Sept. 17 18] Philadelphia Peace Vigil – Sept. 17 19] Rally for D.C.'s Living Wage Bill – Sept. 17 20] Josh Ruebner Book Tour – Sept. 17 21] Philadelphia Peace Vigil – Sept. 17 22] Judicial Independence in Guatemala – Sept. 17 23] Protest JHU’s drone research – Sept. 17 24] Talk about hunger – Sept. 17 25] Washington Peace Center volunteers orientation – Sept. 17 26] Constitution Day 2013 at MICA – Sept. 17 27] Ensuring a World Fit for Children – Sept. 17 28] What We Need to Know About Syria – Sept. 17 29] Dollarocracy – Sept. 17 30] Who Owns the Constitution? – Sept. 17 31] Honor Amazon Woman Warriors – Sept. 18 32] Protest AFA Arms Bazaar – Sept. 18 33] Taking a Stand Against Gender-Based Violence – Sept. 19 --------- 17] – Pack the room at a Stand Your Ground hearing on Tues., Sept. 17 at 10 AM at the Dirksen Senate Office Building, Room 226, 239 Dirksen Building. Congress will begin investigating the devastating impact of Shoot First laws like "Stand Your Ground," which played a tragic role in the case of Trayvon Martin. In a hearing of a Senate Committee on the Judiciary subcommittee led by Senator Dick Durbin, those affected by Stand Your Ground laws -- like Trayvon Martin's mother -- will testify about the impact on their lives, and ask Congress to take action to stop the spread of these dangerous laws. Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America are organizing a group to help pack the room with gun violence prevention advocates, to help ensure that the hearing is not overrun with NRA members, who are already outraged that this hearing is even being held. Contact Cathi Geeslin at (703) 239-4467. 18] – What We Need to Know About Syria: A Lecture and Q &A Session with Professor Rania Masri is taking place at the Community College of Baltimore County, Essex, HTEC 220, 7201 Rossville Blvd., Baltimore 21237-3899 on Tues., Sept. 17 from 11:10 AM to 12:30 PM. Masri is an Arab American human rights activist, environmental scientist, university professor and writer. Since 2005, she has been an assistant professor and chair of the Environmental Sciences Department at the University of Balamand in Lebanon. From 2012 to 2013, she served as a regional policy advisor at the UNDP Regional Center in Cairo. She has served as coordinator of the Iraq Action Coalition, on the board of Peace Action, as the Arab Women's Solidarity Association's representative to the U.N. Contact Kim Jensen (kjensen@ccbcmd.edu). 19] – Rally for D.C.'s Living Wage Bill on Tues., Sept. 17 at noon at the Wilson Building, 1350 Pennsylvania Ave. NW. Mayor Vincent Gray took a clear stance in favor of billionaire corporations when vetoing D.C.'s Living Wage bill. BUT it's not over yet! The City Council still has the opportunity to do right by hard working D.C. residents. If the Large Retailer Accountability Act passes, it would require big retailers that make over $1 billion in revenues per year and stores over 75,000 square feet to pay their employees $12.50 an hour with benefits in the District of Columbia. Email organizer@respectdc.org. 20] – The Palestine Center invites you to a lecture "Shattered Hopes: Obama's Failure to Broker Israeli-Palestinian Peace" with Josh Ruebner, National Advocacy Director of the U.S. Campaign the End the Israeli Occupation. on Tues., Sept. 17 from 12:30 to 2 PM at The Palestine Center, 2425 Virginia Ave. NW, WDC 20037. The book offers an informed history of the Obama administration’s policies and maps out a true path forward for the United States to help achieve Israeli-Palestinian peace. Visit http://www.shattered-hopes.com. Copies of the book will be available for purchase. Go to http://www.thejerusalemfund.org/ht/d/EventDetails/i/41802 or call 202.338.1290. 21] – Each Tuesday from 4:30 - 5:30 PM, the Catholic Peace Fellowship-Philadelphia for peace in Afghanistan and Iraq gathers at the Suburban Station, 16th Street & JFK Blvd., at the entrance to Tracks 3 and 4 on the mezzanine. The next vigil is Sept. 17. Call 215-426-0364. 22] -- Judicial Independence in Guatemala: A Conversation with Guatemalan Supreme Court Justice César Barrientos will take place on Tues., Sept. 17 from 5 to 7 PM at 1730 Pennsylvania Ave. NW, 7th Floor. Stephen J. Rapp, U.S. State Department Ambassador-at-Large for War Crimes Issues will also speak. Justice Barrientos has presided over the Criminal Chamber of the Guatemalan Supreme Court since 2009. During this time he has spearheaded important reforms in Guatemala’s criminal justice system and been a champion of judicial independence. Working amidst immense challenges within the judicial system -- including high rates of impunity, entrenched parallel power structures, and limited resources -- Justice Barrientos has reduced delays in criminal cases and created a more efficient, effective and transparent justice system. He has promoted the creation and strengthening of “high risk” tribunals that hear cases relating to organized crime, human trafficking, money laundering, and human rights violations. Among these cases is the historic genocide trial of Efrain Rios Montt, the first genocide trial of a former head of state in a national court. Ambassador Rapp heads the Office of War Crimes Issues. He has served previously as a Prosecutor of the Special Court for Sierra Leone and Chief of Prosecutions at the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda. See www.riosmontt-trial.org. RSVP to events@opensocietyfoundations.org. 23] – Vigil to say "No Drone Research at JHU" at 33rd & North Charles Sts. Join this ongoing vigil. The next vigil is Sept. 17 from 5:30 to 6:30 PM. Call Max at 410-366-1637. 24] – On Tues., Sept. 17 at 6:30 PM, enjoy fellowship and food. At 7 PM see the film “A Place At the Table.” Talk about HUNGER in America and especially how it affects our children -- and most importantly, what we can and must do about it! COME to the Annandale United Methodist Church, 6935 Columbia Pike, Annandale, VA 22003. The program is free, but consider bringing a canned food donation for the Annandale Christian Community for Action food pantry. 25] – The Washington Peace Center September Volunteer Orientation and Meeting is happening on Tues., Sept. 17 from 6:30 to 8 PM at St. Stephen's Church, 1525 Newton St. NW (near Columbia Heights Metro - Green Line). It's a great way to connect with the Peace Center for the very first time or to get re-involved if you've volunteered in the past. RSVP at http://tinyurl.com/armm6zq. 26] – To celebrate Constitution Day 2013, the ACLU of Maryland and the Maryland Institute College of Art (MICA) invite you to hear David Simon and other groundbreaking figures discuss over-incarceration in the USA. Bars and Stripes Forever: Inequalities and Incarceration in the USA will take place on Tues., Sept. 17 from 7 to 9 PM at MICA's Falvey Hall, Brown Center, 1300 W. Mount Royal Ave., Baltimore 21217. The Free Constitution Day Symposium also includes Susan Burton, a social innovator who founded an organization that helps formerly incarcerated women re-enter into society, and Ashley Hunt, an artist who uses video, photography, mapping and writing to engage social movements and investigate the prison system. Since 1971, the number of human beings incarcerated in lockdown institutions in Maryland has increased from 4,950 to 22,500. The United States now spends more money on prisons than it does on schools, and incarceration – particularly for nonviolent crimes – has decimated communities of color. Tickets are free, but RSVPs are required. Call 410-225-2300 or visit http://www.mica.edu. 27] – Beyond the Classroom presents "The Global Predicament: Ensuring a World Fit for Children? A Panel Discussion" on Tues., Sept. 17 from 7 to 9 PM at the University of Maryland, College Park, 1102 South Campus Commons, Bldg. 1, 8082 Baltimore Ave., College Park. What prospects do children born today face around the world? What is required to ensure a world fit for children? How can the international community strengthen its commitment to children’s welfare, well-being, and life opportunities around the world? What can citizens do to take action on these issues? Join in for a stimulating panel of advocates from two leading international organizations, Save the Children and UNICEF, which focus on improving the lives of children--Aarti Singh, UNICEF Global Citizenship Fellow, Washington, D.C. & Meredy Talbot-Zorn, Save the Children USA, Global Development Manager, Public Policy and Advocacy. Go to https://www.facebook.com/events/446735522109116/. 28] – On Tues., Sept. 17 from 7 to 9 PM, Professor Rania Masri, an Arab American human rights activist and environmental scientist, will answer "What we need to know about Syria" in Maryland Hall 110. The event is sponsored by the Arab Student Association and the Human Rights Working Group of Johns Hopkins University and the Baltimore Higher Education Alliance for Real Democracy. 29] – On Tues., Sept. 17 at 7:30 PM @ 2640, 27th & St. Paul Sts., Robert McChesney and John Nichols will explore our Dollarocracy. The 2012 election was a quantum leap, as it was this country’s first $10 billion election campaign. And it solidified the power of a new class in American politics: the fabulously wealthy individuals and corporations who are radically redefining our politics in a way that, failing a dramatic intervention, signals the end of our democracy. It is the world of Dollarocracy. In Dollarocracy, two leading media experts—journalist John Nichols and academic Robert McChesney—examine the forces that have sapped elections of their meaning and stolen the USA’s democratic potential: the pay-to-play billionaires and the politicians who do their bidding, the corporations that have been freed to buy elections and the activist judges who advance their agenda, and the media conglomerates that blow off journalism while raking in billions airing intellectually and morally reprehensible political advertising. Go to mailto:john@manifestor.org. 30] – Linda Greenhouse, Pulitzer winner/Supreme Court veteran reporter, will speak at Johns Hopkins University on Constitution Day, Tues., Sept. 17 at 8 PM. The venue for the talk "Who Owns the Constitution?" is 110 Hodson Hall on the Homewood Campus. Admission is free, and parking is available at the university’s South Garage, 3101 Wyman Park Drive, Baltimore 21211. 31] – This Wednesday, Honor Amazon Woman Warriors. Mayalu Txucarramãe, indigenous leader of Brazil's Mebêngôkrê and Waura peoples, will speak on Wed., Sept. 18 from 6 to 8 PM at the Art Museum of the Americas, 201 18th St. NW, WDC. This is the 2nd Annual D.C. Benefit Celebration. In the coming days other special guests will arrive - Patricia Gualinga from Ecuador and Amazon Watch's executive director, Atossa Soltani. In addition to the courageous woman warriors already mentioned, in attendance will be a host committee comprised of many esteemed activists, intellectuals, and steadfast supporters of Amazon Watch. RSVP to dcevents@amazonwatch.org. The event is free to attend, but is a fundraiser so you should anticipate a strong encouragement to donate. 32] – Join with the Dorothy Day Catholic Worker and other peacemakers from Pax Christi Metro D.C.- Baltimore, Peace Action Montgomery and Jonah House in a nonviolent witness to protest the AFA Arms Bazaar. As the U.S. political and military power structure, backed by the big weapons contractors, threatens military action against Syria, we urgently need to speak out for peace and against any military attack. Establish the Beloved Community and create a world free of weapons, war and oppression. The protest will be on Wed., Sept. 18 from 6 to 7:30 PM during the AFA $330 per plate banquet at the Gaylord National Resort and Convention Center, 201 Waterfront St., National Harbor, MD 20745. The vigil will be at the vigil at the corner of Waterfront St. and St. George Blvd., directly across from the Gaylord National Resort. Contact Art Laffin at 202-360-6416. The Air Force and some 150 arms contractors taking part in the AFA "Arms Bazaar" have played a prominent role in U.S. war making. These arms contractors, like General Dynamics, Northrop Grumman and Lockheed Martin are profiting from war and literally are making a killing! But that's not all. The Air Force and numerous arms dealers are committed to U.S. nuclear/military superiority and militarizing and controlling space. 33] – Get over to a Call to Action: Taking a Stand Against Gender-Based Violence on Thurs., Sept. 19 from 8 to 10 AM at the Newseum, Knight Studio, 555 Pennsylvania Ave. NW. An accomplished panel of experts will create an actionable discussion on what it will take to end the cycle of violence. How can high-powered discussions evolve into an on-the-ground confrontation of GBV? How can we harness the energy and reaction to the violence in a more systematic way to support the growing global movement? See https://standagainstgbv.eventbrite.com/. 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 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