Baltimore Activist Alert - Feb. 28 - Mar. 2, 2014

39] Auction to benefit law students – Feb. 28
40] FOR hosts panel discussion on drones -- Feb. 28
41] Vigil for Justice in Palestine/Israel – Feb. 28
42] Support the Guantanamo Hunger Strikers – Feb. 28
43] Cameroon Youth Day – Feb. 28
44] Church and state in Cuba – Feb. 28
45] Hearing in Annapolis on fracking -- Feb. 28
46] Silent peace vigil – Feb. 28
47] Film Miles of Smiles, Years of Struggle” – Feb. 28
48] Bolivarian Revolution/Low-wage Worker Organizing – Feb. 28
49] World International Film Festival – Feb. 28
50] Ballroom Dancing – Feb. 28
51] Olney Peace vigil – Mar. 1
51] Miles of Smiles, Years of Struggle” – Mar. 1
52] Cove Point hearing – Mar. 1
53] West Chester, PA demo – Mar. 1
54] "Inequality for All" Watch Party – Mar. 1
55] Silent vigil at Capitol – Mar. 1
56] Silent Drone March – Mar. 1
57] Baltimore Sierra Club Potluck – Mar. 1
58] Anarchist novel book launch – Mar. 1
59] Protest AIPAC – Mar. 2
60] XL Dissent – Mar. 2
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39] – The University of Baltimore Students for Public Interest (UBSPI), in conjunction with the University of Baltimore School of Law, is planning the Twentieth Annual Public Interest Auction. The auction will be held on Fri., Feb. 28 at the Angelos Law Center. The auction proceeds fund summer grants for UB law students who will be interning with public interest organizations over the summer.

You can show your support by sponsoring a summer grant through the tiered-sponsorship program or by donating an item to the live or silent auction. All donations to UBSPI are tax-deductible to the extent permitted by law and should be sent to University of Baltimore Students for Public Interest (UBSPI), 1420 N. Charles St., Baltimore 21201-5779. Email ubspi@ubalt.edu.

40] – On Fri., Feb. 28 at 11 AM, the Fellowship of Reconciliation will host a Panel Discussion on Drones and Resistance to Military and Surveillance Drones. Go to https://vonvo.com/. You will be able to see the speakers in video boxes with a chat box below for submitting questions to panelists and talking with other viewers. The Speakers are Noor Mir of CodePink, Nick Mottern of the National Network to End Drone Killing, Drone Surveillance and Global Militarization, and Judy Bello of the Upstate Coalition to Ground the Drones and End the Wars. The moderator is Leila Zand of Fellowship of Reconciliation.

41] – 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/.

42] – Support the Guantanamo Hunger Strikers--Close Guantanamo & End Indefinite Detention! No More Torture! No More War! Join the vigil on Fri., Feb. 28 from noon to 1 PM at the White House-North side on Pennsylvania Ave. NW. The vigil is sponsored by the Dorothy Day Catholic Worker and Witness Against Torture. Visit www.witnesstorture.org.

43] – Commemoration of Cameroon Youth Day and Black History is happening on Fri., Feb. 28 at noon at Howard University Blackburn Center, 2225 Georgia Ave. NW. Siblings Together & the Cameroon Embassy present a luncheon and reception for the commemoration, featuring Ayana Gregory and others. See https://archive.org/details/WpfwSocialJusticeCalendar.

44] – Join Witness for Peace for a brown bag lunch with Reverend Raúl Suárez, founder and director of the Martin Luther King Jr. Center in Havana, Cuba on Fri., Feb. 28 from 12:30 to 2 PM in the Press Room at Public Citizen, 1600 20th St. NW, WDC. Rev. Suárez will talk about the relationship between church and state in Cuba and the future of US-Cuba relations.

Dr. Suárez was a pastor of the Ebenezer Baptist church in Cuba for many years. He served for a time as the president of the Council of Churches, and later became a prominent member of the Cuban ecumenical movement. Out of this movement, Reverend Suárez founded and now directs the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Center in Havana, where he works for interfaith solidarity. Call 202-547-6112, email witness@witnessforpeace.org or visit www.witnessforpeace.org.

45] – HB 409 [Prohibition of Hydraulic Fracturing Wastewater] will be heard at 1 PM on Fri., Feb. 28 in the Environmental Matters Committee, Room 250, House Office Building, Annapolis, MD 21401-1991. Call 410-841-3990. A hearing for HB 1030 [Hydraulic Fracturing Chemicals] is also scheduled for 1 PM. This bill will require permit applicants to submit toxicological, epidemiological and health-related information on the hydraulic fracturing chemicals to the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene and that DHMH share that information with poison control centers.

46] – There is a silent peace vigil on Fri., Feb. 28 from 5 to 6 PM outside the Cathedral of the Incarnation, University Parkway and St. Paul St. The vigil, sponsored by Homewood Friends and Stony Run Meetings, will remind us that War Is Not the Answer. Stop torture.

47] – See the film "Miles of Smiles, Years of Struggle” on Fri., Feb. 28 from 7 to 9 PM at BloomBars, 3222 11th St. NW. Join TransAfrica and BloomBars to celebrate February as African American History Month. The documentary tells the untold story of the Pullman porters who organized America's first Black trade union - the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters. The suggested donation is $10. See https://www.facebook.com/events/649584601750425/.

48] – Venezuela: Right-wing Violence and the Bolivarian Revolution | Low-wage Worker Organizing and the Fight for 15 are the topics of discussion on Fri., Feb. 28 at 7 PM at 617 Florida Ave. NW.

A coordinated operation of Venezuelan right-wing forces, the U.S. government and imperialist media is underway against the revolutionary government of President Nicolás Maduro and the masses who back the country’s move toward socialism. At this forum, learn more about the history and the forces driving the Bolivarian Revolution, and about the class character of the opposition. With “Fight for 15” struggles being waged across the United States, the potential for organizing amongst low-wage workers has become a reality. Hear about the struggles facing low-wage workers, their fight for a living wage and the ways in which this organizing effort impacts all working people. See https://www.facebook.com/events/504573362994741//

49] – Bridges to the World International Film Festival includes foreign films from Kenya, Chile, Ukraine, Slovenia and Indonesia. They will be shown at various venues in Annapolis, Cumberland, Salisbury, St. Mary's City, and Towson. The embassy chooses the film, and a professional in the field will present it. After the screening a discussion will follow. See films on the following Fridays: Feb. 28 & Mar. 7. Go to http://www.activesurvivor.org.

50] – 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. 28. Call Dave Greene at 410-599-3725.

51] – 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. 1. Call Chuck Harker at 301-570-7167.

52] – Sign up at 11 AM for the Maryland Public Service Commission Public Hearing on Cove Point on Sat., Mar., 1at Patuxent High School Auditorium, 12485 Southern Connector Boulevard, Lusby, MD 20657. Email Bonnie Bick at bonnie.bick@mdsierra.org. Members of the Public Service Commission (PSC) will hold the first and only public hearing on Dominion’s plan. This is the best opportunity for southern Marylanders to make their voices heard. The proposed Cove Point facility would increase smog pollution, risk the safety and water resources of nearby communities, significantly worsen climate change and increase gas prices for Maryland consumers. The conversion of Cove Point would turn Maryland into the Fracking Export Center for the Mid-Atlantic Region. Go to friends:http://org.salsalabs.com/o/423/p/salsa/event/common/public/?event_KEY=81445.

53] – 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.

54] – There is an "Inequality for All" Watch Party on Sat., Mar. 1 at 11 AM at 1510 9th St. NW, WDC 20001. Watch Robert Reich's award-winning film, and note Secretary Reich will join the party for a special conference call to change the conversation on income inequality. Visit http://act.democracyforamerica.com/event/inequality_watch_party_attend/829/signup/?t=3&akid=4464.1784006.wM85M-

55] – There will be a peace vigil on the West Lawn of the Capitol at noon on Sat., Mar. 1. 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.

56] – On Sat., Mar. 1 from noon until 1 PM, join the Philadelphia Anti-War/Anti-Drone Silent Death Walk. Meet at 12th & Arch Sts., across from the Phila. Convention Center as the Philadelphia Flower Show opens. Signs, banners, and masks are available. RSVP to Marge Van Cleef at 267-763-1644.

57] – The Baltimore Sierra Club Potluck is on Sat., Mar. 1 from noon to 2 PM at 5701 Rusk Ave., Baltimore 21215. Contact Seth Bush at 267-474-3488 or seth.bush@sierraclub.org.

58] – On Sat., Mar. 1 at| 7:30 PM, get over to Red Emma’s, 30 W. North Ave., Baltimore 21201, for a launch event for the brand-new novel "A Country of Ghosts" by Margaret Killjoy, an anarchist storyteller, on Sat., Mar. 1 at 7:30 PM at Red Emma's. Dimos Horacki is a Borolian journalist and a cynical patriot, his muckraking days behind him. But when his newspaper ships him to the front, he’s embedded in the Imperial Army and the reality of colonial expansion is laid bare before him. His adventures take him from villages and homesteads to the great refugee city of Hronople, built of glass, steel, and stone, all the while a war rages around him. The empire fights for coal and iron, but the anarchists of Hron fight for their way of life. Call 410-230-0450 or email info@redemmas.org.

59] – From Sun., Mar. 2 through Tues., Mar. 4, the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, annual policy conference, takes place at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center, 801 Mount Vernon Place NW, WDC. On Mar. 2 from 8 AM to 8 PM, protest AIPAC and the one sided US economic and military support for Israel. A special event will occur from 2 to 4 PM. Demonstrations will take place in front of the Convention Center. RSVP (not required) and get directions at https://www.facebook.com/events/436693696459844/. Email Sara at Sara.codepink@gmail.com.

Disgusted by American Israel Public Affairs Committee’s moves to bring the U.S to war with Iran? Sick of seeing US tax dollars go to Israel while the IDF commits human rights violations in Palestine? Inspired by all the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions victories happening left and right? Then join the Washington Peace Center, CODEPINK: Women For Peace and other allies and human rights groups. Raise awareness about the policies supported by AIPAC. Help wean U.S. policy away from AIPAC’s grip towards an even-handed position that respects international law and the human rights of all people!

60] – XL Dissent is on Sun., Mar. 2 from 10 AM to noon. Gather at Georgetown University's Red Square, 3700 O St. NW. At 11 AM, be at Lafayette Park for a rally. Sign up at http://xldissent.org/sign-up/.

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