Baltimore Activist Alert - February 26 - March 6, 2015

28] Police reform bill hearing - Feb. 26
29] “Just Mercy: A Story of Justice and Redemption” - Feb. 26
30] Stop the Privatization of Good Jobs! - Feb. 27
31] Vigil for peace at White House – Feb. 27
32] “In The Lady from Tel Aviv” – Feb. 27
33] Silent Peace Vigil – Feb. 27
34] Challenges and Opportunities for Public Health Justice -- Feb. 27
35] Town Hall on Police Abuses in Maryland – Feb. 27
36] See BUDRUS – Feb. 27
37] Ballroom Dancing – Feb. 27
38] Protest AIPAC – Feb. 28 – Mar. 3
39] THE CROSS OF CHRIST -- Feb. 28
40] Anti-drone vigil – Feb. 28
41] West Chester, PA demo – Feb. 28
42] Campaign Against Police Abuse workshop – Feb. 28
43] Strategy meeting – Feb. 28
44] Film THE OTHER BARRIO – Feb. 28
45] Roy Bourgeois will speak in D.C. – Feb. 28
46] “Motivate or Change: Defining the Role of the Next Generation in Social Activism” – Mar. 1
47] Colorism and Global Perceptions of Beauty – Mar. 1
48] People with disabilities protest – Mar. 1
49] Pentagon Vigil – Mar. 2
50] Marc Steiner on WEAA – Mar. 2 – Mar. 6
51] Author of book on the anti-war movement at Busboys & Poets – Mar. 2
52] Film LIONS FOR LAMBS –Mar. 6
53] Sign up with Washington Peace Center
54] Join Fund Our Communities
55] Donate books, videos, DVDs and records
56] Do you need any book shelves?
57] Join Global Zero campaign
58] War Is Not the Answer signs for sale
59] Join Peace Park Antinuclear Vigil
----
28] – A police reform bill hearing will take place in the MD Senate Judicial Proceedings Committee on Thurs., Feb. 26 from 1 to 8 PM at Miller Senate Office Bldg., 11 Bladen St., Annapolis 21401. Some of the issues of concern--Law Enforcement Officer "Bill of Rights" reform, race-based traffic stops, body-worn cameras, having police-involved deaths investigated by the state prosecutor, and a statewide database on police brutality.

29] – On Thurs., Feb. 26 at 7 PM at the Wheeler Auditorium, Enoch Pratt Free Library, Baltimore 21201, Bryan Stevenson, one of the country’s most visionary legal thinkers and social justice advocates, will talk about his new book, “Just Mercy: A Story of Justice and Redemption.” Among the first cases he took on was that of Walter McMillan, a black man who was sentenced to die for a notorious murder he insisted he didn’t commit. The book follows the suspenseful battle to free Walter before the state executes him, while also stepping back to tell the profoundly moving stories of men, women, and even children, who found themselves at the mercy of a system often incapable of showing it.

Stevenson is the executive director of Equal Justice Initiative, a law practice dedicated to defending some of America’s most rejected and marginalized people. He also serves on the U.S. Programs board for the Open Society Foundations. This event is part of OSI-Baltimore’s Talking About Race Series, co-sponsored by the Enoch Pratt Free Library, which continues to explore the many facets of this complex subject.

30] – Stop the Privatization of Good Jobs! Privatization of Public Services is a Slippery Slope… The Montgomery County Office of Legislative Oversight has released a report that strongly endorses the privatization of Department of Liquor Control [DLC]. Now, the County Council has created an “Ad Hoc DLC Committee” to review the value of PRIVATIZATION of the Department of Liquor Control…

Privatizing Good Union Jobs? Eliminating Union Contracts? Giving Up $30/$40 Million in Tax Revenue? What About Local Control? What About Public Safety? What About Our New Public Funded Multi-Million Dollar Warehouse? Join Union Members at Friday’s Ad Hoc DLC Committee Hearing to Protest Privatization and to Protect Our Services! Let’s Use OUR Voice and “Pack the Room!"

The AD Hoc DLC Committee Hearing is Fri., Feb. 27 at 9 AM at the Council Office Building, First Floor Lobby, 100 Maryland Ave., Rockville. RSVP to Alicia Valentin at avalentin@mcgeo.org.

31] – On Fri., Feb. 27 from noon to 1 PM, join the Dorothy Day Catholic Worker in a vigil urging the powers that be to abolish war and torture, to disarm all weapons, to end indefinite detention, to close Guantanamo, to establish justice for all and help create the Beloved Community! The vigil takes place at the White House on Pennsylvania Ave. NW. Contact Art @ artlaffin@hotmail.com or at 202-360-6416.

32] – At the Jerusalem Fund, 2425 Virginia Ave. NW, WDC, on Fri., Feb. 27 from 1 to 2 PM, catch the book talk about “In The Lady from Tel Aviv.” Raba’i Al-Madhoun tackles the Arab/Palestinian-Israeli issue, focusing on a pivotal time of anxiety and suspicion, with tensions on the point of boiling over. The novel’s protagonists are Palestinian exile Walid Dahman, who is returning home to Gaza after many years in Europe, and Israeli Dana Ahuva, who happens to be sitting next to him on their flight into Tel Aviv’s Ben-Gurion Airport. Their dialogue takes the reader into the far realms of memory, history and the self. The novel, in its complexity, intricacy and ambiguity, avoids the dogma of ready-made ideology. Zeina Azzam will interview Al-Madhoun, followed by readings from his book conducted by Al-Madhoun and Elliott Colla. Visit http://www.thejerusalemfund.org/ht/d/EventDetails/i/50015.

33] – There is usually a silent peace vigil on Fridays, from 5 to 6 PM, sponsored by Homewood Friends and Stony Run Meetings, outside the Homewood Friends Meetinghouse, 3107 N. Charles St. The Feb. 27 vigil will remind us that War Is Not the Answer and that there is the need to stop torture, and prosecute the torturers.

34] – Challenges and Opportunities for Public Health Justice will take place at the UMD School of Public Health, 255 Campus Drive, Room 1312,
College Park on Fri., Feb. 27 from 6 to 7:30 PM. This panel will discuss the additional work that the Civil Rights Movement needs to do to address environmental racism and classism and related inequalities in the US and the Washington, D.C. region. The panel will discuss progress that has been made, old and emerging challenges, solutions, and why we should be still fighting for health equity and public health justice in the 21st Century. Go to http://sph.umd.edu/event/do-black-brown-lives-matter-environmental-racism-classism-and-inequality-21st-century?departmentLayoutOverride=miaeh.

Arab American and the University of The District of Columbia are proud to present a film screening of "Al-Helm: MLK in Palestine" with a Q & A with Academy Award nominated Director and Producer Connie Field on Fri., Feb. 27 from 7 to 9 PM. Doors open at 7 PM, and the screening starts at 7:30 PM. Go to https://www.facebook.com/events/954305561253911. The film will be shown at the University of the District of Columbia, 4200 Connecticut Ave. NW, Building 41, Room A-03, WDC. Order tickets via Eventbrite:
http://www.eventbrite.com/e/al-helm-mlk-in-palestine-tickets-15832664927?aff=efbevent.

35] – The Montgomery County Civil Rights Coalition is hosting a Town Hall on Police Abuses in Maryland on Fri., Feb. 27 at 7 PM at the Takoma Park Community Center, Azalea Room, 7500 Maple Avenue, Takoma Park 20912. Hear the stories, act for reform. This will be in support of a sweeping Maryland Coalition for Justice and Equality (MCJE) police reform legislative agenda in Annapolis. RSVP at https://www.facebook.com/events/636732459766359. There are many speakers.

The town hall will take place the day after critical Maryland Senate Judicial Proceedings Committee hearings on police reform legislation supported by MCJE and MCCRC. So hear about legislation in Annapolis pertinent to police abuses. In Maryland, allow jurisdictions to create civilian review boards with real power to investigate police; renewal of the "Driving While Black" Act requiring law enforcement record-keeping and reporting of motorist race in all vehicular stops; and going beyond marijuana decriminalization to legalizing and taxing it like alcohol. In Montgomery County, there is consideration for the passage of the Local Civil Rights Restoration Act, especially its racial profiling, surveillance, and federal immigration law enforcement provisions.

It will feature mothers of police shooting victims in Maryland, activists in the Black Lives Matter campaign and the NAACP, an ACLU expert on this issue, and a General Assembly delegate and co-sponsor of several reform bills pending in Annapolis — and the list grows. Among the co-sponsors are the Bill of Rights Defense Committee and the Council on American Islamic Relations, Maryland. Come prepared to call, text, email and/or tweet Annapolis legislators about reform bills like SB0566 (law enforcement officer 'Bill of Rights' (LEOBOR) reform and SB0653 (state prosecutor for police-involved deaths).

36] – On Fri., Feb. 27 at 7 PM, see a screening of BUDRUS, about nonviolent resistance against the apartheid wall struggle in the West Bank. It will be shown in the Charles Commons Barbar Room, 33rd & N. Charles St. Visit https://www.facebook.com/events/850660015000805/?ref_newsfeed_story_type=regular.

37] – 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. 27. Call Dave Greene at 410-599-3725.
38] – From Sat., Feb. 28 through Tues., Mar. 3, CODEPINK and a coalition of human rights organizations including Friends of Sabeel--North America will organize four days of political action in Washington DC to oppose the policies of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) during its annual policy conference. Coined #ShutDownAIPAC, activists will host a variety of creative events: protests outside the DC Convention Center and Netanyahu’s speech in Congress; events critiquing AIPAC policies; and a lobby day in Congress to call for no more sanctions on Iran.
The #ShutDownAIPAC coalition will draw attention to AIPAC’s role as a special interest lobby that maintains a dangerous stranglehold over US policies. Activists will urge the US government to advocate instead for diplomacy with Iran and an end to the brutal occupation of Palestine. Simultaneously, the Palestine Advocacy Project will place ads in 12 Metro stations in Washington D.C. (as well as Boston, New York, San Francisco, Chicago, LA, Chapel Hill, San Diego, and San Antonio).
“With the politicization of Prime Minister Netanyahu’s speech and the growing divide between Democrats and Republicans over Speaker Boehner's invitation to the foreign leader, now is the time to confront the influence of the Israel lobby AIPAC and highlight the brutal military occupation of Palestine,” said CODEPINK organizer Anna Kaminski. “The 30 congress people skipping Netanyahu's speech could mark the beginning of a shift in public opinion toward both the Israel lobby. Peace activists need to seize this moment and #ShutDownAIPAC is an important step forward.”
On Sat., Feb. 28 from 7 to 10 PM, #OneStruggle is at the First Trinity Lutheran Church, corner of E and 4th Sts. NW, WDC. This will be a discussion with Palestinian-American human rights lawyer Noura Erakat, police accountability activist and founder of the Dream Defenders Ahmad Abuznaid from Ferguson, Missouri, founder of Indigenous Resistance and Native American activist Andrew Curley, and Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) organizer Tareq Radi. Speakers will discuss the similarities between systems of oppression across the globe and gaining strength through unity. See the https://www.facebook.com/events/583300068467490.
On Sun., Mar. 1 from noon to 3M, rally at the Washington Convention Center, 801 Mt. Vernon Pl. NW, WDC. Hundreds of protesters will rally outside AIPAC’s conference with visuals such as mock settlements, a checkpoint, a creative action with 100 Netanyahu masks and “bloody hands.” Speakers include founder of Boycott From Within Ronnie Barkan; founder of the Dream Defenders Ahmad Abuznaid; and Jewish Voice for Peace organizer and Friends of Sabeel representative Ariel Gold. There will be civil disobedience actions at this demonstration.
Also on Mar. 1, from 7 to 10 PM, catch #TheCouragetoSpeakOut at Busboys and Poets, 1025 5th St. NW, WDC. The speakers are Miko Peled and Philip Giraldi who will discuss AIPAC’s political power and how best to counter it.
On Mon., Mar. 2 from 6 to 9 PM, protest at the Washington Convention Center during Netanyahu’s AIPAC speech. Activists will hold a protest and candlelight vigil to commemorate all the lives lost in the brutal Israeli bombing campaign of Gaza over the summer of 2014. On Tues., Mar. 3 at 9:30 AM, CODEPINK and coalition members will confront AIPAC during their Congressional lobby day to tell Congress, No more sanctions on Iran. Then from 4 to 6:30 PM join the PROTEST RALLY AT THE CAPITOL. Hundreds of protesters will gather ON THE WEST LAWN of the US Capitol Building for creative protest and speakers when Netanyahu is giving his controversial address to joint session of Congress. Contact Paul Verduin at phverduin@gmail.com or 301-518-5551.

39] – THE CROSS OF CHRIST: Justification for Redemptive Violence or a Call to Gospel Nonviolence? The event will take place on Sat., Feb. 28 at 9:30 AM @ Circle of Hope, 2009 Frankfort Ave., Phila., PA. The death of Jesus is central to Christian life and thought, yet it has been frequently been misunderstood and misused. In many tragic ways, the cross of Christ has been seen as a kind of “redemptive violence,” and has been directly or indirectly used to vindicate and even bless human violence. Reflect on how a more radical understanding of the passion of Christ can impact efforts to act nonviolently in a violent world. This is a Lenten challenge before Good Friday

This program will be facilitated by Will O’Brien, coordinator of The Alternative Seminary. A light breakfast will be served. A $5 donation is requested to cover costs (but no one will be turned away). Contact Will O’Brien at 215-842-1790. For directions, see http://www.brandywinepeace.com/event/the-cross-of-christ-justification-for-redemptive-violence-or-a-call-to-gospel-nonviolence/. The event is co-sponsored by many groups, including the Brandywine Peace Community.

40] – On Sat., Feb. 28 at 10 AM, there is an Anti-Drone Vigil at the Air and Space Museum. Join Pax Christi Metro D.C.-Baltimore members and others on the Mall to protest the use of killer drones. Help educate the public about the adverse effect these drones have on United States “security” at home.

41] – 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.

42] – Come to the Emergence Community Arts Collective, 733 Euclid St. NW, WDC 20001 on Sat., Feb. 28 at 11 AM and take a workshop by the Campaign Against Police Abuse (CAPA) for a workshop on how to copwatch your community. Come learn how to observe and document police abuse to create a positive change in your community. RSVP at capafordc@gmail.com.

43] – Come to the CODEPINK house, 1241 Evarts St. NE, WDC on Sat., Feb. 28 at 1 PM to strategize about #ShutDownAIPAC. This civil disobedience training will include getting ready for AIPAC events. Visit http://www.codepink.org/shutdownaipac.

44] – At Bloombars, 3222 11th St. NW, WDC 20010, on Sat., Feb. 28 from 2 to 4:30 PM, BloomBars and the DC Independent Film Festival take on the issue of gentrification with “The Other Barrio” (2015, 91 min.), by Dante Betteo - a Latino investigator sifting through the suspicious circumstances of a fatal fire in a residential hotel in San Francisco’s Mission District. He finds himself face-to-face with greed, corruption and his own personal demons. See http://tinyurl.com/other-barrio-trailer. The screening will be followed by a Q&A discussion with Deirdre Evans-Pritchard, executive director of DC Independent Film Festival. The suggested donation is $10. Proceeds support both the DC Independent Film Festival and BloomBars. Sample free organic popcorn. BloomScreen Indie Film Night is a weekly series of independent and foreign films, accompanied by discussions with filmmakers, experts and other guests. Visit https://www.facebook.com/events/601709443293730.

45] – Come to the Dignity Center, 721 8th St. SE, WDC, on Sat., Feb. 28 at 3 PM to hear Roy Bourgeois who will make a presentation on "Peace, Justice, and Equality Journeys." Bourgeois spent 4 years in the military and received a Purple Heart in Vietnam. He is the founder of SCHOOL OF THE AMERICAS WATCH, and spent four years in prison for nonviolent protests against the SOA. SOA stands for School of the Americas and School of Assassins simultaneously. In 2010 he was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize. A Catholic priest for 40 years, he was expelled from the priesthood in 2012 because of his public support for the ordination of women.

With little more than the moral backing of his increasing number of supporters, Roy Bourgeois has waged and continues to lead battles for peace, for social justice against military oppression of the poor, and for the inclusion of women to full participation in the Catholic Church. Refreshments will follow the presentation. ASL interpretation will be made available IF REQUESTED. Go to https://www.facebook.com/events/1535326270063039.

46] – 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 AM to noon. On Mar. 1, the platform address is “Motivate or Change: Defining the Role of the Next Generation in Social Activism” with Farajii Muhammad. He will speak about the role and work of the Young Leaders for Peace Coalition, where young leaders and student activists are addressing issues of social justice including police brutality and other forms of systematic oppression. Muhammad serves as the Youth Empowerment Coordinator for the American Friends Service Committee in Baltimore. Farajii has over 15 years of experience working with young people and has centered his many missions and initiatives around one simple concept, re-defining leadership. Call 410-581-2322 or email ask@bmorethical.org.

47] – Join a discussion on Colorism and Global Perceptions of Beauty at Busboys and Poets, 14th & V Sts., Langston Room, WDC on Sun., Mar. 1 from 5 to 7 PM. The A.C.T.O.R. (A Continuing Talk on Race) open discussion series is hosted by Busboys and Poets as a community service. It provides the opportunity for people to come together and speak openly and honestly about issues of race. The intent is that each person walks away from the discussion feeling something: challenged, educated, uncomfortable, enlightened, refreshed, reassured and hopefully inspired and moved to action! A.C.T.O.R. is held on the first Sunday of every month at Busboys and Poets. Visit http://busboysandpoets.com/events/event/a.c.t.o.r-a-continuing-talk-on-race-colorism-and-global-perceptions-of-beau.

48] – In the past five years, over seventy people with disabilities have been murdered by their parents. For the last four years, ASAN, ADAPT, Not Dead Yet, the National Council on Independent Living, the Disability Rights Education & Defense Fund, and other disability rights organizations have come together at local vigils across the country to mourn those losses, bring awareness to these tragedies, and demand justice and equal protection under the law for all people with disabilities. On Sun., Mar. 1 at 4 PM, join a protest in front of the United States Capitol, between the building and the Capitol Reflecting Pool, WDC 20515.

49] -- 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., Mar. 2, and it is sponsored by the Dorothy Day Catholic Worker. Email artlaffin@hotmail.com or call 202-882-9649. The vigil will be outside the Pentagon's south Metro entrance and in the designated "protest zone" behind bicycle fences across from the entrance to the Metro. By Metro, take Yellow Line and get out at the "Pentagon" stop. Do not go to the Pentagon City stop! Go up south escalators and turn left and walk across to protest area. By car from D.C. area, take 395 South and get off at Exit 8A-Pentagon South Parking. Take slight right onto S. Rotary Rd. at end of ramp and right on S. Fern St. Then take left onto Army Navy Dr. You can "pay to park" on Army Navy Dr., and there is meter parking one block on right on Eads St. Payment for both of these spots begin at 8 AM. No cameras are allowed on Pentagon grounds. Restrooms are located inside Marriott Residence Inn on corner of S. Fern and Army Navy Dr.

50] – The Marc Steiner Show airs Monday through Friday from 10 AM to noon on WEAA 88.9 FM, The Voice of the Community, or online at www.weaa.org. The call-in number is 410-319-8888, and comments can also be sent by email to steinershow@gmail.com. All shows are also available as podcasts at www.steinershow.org.

51] – Michael Heaney will speak at Busboys and Poets, 14th & V Sts., Langston Room, WDC on Mon., Mar. 2 from 6:30 to 8 PM. He will discuss and sign his book "Party in the Street: The Antiwar Movement and the Democratic Party after 9/11." It was co-authored by Fabio Rojas. The book explores the interaction between political parties and social movements in the United States. Examining the collapse of the post-9/11 antiwar movement against the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, this book focuses on activism and protest in the United States. It argues that the electoral success of the Democratic Party and President Barack Obama, as well as antipathy toward President George W. Bush, played a greater role in this collapse than did changes in foreign policy. It shows that how people identify with social movements and political parties matters a great deal, and it considers the Tea Party and Occupy Wall Street as comparison cases.

It synthesizes sociological and political science approaches to studying social movements and political parties to develop a new concept, 'the party in the street.' Based on more than 10 years of fieldwork in the antiwar movement and the Democratic Party and more than 10,000 surveys/interviews with political activists, it also utilizes a wide variety of quantitative and qualitative analytic methods, including surveys, interviews, ethnography, regression analysis, network analysis and content analysis. A co-sponsor of the event is CODEPINK/http://www.codepink.org. Go to https://www.facebook.com/events/347087608812431.

52] – The Hiroshima-Nagasaki Commemoration Committee, Baltimore Quaker Peace and Justice Committee of Homewood and Stony Run Meetings and Chesapeake Physicians for Social Responsibility are continuing the FILM & SOCIAL CONSCIOUSNESS DVD SERIES. On Fri., Mar. 6 at Homewood Friends Meetinghouse, 3107 N. Charles St., Baltimore 21218, around 7:15 PM, LIONS FOR LAMBS [USA, 2007] will be shown with a discussion to follow. There is no charge, and refreshments will be available. Call 410-366-1637 or email mobuszewski at Verizon.net.

The film directed by Robert Redford makes a connection between a platoon of U.S. soldiers in Afghanistan, a U.S. senator, Tom Cruise, a reporter, Meryl Streep, and a California college professor, Redford. It is a critical look at the U.S. government's prosecution of the wars in the Middle East, and does this by telling three different simultaneous stories. The film’s Web site asks a question one must answer before one can enter: what do you stand for? The film itself asks a bigger question: What are you willing to do for what you believe? The title of the film comes from a comment a German general offered in a letter during World War I. Impressed by the bravery of the British soldiers, if not their officers, who were often given their commission because of social ranking, not military prowess, he wrote, “Never have I seen such Lions led by such Lambs.”

53] -- The Washington Peace Center has a progressive calendar & activist alert! Consider signing up to receive its weekly email: info@washingtonpeacecenter.org.

54] -- Fund Our Communities campaign is a grass roots movement to get support from local organizations and communities to work together with their local and state elected officials to pressure Congresspersons and senators to join with Congresspersons Barney Frank and Ron Paul, who have endorsed a 25% cut to the federal military budget. Bring home the savings to state and county governments to meet the local needs which are under tremendous budget pressures. Go to www.OurFunds.org.

55] -- If you would like to get rid of books, videos, DVDs or records, contact Max at 410-366-1637 or mobuszewski at verizon.net.

56] -- Can you use any book shelves? Contact Max at 410-366-1637 or mobuszewski at verizon.net.

57] -- Join an extraordinary global campaign for the elimination of nuclear weapons: http://www.globalzero.org/sign-declaration. A growing group of leaders around the world is calling for the elimination of nuclear weapons and a majority of the global public agrees. This is an historic window of opportunity. With momentum already building in favor of Zero, a major show of support from people around the world could tip the balance. When it comes to nuclear weapons, one is one too many.

58] -- WAR IS NOT THE ANSWER signs from Friends Committee on National Legislation are again for sale at $5. To purchase a sign, call Max at 410-366-1637.

59] – A Peace Park Antinuclear Vigil takes place every day in Lafayette Park, 1601 Pennsylvania Ave. NW, 24 hours a day, since June 3, 1981. Go to http://prop1.org; call 202-682-4282.

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/.

"One is called to live nonviolently, even if the change one works for seems impossible. It may or may not be possible to turn the US around through nonviolent revolution. But one thing favors such an attempt: the total inability of violence to change anything for the better" - Daniel Berrigan