Baltimore Activist Alert Sept. 13 – Sept. 15, 2015

Baltimore Activist Alert Sept. 13 – Sept. 15, 2015

"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.

1] Books, buttons and stickers

2] Web site for info on federal legislation

3] Join Nonviolent Resistance lists  

4] Buy coffee through HoCoFoLa

5] Two friends are looking to buy a house in Baltimore

6] Memorial service – Sept. 13

7] Whale watching – Sept. 13

8] Ethical Culture – Sept. 13

9] See the film POVERTY, INC. – Sept. 13

10] Pentagon Vigil – Sept. 14

11] Rename the Washington football team – Sept. 14

12] Marc Steiner on WEAA – Sept. 14 – Sept. 18

13] Slavery & Race workshop – Sept. 14

14] Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions Movement – Sept. 14

15] Protest the Arms Baazar – Sept. 14

16] Show Up for Racial Justice – Sept. 14

17] Pledge of Resistance meeting – Sept. 14

18] Criminal justice reform – Sept. 15

19] Peace vigil in Chester, PA – Sept. 15

20] No JHU Drone Research – Sept. 15

21] Free concert – Sept. 15

22] Community policing town hall – Sept. 15

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1] – Buttons, bumperstickers and books are available.  “God Bless the Whole World, No Exceptions” stickers are in stock. Call Max 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 mobuszewski at Verizon.net.  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 Francine Sheppard at 5639B, Harpers Farm Rd., Columbia 21044. The coffee will arrive some time the following week and you will be notified where to pick it up. Contact Francine at 410-992-7679 or FrancineMSW@aol.com.

5] – Janice and Max are looking to buy a house in Baltimore.  Let Max know if you have any leads—410-366-1637 or mobuszewski at Verizon dot net.

6] – Come to Sheridan Circle, 23rd St. and Massachusetts Ave. NW, WDC on Sun., Sept. 13 from 10 to 11 AM.  On September 21, 1976, agents of the Pinochet dictatorship in Chile detonated a car bomb on Washington, DC’s Embassy Row, taking the lives but not the memory of Institute for Policy Studies colleagues Orlando Letelier and Ronni Karpen Moffitt.  Letelier, a former Chilean ambassador to the United States, had become one of the most outspoken critics of the Pinochet regime. Moffitt was a 25-year-old IPS development associate. For more than three decades, the pursuit of justice for their murders has been a symbol of hope for victims of tyranny everywhere. On this memorial Sunday, human rights activists, friends, family, and colleagues will gather in remembrance of Letelier and Moffitt and to reflect on the ongoing struggle for human rights around the world. This program will take place outdoors at the site of the assassination and end with a laying of flowers on the Letelier-Moffitt memorial across the street from Sheridan Circle. Go to www.ips-dc.org, tel: 202 234-9382.

7] – Join Sea Shepherd Philadelphia at the Cape May Whale Watcher on Sun., Sept. 13 for a 10:30 AM check-in.  Arrive no later than noon.  This is a day on the ocean with Cape May Whale Watcher for the annual "For the Oceans! Whale and Dolphin Watch." This is a 3-hour whale and dolphin watching trip--see minke, humpback, fin whales and bottlenose dolphins! Sightings are GUARANTEED! If whales, dolphins or porpoises are not sighted, you will receive a free pass to ride again (sorry, no refunds)

Sea Shepherd Philadelphia will be hosting a table with information about their front line ocean defense campaigns, and you will also be able to shop for official Sea Shepherd merchandise before you board. All proceeds of the day will be donated to Sea Shepherd. Come to the Cape May Whale Watcher 1218 Wilson Drive, Cape May, NJ.  Email Biaggodesign@gmail.com. Tickets are $50, but children 5 and under ride free. 

8] – 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 Sept. 13 the platform address is “Ethical Culture, Then and Now.” When Felix Adler created a dynamic alternative to traditional religion, he saw a world without a moral compass. Humanity appeared to be “drifting on the seething tide of business,” leaving the conscience of each person lost in a sea of greed and competition. By focusing on ethics in caring communities, Adler believed we could chart a new course for civilization. How different is our situation today? How has Ethical Humanism evolved to respond to our current crisis while maintaining our commitments to honor the worth of each person, grow ethical relationships, and build justice? Hugh Taft-Morales will provide answers to these questions. Call 410-581-2322 or email ask@bmorethical.org.

9] -- Go to Busboys & Poets, 2021 14th St. NW, WDC, on Sun., Sept. 13 from 6:30 PM for a screening of “Poverty, Inc” followed by a panel discussion with experts from the field. The documentary takes a critical look at the impact of foreign aid in developing countries, asking the question: Who profits the most from global aid? Call (202) 683-6481.  Go to http://www.investigativefilmfestival.com/.

10] -- 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., Sept. 7, 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. 

11] – Gather at the Friendship Heights Metro Station, Western and Wisconsin Aves. NW, WDC, on Mon., Sept. 14 from 8 to 10 AM and join Rebrand Washington Football, a new grassroots organization, to circulate petitions demanding that Dan Snyder, owner of Washington’s football team, change the team’s name, which is a slur against Native Americans. Circulate petitions at Metro stations around the area this fall.  Or download a petition from our website and circulate it on your own!  Email rebrandwf@gmail.com.

12] – 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.  

13] – "Slavery and Race: The Non-PC Topic" Workshop is happening at the Belair Mansion, 12207 Tulip Grove Drive, Bowie on Mon., Sept. 14 at 10 AM. Chris Haley, director of the Legacy of Slavery Study at the Maryland State Archives and a nephew of Alex Haley leads this free lecture/discussion. For those who would like to remain after Chris's talk, feel free to bring a brown bag lunch. Tables will be set up, and beverages will also be available. Call 301-809-3089 or email museums@cityofbowie.org.

14] – Come to the Jerusalem Fund, 2425 Virginia Ave. NW, WDC, on Mon., Sept. 14 from 1 to 2 PM and hear Chris Hedges argue that the only route left to bring justice to the Palestinian people is the growing Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions Movement. Money has so corrupted politics, in essence replacing the vote, that it has become impossible for citizens without huge financial resources to influence legislation. It is only by building a successful boycott movement to cripple Israel and the corporations that do business with it that there is any chance for a fair and equitable solution to the Palestinian issue. The more Israel exposes its intentions through brutal military assaults against a largely defenseless population in Gaza and expanded settlements in the West Bank/East Jerusalem, the more its real goal of ethnic cleansing and abject subjugation of the Palestinians is exposed. Israel deeply fears the potential of this movement and is desperately trying to crush it, including through legislation to make the propagation of such a movement a crime. But time is running out for Israel. Hedges predicts the BDS movement will finally achieve the liberation the Palestinians have fought for over nearly seven decades. RSVP at http://www.thejerusalemfund.org/ht/d/RegisterForEvent/i/53883.

15] – Protest the Air Force Association "Arms Bazaar" on Mon., Sept. 14, 2015 from 6 to 7:30 PM for a Nonviolent Vigil and Prayer Service for Peace during the AFA $300 per plate banquet (please bring a candle) at the Gaylord National Resort and Convention Center, 201 Waterfront St., National Harbor, MD 20745.  Meet for the vigil at the corner of Waterfront St. and St. George Blvd., directly across from the Gaylord National Resort.  It is sponsored by Dorothy Day Catholic Worker; contact Art Laffin - 202-360-6416.

 This is an invitation to please join with the Dorothy Day Catholic Worker, with peacemakers from Pax Christi Metro D.C. - Baltimore and other groups to protest the annual Air Force Association (AFA) Air & Space Conference and Technology Exposition, what is called an "Arms Bazaar." The U.S. power structure, in concert with weapons contractors participating in the AFA Arms Bazaar, is engaged in direct military intervention in Iraq and Afghanistan, continues its military support for the Israeli occupation of the West Bank and Gaza, threatens Russia over its involvement in the Ukraine, proceeds with its military "pivot" in the Asia-Pacific to threaten and contain China, and wages unrelenting killer drone attacks in Pakistan, Yemen and Somalia. While undertaking a historic agreement with Iran to curb its nuclear program, the U.S. government is planning to spend $1 trillion over the next thirty years to modernize its own nuclear arsenal. The U.S. military is also the world's single biggest consumer of fossil fuels which is directly destabilizing the earth's climate. The victims cry out for justice, and the earth, under daily assault, groans in travail. 

Who will speak for the poor and the victims, as arms dealers reap huge profits from their lethal weapons? Who will protect our sacred earth and environment? We urgently need, more than ever, to nonviolently resist all war and violence--from Iraq, Afghanistan Pakistan and Gaza, to Ferguson, NYC, Baltimore, Charleston and D.C. Together, let us continue to do all we can to establish the Beloved Community, end the climate crisis, and create a world free of nuclear and conventional weapons, war, racial hatred and oppression.   This vigil is in solidarity with Campaign Nonviolence, which is sponsoring a week-long series of actions nationwide from September 20 to 27. See: http://www.paceebene.org/programs/campaign-nonviolence. 

Take 395 South (off of New York Ave. or Constitution Ave. at 9th St. NW) Merge onto 295 South via exit on left (crossing into Maryland) - 7.4 miles. Take the exit toward National Harbor. Take ramp to National Harbor Blvd. Bear left on National Harbor Blvd. and go two blocks to St. George Blvd. Make a right on St. George Blvd. Go to one block before Waterfront St. and look for street meter parking. Also St. George Parking Garage is on right in case you can't find street parking (just past the cross street called Mariner Passage). The garage is one block before Waterfront St., where the Gaylord National Resort is located. We will meet for the vigil at the corner of Waterfront St. and St. George Blvd. on the sidewalk in front of the Gaylord National Resort. If you are coming from Maryland or Virginia use Map Quest for the most precise route to the Gaylord.

If you would like to use public transportation, take the Green Line to Branch Ave. Get off at Branch Ave. and take the NH1 National Harbor bus line. This bus takes you to the corner of St. George Blvd. and Waterfront St. across from the Gaylord National Resort. Call 202-637-7000 and select “ride guide” for best directions. Or go WMATA web site.

16] – Hustle over to Whitman Middle, 2500 Parkers Ln., Alexandria, VA on Mon., Sept. 14 at 7 PM, and raise the name of Natasha McKenna and the non-indictment from the Commonwealth's Attorney. Showing Up for Racial Justice Northern Virginia needs you to SHOW UP at this public forum and DEMAND JUSTICE for Natasha McKenna. Expect the police to be accountable to their communities. The demonstration will be outside with folks from Black Lives Matter DMV and allies.  Then go into the school at 7:30 PM to comment/ask questions during the time for public discussion. Bring signs that call for justice for Natasha McKenna and questions to hold these people accountable!

Carpooling options to get DC/MD folks from the Metro are being discussed. The closest stop is Huntington, and it's another 20 minutes bus ride from there. If you can offer a ride, or have connections to vans/buses, email surjnova@gmail.com ASAP.

17] – The Pledge of Resistance-Baltimore would usually meet on Mondays at 7:30 PM, and the meetings have taken take place at Max’s residence.  There is a proposal to meet on another day of the week.  Let Max know if you have a suggestion for another day for the meetings.  Regardless, Max will be home at 7:30 PM on Mon., Sept. 14 for a meeting.  Call 410-366-1637 or email mobuszewski at verizon.net.

18] – As a criminal justice reform bill moves through Congress with strong support from both parties, we are still less than two decades from a time when political candidates competed for the title of toughest on crime. The story of how that changed – opening the way for significant policy changes in a time of partisan gridlock – is complex. It begins with a fight over the conservative narrative around crime and punishment, moves to policy experimentation in the reddest of red states, and trickles up to national legislation and positive mentions by Democratic and Republican presidential candidates alike. Throughout, conservative thought leaders, progressive activists, and mainstream funders and analysts have pursued overlapping goals, supported by distinct narratives –structural racism or big government run amok. Their partnership – sometimes explicit, sometimes tacit -- makes prison reform perhaps the greatest success of “trans partisanship” to date.

On Tues., Sept. 15 from 8:30 to 10 AM, join New America, 1899 L St. NW, Suite 400, WDC, for a discussion of how activists from deeply divergent ideological frameworks joined forces to move criminal justice reform into the American mainstream. Look ahead to SAFE (Safe, Accountable, Fair, Effective) Justice Act - a new bill introduced in June that is up for voting that proposes to reduce the U.S. prison population while also cutting crime and saving money. The event will also mark the release of the first in a series of New Models of Policy Change case studies, examining the successes and limits of trans partisanship. Breakfast will be served and copies of the case study will be available. See https://www.newamerica.org/new-america/turning-the-tide/.

19] – 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 St. & JFK Blvd., at the entrance to Tracks 3 and 4 on the mezzanine.  The next vigil is Sept. 15.  Call 215-426-0364.

20] – Vigil to say "No Drone Research at JHU" each Tuesday at 33rd & North Charles Sts. Join this ongoing vigil on Sept. 15  from 5:30 to 6:30  PM.  Call Max at 410-366-1637.

21] – At 2700 F St. NW, WDC, on Tues., Sept. 15 at 6 PM enjoy a FREE concert performance, as part of the Women’s Voices Theatre Festival! It will feature poetry by Andrea Assaf, transnational fusion dance by Donna Mejia, live music by Eylem Basaldi and Natalia Perlaza, and more! A community dialogue will follow the performance.  Eleven Reflections on September is a poetry & multi-media performance on Arab American experience, Wars on/of Terror, and “the constant, quiet rain of death amidst beauty” that each autumn brings in a post-9/11 world. Visit http://art2action.org/eleven-reflections-on-september.

22] – Attend a town hall meeting on Tues., Sept. 15 from 6:30 to 8:30 PM at the Impact Hub, 419 7th St. NW, WDC.   What does safety look like for you?  What does a safe neighborhood look like?  What does effective policing look like?

The ACLU of the Nation’s Capital (ACLU-DC) is co-sponsoring several town hall forums throughout the month of September 2015 to hear District residents’ perspective on police-community relations. In partnership with local and national organizations and the faith-based community, ACLU-DC would like to reach communities disproportionately impacted by policing and incarceration. The ACLU-DC will share the findings of recent studies highlighting issues in criminal justice practices in the District but more importantly listen to community perspectives on policing and public safety. 

  These town hall forums are open to the public. We encourage the attendance of public officials and law enforcement agencies. The emphasis however will be on providing District residents the space to speak openly about their relationships with police in their communities. See http://aclu-nca.org/news/aclu-to-hold-town-hall-forums-on-policing-in-district.

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