Wednesday, September 16, 2015

Baltimore Activist Alert - September 15 - 20, 2015


22] Margaret Flowers announces candidacy – Sept. 15 - 16

23] Journey for Justice Advocacy Day – Sept. 16

24] Support 9/11 victims – Sept. 16

25] Cybersecurity conference – Sept. 16

26] Immigration crisis in Central America – Sept. 16

27] Amazon Watch talk – Sept. 16

28] Body cameras – Sept. 16

29] More debates – Sept. 16

30] Union fundraiser – Sept. 16

31] Honor Norton and Edwards – Sept. 16

32] Wednesday for the West family – Sept. 16

33] Film MERCHANTS OF DOUBT – Sept. 16

34] Youth-led facilitation – Sept. 16

35] El Salvador is in Crisis – Sept. 16

36] Clean power webinar – Sept. 16

37] The Pope & the Bomb – Sept. 17

38] Keep Exelon Out – Sept. 17

39] Yemen in Conflict – Sept. 17

40] Islamophobia – Sept. 17

41] Slavery’s legacy – Sept. 17

41] Cuba conference – Sept. 18 - 20

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22] – Dr. Margaret Flowers will announce her campaign for the United States Senate as the Green Party candidate in four cities on Sept. 15 and 16.  On Tues., she will announce at 10 AM at C. Burr Artz Public Library (Community Room), 110 East Patrick St., Frederick 21701 and then at 3 PM outside the office of Rep. John Delaney, 9801 Washingtonian Boulevard, Gaithersburg 20878.  Then on Wed., Sept. 16 at noon at the Oldtown Mal, corner of Orleans and Ensor Sts., Baltimore and at 6:30 PM at the Calvert Citizens for a Healthy Community meeting in the Southern Community Center, 20 Appeal Lane, Lusby, MD, 20657.  Flowers is a Maryland pediatrician and mother of three. After working as Chair of the Pediatrics Department and director of the Pediatrics Hospitalist Program in Carroll County and in private practice, she stopped practicing medicine to start advocating full-time for a state and federal single payer health care system - improved "Medicare for All,"



She has served as a Congressional Fellow for Physicians for a National Health Program, the leading research and education doctor’s organization working for single payer healthcare. Today Flowers is the co-director of ItsOurEconomy.us and co-editor of PopularResistance.org. She is the co-host of "Clearing the FOG," a weekly DC-area radio program. The Maryland Green Party is ballot-qualified for the 2016 election. The party will nominate its candidates for U.S. House and Senate in the spring of 2016. Call 443-449-4159 or visit http://www.flowersforsenate.org.



23] – On Wed., Sept. 16 from 9:30 AM until noon, the Journey for Justice will arrive in Washington, D.C. for a day of advocacy to strengthen our democracy.  Show Congress that our lives, our votes, our jobs and our schools matter!  Common Cause proudly supports the NAACP’s Journey for Justice, an 860-mile-long march for equality. Help hold politicians accountable and demand that they act for justice and support pro-voter reforms. Democracy has one principle at its core: equality. Each one of us deserves the same rights, and shoulders the same responsibilities as citizens.  But we're not equal when people in power are more accountable to special interest donors than voters. We're not equal when partisan lawmakers game the rules to deny our right to vote. And we're not equal when a broken system keeps too many of us from having a voice. Gather in Upper Senate Park [between Union Station and Russell Senate Office Bldg.], 200 New Jersey Ave. NW, WDC 20001.  RSVP at http://act.commoncause.org/site/Calendar?id=102562&view=Detail.  Call 202.833.1200.



24] – Get over to the House Triangle (Capitol East Front) on Wed., Sept. 16 at 9:30 AM to hear Jon Stewart and FDNY Battalion Chief James Lemonda of the Uniformed Fire Offers Association (UFOA).  Hundreds of firefighters, including many 9/11 victims suffering from cancer and other serious health problems, will be at the rally.  They are urging Congress for an extension of healthcare benefits for all first responders affected by cancer and other chronic diseases from exposure at Ground Zero. New York Congressional Members Rep. Carolyn Maloney, Rep. Peter King, Rep. Jerry Nadler and Rep. Lee Zeldin will be also be attending.  The James Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Reauthorization Act will indefinitely extend critical aid for thousands of sick New York City Firefighters exposed to the dangerous mix of toxins at the former WTC site. The current 9/11 health legislation is due to expire in October. James Zadroga was a NYPD officer who joined the rescue and recovery efforts at ground zero and passed away in 2006 at age 34 because of health complications related to 9/11.



25] – In the wake of major security breaches, including OPM, Sony, and Target, cyber security has taken center stage in talks of national security and defense. As the United States continues to rely on technology for government and military operations, cyber security is needed more than ever before. Over the course of the conference, expert panelists will discuss the issues surrounding cyber security and challenges we will face moving forward. The Cybersecurity Conference will be held on Wed., Sept. 16 from noon to 5 PM at American Security Project’s conference facilities, 1100 New York Ave. NW, 7th Floor West Tower, WDC. Lunch refreshments will be served from noon to 12:30 PM.  See http://www.americansecurityproject.org/event/conference-cyber-security-risk-recovery-and-resilience/.



26] – “The Immigration Crisis from Central America: The US Policy Response” will be discussed at the Kay Spiritual Life Center, American University. 4400 Massachusetts Ave. NW, WDC, on Wed., Sept. 16 at noon. RSVP to KSLC@american.edu.



27] – Amazon Watch Invites You to a "Green-Bag Lunch" Presentation: "The Green Inferno" Racism in Hollywood and the Crisis Facing Isolated Indigenous Peoples of the Amazon with Tara Houska, NotYourMascots.org, Andrew Miller, Amazon Watch, on Wed., Sept. 16 from 12:30 to 2 PM at Amazon Watch / CIEL Conference Room, 1350 Connecticut Ave. NW #1100, above Cosi, Dupont Circle South, WDC.  If you've been to the movies lately, you might have seen a trailer for "The Green Inferno", to be released nationwide on September 25th. Eli Roth's latest "torture porn" film tracks the fate of naive U.S. activists who travel to the Peruvian Amazon to save "a dying tribe" and are ultimately eaten by them. The image of the savage cannibalistic Amazonian indigenous people couldn't be further from the reality and is patently racist. Meanwhile, the film couldn't be released at a worse time as the Peruvian government is launching a potentially disastrous policy of "controlled contact" with "isolated peoples" like the Mashco Piro.

Houska is Ojibwa from Couchiching First Nation. She is a tribal rights attorney in Washington, DC, a founding member of NotYourMascots.org and an all-around rabble rouser. Miller is Amazon Watch's DC Advocacy Coordinator. He leads the organization's accompaniment for indigenous rights movements in Peru and Colombia and supports related efforts around Climate Change, Ecuador, and Brazil.



28] – Cities and states across the country are experimenting with the use of police body cameras as a way of holding law enforcement officers accountable and building public trust in government. But proposed and existing body camera policies vary greatly, especially with regard to public accessibility to the recordings themselves. Washington, D.C., itself has wrestled with these issues, as Mayor Muriel Bowser's proposed budget for 2016 included $5 million to be spent on police body cameras but also exempted all recordings from the city's Freedom of Information Act. The D.C. Council rejected that proposal; now government officials and interested citizens and organizations are trying to balance the need for public access with the privacy implications and financial expense of providing access. At Knight Studio at the Newseum, 555 Pennsylvania Ave., WDC, on Wed., Sept. 16 at 2:30 PM, a panel discussion will examine these issues.  Visit http://www.newseum.org/events-programs/rsvp1/.



29] – There is a call on the DNC to get rid of its unprecedented and punitive exclusivity clause and to allow more debates. A group called “Allow Debate” has scheduled a protest outside the DNC headquarters, 430 South Capitol St., WDC, on Wed., Sept. 16 at 4:30 PM.  RSVP at https://your.martinomalley.com/page/signup/allow-debate-protest?source=sem-ahc



30] – UFCW Local 1994 MCGEO invites you to a Happy Hour Fundraiser on Wed., Sept. 16 5:30 PM for Raffles...Food...Fun and...1st drink on the union at the American Tap Room, 36 Maryland Ave., Rockville 20850.  UFCW Local 1994 MCGEO has formed a team to fundraise and walk together at the Montgomery County Light The Night Walk on Sat., Oct. 10. The team goal is to raise $15,000 for the fight against blood cancers! This happy hour is in support of the fundraising efforts. For those of you who are not familiar with Light The Night Walk, it is The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society’s nationwide evening walk to celebrate and commemorate lives touched by cancer. Funds raised from the walks go to life-saving cancer research and patient services. Leukemia is the leading cause of death by cancer among children under 20. Every 10 minutes, an adult or child loses their battle from a blood cancer in the United States. Email info@mcgeo.org.



31] – Join UNITE HERE! Local 25's members and executive board on the rooftop, 901 K St. NW, WDC 20001, on Wed., Sept. 16 from 6 to 8:30 PM for the Congressional Black Caucus HERoEs reception honoring Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton and Congresswoman Donna Edwards.  RSVP for a free ticket at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/congressional-black-caucus-heroes-reception-with-local-25-registration-18419801121.



32] – The family of Tyrone West has been showing up every week in protest of police brutality for more than two years.  Stand with them on Wed., Sept. 16 at 6:30 PM in Baltimore. Go to https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100009173350713&fref=ts.



33] – Come to the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library, 901 G St. NW, WDC, on

Wed., Sept. 16 at 6:30 PM for a screening of 'Merchants of Doubt,” followed by a panel discussion with experts from the field. This documentary is about the people often hired by big companies to cast doubt on viewers' minds about issues like climate change. The screening is hosted by '100 Reporters' and is part of the first-ever Investigative Film Festival. This event is free.  Call (202) 683-6481 or visit http://www.investigativefilmfestival.com/.



34] – At 525 Newton St., WDC, on Wed., Sept. 16 from 7 to 9 PM, there will be a skillshare that will focus on youth-led facilitation for youth spaces. The skillshare will be facilitated by the amazing youth from the SMART DC team. Student Multi-ethnic Action Research Team is a high school student-led leadership development and youth organizing program that provides researched solutions to reduce education disparities experienced by immigrant ESL students and their families in the D.C. public schools. Visit https://www.facebook.com/events/1109425992419849/.



35] – Friends of El Salvador! Disciples of Justice! El Salvador is in crisis! Murderous violence is increasing: Citizens become homeless, abandoning cherished domiciles to avoid gang retribution; and Youth become stateless, slipping away northward in search of a foreign refuge. On Wed., Sept. 16 at 7 PM, Iván Villasboa, program director for the Companion Community Development Alternatives Foundation, will be speaking, answering your questions and soliciting your assistance.  Hear him at Saint Matthew Catholic Church, 5401 Loch Raven Blvd., Baltimore 21239, in the rectory building, downstairs meeting room.  Light refreshments will be served



Iván and CoCoDA work closely with the Salvadoran organization ADES. Among its many community based activities, ADES provides scholarships to promising but impoverished young Salvadorans, who have qualified to attend the National University, but who are too poor to live in the capital, San Salvador. The ADES Scholarship Program has been up and running for a number of years, and is responsible for dozens of young Salvadorans having graduated from the University. With a university education it's less likely that a young Salvadoran man or woman will feel compelled to abandon family, home and country to join the dangerous migration northward. Call Richard Cook - 410 662 2193. 



36] -- Register for a Climate Health webinar, "The Clean Power Plan: Progress and Challenges in the States," on Wed., Sept. 16 from 8 to 9 PM.  This will help you raise the health voice on clean energy issues. Two PSR chapters, PSR Texas and Chesapeake PSR (Maryland), will be the main presenters. You will learn about their work on clean energy, the Clean Power Plan, and climate change. Could their strategies and ideas work in your state? Come ready to share your state advocacy experiences, be they opportunities or challenges. Register at https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/3966558934607207425. 



37] – On Thurs., Sept. 17 from 10 to 11:30 AM, Bishop Oscar Cantú, U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops; former Sen. Sam Nunn, Nuclear Threat Initiative; and Maryann Cusimano Love, Catholic University of America, will address  "The Pope and the Bomb: New Nuclear Dangers and Moral Dilemmas." The event is sponsored by the Kroc Institute, University of Notre Dame, and five other organizations, and will take place at 1777 F St. NW, First Floor Conference Room, WDC. Go to http://kroc.nd.edu/news-events/events/2015/09/17/1788,

38] – Join a Crucial Rally to Keep Exelon Out of DC/MD region at noon on Thurs., Sept. 17 at the Wilson Building, 1350 Pennsylvania Ave. NW, WDC.  Get together with NIRS, Chesapeake Climate Action Network, DC SUN and Public Citizen to protect the region’s electricity bills, progress on clean energy and energy independence--but Exelon wants to change all of that. Help keep the PSC’s ruling intact, and tell Mayor Bowser to stand her ground against Chicago-based energy giant Exelon as it tries to breathe new life into its nearly-dead bid to take over Pepco.  Our region scored a big victory on Aug. 24 when the DC Public Service Commission unanimously rejected Exelon’s attempt to take over Pepco. Their decision made it clear that this merger is not in the public interest. But our fight isn’t quite over. Exelon has indicated it will try and push their bad deal through. A key step for Exelon would be for them to reach a back room deal with Mayor Bowser and the D.C. Government. We won’t let that happen! Go to http://www.eventbrite.ca/e/rally-to-keep-exelon-out-of-dc-tickets-18533885350.

39] – Get over to the Intercultural Center (ICC), Room 241 CCAS Boardroom, Georgetown University, 3700 O St. NW, WDC, on Thurs., Sept. 17 at 5:15 PM as the Center for Contemporary Arab Studies presents a panel on "Yemen in Conflict" with a discussion by Ambassador Barbara Bodine, Lara Aryani, Esq., and Dr. Sheila Carapico. Visit https://www.eventbrite.com/e/yemen-in-conflict-tickets-18458772686?aff=efbevent.



40] – Come to All Souls Church, Unitarian, 1500 Harvard St. NW, WDC, on Thurs., Sept. 17 from 7 to 9 PM and hear from Rania Khalek, Nationally-known columnist covering Palestine for Electronic Intifada and other media, Maha Hilal, National Coalition to Protect Civil Freedoms, and Khadija Mehter, International Socialist Organization, tackle how Muslims from Syria and Iraq have been denied refuge from war, violent attacks on Muslims in the U.S. and Europe have continued unabated. Muslim people are harassed and beaten on the street, in their workplaces, and at their Mosques. These racist attacks on Muslims also take the form of the repression of academic freedom and political speech by students and professors who speak out for Muslims in the U.S. and abroad.



41] – Come to George Washington University, Jack Morton Auditorium, 805 21st St., WDC, on Thurs., Sept. 17 from 7 to 8:30 PM as Slate Academy and George Washington University are bringing together an esteemed group of thinkers, storytellers, and historians for a lively and candid evening of presentations and conversations about slavery’s place in American history and its legacy. Visit slate.com/academy to learn more about Slate Academy. See http://www.slate.com/live/slate-academy.html.



42] – On Fri., Sept. 18 at 8:30 AM, join the Institute for Policy Studies, the International Committee for Peace, Justice and Dignity to the Peoples, IFCO/Pastors for Peace, the Venceremos Brigade, and the National Network on Cuba to participate in three days of events to call for and learn about completing the normalization of relations between the U.S. and Cuba and how you can help make it final.  After more than a half-century of Cold War estrangement the United States reopened its six-story embassy in Havana and Cuba raised a flag outside its own stately embassy in Washington last July.



Despite this welcomed step the continuance of the U.S. blockade against Cuba is an indication that U.S. policy toward its island neighbor remains one of regime change. Normalizing overall relations are impeded by matters such as the U.S. economic embargo of Cuba and U.S. control of the Guantanamo Bay naval base in eastern Cuba. The International Committee for Peace, Justice and Dignity to the Peoples is a network of concerned individuals from several countries of Europe, Latin America, Canada, and from the United States. The main objective of The International Committee is to raise awareness about the effect of the US blockade against the Cuban people and the people of the United States. Join the September Days of Actions Against the Blockade Facebook page and endorse them. Visit https://www.facebook.com/events/1665057617063953/.



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 


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