Baltimore Activist Alert Oct. 25 - 27, 2015

Baltimore Activist Alert Oct. 25 - 27, 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] Celebration of Vatican II – Oct. 25

7] World of Refugees – Oct. 25

8] Black Lives Matter – Oct. 25

9] Doctors Without Borders – Oct. 25

10] Heschel Vision Awards – Oct. 25

11] Baltimore Green Forum – Oct. 25

12] Pentagon Vigil – Oct. 26

13] Protest Indonesian oppression – Oct. 26

14] Support student on trial – Oct. 26

15] Marc Steiner on WEAA – Oct. 26 – Oct. 30

16] ISIS and the Muslim Brotherhood – Oct. 26

17] Film WAR DANCE – Oct. 26

18] Support affordable housing – Oct. 26

19] Indigenous Rights Defenders in Columbia – Oct. 27

--------

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] – On Sun., Oct. 25 starting at 9:30 AM with registration enjoy OPEN WINDOWS FESTIVAL—CELEBRATION OF VATICAN II.  The last annual Open Windows Festival will feature Vatican II documents that finally opened up the official Catholic Church into a new and positive relationship with non- Christian religions. The theme will be: “From Strangers to Friends: The Future of Ecumenical and Interfaith Relations.”

This year the program will be held at St. Mary’s Seminary, 5400 Roland Ave., Baltimore 21210 (where Roland Avenue meets Northern Parkway).  The program will end at 5 PM. Registration is $40 per person, and lunch is available for an extra $10.

The featured speakers are John Borelli—Special Assistant to the President of Georgetown University, Heather Miller Rubens—Associate Director at the Institute of Christian and Jewish Studies, and Pim Valkenberg—Professor of Religion and Culture at Catholic University of America. You can register at www.RCCBonSecours.com.  Also visit at www.openwindowsfestival.com.

7] – 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 Oct. 25 the platform address is “A World of Refugees.”  Globalization, poverty, war, and climate change has accelerated the migration of people all over the globe. It has generated bigoted backlash against “the other” as well as acts of welcome and kindness. It has created new opportunities for economic growth as well as security risks and strain on social services. Hugh Taft-Morales explores one particular story of migration in his extended family as a way to process our current debate about the ethical responsibilities and limits of welcoming refugees. Taft-Morales joined the Baltimore Ethical Society as its professional leader in 2010, the same year he was certified by the American Ethical Union as an Ethical Culture Leader.  Call 410-581-2322 or email ask@bmorethical.org.

8] – Come to the Plymouth Congregational United Church of Christ, 5301 N. Capitol St. NE, WDC on Sun., Oct. 25 at 11 AM, as Erika Totten, co-founder of Black Lives Matter DMV, will be speaking. Visit https://www.facebook.com/events/906029329488172.

9] – On Sun., Oct. 25 from 12:45 to 2 PM after the service at Universalist National Memorial Church, 1810 16th St. NW, (16th and S. Sts.), Athena Viscusi, a representative from the organization Doctors Without Borders, will present on the work of this organization in meeting the needs of people in crisis worldwide. She has worked with the organization in projects in Myanmar, Haiti, and Sudan, and she recently returned from Sierra Leone where she worked with survivors and families of the Ebola crisis. She will talk about the current work of this organization in meeting the needs of people in crisis as well as share personal experiences. She will also report on the recent hospital bombing and talk about actions one can take. Join us for this exciting event!

  The speakers are Presiding Bishop Richard H. Graham, Dr. Sahar Khamis, National Director, Middle East Peace Working Group, and Mr. Joel R. Segal.  This great event will be held at the Memorial Chapel, University of Maryland College Park. Go to www.hlpff.org/events or call 301-257-0276. The HLPFF is a nonprofit organization of civil society and faith leaders, representing different faiths, races, and nationalities that believe in promoting the culture of lasting peace through fellowship and public service. 

10] – On Sun. Oct. 25 from 4 to 6 PM, Jews United for Justice invites you to honor inspiring leaders Nikki Lewis, Roberta Ritvo, David Fishback and Barbara Kraft at the 2015 Heschel Vision Awards at Temple Sinai, 3100 Military Road NW, WDC 20015. Celebrate a wonderful evening with the greater DC Jewish, progressive, labor, and activist communities. Tickets start at $36.  Contact Carla Hashley, Operations and Events Manager, carla@jufj.org or 202-408-1423 x8.  Go to www.jufj.org/heschel2015.

11] – The BALTIMORE GREEN FORUM, a monthly environmental education and discussion forum, will occur on Sun., Oct. 25 from 4 to 6:30 PM at the Maryland Presbyterian Church, 1105 Providence Road, Towson 21286.  This month’s topic is Returning to Earth: the need for Green Burial Cemeteries, addressed by Shelley Morhaim. Ms.  Morhaim is a filmmaker, writer, and editor and a longtime civic and environmental activist. Her award-winning documentary on sustainability "The Next Industrial Revolution" has been screened at the Baltimore Green Forum. She is the Vice-Chair of the newly formed Green Burial Association of Maryland.

The green burial movement promotes an environmentally intelligent way to return our bodies to the natural world and to help preserve open space at the same time. Green burial - also called natural burial - has always been standard practice in Europe and much of the world. In contrast the US follows an industrialized model promoted by the funeral and cemetery industries. The first American green burial cemetery was opened in South Carolina 15 years ago. There are now over 200 across the country, but none in Maryland. The newly formed Green Burial Association of Maryland is working to bring this concept and practice to our state.

 The Baltimore Green Forum seeks to educate and stimulate dialogue about what humans can do to make modern civilization more sustainable, including adjusting to finite resource limits and preserving biodiversity and a healthy environment.  This is done through eight monthly meetings a year.  The topics are far ranging.  They vary from local to planetary and from philosophical to scientific to very practical.

  There is a speaker and Q&A from 4-5:15 PM.  Then there are brief announcements by representatives of other organizations that also seek sustainability and environmental protection.  The idea is to promote collaboration among these organizations.  Next, there is an optional roundtable discussion until 6:30 PM.  Finally, there is often a small gathering at a nearby restaurant.

BGF is open to the public and is free of charge, but donations to Maryland Presbyterian Church are collected during the meeting to thank the church for their generous gift of the space to us. Call Sam Hopkins at 410 554 0006 or email baltimoregreenforum@gmail.com.  Visit http://www.baltimoregreen forum.org. 

12] -- 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., Oct. 26, 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. 

13] -- Protest Freeport and Indonesia's Theft of West Papuan Resources on Mon., Oct. 26 from 8:45 to 9:45 AM at the Willard Hotel, 1401 Pennsylvania Ave. NW, WDC 20004 (14th St. between E and F Sts. NW). Contact Michael Beer, ETAN, at 703-655-5655 or info@nonviolenceinternational.net.

On Mon., Oct. 26, Indonesia's President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo will meet with officials of Freeport McMoRan mining company. Freeport runs what one of the world's largest copper and gold mines in West Papua. The mine is Indonesia's largest revenue generator. Monday's meeting is part of negotiations about the renewal of Freeport's license, including a new split of the mine's revenue, which rightfully belongs to the West Papuan people. See https://www.facebook.com/events/1689311567970874/. 

Indonesia with U.S. support seized West Papua in the 1960s. After the bloodbath that brought the U.S.-backed Indonesian dictator Suharto to power, Freeport moved in to start mining in West Papua. The mining is devastating to the peoples of the territory, poisoning land and water. It has also been highly disruptive to their way of life. Indonesia's police and military have competed to provide security for the mine, with the local people caught in the middle.

While Indonesia's Jokowi has promised a new deal for West Papua, many of those promises remains unfulfilled. Political prisoners remain in jail and the rules governing media access remain unclear. West Papuans advocating for freedom face harassment, arrest or worse. Expanded "development" projects threaten indigenous rights and livelihoods. Indonesia continues to rebuff appeals for direct dialogue with the independence movement. Visit http://etan.org/issues/wpapua/freeport.htm.

14] – Come to 1425 N. Courthouse Rd., Arlington, on Mon., Oct. 26 at 9 AM to show solidarity & support for a DMV student arrested & intimidated by the Arlington County Police.  Witness the criminal justice system in action, during the trial, at the Commonwealth of Virginia, ensuring that true & fair justice is severed.  Contact Pamela Ford at pfordemail@gmail.com.

15] – 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.

16] – ISIS and the Muslim Brotherhood is a talk with Eric Trager, Esther K. Wagner Fellow, The Washington Institute, scheduled for Mon., Oct. 26 from 5 to 6 PM, Room 300, SIS School of International Service, Room 300, 4400 Massachusetts Ave. NW, WDC 20016.  Go to https://events.r20.constantcontact.com/register/eventReg?oeidk=a07ebpde9olb699ffdf&oseq=&c=&ch=.  Contact Marianne Menius, Comparative and Regional Studies, at 202-885-1760 or crs@american.edu.

Trager is an expert on Egyptian politics and the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt. He was in Egypt during the 2011 anti-Mubarak revolts and returns frequently to conduct firsthand interviews with leaders in Egypt's government. His discussion will focus on contemporary Islamist movements.

17] – At the University of Maryland, College Park on Mon., Oct. 26 from 7 to 9 PM, see a film set in war-ravaged Northern Uganda; the Oscar-nominated documentary “War Dance” will touch your heart with a real-life story about a group of children whose love of music brings joy, excitement and hope back among their poverty-stricken lives. Three students in the Patongo refugee camp, all victims of terrible violence and losses, nevertheless prepare to enter a music competition that offers them a lifeline of hope. A national school dance and music competition is an unlikely symbol of salvation for three Ugandan children – Rose, Nancy and Dominic – survivors of Africa's longest ongoing conflict and the subjects of this immensely moving documentary. For more than 20 years, the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA), a rebel militia group, has been waging war in northern Uganda. Amidst the violence, the LRA has abducted thousands of children, stealing their childhood, forcing many to take up arms and commit unspeakable acts against their own people. This is a film of striking paradoxes in which the children’s accounts of affliction are starkly contrasted with the joy and pride achieved in preparing for competition. Visit https://www.facebook.com/events/100198587009488/.

18] – After living in their homes for close to twenty years, 63 families at Mount Vernon Plaza Apartments received a two-month notice from the owner telling them they had to either pay $600+ a month more or move out. In October 2014, 15 MVP tenants did a sit-in in Muriel Bowser’s office, resulting in a new agreement that extends housing affordability for seven years. However, since the new agreement, the owner, Bush Construction Companies, has engaged in numerous intimidation tactics, including sending tenants to eviction court and disqualifying tenants for the new affordable housing program. Several tenants have reached out to city official, DHCD and Councilmembers, to get the issue resolved. For the most part, the District government has been unresponsive. Join the Mount Vernon Tenant Association, People's Platform Alliance, Plymouth Congregation Church, and Black Lives Matter DMV to demand Bush Construction Companies to honor the affordable housing agreement made with the city at the Apartments, 930 M St. NW, WDC on Mon., Oct. 26 at 7 PM.

19] –  Come to the Kay Spiritual Life Center, American University, 4400 Massachusetts Ave. NW, WDC, on Tues., Oct. 27 at noon for the first of four Human Rights Defenders Series events in the lounge.  The subject is Indigenous Rights Defenders in Columbia.  Email kslc@american.edu or call 202-885-3320.

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