Baltimore Activist Alert December 16 - 18, 2015

Baltimore Activist Alert December 16 - 18, 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] Housing group’s annual meeting -- Dec. 16

7] Interfaith Solidarity Gathering – Dec. 16

8] Out with Citizens United – Dec. 16

9] Dump Dominion – Dec. 16

10] Educate John Sarbanes – Dec. 16

11] Fighting ISIS – Dec. 16

12] Rally when there is a verdict in Freddie Gray trial – Dec. ??

13] Refugee policy – Dec. 16

14] Films about Muslims – Dec. 16

15] Remember lives lost in Peshawar – Dec. 16

16] Iran Deal – Dec. 17

17] Palestinian films – Dec. 17

18] Urban Ecology – Dec. 17

19] Way Home Campaign – Dec. 17 - 18

20] Labor history book club – Dec. 17

21] Urban Ecology – Dec. 17

22] Peace group meeting – Dec. 17

-------

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] – CNHED's Annual Meeting and Mixer is happening at PNC Bank's DC headquarters, 800 17th St. NW, WDC, on Wed., Dec. 16 from noon to 2 PM.  The Coalition for Non-Profit Housing and Economic Development is excited to have Nicky Goren, President  & CEO of the Meyer Foundation on a brief program and plenty of time to enjoy food, drinks and holiday cheer. Go to https://www.cnhed.org/news-events/monthly-meeting-registration/annual-meeting/?utm_source=CNHED+List&utm_campaign=d5d36bd335-CNHED_s_Annual_Meeting_Mixer_12_16_2015&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_cb8a4cc81a-d5d36bd335-74687889.

7] –Georgetown is hosting an Interfaith Solidarity Gathering on Wed., Dec. 16 at noon in Gaston Hall, 3rd Floor Healy Hall, WD.C 20057. Recent events in our country and across our world are deeply troubling.  Acts of violence and words of exclusion have threatened our trust in one another.  In this moment, it is important to take time to come together and express our solidarity and our commitment to unity, to understanding, and to inclusion.  This event will be dedicated to this task: gathering with members of the D.C. community, hearing reflections from faith leaders across traditions, and joining together in music and prayer.

RSVP at https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1hOAV9m6AGj7OltVGar9ba3XCS5KFLWvrFzsm48Cm5Tk/viewform?c=0&w=1. This event will be recorded and shared on http://www.georgetown.edu.  A photo ID will be required for entry. No bags or backpacks will be permitted. Any unattended items will be removed from the building. Participants will be required to go through a security check. Please allow extra time.  Food and drink are prohibited.  Enter through the main entrance of Healy Hall. Accommodation requests related to a disability should be made ASAP by emailing guevents@georgetown.edu. A good-faith effort will be made to fulfill requests.

8] –  Nearly six years have passed since the U.S. Supreme Court ruling in Citizens United v. FEC unleashed unlimited and secret corporate political spending into our elections. While President Barack Obama has spoken out strongly against this reckless ruling, his administration so far has done nothing to combat its damage to our democracy. On Wed., Dec. 16 at noon there will be a rally and then al delivery to the White House of over ONE MILLION petition signatures demanding that President Obama take executive action against the U.S. Supreme Court's outrageous Citizens United ruling. With the stroke of a pen, he can sign an executive order requiring federal contractors - which includes most large corporations - to disclose their political spending. Join representatives from a wide coalition of organizations as we deliver over a MILLION signatures to the White House demanding political spending disclosure from government contractors. Go to http://www.peaceteam.net/in.htm.

9] – On Wed., Dec. 16, tell Bank of America to stop financing Dominion’s dangerous gas refinery and export terminal in Cove Point.  Join an action or organize your own. This can happen anywhere there is a Bank of America — no matter how near or far it is to Cove Point. All materials needed to do this are available at www.wearecovepoint.org.  Hold signs in front of a Bank of America telling them to “Dump Dominion.”  Hand out fliers to bank customers urging them to change banks.  Deliver a letter to the bank manager urging the bank to dump Dominion Take photos of your action and of people cutting up their Bank of America bank cards. Share those photos  by sending them to donny@wearecovepoint. Share your photos on social media using the hashtags #CutTheCard and #DumpDominion. If you tweet, please include @BankofAmerica. Visit www.wearecovepoint.org/december-16-jump-into-the-dump-dominion-day-of-action/ for supplies you can download and print. Some of the action sites: Bank of America Center at the corner of W. Pratt and S. Charles Sts at noon or Bank of America, 3121 St. Paul St. at noon. Contact Margaret at mdpnhp@gmail.com.

10] – As part of the national "Educate Congress" Campaign Letter Drops, on Wed., Dec. 16 at 4:30 PM, the Pledge of Resistance will go to Rep. John Sarbanes’ office, 600 Baltimore Ave., Suite 303, Towson, MD 21204, to deliver a letter.  The letter urges him to vote against the Trans-Pacific Partnership, support Syrian refugees, a living wage, near zero greenhouse emissions and a clean budget deal, and speak out against killer drone strikes. Let Max know if you can sign on to the letter and go to Sarbanes’ office--410-366-1637 or mobuszewski at verizon.net. Are you a constituent?

11] – On Wed., Dec. 16 from 5:30 to 6:45 PM, Fighting ISIL on Social Media:  Public Diplomacy in the Digital Age will be held at New America, 740 15th St. NW, Suite 900, WDC 20005. State Department Under Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs joins New America President and CEO Anne-Marie Slaughter to talk about the challenges of statecraft in the age of social media. Under Secretary Stengel will explore and debunk common misconceptions about ISIL’S social media prowess – and how the US and its partners are working to break ISIL’s brand. The Under Secretary will also discuss current US efforts to counter disinformation globally and support independent media and free expression. Slaughter, former Director of Policy Planning at the State Department and an enthusiastic member of the Twittersphere, will talk with Stengel about how the State Department is responding to these challenges, what it's doing well and what it could do better.

Join the conversation online using #DigitalDiplomacy and following @NewAmerica.

Participants are Richard Stengel, Under Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs, U.S. Department of State and Dr. Anne-Marie Slaughter, President and CEO, New America, Author, Unfinished Business: Women, Men, Work, Family.  Register at https://newamerica.cvent.com/events/fighting-isil-on-social-media/registration-891bc1170efb4fe49080db26f4d95774.aspx?i=4971f4be-a474-4c88-8ef3-78858a9bdf0e.

12] – The Peoples Power Assembly is calling for action after a verdict is reached in the Freddie Gray case.  Gather at 8:30 AM or 5:30 PM at 100 N. Calvert St., Baltimore 21201.  Gather even if there is a mistrial. Visit https://www.facebook.com/events/1673775362838354/.

13] –On Wed., Dec. 16 from 6:30 to 8 PM in the Horizon Ballroom, Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center, 1300 Pennsylvania Ave. NW, WDC 20004. Hear from a panel of experts as we sort through the fact and fiction of US refugee policy. The program will be followed by a wine and cheese reception. Register at http://us7.campaign-archive1.com/?u=9b575b7707df7afb574949464&id=8535c966b2&e=7f30d5a6ae

14] – Come to The Lookout DC, 2439 18th St. NW, WDC, on Wed., Dec. 16 from 7 to 10 PM for an event with filmmaker Fouzia Najar, who will screen three disparate shorts on topics including NYPD surveillance of Muslim communities, the war in Kashmir and media responsibility. Doors open at 7 PM, screenings and discussion begin promptly at 8 PM!  Najar is a Kashmiri-American filmmaker from Buffalo, NY. She has worked for award-winning production companies Kartemquin Films, ABC All Media Company and Jigsaw Productions, and her work has aired on The Weather Channel and CNN. Fouzia most recently worked on a documentary series that examines the death penalty in America and on developing a new miniseries on genius. She received her M.F.A. from Hunter College in Integrated Media Arts, a program dedicated to innovative storytelling over transmedia platforms.  Go to https://www.facebook.com/events/908382069248146/.

15] – On Wed., Dec. 16 at 7:30 PM, gather in DuPont Circle to remember the lives lost in Peshawar on Dec. 16, 2014. Please bring a candle or placard and join to remember why we should #NeverForget such tragedies. Those were 144 lives with 144 stories. Visit https://www.facebook.com/events/1659360444346115/.

16] – On Thurs., Dec. 17 from 8:30 AM to 3:45 PM, the Atlantic Council and the Iran Project are sponsoring a talk "Implementing the Iran Nuclear Deal: What’s Next?" with 20 speakers at Atlantic Council, 1030 15th St. NW, 12th Floor (West Tower), WDC. RSVP to http://www.atlanticcouncil.org/events/upcoming-events/registration/a08i000001dFto7AAC online.

17] – On Thurs., Dec. 17 from 12:30 to 2 PM, catch films from the "It's Not Just Documentaries" Project - a program of four short films by Zuheir Al-Belbeisi, Khalil Al-Mozian, Yassir Murtaja, and Muhammed Nayef at the Jerusalem Fund, 2425 Virginia Ave. NW, WDC 20037.  Use the Foggy Bottom Metro.  This is organized by the Community Media Center of Gaza. Each film addresses a particular aspect of the suffering among civilians and the violations of their rights during and after the 2014 Israeli aggression in Gaza, which the IDF named "Operation Protective Edge." Each film concludes with a reminder of these staggering statistics from the assault: 2,216 Palestinians killed; 31,974 homes damaged; 250,918 people displaced due to the destruction of their homes.

The screening will be followed by a pre-recorded (and subtitled) Skyped interview with three of the filmmakers, Zuheir Al-Belbeisi, Yassir Murtaja, and Muhammed Nayef, conducted by Samirah Alkassim and Zeina Azzam. The list of films are “Memory of Homes” (dir. Khalil Al-Mozian), “Honorable Judge” (dir. Muhammed Nayef), “The White Flag” (dir. Zuheir Al-Belbeisi) and “Al Wafaa” (dir. Yassir Murtaja).  Call The Jerusalem Fund at (202) 338-1958, or email info@thejerusalemfund.org.

18] –   This year at least 20 people have died as a direct impact of homelessness in D.C. Until we reach a day when nobody dies without the dignity of a home, this number remains too high. The Way Home Campaign is proud to support the work of one of the People for Fairness Coalition, a community organization dedicated to ending homelessness in Washington, D.C. through outreach, peer mentoring and advocacy. This powerful advocacy group is led by individuals who have experienced housing instability themselves, and they ask, “Why do we have to die on the streets?” Show your support through attendance at the vigil at Luther Place Memorial Church, 1226 Vermont Ave. NW, WDC, from Thur., Dec. 17 at 5 PM to Fri., Dec. 18 at 1 PM.  There will be a candlelight procession, an oversight vigil at Freedom Plaza and a Memorial Service, at the New York Ave. Presbyterian Church, 1313 New York Ave. NW.  RSVP at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/homeless-vigil-memorial-service-tickets-19626901591.

19] – The DC Black Workers Center invites you to a film screening of the powerful documentary “Finally Got the News” at the United Black Fund, 2500 Martin Luther King Jr. Ave. SE, WDC, on Thurs., Dec. 17 at 6 PM. The film portrays the actions of the League of Revolutionary Black Workers in the auto factories of Detroit, along with the vital role of African American workers in the U.S. economy. Stay for a discussion following the screening. Visit http://www.onedconline.org/bwc_dec17?utm_campaign=nov15_nl_2&utm_medium=email&utm_source=onedctrac.

20] – Come to the Labor History Book Club, which will focus on Frederick Douglass on Thurs., Dec. 17 at 7 PM @ the Free School Classroom in Red Emma's Bookstore Coffeehouse, 30 W. North Ave., Baltimore 21201.  Join local labor historian Bill Barry for this month's labor history book club! The author this month is Frederick Douglass, who certainly had a unique individual labor history, much of it in Maryland, even if he now is honored more for his agitation, as we see in the new statue of him at College Park, and for his individual social mobility. The suggested labor-related texts are either “Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave” (1845) or “My Bondage and My Freedom” (1855). Also recommended as great background is Christopher Phillips' “Freedom's Port: The African-American Community of Baltimore, 1790-1860.” Call 443-602-7585.  Go to http://www.redemmas.org.

21] – Catch a book talk about “The Baltimore School of Urban Ecology” on Thurs. Dec. 17 at 7:30 PM @ Red Emma's Bookstore Coffeehouse, 30 W. North Ave., Baltimore 21201.  How can we make sure people living in urban environments have a high quality of life—good health, a safe environment, stable communities free of violence, and opportunities to prosper? How can we ensure that our booming cities don’t poison the planet with their waste? And how can we encourage the urban sustainability, resilience, and innovation that are essential for addressing global environmental issues such as climate change? The Baltimore School of Urban Ecology lays out a new approach to understanding the ecology of cities. The authors challenge the idea that cities are ecologically pathological. Rather, they view cities as complex ecosystems that fully encompass human social interactions in addition to trees, waterways, and green spaces. Grove is Team Leader and Research Scientist at the Baltimore Field Station, USDA Forest Service; Pickett is Distinguished Senior Scientist, Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies, Millbrook, N.Y; and Hrabowski is president of the University of Maryland, Baltimore County. Call 443-602-7585.  Go to http://www.redemmas.org.

22] – The Pledge of Resistance-Baltimore now meets on Thursdays at 7:30 PM, and the meetings take place at Max’s residence.  There will be a meeting on Thurs., Dec. 10 at 7:30 PM.  The agenda will include Freddie Gray & local organizing, killer drones and Obama, an action at the State of the Union, the refugees and the unending wars. Call 410-366-1637 or email mobuszewski at verizon.net.

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