Sunday, January 10, 2016

Baltimore Activist Alert - January 11 - 13, 2016

17] Close Guantanamo – Jan. 11
18] Takoma Metro – Close Guantanamo – Jan. 11
19] Paid sick days – Jan. 11
20] Real State of the Union – Jan. 12
21] Philadelphia Peace Vigil – Jan. 12
22] Watch State of the Union – Jan. 12
23] Trauma workshop – Jan. 13
24] Film “Heist: Who stole the American dream?” – Jan. 13
25] “Base Nation: How U.S. Military Bases Abroad Harm America and the World” – Jan. 13
26] "Ferguson is America: Roots of Rebellion" – Jan. 13
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16] – The Peoples Power Assembly is calling for vigils during the trials in the Freddie Gray cases.  Go to https://www.facebook.com/events/1634849640115432/. Starting Mon., Jan. 11 through the end of the trial in the case of Freddie Gray’s death, vigil from 9 to 10 AM and from 5 to 6 PM outside the courthouse, 100 N. Calvert St., Baltimore 21201 (near Calvert and Lexington Sts.).  There will be an emergency response protest on the day when deliberation by the jury begins.

17] – Join the Last Chance for Leadership: Close Guantánamo WASHINGTON, D.C. RALLY and INTERFAITH SERVICE on Mon., Jan. 11 at noon.  Join Interfaith Action for Human Rights Board Member, Zainab Chaudry, human rights activists, torture survivors, Guantánamo attorneys, 9-11 family members, ex-military officials, and members of diverse faith communities in a call to the Obama administration and congress to close Guantánamo, end indefinite detention, and ensure accountability for torture. Gather along Pennsylvania Ave. outside the White House for an interfaith service at noon, followed by a rally at 12:30 OM.  Other demonstrations are being planned for later in the afternoon.   Go to http://www.interfaithactionhr.org/

Witness Against Torture will be one of several groups at the White House, 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. NW, WDC.  January 11 is the 14th Anniversary of the U.S. torture camp at Guantanamo Bay. Close it Now! Visit https://www.facebook.com/events/978122122250879/.

18] – On Mon., Jan. 11, MCCRC will join a national call to action against Guantanamo, which is entering its 15th year of operation under two administrations.  Gather at the Takoma Metro, DC/Maryland, from 6 to 7 PM for a vigil and leafleting.  Go to https://www.facebook.com/events/826619630799004/.

19] – With Maryland’s 2016 state legislative session just around the corner, momentum for earned sick days continues to build as a growing number of cities and states across the nation enact legislation. JOIN Working Matters Maryland Campaign for Paid Sick Days 2016 Kick-off Event: Faith Leaders to Issue Call-to-Action on Mon., Jan. 11 from 6:30 to 8:30 PM at St. Ignatius Church, 740 North Calvert St., Baltimore 21202.  

20] – On Tues., Jan. 12, participate in the Real State of the Union, starting at the Lutheran Church of the Reformation at 212 East Capitol St. NE at 11 AM.  Network, leaflet, and make signs and banners.  If you can bring materials for people to use in making signs (markers and placards) please do. The event is organized by the National Campaign for Nonviolent Resistance and friends. 

From 11:30 AM to 12:30 PM, there will be a meeting for those who will try to deliver a petition to the president and Congress.  From 12:30 to 1:30 PM, there will be an open mic giving activists an opportunity to share information about their work for peace and justice.

At 1:30 PM gather on the sidewalk in front of the Supreme Court building, First Street NE, across from the Capitol.  Speakers will urge Obama, as he delivers his final State of the Union address, to speak the truth.  The Union, and indeed the whole world, is ravaged after years of endless war. We are making enemies across the globe. We have no money left to help those who are struggling and living in poverty Our Mother Earth is dying and the climate is in crisis. Violence is escalating here at home, especially against people of color.

Because the country is in such sad shape, some of the participants will cross the street to deliver the petition urging our government to end income inequality, militarization and the destruction of Mother Earth.

21] – 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 Jan. 12.  Call 215-426-0364.

22] – Come to Busboys and Poets - various locations in D.C., Virginia and Maryland – on Tues., Jan. 12 from 9 to 11 PM.  President Obama will deliver his final State of the Union address. Look no further for a comfortable place with great food and drinks to watch it live. The address will be viewable on television screens throughout all restaurants. Visit http://busboysandpoets.com/events/2016/1/12.

23] – This skill-share will explore the concept of trauma and how it affects our mind and body and our social justice work. How do we stay present in our work without burning out or letting our our own trauma history affect who we are working with? It is happening at the Washington Peace Center, 1525 Newton St. NW, WDC on Wed., Jan. 13 from 6:30 to 9 PM.

Unfortunately we are ALL affected by trauma in some way. Whether we have experienced trauma ourselves, or work with people that have experienced trauma, this workshop strives to remove the stigma and shame that keeps us from addressing and healing from abnormal situations that our bodies are reacting normally to. The material for the workshop is based on the STAR program (Strategies for Trauma Awareness and Resilience). Information about the workshops and the facilitator can be found at www.jenica-wright.com. See https://www.facebook.com/events/1499200973716359/.

24] – See the film “Heist: Who stole the American dream?” on Wed., Jan. 13 at 6:30 PM at the Baltimore Ethical Society, 306 W Franklin St., Suite 102, Baltimore 21201. The documentary paints the picture of a democracy slowly and methodically being nudged toward oligarchy..."-   Los Angeles Times

“Heist” traces the development of American corporatism to a 1971 secret memo by future Supreme Court Justice Lewis Powell at the behest of the US Chamber of Commerce.  This free-market utopian treatise ultimately led to the birth of corporate think tanks, modern political lobbying, and the unprecedented system of influence peddling that has transformed U.S. society.  No other film provides such a concise and fact-based history of the political transformation that has occurred since the 1970s, and what is needed to restore representative Democracy. The film is narrated by acclaimed news commentator Thom Hartmann. 

  This showing will be followed by a discussion (over food and drink) of ongoing activities at the state & local level to address the political problems raised in the film.  Discussion will be led by founding members of Get Money Out - Maryland (www.GetMoneyOutMD.org).  The Charm City Film Series is always on the second Wednesday of each month at 6:30 PM. A donation is suggested, One can buy food, including pizza.  The series is hosted by the Baltimore Ethical Society. Go to  http://www.meetup.com/Charm-City-Film-Series/events/225320934/?fromJoin=225320934.

25] – Come to the Georgetown Public Library, 3260 R St. NW, WDC, on Wed., Jan. 13 at 7 PM for a Book Hill Talk: “Base Nation: How U.S. Military Bases Abroad Harm America and the World” and signing with David Vine.  An anthropologist at American University, he will be on hand to discuss the complex socioeconomic and geopolitical issues surrounding the establishment and maintenance of United States military bases abroad. See https://www.facebook.com/events/157232197978511/.

26] – On Wed., Jan. 13 at 7:30 PM come to Red Emma's Bookstore Coffeehouse, 30 W. North Ave., Baltimore 21201, Jamala Rogers presents "Ferguson is America: Roots of Rebellion." "There is no algorithm, no theory that can predict when human rage reaches its boiling point. I wanted to expose to some and to remind others that there is another side of Ferguson, St. Louis County, USA that exists. It was a side that someone didn’t want to see. It is a side that now most people know about and by knowing, all fair-minded people should now be empowered to act."—Jamala Rogers.

One year after Mike Brown was killed by a police officer, does Black lives matter? Jamala graduated from a Kansas City, MO high school in 1968, during a period of massive civil unrest, when hundreds of cities engaged in open rebellion—leading to significant political and cultural shifts nationwide.  In 1998, she, along with Angela Davis, Danny Glover and many others, hosted thousands at the founding convening of the Black Radical Congress (BRC) in Chicago, IL. Prior to the BRC Jamala co-founded the St. Louis-based Organization for Black Struggle (OBS) in 1980 and 35 years later continues to provide the organization with leadership and mentoring. Jamala's deep insight, experience, and continued activism help us navigate critical questions of race, justice, hope, and political struggle for ourselves and our country. Call 443-602-7585.  Go to http://www.redemmas.org.

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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