Tuesday, March 15, 2016

Baltimore ACtivist Alert - March 15 - 17, 2016

30] Super Tuesday – Mar. 15
31] Islamic Political Thought – Mar. 15
32] Philadelphia Peace Vigil – Mar. 15
33] Protest JHU drone research – Mar. 15
34] Environmental Film Festival Launch Party – Mar. 15
35] “Democracy in Black: How Race Still Enslaves the American Soul” – Mar. 15
36] Why We Use the Word Apartheid – Mar. 15
37] PEOPLE GET READY – Mar. 16
38] Labor Rights protest – Mar. 16
39] Honduras webinar – Mar. 16
40] Write letters to women in prison – Mar. 16
41] Everyday Feminism – Mar. 16
42] Testify on homelessness – Mar. 17
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30] –All Bus Boys and Poets locations - 2021 14th St. NW, 625 Monroe St NE, WDC, 1025 5th St. NW, WDC, 234 Carroll St. NW, WDC, 4251 South Campbell Ave., Arlington, and 5331 Baltimore Ave.,  Suite 104, Hyattsville, MD, are open to follow Super Tuesday on Tues., Mar. 15 starting at 9 AM. Only five states hold their contests on this day but it's significant because of the number of delegates which are at stake. Not only are the states large - Illinois, Ohio and Florida - and reward a lot of delegates but this is the first time in the primary that the winner is able to collect all the delegates from the state. States voting before March 15 have to reward their delegates proportionally so theoretically every candidate can win delegates in one state.  Visit http://busboysandpoets.com/events/2016/3/15.

31] – Catch a Panel Discussion: Islamic Political Thought After the Arab Spring in the Copley Formal Lounge, Georgetown University, WDC, on Tues., Mar. 15 from 11 AM to 1:30 PM.  This panel will explore how Muslim scholars, intellectuals and activists have sought to reconstitute or adapt their conceptualizations of Islam and the state since the dramatic end of the Arab Spring. Go to http://www.eventbrite.com/e/islamic-political-thought-after-the-arab-spring-with-usaama-al-azami-emad-shahin-and-andrew-march-tickets-22541449081.

32] – 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 Mar. 15.  Call 215-426-0364.

33] – Vigil to say "No Drone Research at JHU" each Tuesday at 33rd & North Charles Sts. join this ongoing vigil on Mar. 15  from 5:30 to 6:30  PM. Call Max at 410-323-1607.

34] – Go to the Environmental Film Festival Launch Party at 1530 P St. NW. WDC, on Tues., Mar. 15 at 6 PM.  Join The Nature Conservancy for the first screening of 2016's Environmental Film Festival in the Nation's Capital. Meet staff from the festival, the Conservancy, and other local groups! RSVP at https://www.facebook.com/events/483734758482147/.

35] – Author Eddie S. Glaude, Jr., will discuss his book “Democracy in Black: How Race Still Enslaves the American Soul” on Tues., Mar. 15 at 6:30 PM at the MD State Library for the Blind & Physically Handicapped, 415 Park Ave., Baltimore 21201.  The great promise of equality has always rung hollow in the ears of African Americans. But today the situation has grown even more dire. From the murders of black youth by the police, to the dismantling of the Voting Rights Act, to the disaster visited upon poor and middle-class black families by the Great Recession, it is clear that Black America faces an emergency -- at the very moment the election of the first black president has prompted many to believe we've solved the race problem. Glaude, professor of religion and African American studies at Princeton, argues that we live in a country founded on a "value gap" -- with white lives valued more than others -- that still distorts our politics today. Call 410-396-5494 or visit www.prattlibrary.org. On Wed., Mar. 16, the American Red Cross is hosting a migration conference, Community Resilience: Evolving Perspectives and Approaches to Migration. This event will bring together leading advocates, service providers and government actors to focus on strengthening and supporting the resilience of migrants and the communities in which they live. Panel discussion topics include migrant (re)integration, migrant mental health, protections for LGBT migrants, and migration policy challenges and opportunities.  You can register to participate in-person or online by clicking here <http://restoringfamilylinksblog.com/events/migration-conference>.

36] –  Josh Ruebner, the author of “Shattered Hopes: Obama’s Failure to Broker Israeli-Palestinian Peace,” (Verso Books, 2013) will lead a discussion Why We Use the Word Apartheid at 3520 Prospect St. NW (Car Barn 202), WDC, on Tues., Mar. 15 at 7 PM. It is hosted by Georgetown Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP).  Every year, the Georgetown Students for Justice in Palestine chapter erects a mock wall in the ICC Galleria to mark Israeli Apartheid Week. This wall features a plethora of facts, diagrams, photos, and text that document the rights that are routinely and institutionally denied to Palestinian citizens. It seeks to add to an international chorus of opposition to the reality that Jews anywhere can become a citizen of Israel while Palestinians whose families were expelled in 1948 are unable to return home; that millions of Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza live under an occupation that restricts their movement and resources; that thousands of Palestinians are currently detained in jails without any charge or trial; that within Israel there are two sets of laws and privileges for Jews and Palestinians, fueling systemic racism. 

Ruebner, policy director of The US Campaign to End the Occupation, will give the keynote address of the week, navigating the ways in which the apartheid label applies to Israel and why it matters. Email ae502@georgetown.edu.  Go to https://www.facebook.com/events/1702968256643245/.

37] – On Wed., Mar. 16 from 12:30 to 2 PM, the Democracy Collaborative will host a brownbag talk and signing of “People Get Ready” with authors Robert McChesney and John Nichols. This will happen at the Institute for Policy Studies, 1301 Connecticut Ave. NW, WDC, and the discussion will focus on “the fight against a jobless economy and a citizen less democracy." Will technological progress translate into broader shared prosperity or increasingly precarious labor and increasingly concentrated wealth?  Will digital communication help to rebuild a more effective democracy, or cement corporate control?  The answers to these questions depend on whether we can organize to build a new economy that democratizes what should be a shared technological inheritance, rather than letting the forces of monopoly control or re-appropriate the digital commons. Email info@ips-dc.org.

38] – There is a Protest Picket with Federal Food Contractors-Workers on Wed., Mar. 16 from 1 to 3 PM at Independence Ave. and 14th St. (USDA Building).  I.L. Creations is one of the main providers of food for federal employees in the DC region. Serving food in 16 federal government cafeterias, I.L. Creations serves tens of thousands of government workers every day. Unfortunately, I.L. Creations’ business and employment practices are not what you might expect of a Federal contractor. 

Last November, an arbitrator ruled against I.L. Creations, and in his decision said the following: “[IL Creations’] personnel decisions at USDA appear to favor Caucasian and Asians and disfavor Black Americans. … we are beyond the time when an employer could say with impunity, ‘if you're black stand back.’“ I.L. Creations has still failed to implement the changes ordered by the arbitrator, even though a federal district court judge enforced the arbitration award. Furthermore, UNITE HERE Local 23 has filed charges against I.L. Creations with the National Labor Relations Board for numerous allegedly unlawful activities, including threatening and disciplining employees for concerted activity. Demand that this federal contractor respect its employees’ rights to organize, and negotiate in good faith for a new union contract!  Go to https://www.facebook.com/events/135823296808406/.

39] – Witness For Peace and others are holding an Honduras Webinar Justice & Solidarity for Berta Cáceres and COPINH on Wed., Mar. 16 from 6:30 to 8 PM (CST). The discussion will focus on the murder of Honduran indigenous activist Berta Caceres and what can be done to help bring justice and to support her embattled organization and the life of Gustavo Castro, the only witness to the crime. Note that advance registration is not required, but you need to save the call-in information and/or computer link in the announcement below.  TO JOIN ONLINE, go to https://www.anymeeting.com/695-383-182.  TO JOIN CALL ONLY, dial: 213-416-1560 with a PIN of 122 085 956#.  Help mobilize a US campaign for justice and solidarity for Berta Cáceres, our beloved and missed sister, and the organization she co-founded. COPINH is one of the strongest indigenous organizations in Honduras and it is now more than ever, facing incredible repression. Visit http://witnessforpeace.org/.

40] – At 1658 Columbia Rd. NW, WDC, on Wed., Mar. 16 from 6:30 to 8:30 PM as part of International Women's Day, join in writing letters to women who have had their freedom taken from them. There will be a list of women who have been targeted because of their political activities, but perhaps all prisoners are political, so feel free to suggest other women.  This group will also send birthday cards and spend some time hanging out. It's always a good time and great way to get to know people!  If you've never written to a stranger in prison before, have no fear! Organizers provide some guidelines and all the materials you need. See https://www.facebook.com/events/1547314522228249/.

41] –  Everyday Feminism presents Compassionate Activism: Responding to Everyday Oppression with Love and Justice at the Washington Peace Center, 1525 Newton St. NW, WDC, on Wed., Mar. 16 from 6:30 to 9 PM.  The founder of Everyday Feminism, Sandra Kim, will facilitate this interactive workshop that is aimed to help people who struggle with how they react to everyday situations of injustice and marginalization and want to respond with love and justice. During the workshop, participants will have the opportunity to learn about and practice the five concrete practices of Compassionate Activism. There is an option to participate via livestream.  Visit https://www.facebook.com/events/556600984516869/.

42] –Attend the DC Council Hearing about Short-Term Housing for Persons Experiencing Homelessness Act of 2016 in the Council Chamber of the John A. Wilson Building, Suite 410, 1350 Pennsylvania Ave. NW, WDC, on Thurs., Mar. 17 from 10:30 AM to 5 PM.  Council Chairperson Phil Mendelson announced a public hearing of the Committee of the Whole on Bill 21-620, the “Homeward DC Omnibus Approval of Facilities Plan for Short-Term Housing for Persons Experiencing Homelessness Act of 2016.” The stated purpose of Bill 21-620 is to approve the acquisition and construction plan and related transactions for the development of seven emergency shelter facilities for persons experiencing homelessness, to specify the process for Council approval of those contracts, and to express the sense of the Council with respect to approval of these facilities by the Board of Zoning Adjustment. Those who wish to testify are asked to telephone the Committee of the Whole at (202) 724-8196, or to email Alana Intrieri, Special Counsel to the Chairman, at aintrieri@dccouncil.us, and provide their name, address, telephone number, organizational affiliation, and title (if any) by close of business Tuesday, March 15, 2016. Persons wishing to testify are encouraged, but not required, to submit 15 copies of written testimony. If submitted by the close of business on March 15, 2016, the testimony will be distributed to Councilmembers before the hearing. Witnesses should limit their testimony to four minutes; less time will be allowed if there are a large number of witnesses. A copy of PR 21-620 can be obtained through the Legislative Services Division of the Secretary of the Council’s office or on http://lims.dccouncil.us.  If you are unable to testify at the roundtable, written statements are encouraged and will be made a part of the official record. Written statements should be submitted to the Committee of the Whole, Council of the District of Columbia, Suite 410 of the John A. Wilson Building, 1350 Pennsylvania Ave., NW, WDC 20004. The record will close at 5 PM on Wed., Mar. 30, 2016. See http://chairmanmendelson.com/2016/02/17/hearing-on-b21-620-homeward-dc-omnibus-facilities-approval/.

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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