Baltimore Activist Alert April 23 - 26, 2016

Baltimore Activist Alert April 23 - 26, 2016

"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 410-323-1607 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] A Future to Believe In Rally with Bernie Sanders – Apr. 23

7] Get out the vote for Donna Edwards – Apr. 23

8] Volunteer for Bernie – Apr. 23

9] Help out those released from prison – Apr. 23

10] March for the Animals – Apr. 24

11] "Liberation Ethics" – Apr. 24

12] Film “Peace, Propaganda and the Promised Land” – Apr. 24

13] Women Incarcerated – Apr. 24

14] Pentagon Vigil – Apr. 25

15] Marc Steiner on WEAA – Apr. 25 – Apr. 29

16] Gradual change doesn’t work – Apr. 25

17] Organizing Get Together – Apr. 25

18] Nakba Tour – Apr. 25

19] Film THE HAND THAT FEEDS – Apr. 25

20] Covering the Middle East – Apr. 25

21] Taco Justice – Apr. 25

22] Book talk “Greenpeace Captain” – Apr. 25

23] Interfaith Prayer – Apr. 25

24] Nuclear Security – Apr. 26

25] Philadelphia Peace Vigil – Apr. 26

26] No New Offshore Drilling – Apr. 26

27] Protest JHU drone research – Apr. 26

-------

1] – Buttons, bumperstickers and books are available.  “God Bless the Whole World, No Exceptions” stickers are in stock. Call Max at 410-323-1607.

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—410-323-1607 or mobuszewski at Verizon dot net.

6] – A Future to Believe In Rally with Bernie Sanders is on Sat., Apr. 23 with doors opening at 10 AM at the Royal Farms Arena, 201 West Baltimore St., Baltimore 21201. Join Bernie Sanders for a rally in Baltimore, Maryland featuring special guests Danny Glover and Ben Jealous. This event is free and open to the public, but RSVPs are strongly encouraged. Admission is first come, first served. For security reasons, please do not bring bags and limit what you bring to small, personal items like keys and cell phones. Weapons, sharp objects, chairs, and signs or banners will not be allowed through security. Parking can be found in the Arena's parking garage on Howard St. Public is also encouraged to take any of the following public transit options: light rail to Howard St, MARC train to Camden Yards, MTA metro to Charles St, or MTA bus to Baltimore St and Hopkins Place. RSVP at https://go.berniesanders.com/page/event/detail/rally/4wkjh.

7] – GET OUT THE VOTE FOR DONNA! This is an all hands on deck moment, and every door knock, phone call you can make, or hour you work at the polls could be the difference in this close election. Donna needs canvassers, phone bankers, and poll workers for the final stretch. Please sign up for as many get out the vote shifts as you can. Once you sign up, come visit the office location nearest you to get a training and everything you need to get started. Each office is open from 10 AM to 8 PM now through Election Day, Tues., Apr. 26. The offices are as follows: Prince George's County Office, 4500 Forbes Blvd., Suite 420, Lanham  20706; Baltimore City Office, 11 East Mount Royal Ave., 1st Floor, Baltimore 21202; Baltimore County Office, 6120 Baltimore National Pike, Catonsville 21228; and for the Montgomery County office, contact Augusta Christensen, 443-987-7268 or augusta@donnaedwardsforsenate.com. Call 240-696-8617 or email Sian Lewis at sian@donnaedwardsforsenate.com.

8] – Join Bernie 2016 volunteer conference calls. On Sat., Apr. 23rd @ 4:30 PM, RSVP at http://myaccount.maestroconference.com/conference/register/K8701FRONKQ0NNU.  On Sun., Apr. 24th @ 8 PM, RSVP at http://myaccount.maestroconference.com/conference/register/4DXLO3ZOX6S8N959. On Mon., Apr. 25th @  8 PM, RSVP at http://myaccount.maestroconference.com/conference/register/ES1AKWDBI91V03B0. On Tues., Apr. 26th @ 9:30 PM, RSVP at http://myaccount.maestroconference.com/conference/register/DHSKVZYYGU7RNW0A.

9] – Come to Coppin State University, Health & Human Services Bldg., HHSB 103, Baltimore, on Sat., Apr. 23 from 6 to 8 PM.  March 10, 2016 marked an important date. In Maryland, persons convicted of a felony that completed serving a court-ordered imprisonment could now could register to vote. Join the Ujima People's Progress Party (UPP) in collaboration with the Coppin State University Urban Studies Program to answer the burning question that remains. Now what? A right to vote does not automatically mean a good job, and a decent place to live. Too often these newly pinned voters face similar oppressive conditions that they faced before their incarceration. How can we address these issues? The panel will help answer these burning issues, supply information on returning programs, and cite what these programs need and comment on the issues of mass incarceration and how to address it. Panel includes representatives from RAPP (Release Aging People in Prison), Out for Justice Education for Autonomy, The Lazarus Rite Maryland Communities United, and I Can’t, We Can. Contact Dr. Ken Morgan, Asst. Prof., Urban Studies Program  at 410-951-4187. 

10] – Come to the annual March for the Animals. Sign up at http://support.mdspca.org/site/TR?fr_id=1040&pg=entry.  It is happening on Sun., Apr. 24 from 10 AM to 1 PM at Druid Hill Park. Your participation in the March for the Animals helps the Maryland SPCA care for more than 15,000 homeless pets each year. As the Maryland SPCA’s largest fundraiser, this is annual 1.5 mile walk-a-thon.

11 – 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 Apr. 24, hear about “Liberation: Some Jewish Roots of Ethical Culture.” Felix Adler, the founder of Ethical Culture, drew inspiration from many sources. They included Emerson, Immanuel Kant, and the historical Jesus. The deepest and most consistent source, however, was Judaism. Raised in a culture committed to Reform Judaism, Adler carried into Ethical Culture an appreciation of some lofty goals of family tradition, such as a collective duty to heal a broken world and liberate humanity from oppression. In this season of Passover, which honors the ancient liberation from Egyptian slavery, Hugh Taft-Morales explores some of the Jewish and Reform roots of Ethical Culture.  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. He also serves as Leader of the Ethical Humanist Society of Philadelphia.  Call 410-581-2322 or email ask@bmorethical.org.

12] – Sabeel DC Metro is proud to team up with Grace Presbyterian Church and the Unitarian Universalist Church of Arlington in presenting this important, revealing and inspiring five-part Sunday afternoon film series focusing on the beautiful but beleaguered Palestinian and Israeli people of today's Holy Land. This Sunday afternoon series--absolutely free--takes place at 2:30 PM through May 1 at the attractive, spacious Unitarian Universalist Church of Arlington, 4444 Arlington Blvd. (US 50)--midway between the Beltway and the Memorial Bridge--at the intersection for George Mason Drive SOUTH. Parking is ample in the church's parking lot.  

On Apr. 24 the series continues with the acclaimed, award-winning documentary film “Peace, Propaganda and the Promised Land: U.S. Media and the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict.” This outstanding film is about Israeli public relations strategies and U.S. media coverage. Go to trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UldEpr0HCEU. .

It's about U.S. media reporting, about Israeli public relations efforts, about using euphemisms to hide harsh realities, about what we do not get to see and hear, and about how all this affects U.S. policies and our tax dollars.  Visit https://www.facebook.com/voicesholyland. Call Paul at 301-518-5551.

13] – Come to Busboys and Poets, 625 Monroe St. NE, WDC 20017, on Sun., Apr. 24 from 6:30 to 8 PM. Everyone deserves access to equal opportunity and treatment under the law no matter a person's race or gender. Women, now the fastest-growing segment of the prison population, are often overlooked in the discourse on criminal justice reform and police brutality. April’s Capitol Innovation Forum: Gender Bias and Criminal Justice Reform will highlight the experiences of women incarcerated in D.C. from the perspectives of formerly incarcerated women, grassroots service providers, and policy makers. The audience will also participate in a group exercise designed to further the advocacy work of Social Solutions. The event will be recorded for the Capitol Innovation Podcast series. Visit https://www.eventbrite.com/e/capitol-innovation-forum-unheard-voices-women-in-the-criminal-justice-system-tickets-24018942303?mc_eid=035c142214&mc_cid=44dbeffdda.

14] -- 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., Apr. 25, 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. 

15] – The Marc Steiner Show airs Monday through Friday fr6m 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] – Pick up on a Report Release: "Missing the Slow Train: How Gradual Change Undermines Public Policy & Collective Action" in the 5th Floor Conference Room, Wilson Center, Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center, One Woodrow Wilson Plaza, 1300 Pennsylvania Ave. NW, WDC, on Mon., Apr. 25 from 1 to 3 PM.  Robert Olson is the author of Missing the Slow Train: How Gradual Change Undermines Public Policy & Collective Action. The report, part of the Forgotten Problems Project, discusses the hurdles movements face in responding to slow-moving threats and challenges, ranging from the way our brains' wiring evolved to the cognitive biases and social forces that affect people's decision-making capacity.  The author is a Senior Fellow at the Institute for Alternative Futures.  He is the primary author of the NACEPT report, The Environmental Future: Emerging Challenges and Opportunities for EPA. RSVP at https://www.wilsoncenter.org/event/missing-the-slow-train-how-gradual-change-undermines-public-policy-collective-action?mkt_tok=eyJpIjoiWmpNM05qQXdOalJsTmpVNCIsInQiOiI2M2U1M2NXVUhMaGczdThpd0VjNE0yNmlXZitCM1hWNFc3TmRycmE3dGhmMVFINXF5eWVQdTNQaTVcL1wvYVwvcHQyN0VzZURjOEVnNDlYWGlDc01GK3dNRUJOZVdGM1k1WlkyZDZpKzZEelorcz0ifQ%3D%3D.

17] – There is an Alliance for a Just Society, National People's Action and USAction Announcement and Party at the Long View Gallery, 1234 9th St. NW, WDC, on Mon., Apr. 25 from 6 to 8 PM.  Three powerful national organizing groups are coming together to do something bold and exciting together. Their ambition is nothing less than creating a new people's politics in the U.S.  Join George Goehl, LeeAnn Hall, and Fred Azcarate, the executive directors of these organizations along with allies, friends, progressive political leaders, labor leaders, community organizers, policy experts and more to hear more about the exciting plans ahead and how you can get involved! RSVP at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/weve-got-a-big-announcement-be-the-first-to-find-out-what-it-is-tickets-24241667480.

18] – Get over to the North America Nakba Tour: The Exiled Palestinians at The Potter's House, 1658 Columbia Rd. NW, WDC, on Mon., Apr. 25 from 6 to 8 PM.  The Institute for Policy Studies, in cooperation with the Free Palestine Movement, International Solidarity Movement-Northern California, and al-Awda Palestine Right to Return Coalition invite you to an intimate sit down with “Stateless Palestinians from the Camps in Lebanon." 1948, as Zionist leader David Ben Gurion was proclaiming a Jewish state in Palestine, his troops drove out the inhabitants of the ancient Palestinian town of al-Zeeb. 18-year-old Mariam Fathalla was one of them. She and her young husband fled to Lebanon. By year’s end the 4,000-year-old community had been leveled. More than half of all Palestinians were killed or expelled and more than half the cities, towns and villages disappeared, a crime that Palestinians call al-Nakba (the Catastrophe). Now 86 years old, Mariam has spent the last 68 years in crowded, makeshift refugee camps in Lebanon. She has raised three generations, all waiting to return to Palestine. She has seen five Israeli invasions of Lebanon, as well as the 1976 Tel al-Zaatar camp massacre that killed more than 2000 refugees there. They do not live under Israeli occupation. Israel does not allow them to visit their homes, much less live there. Amena has never met an Israeli, and Mariam not since 1948. RSVP at https://www.facebook.com/events/154581481604532/.

19] – On Mon., Apr. 25 from 7 to 9 PM, Beyond the Classroom at the University of Maryland, College Park, South Campus Commons, Room 1104, Building 1, for another installment of their Spring 2016 Series on "People Power: Activism for Social Change."

See the award-winning documentary: THE HAND THAT FEEDS. At a popular bakery café, residents of New York’s Upper East Side get bagels and coffee served with a smile 24 hours a day. But behind the scenes, undocumented immigrant workers face sub-legal wages, dangerous machinery, and abusive managers who will fire them for calling in sick. Mild-mannered sandwich maker Mahoma López has never been interested in politics, but in January 2012, he convinces a small group of his co-workers to fight back. Risking deportation and the loss of their livelihood, the workers team up with a diverse crew of innovative young organizers and take the unusual step of forming their own independent union, launching themselves on a journey that will test the limits of their resolve. RSVP at https://www.facebook.com/events/527446700796051/.

20] – The Middle East and Islamic Studies Program and the Arab Studies Institute present Covering the Middle East in the JC Room F, George Mason University, 4400 University Dr., Fairfax, VA, on Tues., Apr.  26 from 3 to 4:30 PM. One of the presentations is The War Economy in Syria by Musaab Batlchi.  Go to http://meis.gmu.edu/events/5988.

21] – Let's TACO-Bout Justice at All Souls Church, Unitarian, 1500 Harvard St. NW, WDC, on Tues., Apr. 26 from 6 to 9 PM.  Join Many Languages One Voice (MLOV) to celebrate DC's vibrant, local immigrant communities on the 12th anniversary of DC's Language Access Act! Help MLOV ensure our city's public services, schools, workplace protections, housing benefits, hospitals and more are accessible and just. For this year's annual Language Access Month event, you'll get a chance to hear about the campaigns and meet members all while enjoying a taco (or two...or three) and specialized cocktails, and catch the special unveiling of MLOV's video project: "MeLOV: Recognizing the Self as Integral to Community Power"! There is a suggested donation of $20 (or more!).  See https://www.facebook.com/events/552876388226433/.

22] – Captain Peter Willcox has lot of stories to tell, and he will be sharing them with the world in his new book “Greenpeace Captain.” Meet the captain and Annie Leonard, Executive Director of Greenpeace USA, on Mon., Apr. 25 at 6:30 PM at Busboys and Poets, 1025 5th St NW, Washington, DC, 20001. Go to https://greenwire.greenpeace.org/usa/en/events/meet-rainbow-warrior-captain-pete-willcox-and-greenpeace-usa-executive-director-annie-leonard.

23] – On Mon., Apr. 25 at 7 PM, there will be an Interfaith Prayer Service for Peace in Baltimore at the Basilica of the Assumption, 409 Cathedral St. Please join people of all faiths as we pray for healing in Baltimore on the anniversary of the unrest following the death of Freddie Gray. Call Chuck at 443-846-5207 (cell).

24] – On Tues., Apr. 26 from 10 to 11:30 AM, Frank Klotz, administrator, National Nuclear Security Administration, and George Perkovich, Carnegie Endowment, will discuss "After the Summit: U.S. Efforts to Strengthen Nuclear Security" at 1779 Massachusetts Ave. NW, WDC. 20036. RSVP at http://carnegieendowment.org/events/forms/?fa=registration&event=5228&lang=en.

25] – 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 Apr. 19.  Call 215-426-0364.

26] – Join 350.org at a public hearing in D.C. on Tues., Apr. 26 to tell President Obama: No New Offshore Drilling! Go to https://www.facebook.com/events/1715933738683452/. Across the country, the Obama administration is holding public meetings on its new draft plan, and it’s up to us to flood these meetings with a strong message to protect our coasts, our climate, and our communities. There is a rally and press conference calling for an end to new offshore drilling at the Washington Marriott at Metro Center, 775 12th St. NW, WDC, on Tues., Apr. 26 at 5 PM.

27] – Vigil to say "No Drone Research at JHU" each Tuesday at 33rd & North Charles Sts. join this ongoing vigil on Apr. 26  from 5:30 to 6:30  PM. Call Max at 410-323-1607.

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