Wednesday, February 22, 2017

Baltimore Activist Alert - February 22 - 26, 2017

31] Protest at the Israeli Embassy – Feb. 22
32] Urban Farming Open House – Feb. 22
33] “J is for Junk Economics” – Feb. 22
34] RESISTANCE RECESS EVENT – Feb. 23 & 26
35] Webinar: Health Benefits of State-Based Climate Action – Feb. 23
36] Resolve to get rid of Citizens United – Feb. 23
37] What happens with nuclear waste? – Feb. 23
38] Stop Tax Sales - Feb. 23
39] Stop Exelon Rate Hikes – Feb. 23
40] Equal Access to Education – Feb. 23
41] Film THE BAD KIDS -- Feb. 23
42] Baltimore County Progressive Democrats Club Meeting – Feb. 23
43] Book talk THIS VAST SOUTHERN EMPIRE – Feb. 23
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31] – On Wed., Feb. 22 from 6:30 to 8 PM, protest at the Israeli embassy, 3514 International Dr. NW, WDC, as part of the 8th annual Open Shuhada Street Campaign to end Israeli segregation in Hebron, February 19-26. There will be a social media day of action on Fri., Feb. 24! Renowned Palestinian activist, Issa Amro, of Youth Against Settlements has asked CODEPINK to join the campaign. Shuhada Street in Hebron has remained almost entirely closed to Palestinians since February 25, 1994 when Brooklyn born Israeli settler Baruch Goldstein opened fire in the Ibrahimi mosque, killing 29 Palestinians in worship and injuring 125 more. Following the massacre the front doors of Palestinian homes and shops on Shuhada Street were sealed shut. Once Hebron’s major marketplace and thoroughfare, families must now use rooftops, alleyways, and back entrances to reach their homes. 

Hebron is home to the most violent and ideologically extreme of the Israeli settler movement. Around 850 illegal settlers, many of whom come from the US, live within the heart of Hebron’s old city and openly carry machine guns. Palestinians face 20 checkpoints and over 100 freedom of movement barriers. Tell the Israeli embassy that it is time to end Israeli segregation in Hebron and open Shuhada Street! Email CODEPINK [mailto:info@codepink.org].

32] – On Wed., Feb. 22 from 6:30 to 8 PM, come to the Baltimore Urban Farming Open House, hosted by the Farm Alliance of Baltimore, at the Impact Hub Baltimore, 10 East North Ave., Baltimore 21202.  Over the summer, several farms participated in a conversation about the challenges and benefits of urban farming in Baltimore. Many participants wanted to connect with farms and learn more about the steps to starting their own farms. Here’s your chance to chat one-on-one with farmers. This event is open to everyone. Come meet our farmers and partners to find out more information about farm programs, CSAs, food benefit match programs, volunteer opportunities, and upcoming farmer training and food workshops happening all around the city.  Crystal Forman of Holistic Wellness and Health and FAB will be showcasing produce from farms for delicious dishes that you can sample and then make at home.  The Farm Alliance of Baltimore represents Baltimore Free Farm, Boone Street Farm, Cherry Hill Urban Garden, Filbert Street Garden (Chesapeake Center for Youth Development), Food Systems Lab, The Greener Garden, Hidden Harvest Farm, Hillen Homestead, Oliver Community Farm (the 6th Branch), Real Food Farm, Strength To Love II Farm, Urban Pastoral, Whitelock Community Farm. Go to https://www.facebook.com/events/2243987592492548/.

33] – On Wed., Feb. 22 at 7:30 PM at Red Emma's Bookstore Coffeehouse, 30 W. North Ave., Baltimore 21201, economist Michael Hudson will discuss his book “J is for Junk Economics: A Guide to Reality in an Age of Deception.” In this follow-on to his “Killing the Host: How Financial Parasites and Debt Destroyed the Global Economy” (2015), Hudson discusses how mainstream economic vocabulary has been contorted to obscure the manner in which financial giants extract wealth from rest of the economy. This A-Z user's guide will serve as critical reading for those seeking to understand the broader economic system during this new "post-fact" era.  A former Wall Street analyst, government adviser, and fierce critic of neoliberal economic order, Hudson is Distinguished Research Professor of Economics at the University of Missouri, Kansas City, and Professor of Economics at Peking University in China. Call 443-602-7585.  Go to http://www.redemmas.org.

34] – ATTEND A RESISTANCE RECESS EVENT: SAVE OUR HEALTH CARE, OUR COMMUNITIES, AND OUR DEMOCRACY. The week of February 18–26 is the first recess of the 115th Congress—time specifically set aside for members of Congress to meet with constituents and get the pulse of the communities they represent. This is the perfect time to raise our voices. We will show up at our elected officials' events, town halls, other public appearances, and even plan our own events, if they refuse to meet with us, to make it clear to those who represent us, as well as to the media, that tolerance of Trump's hurtful agenda is unacceptable and politically toxic.  RSVP at https://www.resistancerecess.com/event/resist-recess/search/?source=aft&link_id=1&can_id=9c5bbb0ed9159a7bb5318410d9b7fb18&email_referrer=resistancerecess___171110&email_subject=resist-and-persist.

Meet with Rep. John Sarbanes' staff on Thurs., Feb. 23 at 11 AM at the Praisner Community Recreation Center, Burtonsville 20866.

Attend an Affordable Care Act Public Town Hall on Thurs., Feb. 23 at 6 PM at the Queen Anne County Library, Kent Island, Stevensville, MD 21666.

Attend a Town Hall with Congressperson Anthony Brown on Thurs., Feb. 23 at 6:30 PM at Crofton Public Library, Crofton 21114.  Go to https://www.eventbrite.com/myevent?eid=32052514935.

There is a Town Hall Meeting on Sun., Feb. 26 at 6:30 PM at the Silver Spring Civic Center, Silver Spring 20910.  Representatives Jamie Raskin (Maryland District 8) and John Delaney (Maryland District 6) will attend.  Sen. Chris Van Hollen is invited.  State and county officials will also be there, along with CASA de Maryland.

35] – Plug in to a Webinar: Health Benefits of State-Based Climate Action on Thurs., Feb. 23 at noon.  The call in number is 415-655-0002, and the access code is 643 047 904.  Given the political climate at the federal level, it’s a must that states continue to do all they can to slow climate change. Physicians for Social Responsibility and its chapters are working to strengthen the cap on carbon emissions using the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI). RGGI is a regional market-based carbon trading program composed of nine states in the Northeast. Learn more about the health benefits associated with RGGI by joining the webinar. RGGI states include Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York, Rhode Island, and Vermont.

36] –  Come to the Miller SENATE Office Building, 11 Bladen St., Annapolis 21401, for a Maryland Senate committee hearing on Thurs., Feb. 23 at 1 PM. Maryland is on target to be the next state to pass the Wolf-PAC resolution. Please arrive by 12:30 PM in business attire. Allow time to get through security and find the Hearing Room.  Get Money Out of Maryland's and Wolf-PAC Maryland's Senate Joint Resolution - to call for a Convention of States to propose a Constitutional Amendment addressing Citizens United v. FEC and voting rights - will have its first hearing.  To see SJ 4, go to https://goo.gl/GGYZGh. RSVP at https://www.facebook.com/events/1088734247920819/. Visit http://www.wolf-pac.com/.

37] -- On Thurs., Feb. 23 from 1 to 4 PM EST at the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, One White Flint North, 11545 Rockville Pike, Rockville, Commission Hearing Room (go early to get through security, there will be a "Scoping" Meeting for the Consolidated “Interim” Storage Facility and associated Massive Nuclear Waste Transport across the country. Go to www.nonuclearwasteaqui.org. To speak at the hearing, email Debra.Miller@nrc.gov or call 301-415-7359. Public Statements will likely be allowed for just a few minutes between 2 and 4 PM.

38] – Tax Sales – Water Liens/ HB453 prohibits the tax sale of a property solely to enforce liens for unpaid water, sewer, and sanitary system services. Maryland residents across the state have lost their homes due to their inability to pay an overdue water bill. With the increase in water and sewer rates across the state, homeowners are left with excessive water bills that they simply cannot afford. The Abell Foundation put out a report, available here, on water affordability in Baltimore. There is a hearing on Thurs., Feb. 23 at 1 PM in the Ways and Means Committee. Contact Delegate Mary Washington at 410-841-3476 or Mary.Washington@house.state.md.us.

39] – It was said Exelon’s takeover of Pepco would mean District residents would pay more for electricity. Sad to say, Pepco has asked for a massive $76.766 million rate increase. The Public Service Commission will be holding several public hearings about the matter. This is an opportunity to make your voice heard and let Commissioners know we’re already sick of Exelon’s bad deal. If you would like to testify at the community hearings, you need to contact the Commission Secretary by the close of business three business days prior to the date of the hearing by calling (202) 626-5150.The first hearing will be on Thurs., Feb. 23 at 6 PM at Allen AME Church, 2498 Alabama Ave. SE, WDC 20020.

40] –Unlikely Allies: Equal Access to Education will be discussed at the Impact Hub, 419 7th St. NW, WDC, on Thurs., Feb. 23 from 6:30 to 8:30 PM.  Every child in our community deserves equal access to a quality education. In the nation’s capital, achievement gaps exist between impoverished communities and their affluent neighbors. According to researchers, the key factors that contribute to this gap include poverty, diminished teacher and school quality, unsettled neighborhoods, and personal trauma, which only strengthens as children grow older. Unlikely Allies will launch its 2017 series by convening educational leaders, artists, and activists to tackle the question of to ensure the success of all students in Washington D.C.  In addition to an amazing panel discussion, the event will feature an artistic performance and a networking session sponsored by Stella Artois. Unlikely Allies is also in partnership with OpenIDEO DC, which will facilitate a short, interactive, exercise to help panelists and attendees understand how to use design thinking methodology to solve social challenges. Register at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/unlikely-allies-equal-access-to-education-tickets-31488567152?mc_cid=cc01f168f6&mc_eid=db91677b99s

41] – Indie Lens Pop-up presents “The Bad Kids” at Busboys and Poets, 14th and V Sts., WDC, on Thurs., Feb. 23 from  6:30 to 8:30 PM.  In the Langston Room, see a screening of this film by Lou Pepe and Keith Fulton.  It is located in an impoverished Mojave Desert community. Black Rock Continuation High School is an alternative for at-risk students with little hope of graduating from a traditional high school. It's their last chance. This coming of age story shows extraordinary educators and talented students combat the crippling effects of poverty. On any day at Black Rock High, "Pomp and Circumstance" might echo in the hallway, and a new graduate will march through a column of cheering kids whose pride and camaraderie are more than palpable. A diploma here is a momentous achievement. Principal Vonda Viland runs Black Rock Continuation High like a one-room schoolhouse. She knows the names and lives of each of her students and coaches them tirelessly through every stage of their journey. She doesn’t foster false hopes or dreams of unlikely riches. Her philosophy embodies empathy and realism, and given Black Rock’s rising graduation rate, it seems to be working. Her students' lives run the gamut of tragedy: unwanted pregnancies, abuse, and homelessness, and unlike other teenagers, they view their high school education as a critical second chance. Most have been deprived of parental love and support, but the attention they receive at Black Rock motivates them to earn their diplomas and begin responsible lives. Indie Lens Pop-Up is a neighborhood series that brings people together for film screenings and community-driven conversations. Go to https://www.facebook.com/independentlens.

42] – The Baltimore County Progressive Democrats Club Meeting is happening on Thurs., Feb. 23 from 7 to 9 PM at the Towson Democratic Party Headquarters, 301 Allegheny Ave., Towson 21204. The focus of this meeting will be on supporting immigrants and refugees. Elizabeth Alex from CASA will speak at the meeting with an update on county and state legislation, and how to get involved at a grassroots level. Call 410-340-1014.  RSVP at https://go.ourrevolution.com/page/event/detail/gplrm4.

43] – Get over to this book talk THIS VAST SOUTHERN EMPIRE with Matt Karp at The Potter's House, 1658 Columbia Rd. NW, WDC, on Thurs., Feb. 23 from 7 to 9 PM. This event will celebrate the release of Matt Karp's first book, "This Vast Southern Empire: Slaveholders at the Helm of American Foreign Policy." Karp is Assistant Professor of History at Princeton University and a contributing editor at Jacobin. "This Vast Southern Empire" is his first book.

To be continued.

Donations can be sent to the Baltimore Nonviolence Center, 325 E. 25th St., Baltimore, MD 21218.  Ph: 410-323-1607; 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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