Baltimore Activist Alert - February 27 - March 2, 2017

18] Role of healthy soil – Feb. 27

19] Maryland Rising – Feb. 27

20] Weatherization Workshop – Feb. 27

21] “Winter on Fire: Ukraine’s Fight for Freedom” -- Feb. 27

22] Get Money Out of Maryland – Feb. 27

23] Prisoners’ Rights / Pretrial Reform Advocacy Day -- Feb. 28

24] Ban Fracking Rally – Feb. 28

25] Sanctuary Movement – Feb. 28

26] U.S.-Russia nukes – Feb. 28

27] Refugee ban? – Feb. 28

28] Peace vigil in Philadelphia – Feb. 28

29] Nuclear Deterrence Summit – Feb. 28 – Mar. 2

30] Vigil to say "No Drone Research at JHU" – Feb. 28

31] George Lakey will speak – Feb. 28

32] Trump & Resistance – Feb. 28

33] Sojourner Truth Lecture – Feb. 28

34] Corporate control of government – Mar. 1

35] Legal training for kids-- Mar. 1

36] Ash Wednesday at the White House – Mar. 1

37] Higher electricity rates – Mar. 1

38] LOWER ED. -- Mar. 1

39] Book talk LOWER ED. – Mar. 1

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18] – Learn about Digging Deeper: The Role of Healthy Soil in Maryland’s Agriculture, Water Quality & Climate on Mon., Feb. 27 from 8:30 AM to 5:30 PM in the Miller Senate Office Building, President’s Conference Center West, 11 Bladen Street, Annapolis. Go to https://alicefergusonfoundation.networkforgood.com/events/1470-digging-deeper.

19] – Maryland Rising is hosting a Rally in Annapolis on Mon., Feb. 27 from 4 to 8 PM. Meet at Asbury Methodist Church, 87 West St., Annapolis 21401, for a rally and then march to lobby our state legislators on issues. RSVP at https://go.ourrevolution.com/page/event/detail/gplrtl?source=em170219-md-nobus.

March right into the halls of power in the State Capitol. Advocate for a bold and powerful platform for economic and social justice in Maryland, and hold both Republicans and Democrats accountable to enact this progressive agenda. Free tuition for Maryland residents at public colleges and universities will be paid for by closing corporate tax loopholes. Pass the Trust Act so that our vulnerable communities are protected. Paid sick leave for all. Enact a permanent ban on fracking. Fight for $15/hour state minimum wage (with no pre-emption by local counties or cities). Eliminate bail for those who cannot afford it.  Your voice is needed to show the politicians the broad base of support this progressive agenda has in our state.

20] – On Mon., Feb. 27 at 6 PM come to a Weatherization Workshop at Catholic Charities Thrift Center, 1320 E. 23rd St., Wilmington, DE. Receive a free Weatherization Kit. Register by calling 302-655-9624.

21] – University of Maryland’s Beyond the Classroom, 1102 South Campus Commons, Building 1, 4250 Lehigh Road, College Park, on Mon., Feb. 27 from 7 to 9 PM, as part of the Spring 2017 Series on "People Power: Activism for Social Change," presents the award-winning documentary: “Winter on Fire: Ukraine’s Fight for Freedom” (Ukraine, 2015)  from director Evgeny Afineevsky, covers the unrest in Ukraine over 93 days in 2013 and 2014, as student demonstrations supporting European integration grew into a violent revolution calling for the resignation of President Viktor F. Yanukovich. For the documentary, Afineevsky and his crew interviewed protesters, activists, journalists, medical workers, artists and clergy representing multiple generations, social classes, nationalities and faiths, including a 12-year-old volunteer. “Winter on Fire” documents the fight of Ukrainian protesters who stood their ground in the face of bloodshed, despair and harsh conditions.  RSPV at https://www.facebook.com/events/1835418920010078/.

22] – Get Money Out of Maryland has a weekly teleconference, every Monday evening at 8:30 PM.  Call 605-475-6711, and use the Code 1136243#.  Go to http://www.getmoneyoutmd.org/.

23] -- Be at the Prisoners’ Rights / Pretrial Reform Advocacy Day on Tues., Feb. 28 from 9 AM to 2 PM.  Enjoy refreshments and Advocacy Training, an explanation of bills and Q&A, lobbying and then a debriefing.  Come to the Lowe House Office Building, 6 Bladen St., Room 406, Annapolis 21401.  Sign up at https://goo.gl/forms/sdMotvdnZ4FjLwaL2. Meet important legislators, ask for their support, and influence the future!

24] -- Come to the Ban Fracking rally on Tues., Feb. 28 at 11:30 AM in Lawyers Mall, Annapolis.  The Senate Education, Health and Environmental Affairs Committee hearing will then be at 1 PM. During this hearing, both the fracking ban bill (SB 740) and the bad moratorium bill Sen. Conway has sponsored (SB 862) will be heard. This will be a big moment for the fracking ban, and we need to have a strong showing of folks in favor of banning the practice. RSVP at https://www.facebook.com/events/1120778294714225/.

25] -- On Tues.,  Feb. 28 at noon, come to St. Matthews Roman Catholic Church, 5401 Loch Raven Blvd., Baltimore 21229 in the basement for an Interfaith Group Meeting about the Sanctuary Movement. All faiths are welcome. Visit http://www.sanctuarynotdeportation.org/

26] -- On Tues., Feb. 28 from noon to 1:30 PM, Guy Roberts, Consensus for American Security; Olga Oliker, Center for Strategic and International Studies, and Anya Loukianova Fink, RAND Corporation, will tackle "US-Russia Nuclear Policy in the Trump Era" at the American Security Project, Suite 710, West 1100 New York Ave. NW, WDC. RSVP https://www.eventbrite.com/e/us-russia-nuclear-policy-in-the-trump-era-tickets-32124433044.

27] -- The refugee ban is in blatant disregard of the First Amendment granting freedom of religion, the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment, and Due Process under both the Fourteenth and Fifth Amendment. There is legislation being considered, the Maryland Law Enforcement and Governmental Trust Act, HB 1362. This bill will prohibit a specified government agent from taking specified actions for immigration enforcement purposes; prohibiting a law enforcement official from stopping, arresting, searching, or detaining an individual for purposes of investigating a suspected immigration violation. This will require the Attorney General and stakeholders to develop and adopt new model policies when addressing these cases, combating a ban like this from the possibility of happening again. The Maryland Law Enforcement and Governmental Trust Act is scheduled to be heard on Tues., Feb. 28 at 1 PM in the House's Judiciary Committee room. Email Shelia.hixson@house.state.md.us or call (410) 841-3469.

28] – 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 Feb. 28.  Call 215-426-0364.

29] –The 2017 Nuclear Deterrence Summit will be at the Capital Hilton, 1001 16th St. NW, WDC, on Tues., Feb. 28 at 5:30 through Thurs., Mar. 2, at 5:30 PM.  This annual Summit gathers U.S. and international leaders, experts, and industry executives in the field of nuclear deterrence to discuss management of the nuclear complex, the security of the stockpile, arms control negotiations, and strategic policy. Register at http://www.exchangemonitor.com/evtx/the-annual-nuclear-deterrence-summit/.

30] – Vigil to say "No Drone Research at JHU" each Tuesday at 33rd & North Charles Sts. join this ongoing vigil on Feb. 28  from 5 to 6 PM. Call Max at 410-323-1607.

31] – On Tues., Feb. 28 at 7 PM, as part of the Pacem in Terris 50th Anniversary Speaker Series, George Lakey will speak at the Wilmington Friends Meetinghouse, 401 N. West St., Wilmington, DE. Lakey is a peace activist and the author of VIKING ECONOMICS.  He is a believer in peace and justice in our social and economic systems, and a participant in nonviolent social change. See http://delawareway.blogspot.com/2017/02/pacem-in-terris-update-100-years-of.html.

32] – CODE PINK: Trump and the Resistance Movement will be taking place at Busboys and Poets, 14th and V Sts., WDC, on Tues., Feb. 28 from 6 to 8 PM.  From rebelling in government offices to repelling from cranes outside the White House, from occupying airports to objecting in courtrooms, from standing up in Town Hall meetings to sitting down in corporate suites, the resistance is everywhere. Hear from members of the “leader-full” resistance movement. Is the movement effective? Is it sustainable? How could it be more effective? Join Busboys and Poets and CODEPINK in this evaluation and recalibration for the struggles ahead.

33] – The Sojourner Truth Lecture with Janet Mock will happen at George Mason University, Center for the Arts, 4400 University Drive, Fairfax, VA, on Tues., Feb. 28 from 7 to 9 PM.  The topic is "Redefining Black Womanhood."  The annual Sojourner Truth lecture is hosted by Women and Gender Studies and African American Studies and given by a Black woman whose exemplifies a commitment to the principles embodied by Sojourner Truth through scholarship, the arts, politics, or activism. Mock, writer of “Redefining Realness,” TV host, and trans advocate will speak on black womanhood and her experiences. She considers herself a Beyoncé scholar, but is widely known as a sought-after speaker and prominent advocate for trans women’s’ rights. Tickets are $15, and can be purchased at bit.ly/janetmock.

34] – “Captured: Corporate Infiltration of American Democracy” is a book talk at Politics and Prose, 5015 Connecticut Ave. NW, WDC, on Wed., Mar. 1 from 7 to 8 PM.  Sheldon Whitehouse, the author, represents Rhode Island in the U.S. Senate. He has served as a federal and state prosecutor, business regulator, courtroom litigator, environmental advocate, and government reformer. Boston-based writer Melanie Wachtell Stinnett is a former Director of Policy & Communications for the Tobin Project.  Visit http://www.politics-prose.com/book/9781620972076.

35] – Calling all Lawyers: Legal Training to help Kids in Need of Defense at the Gellar Law Group, 4000 Legato Rd., #1100, Fairfax, VA on Wed., Mar. 1 from noon to 2:30 PM.  Lunch will be provided.  The training and cases are facilitated by KIND (Kids in Need of Defense).  See www.supportkind.org. The training is open to all lawyers who want to volunteer to help take on pro bono cases to assist unaccompanied children arriving in the U.S. after fleeing dangerous situations or vulnerable immigrant children facing deportation. The training will prepare lawyers to take on pro bono cases to help these kids navigate legal issues involved in seeking asylum.  There is no requirement for prior experience with immigration law. The training and cases are available to lawyers who are licensed and can take cases in Northern Virginia, D.C. or Maryland. Email Office@thegellerlawgroup.com.

36] – On Ash Wednesday, Mar.1 from noon to 1 PM at the White House (north side on Pennsylvania Ave.), join a prayer service of repentance hosted by Dorothy Day Catholic Worker. "The kingdom of God is at hand. Repent and believe in the Gospel." (Mk.1:15). Contract Art @ artlaffin@hotmail.com or at 202-360-6416. 

37] – 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 second hearing will be on Wed., Mar. 1 at 6 PM at Providence Hospital, Ross Auditorium, 1150 Varnum Street, NE, WDC 20017.

38] –  Join the Economic Policy Institute, 1225 Eye St. NW, Sixth Floor, WDC 20005, for a discussion of for-profit colleges and parental incarceration on Wed., Mar. 1 at 1 PM with Tressie McMillan Cottom as she presents her first book, LOWER ED: The Troubling Rise of For-Profit Colleges in the New Economy. As a former recruiter at two for-profit colleges—she expertly parses the fraught dynamics of this big-money industry to show precisely how it is part and parcel of the growing inequality plaguing the country today. RSVP at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/lower-ed-the-troubling-rise-of-for-profit-colleges-in-the-new-economy-tickets-31931652432?mc_cid=1db644f1c7&mc_eid=e80ca75913.

39] – On Wed., Mar. 1 at 7:30 PM at Red Emma's Bookstore Coffeehouse, 30 W. North Ave., Baltimore 21201, catch radical scholar Tressie McMillan Cottom will present her new book on the political economy of for-profit education in 21st century America! A former insider discloses the story behind for-profit schools to explain the exorbitant price tags, the questionable credentials, and the lose-lose options for Americans seeking a better life. For nearly three centuries, American institutions of higher education have had missions driven not by money but by training, educating, or cultivating minds. Today more than two million students are enrolled in for-profit colleges such as ITT Technical Institute, the University of Phoenix, and others. While such schools have existed almost as long as their bucolic not-for-profit counterparts, little is known about why for-profits have expanded so quickly over the last decade and even less about how the power and influence of this big-money industry impact individual lives. LOWER ED, the first book to link the rapid growth of for-profit degrees to America’s increasing inequality, reveals the story of an industry that exploits the pain, desperation, and aspirations of people in vulnerable circumstances and exposes the conditions that allow for-profit education to thrive. She draws on her personal experience as a former admissions counselor at two for-profit colleges and over one hundred interviews with students, senior executives, and activists to detail how these schools have become so successful and to decipher the benefits, pitfalls, and real costs of a for-profit education. Call 443-602-7585.  RSVP at http://www.redemmas.org.

To be continued.

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