Baltimore Activist Alert - April 17 - 18, 2017

11] Get over to the BLM DC Open House – Apr. 17

12] Conversation about immigration – Apr. 17

13] Documentary “Not Without Us!” – Apr. 17

14] Support Sanctuary – Apr. 17

15] Sierra Club Benefit -- Apr. 17

16] “Rethinking Crime and Punishment in Black America” – Apr. 17

17] Get Money Out of Maryland conference call – Apr. 17

18] Book talk “The Populist Explosion” -- Apr. 18

19] Meet with Rep. Sarbanes’ staff – Apr. 18

20] Granny Peace Brigade’s Tax Day Demonstration -- Apr. 18

21] UNDERSTANDING THE ESSENCE OF ISLAM -- Apr. 18

22] Philly peace vigil - Apr. 18

23] Stop JHU’s drone research -- Apr. 18

24] Divest from Wells Fargo --- Apr. 18

25] Writers LIVE: Deepa Iyer – Apr. 18

26] Gays Against Guns – Apr. 18

27] Sign Making at Roscoe's Neapolitan Pizzeria – Apr. 18

28] Obliterated Families – Apr. 18

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11] – Get over to the BLM DC Open House at the Covenant Baptist United Church of Christ, 3845 S. Capitol St. SW, WDC, on Tues., Apr. 18 from 6 to 9 PM.  Come out to learn about BLM's work and how to get involved! BLM has made its BIG shift from being a small collective to expanding and working to help foster the growth of a BLM ecosystem of organizers, activists, artists, advocates, healers and community members. Every month, at the Open House, there will be popular education about movement ecology, ways for you to plug into BLM's emerging ecosystem as well as other movement groups. There will also be spaces for eating and connecting with people trying to get projects off the ground. Food and childcare will be provided.  Go to https://www.facebook.com/events/411556325885056/.

12] – Ali Noorani: There Goes the Neighborhood will happen at Busboys and Poets, 14th and V Sts., WDC, on Mon., Apr. 17 from 6:30 to 7:30 PM.  A frequent media commentator on immigration issues, Noorani is executive director of the National Immigration Forum, an advocacy organization promoting the value of immigrants and immigration. Focusing on communities and only indirectly on policy, Noorani draws on interviews with nearly fifty local and national leaders from throughout the nation to illustrate how immigration is influencing, enriching, and challenging what it means to be an American. Gathering perspectives from law enforcers, pastors, teachers, and entrepreneurs, Noorani documents a wide range of responses to immigrants, but finds overall a growing openness to and appreciation of diversity.

Noorani will be in conversation with Dreamer and immigrant rights leader Lorella Praeli, who served as the Latino Outreach Director for Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign. This event is supported by the National Immigration Forum and the Center for Community Change. Check out http://bit.ly/2neEMjl or https://www.facebook.com/events/440398199645246/.

13] – University of Maryland’s Beyond the Classroom, 1102 South Campus Commons, Building 1, 4250 Lehigh Road, College Park, on Mon., Apr. 17 from 7 to 9 PM, as part of the Spring 2017 Series on "People Power: Activism for Social Change," presents a documentary “Not Without Us!” (Global, 2016).  It follows seven multi-generational, grassroots activists from around the world as they head to Paris for the 21st session of United Nations Climate Change Conference, also known as the COP 21. Building on the momentum of the People’s Climate March in New York in 2014, the Paris mobilizations in December 2015 were slated to be civil societies’ largest show of force yet.

Activists, especially those on the frontline, wanted world leaders to feel the pressure. After two decades of failed climate negotiations - from Kyoto to Copenhagen to Cancún - the agreement to confront catastrophic climate change needed to be comprehensive, legally binding, and fair. Tragically, two weeks before COP 21, coordinated terrorist attacks threw Paris into a state of emergency. Security trumped liberty, clamping down on all activist gatherings. The COP21, however, went forward as planned. The Paris Accords were indeed signed by all 196 nations, and touted by mainstream media as a historic success. RSVP at http://www.beyondtheclassroom.umd.edu/.

14] – Support Sanctuary in Rockville, 111 Maryland Ave., Rockville, on Mon., Apr. 17 from 7 to 10 PM, hosted by API Resistance.  Come to the Rockville Mayor and Council meeting to share why you support Ordinance 11-3 "Fostering Community Trust" (Sanctuary city).  Wear blue to show your support! You can also bring signs that are up to 8.5 x 11.  To sign up to speak, call the city Clerk's Office at 240-314-8280 by 4 PM on Mon., Apr. 17. Written testimony can be e-mailed to cityclerk@rockvillemd.gov or mailed to City Clerk’s Office, 111 Maryland Ave., Rockville, MD 20850.

15] –  Eco-Medy Show Benefiting the DC Chapter of the Sierra Club  will be at Shenanigan's Irish Pub DC, 2450 18th St. NW, WDC, on Mon., Apr. 17 from 8 to 10 PM, hosted by Sierra Club DC Chapter. Broken Mic Comedy is hosting this fundraiser for the DC Chapter.  The suggested donation is $10.  Go to https://www.facebook.com/events/396952307342033/.

16] – On Mon., Apr. 17 from 7 to 8:20 PM, James Forman will address “Rethinking Crime and Punishment in Black America” at the Open Society Institute-Baltimore, 201 N Charles St., Ste. 1300, Baltimore 21201.  Get tickets at www.eventbrite.com.  His book is LOCKING UP OUR OWN: CRIME AND PUNISHMENT IN BLACK AMERICA. Visit https://www.facebook.com/events/269103233547878/?active_tab=about.

17] – 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/.

18] – On Tues., Apr. 18 at 11 AM, the Economic Policy Institute will host John Judis as he presents his new book, “The Populist Explosion: How the Great Recession Transformed American and European Politics.” In the book, Judis examines the history of the populist movement and how it relates to today’s global political actions including the sentiments that gave rise to Brexit and the candidacy of Donald Trump. Populism, on the right and the left, champions the people against an establishment, based on issues—globalization, free trade, immigration—on which there has been a strong elite consensus, but also an even stronger mass discontent. The political system is only just beginning what will be a long-running and highly consequential readjustment.

Joining Judis in discussing the history of populist movement and its effects on global politics and beyond are Jeff Faux of the Economic Policy Institute and Gabrielle Gurley of The American Prospect. This event will take place at the Economic Policy Institute, 1225 Eye St. NW, Sixth Floor, WDC 20005.  Lunch will be provided.      RSVP at http://www.epi.org/event/the-populist-explosion/.

19] – The first Resistance Recess in February was a huge success, and constituent activity has been widely credited with building the power to stop Trump and Ryan from taking away our health care. As Trump remains under investigation and as Congress continues to push Trump's unconstitutional and dangerous agenda, we must make sure that no one allows the passing of time to normalize this president and his harmful policies. There is another Resistance Recess, from April 8 to the 23, when members of Congress are back home for two weeks for their "spring break."  Attend their town hall meetings, organize “constituent town halls” and invite members of Congress if they fail to plan their own, and show up everywhere else they do, so that they understand our message of resistance.

  Meet with Rep. Sarbanes’ staff on Tues., Apr. 18 at 11 AM at the Arundel Center, Annapolis, MD 21401.  Democrats and others need to stand up and stop the normalization of Trump and his disastrous agenda. Come have your voice heard about concerns you have in your community.  RSVP at https://www.resistancerecess.com/event/resistance-aprilrecess/10593/signup/?akid=180961.8595732.RPXlUc&zip=&source=.

20] –Brandywine Peace Community Supports Granny Peace Brigade’s Tax Day Demonstration on Tues., Apr. 18 from 11:30 AM to 1:30 PM at
Broad and Sansom Sts., Philadelphia (Post Office). Go to www.grannypeacebrigadephiladelphia.org/upcoming-events.html.

21] –UNDERSTANDING THE ESSENCE OF ISLAM will be discussed on Tues., Apr. 18 from 1 to 3:30 PM at Church of Scientology, National Affairs Office, 1701 20th St. NW, WDC 20009.  Islam remains a myth to many people who are not Muslims, not because it is complicated, but simply because its purpose and its role in society were rarely explained. You'll learn how Islam is a part of the family of faiths and contributes to the well being of humanity.  The dots will be connected to bring a clear picture for you.  It is one of the 13 workshops on 13 different religions.  There is limited seating, so RSVP at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/islam-understanding-the-essence-of-islam-tickets-33377341527.  Check out http://centerforpluralism.com/understanding-the-essence-of-islam/.

22] –  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. 18.  Call 215-426-0364.

23] – Vigil to say "No Drone Research at JHU" each Tuesday at 33rd & North Charles Sts. join this ongoing vigil on Apr. 18  from 5:30  to 6:30 PM. Call Max at 410-323-1607. 15] –

24] – There is a DCReInvest Mass Meeting: Divest from Wells Fargo at the Southwest Library, 900 Wesley Place SW, WDC, on Tues., Apr. 18 from 6:30 to 8 PM.  In March, six of 13 D.C. City Councilmembers co-sponsored a resolution to DIVEST the District from Wells Fargo over its unjust banking practices. Join members of the DC ReInvest Coalition for a MASS MEETING to plug into the campaign to demand D.C. cut ties with banks that support dirty pipelines, private prisons, and racist, predatory lending practices!  As a direct investor in dirty pipelines such as #DakotaAccess and #KeystoneXL, Wells Fargo is responsible for sponsoring violations of Indigenous sovereignty and human rights. The bank’s support of the private prison industry — many of which are used as ICE detention centers — and racist, illegal lending practices are all the more reason for D.C. to cut ties with Wells Fargo. In fact, the U.S. government recently gave Wells Fargo a FAILING grade for its “pervasive pattern and practice of discriminatory and illegal credit practices across multiple lines of business within the bank.” Go to https://www.facebook.com/events/1766386867008587/.

25] -- Writers LIVE: Deepa Iyer will talk at the Maryland State Library for the Blind and Physically Handicapped, 415 Park Ave., Baltimore, on Tues., Apr. 18 at 6:30 PM.  During the Presidential campaign, Donald Trump called for a complete ban on Muslims entering the U.S., surveillance of mosques, and a database for all Muslims living in the country. In “We Too Sing America: South Asian, Arab, Muslim, and Sikh Immigrants Shape Our Multiracial Future,” nationally renowned activist Deepa Iyer shows that this is the latest in a series of recent racial flash points, from the 2012 massacre at the Sikh gurdwara in Oak Creek, Wisconsin, to the violent opposition to the Islamic Center in Murfreesboro, Tennessee, and to the Park 51 Community Center in Lower Manhattan. Iyer asks whether hate crimes should be considered domestic terrorism and explores the role of the state in perpetuating racism through detentions, national registration programs, police profiling, and constant surveillance. A leading racial justice activist, Deepa Iyer served for a decade as the executive director of South Asian Americans Leading Together (SAALT), focusing on community building in post-9/11 America. She teaches in the Asian American studies program at the University of Maryland. Book sales will be provided by the Ivy Bookshop. Call 410-230-2424.

26] -- Gays Against Guns (GAG) DC will meet at 2480 16th St. NW, WDC, on Tues., Apr. 18 from 7 to 9 PM. Planning now through mid-2017, GAG will continue to map out a calendar of GAGish responses and actions in light of the ongoing horrors. Please join, as this group needs your beautiful voices NOW more than ever (and we've seen some scary things, people). So come work to construct a direct, positive, meaningful and strategic way forward. Connect at https://www.facebook.com/events/1895069837436313/.

27] –  Join the Sign Making at Roscoe's Neapolitan Pizzeria, 7040 Carroll Ave., Takoma Park, on Tues., Apr. 18 from 7 to 9 PM, hosted by Takoma Park Mobilization.  Get ready for the Science and Climate Marches! Takoma Park Mobilization invites to come socialize, eat, drink, support a local business, make your Metro meet-up plans, and MAKE THOSE SIGNS! Some sign-making materials will be provided, but please bring your own if you can: poster board, markers and paint.  Connect at https://www.facebook.com/events/1307138389380179/.

28] –  OBLITERATED FAMILIES: Bringing the audience closer to the reality of life in Gaza is happening at St. Mark's Capitol Hill, 301 A St. SE., WDC, on Tues., Apr. 18 from 7 to 9 PM, hosted by Jewish Voice for Peace.  Obliterated Families is an extremely compelling, award-winning multimedia web documentary that draws attention to the families from Gaza whose lives were shattered during the Israeli offensive in 2014. Blending together striking images, in-depth text, infographics, animations and short videos, the project is designed to bring the audience closer to the reality of life for Palestinians from the Gaza Strip. Email info@jvpdc.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