Baltimore Activist Alert - June 28 - 29, 2017

15] STARVIN' FOR JUSTICE FAST AND VIGIL – June 28

16] Tell Ben Carson No Housing Budget Cuts – June 28

17] Interfaith Health Care Vigil - June 28 - 29

18] All Out for Trans Women – June 28

19] Rally for Transit Justice – June 28

20] Protest Trump – June 28

21] Malcolm X Talk – June 28

22] Democrats meet – June 28

23] Concert at Emmanuel Episcopal Church – June 28

24] Fair Elections – June 29

25] Civilian Review Board Meeting – June 29

26] Green Party meeting – June 29

27] Climate Change and the Refugee Crisis – June 29

28] Havana Lyceum Orchestra - June 29

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15] -- THE ANNUAL STARVIN' FOR JUSTICEFAST AND VIGIL is taking place starting Thurs., June 29 through Sun., July 2.  On Wed., June 28 at 9 AM, twelve anti-death penalty activists will go on trial in Superior Court in D.C. , 500 Indiana Ave. NW (Judiciary Square). These members of the Abolitionist Action Committee will put capital punishment on trial as their defense for asking the U.S. Supreme Court to STOP EXECUTIONS!  It is likely the trial will take place in Courtroom 210 before Judge Robert Salerno. THE LAST SUPPER, a dinner following the June 28th Trial, will take place from 8:30 to 11:30 PM at the Lutheran Church of the Reformation.  You can also fast in solidarity from your home community. Send a note to aac@abolition.org.  Visit www.facebook.com/fastandvigil. 

16] – On Wed., June 28 from 2:45 to 3:45 PM, tell Ben Carson No Housing Budget Cuts!  He will be at Henderson-Hopkins, 2100 Ashland Ave., Baltimore 21205. Let's welcome Ben Carson home to Baltimore and let him know that we refuse to stand by the proposed housing-related budget cuts that will create more homelessness here in Baltimore & nationwide. Go to https://www.facebook.com/events/103573576940967/?acontext=%7B%22ref%22%3A%2229%22%2C%22ref_notif_type%22%3A%22plan_user_invited%22%2C%22action_history%22%3A%22null%22%7D&notif_t=plan_user_invited&notif_id=1498495630091255.

17] – Join an Interfaith Health Care Vigil from Wed., June 28 through Thurs., June 29. Friends and Friends Committee on National Legislation are taking action to save Medicaid. This will be a 24 hour prayerful vigil on the Capitol Lawn. It is happening on Wednesday at 4 PM through 3 PM on Thursday on the Capitol Lawn Area 9 (across from the United Methodist Building).  RSVP at https://www.fcnl.org/updates/interfaith-health-care-vigil-901. Contact Christine Ashley at cashley@fcnl.org or text 515-864-9747.

18] – All Out for Trans Women: FIGHT BACK in Freedom Plaza, WDC, on Wed., June 28 from 6:30 to 11 PM. Join No Justice No Pride to commemorate the 48th anniversary of the Stonewall Riots with a rally and march. Show up for Trans women. Meet at the Wilson Building at 6:30 PM. Bring signs and your beautiful selves.  There is concern about the ongoing marginalization of transgender individuals, particularly transgender women of color, in the District of Columbia. In light of recent physical attacks on trans women of color by members of the Metropolitan Police Department, ask Mayor Bowser, Chief of Police Newsham and Attorney General Racine to immediately commit to the following demands to support our communities: The City immediately reviews compliance of administrative and front line staff in all city District of Columbia government agencies with the District’s “Gender Identity or Expression” legal protections for transgender and gender nonconforming individuals, and ensure that all staff are adequately trained to adhere to these standards.  There are more demands.  SIGN THE PETITION: https://actionnetwork.org/petitions/mpd-stop-jump-out-attacks-on-trans-women-of-color-and-support-alternatives-to-incarceration?source=direct_link&. 

19] – Rally for Transit Justice at the Columbia Heights Station, WDC, on Thurs., June 29 from 5:30 to 7 PM.  Stand together with transit riders, workers, and community allies as they fight for a better public transit system and Say NO to paying more for less transit service.  WMATA doesn’t put riders first.  This year WMATA has passed Fare Hikes and Service Cuts. There are solutions to SAVE THIS SYSTEM. 

20] – On Wed., June 28 from 6 to 8 PM, Protest the Trump Re-Election Fundraiser at the Trump Hotel, hosted by Resist Here and others. The Trump International Hotel Washington, D.C., is at 1100 Pennsylvania Ave. NW, WDC 20004.  Donald Trump is once again shamelessly using his position as President to line his pockets, this time by hosting a fundraiser for his own re-election at the Trump International Hotel in DC. Trump and his supporters already have their sights set on another four years of racist, sexist, and xenophobic policies. Let's send a message loud and clear- we resist and reject the disastrous agenda of Trump and his allies in Congress. Home-made signs encouraged! Go to http://resisthere.org/.

21] – On Wed., June 28 from 6 to 9 PM, hear a talk Malcolm X Talks: The Dangers of Black Suffering as Spectacle, hosted by Leaders of a Beautiful Struggle at The Real News Network, 231 Holliday St., Baltimore 21202. The Director of Public Policy, Dayvon Love, will lead a conversation centering on the Politics of Representation of Black Suffering. This discussion will chiefly explore the impact that those representations have on the effectiveness of Social Movements. This topic is also explored in “The Black Book: Reflections From the Baltimore Grassroots” written by Dayvon Love and Lawrence Grandpre on their reflections on Grassroots Activism in Baltimore. The book can be purchased athttp://www.lulu.com/shop/http://www.lulu.com/shop/dayvon-love-and-lawrence-grandpre/the-black-book-reflections-from-the-baltimore-grassroots/paperback/product-22313427.html.

22] –  The DNC and DMV grassroots groups meeting is on Wed., June 28 from 6:30 to 9 PM at the Woman's National Democratic Club, 1526 New Hampshire Ave. NW, WDC 20036. Go to https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSc_dfH24SoLemWoko1Hstaz7ivW3KcnZwgVJsCcT24QcH_zBQ/viewform?c=0&w=1.

23] – Come to the Emmanuel Episcopal Church, 811 Cathedral St., Baltimore 21201 on Wed., June 28 at 7:30 PM for a Classical Movements Serenade! Hear from Le Cantanti di Chicago (USA); Insingizi (Zimbabwe), and the Madras Youth Choir (India). The D.C. Choral Festival is an international choir celebration that offers an unforgettable, life-changing experience for singers and audiences alike. Presented free to the public, since its inception, Serenade! has showcased more than 50 choirs from some 25 countries to enthusiastic audiences at prestigious venues throughout the Washington metropolitan area. https://www.eventbrite.com/e/serenade-a-jfk-100-celebration-at-emmanuel-episcopal-in-baltimore-md-tickets-33713465884?aff=erelpanelorg.

The 7th annual Serenade! Festival, from Tues., June 27 through Tues., July 4, promises to be a very special edition, as it is co-presented with the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, in celebration of President Kennedy’s centennial and one of his longstanding initiatives, the Peace Corps.  For eight days and nights, select youth and adult choirs hailing from countries that have benefited from Peace Corps volunteers will perform collaborative concerts and exchange cultures through shared workshops and side-by-side rehearsals with select American choirs, all while participating in community outreach projects all across the region. 

24] –On Thurs., June 29 from 9 AM to 2 PM, come to the D.C. Fair Elections Hearing at the John A. Wilson Building, 1350 Pennsylvania Ave. NW, WDC 20004.  This is a crucial – and very exciting – time for the DC Fair Elections campaign, and for all who want to tip the balance of power back towards everyday District residents. The DC Council’s Judiciary Committee will be holding a hearing on the small donor empowerment bill, so people need to pack the house to demonstrate how much public support there truly is for making this city’s elections more egalitarian.  Wear blue to show solidarity, and arrive 15 minutes early to mingle, grab a seat and adorn yourself in some rad DC Fair Elections stickers.  If you'd like to testify at the hearing, go to https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1GcCNzmw2PPA7QGsjgYN0LjDB8tcl8nH0oILYusSJKh0/viewform?edit_requested=true. See dcfairelections.org.

25] –On Thurs., June 29 from 6 to 9 PM, the Civilian Review Board (CRB) Meeting will be hosted by Baltimore City Office of Civil Rights and Wage Enforcement at 7 East Redwood Street Bldg., Baltimore 21202.  The "newly constituted" Civilian Review Board (CRB) of Baltimore City (the only independent agency authorized to investigate the City's police force for complaints from the public that allege the use of excessive force, abusive language, harassment, false arrest, and false imprisonment) will hold its first meeting.  Call 410-396-3151.

26] –The Baltimore County Green Party is hosting a Dundalk Outreach and Educational Event  on Thurs., June 29 from 6:30 to 8:30 PM at the North Point Branch Library, 1716 Merritt Blvd., Dundalk 21222.  Come meet the Green Party and learn about the important issues: Fight for $15, Healthcare For All, Immigration, and Black Lives Matter.

27] – On Thurs., June 29 from 7 to 8:30 PM, Chesapeake Climate Action Network [CCAN] presents Climate Change and the Refugee Crisis at the Silver Spring Library, 900 Wayne Ave., Silver Spring 20910. Join CCAN's very own communications director, Denise Robbins, for a reception and discussion about her new book,”Rising Tides: Climate Refugees in the 21st Century.”  The book sounds an urgent wakeup call to the growing crisis of climate refugees, and offers an essential, continent-by-continent look at these dangers. The crisis is everywhere, and it is imminent. Detailing a number of solutions, co-authors John R. Wennersten and Denise Robbins argue that no nation can tackle this universal problem alone. The crisis of climate refugees requires global, concerted solutions beyond the strategic, fiscal, and legal capability of a single country or agency. The book will be made available for purchase and signing at the event with cash or check. The book is also available for purchase online at http://www.iupress.indiana.edu/product_info.php?products_id=808356.

28] – Simone Dinnerstein is organizing a tour for the Havana Lyceum Orchestra.  The orchestra will perform in College Park on Wed., June 28 at 8 PM with a pre-concert event at 7 PM in the Spark Lounge. At the pre-concert event it says: Musicians from Havana will tell stories about being new visitors to the U.S. and what it's like to study music in Cuba. Hosted by The Clarice's engagement manager Jane Hirshberg. The pre-concert event is free. It looks like the tickets are $27 plus a $2 service charge for just the concert.  Or, you can get a next Level subscription for 6 concerts for $150 at the Clarice Center. See https://www.mozartinhavana.com/ and http://theclarice.umd.edu/events/2016/simone-dinnerstein-and-the-havana-lyceum-orchestra.

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