Sunday, February 4, 2018

Baltimore Activist Alert February 4 through 6, 2018


"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 mobuszewski2001 [at] comcast.net.

1] Books, buttons and stickers
2] Web site for info on federal legislation
3] Join Nonviolent Resistance lists  
4] Two friends are looking to buy a house in Baltimore
5] Chile Bowl Sunday – Feb. 4
6] “Well-Being for the 21st Century” -- Feb. 4
7] Help the Homeless – Feb. 4
8] “In Pakistan Under Siege” – Feb. 4
9] Protest at the Pentagon – Feb. 5
10] Divest from the War Machine Week of Action -- Feb. 5 -- 11
11] Human Lives are Not for Sale – Feb. 5
12] Kickoff for Black Lives Matter Week of Action -- Feb. 5
13] Meeting for the Poor People's Campaign – Feb. 5
14] “A More Beautiful and Terrible History” – Feb. 5
15] Bullets into Bells -- Feb. 5
16] Stop overuse of solitary -- Feb. 6
17] Foam-Free Baltimore City Hall Rally and Hearing -- Feb. 6
18] Peace Vigil – Feb. 6
19] No more Drone Research at JHU – Feb. 6
20] Candidates Forum – Feb. 6
21] African American and Latinx History of the United States – Feb. 6
22] Baltimore Water Affordability Volunteer Meeting – Feb. 6
23] Gerrymandering in Virginia – Feb. 6
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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 6address 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] – Janice and Max are looking to buy a house in Baltimore.  Let Max know if you have any leads—410-323-1607 or mobuszewski 2001 at comcast dot net. 

5] – On Sun., Feb. 4 from 10 AM to 2 PM, get involved with Chili Bowl Sunday: A Day To Feed & Clothe Our Homeless Neighbors, hosted by Souls In Harmony at 106 W. Clay St., Baltimore 21201.  The Pots of Chili, respecting diversity, contain no pork meat, no MSG, no nuts, no additives. Muslimat Al-Nisaa Shelter’s annual ‘Chili Bowl Sunday’ event  mean hot bowls of chili to the homeless and the passing out cold weather clothing and toiletries to those that need it. Sign up to bring a pot of chili or as a volunteer to serve. If you are unable to be present, please donate to this event and continue to help those in our community who are homeless. Contact Ammar Hanif, Associate Director, Inge Benevolent Ministries, at 443-621-5554.

6] – 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 Sun., Feb. 4, the Sunday Platform is “Well-Being for the 21st Century – A Crisis for Our Times.”  In this discussion, explore why holistic well-being for human beings is such a critical issue for our times. Human beings in the US are suffering regardless of socioeconomic level and background. Happiness, contentment, and joy seem illusive. People have trouble dealing with the reality of their lives. Humans need a sense of purpose and require wellbeing on multiple levels: physical, psychological, mental, emotional and spiritual.

Judy Tso who worked in consulting, change, diversity and inclusion and leadership development. She is developing a new approach to well-being given the crisis of our times. She is a practitioner in the Shambhala tradition of Tibetan Buddhism and is also a certified coach and master facilitator. She holds degrees in both business and anthropology.  Call 410-581-2322 or email ask@bmorethical.org.

7] – On Sun., Feb. 4 from 1 to 2 PM, get together Homeless Hygiene Packs & Lunch Bags, hosted by Sunday Dinner at St. Vincent de Paul Church, 120 N. Front St., Baltimore 21202.  Needed items are listed here https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1ZYNwzBk46ol1YkpQ-xAfogDnmk4Zb-zwvmOD9zxZQZw/edit?usp=sharing.

8] – On Sun., Feb. 4 from 6 to 7:30 PM, hear from the Brookings Institution’s Madiha Afzal, hosted by Busboys and Poets, 5th & K Sts., 1025 5th St. NW, WDC 20001. Afzal is a nonresident fellow at the Brookings Institution. She is also an adjunct assistant professor of global policy at Johns Hopkins SAIS and was previously an assistant professor of public policy at the University of Maryland. She writes regularly for Pakistani and international publications and has been a consultant for the World Bank and DFID.  For her writing on education in Pakistan, she was named to Lo Spazio della Politica’s list of Top 100 Global Thinkers in 2013.

In recent years, Pakistan has been defined exclusively in terms of its struggle with terror. Breaking away from this one-dimensional approach, Afzal uses survey data, interviews, historical reporting and her own intuitive understanding of the country to present a complete picture of Pakistan’s relationship with extremism. “In Pakistan Under Siege,” Afzal lays out Pakistanis’ views on terrorist groups, jihad, non-Muslims, America, and their place in the world. She examines the rhetoric and actions of the military, civilian governments, and Islamist parties and how regressive laws instituted in the 1980s shaped citizens’ attitudes and led to mob violence. Finally, she explains the impact the educational regime has had on Pakistanis’ attitudes about terrorism and the rest of the world, offering suggestions on how Pakistan can change course. Visit https://www.facebook.com/events/144080639569519/.

9] – 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 Feb. 5, 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.

10] – Sign up the Divest from the War Machine Week of Action: Mon., Feb. 5 through Feb. 11.  The Divest from the War Machine Week of Action will be a collage: a variety of actions around the country to shine a light on the many different ways the War Machine interacts with our institutions and daily lives, and how we can take action to throw a wrench in the war machine! Groups will host their own creative actions to highlight the pervasiveness of war and militarism in every aspect of our society, and show that we ALL have the power to divest from the war machine.  

Do something to educate people. Do something to expose how deeply embedded war and militarism is in our culture and in our institutions. Do something to call out those who are making a killing from killing. The options are endless! See an expanded list of suggested actions below. Sign up here! http://www.codepink.org/woa_signup. Email divest@codepink.org for support and to add your event to the Week of Action!

11] – On Mon., Feb. 5 from 2 to 4 PM, participate in Human Lives are Not for Sale - DC Against Deportation, hosted by Protest the Deportations at 1875 Connecticut Ave. NW. Israel and Rwanda have reportedly reached a secret agreement to deport thousands of Sudanese and Eritrean refugees from Israel to Rwanda. Gather outside the Embassy of Rwanda in Washington D.C. to protest Rwanda’s role in Israel’s mistreatment of African refugees and to say out loud that human lives aren’t for sale!  The Israeli government is planning to forcefully deport to Rwanda over 37,000 asylum seekers from Eritrea and Sudan who seek shelter in Israel. Israel and Rwanda have reportedly signed a secret accord, in which Israel would pay the Rwandan government $5,000 for every deported refugee.

Previous asylum seekers deported ‘voluntarily’ to Rwanda faced severe exploitation, human trafficking, secondary deportation to their country of origin, and death. The Israeli government refuses to assess and recognize asylum requests of refugees from Eritrea and Sudan: while in Europe over 86% of asylum requests by Eritrean nationals are accepted, Israel has only recognized 0.5% of the Eritreans who made their perilous way to the country. The latest plan to deport all asylum seekers would violate their inalienable rights and lead to a humanitarian catastrophe. Go to https://www.facebook.com/events/407532899676701/.

12] – On Mon., Feb. 5 from 4 to 5:30 PM, be part of the Kickoff for Black Lives Matter Week of Action in Schools, hosted by Baltimore Movement of Rank and File Educators at Western High School, 4600 Falls Rd., Baltimore 21209.  Attend BCPS's Curriculum Audit Engagement meeting and demand mandatory Black History and Ethnic Studies Curriculum in Baltimore City Public Schools!  Help officially announce the start of Black Lives Matter Week of Action in School and read the National and Local Demands.  Wear your Black Lives Matter At School T-Shirts and take a solidarity photo with everyone in their gear!  Go to https://www.facebook.com/events/1640154776068196/?ti=cl.

13] – There is a coordinating meeting for the upcoming Poor People's Campaign that will hopefully bring many to our area who will be demanding social, racial and economic justice.  There is much that we as locals can provide in way of assistance, artists, seasoned activists, etc. There will be a mass general meeting at All Souls Church, 1500 Harvard St. NW, WDC 20009 on Mon., Feb 5 at 6 PM.  Go to https://www.facebook.com/events/1994341734169352/.

14] -- On Mon., Feb. 5 from 7 to 8 PM, Jeanne Theoharis will discuss “A More Beautiful and Terrible History,” hosted by Politics and Prose Bookstore, 5015 Connecticut Ave. NW, WDC 20008. In her award-winning “The Rebellious Life of Mrs. Rosa Parks,” Theoharis revealed a gap between the popular image of Rosa Parks and the more complicated reality of her life and achievements. In her new book, Theoharis, Distinguished Professor of Political Science at Brooklyn College of City University of New York, takes a similar approach to the civil rights movement itself, arguing that the movement has been diminished and simplified by being relegated to the status of a myth. Theoharis looks closely at eight key points, in each case finding that the legend has missed the breadth of the movement’s vision, the extent of the work it required, the diversity of the people engaged in the struggle, and the immense and persistent obstacles they faced.

15] – On Mon., Feb. 5 at 7 PM, checkout “Bullets into Bells: Poets & Citizens Respond to Gun Violence,” hosted by Moms Demand Action – DC at Sixth & I, 600 I St. NW, WDC 20001.  Go to www.sixthandi.org or https://www.sixthandi.org/event/bullets-bells-poets-citizens-respond-gun-violence/. The anthology is a powerful call to end gun violence, with a forward by former Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords and an introduction from Colum McCann. The anthology is comprised of poems by celebrated poets including Billy Collins, Patricia Smith, Natalie Diaz, Ocean Vuong, Mark Doty, Rita Dove, Yusef Komunyakaa, and others. Each poem is followed by a response from a gun violence prevention activist, political figure, survivor, or concerned individual. Response authors include Nobel Peace Prize laureate Jody Williams, survivors of the Columbine, Sandy Hook, Charleston Emmanuel AME, and Virginia Tech shootings, Samaria Rice, mother of Tamir Rice, Lucy McBath, mother of Jordan Davis; and others.  The anthology's editors and contributors, as well as those working to prevent gun violence in D.C., will share readings and reflections, followed by a panel conversation with Senator Chris Murphy. A book signing will follow. 

16] – The Interfaith Action for Human Rights is holding its Advocacy Day on Tues., Feb. 6 from 9 AM to 2 PM at the House of Delegates Office Building, 6 Bladen St., Annapolis 21401, Room 142.  IAHR is issuing a call to volunteers to come to Annapolis to advocate for its solitary bill. The bill puts significant limits on how long any prisoner can be placed in segregation.  Learn more about the abuse of Solitary Confinement in Maryland and IAHR's bill and meet with legislators and their staff. Register at http://www.interfaithactionhr.org/2018_advocacy_day_in_annapolis_interfaith_action_for_human_rights.

17] – On Tues., Feb. 6 from 9 AM to noon, come to the Foam-Free Baltimore City Hall Rally and Hearing, hosted by Baltimore Beyond Plastic at the Baltimore City Hall, 100 Holliday St., Suite 101, Baltimore 21202.  The City Council Judiciary and Legislative Investigations committee will hold a hearing on the proposed city-wide ban on expanded polystyrene food service packaging. Help eliminate this significant pollution source and move toward cleaner and healthier alternatives! Go to https://www.facebook.com/events/2038022346442765/.  

18] –  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. 6.  Call 215-426-0364.

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

20] – On Tues., Feb. 6 from 6 to 9 PM, check out the D.C. Council At-Large & Council Chair Candidate Forum, hosted by 350 DC at the Woman's National Democratic Club, 1526 New Hampshire Ave. NW, WDC 20036.  At-large Council Candidates confirmed to attend are Councilmember Anita Bonds, Marcus Goodwin, Aaron Holmes, and Jeremiah Lowery. Council Chair candidates confirmed to attend are Ed Lazere and Chair Phil Mendelson.  Email zweinstein@workingfamilies.org with your concerns or needs.   RSVP on Eventbrite:https://www.eventbrite.com/e/dc-council-at-large-candidate-forum-tickets-42509828040.  See https://www.facebook.com/events/2034549343424729/?notif_t=event_calendar_create&notif_id=1517607824600269.

21] – On Tues., Feb. 6 from 6:30 to 8 PM hear from Paul Ortiz with Busboys and Poets Tacoma Park, 235 Carroll St. NW, WDC 20012.  Ortiz will discuss his new book, "An African American and Latinx History of the United States" (Beacon Press).  An intersectional history of the shared struggle for African American and Latinx civil rights and spanning more than two hundred years, the book is a revolutionary, politically charged narrative history arguing that the “Global South” was crucial to the development of America as we know it. Ortiz challenges the notion of westward progress, as exalted by widely taught formulations such as “manifest destiny” and “Jacksonian democracy,” and shows how placing African American, Latinx, and Indigenous voices unapologetically front and center transforms American history into the story of the working class organizing against imperialism.

In precise detail, Ortiz traces this untold history from the Jim Crow-esque racial segregation of the Southwest, the rise and violent fall of a powerful tradition of Mexican labor organizing in the twentieth century, to May 1, 2006, International Workers’ Day, when migrant laborers—Chicana/os, Afro-Cubanos, and immigrants from nearly every continent on earth—united in resistance on the first “Day Without Immigrants.” This event is co-sponsored by Teaching for Change as part of the Black Lives Matter Week of Action in Schools.  See https://www.dcareaeducators4socialjustice.org/black-lives-matter-week-action.

22] – On Tues., Feb. 6 from 6:30 to 8 PM, come to a Baltimore Water Affordability Volunteer Meeting, hosted by Food & Water Watch, 3121 St Paul St., Suite 28, Baltimore 21218.  Since 2000, water rates have more than quadrupled in Baltimore City. Some families are being billed up to 8% of their household income for their water bills.

When our neighbors can’t afford to pay, the City shuts off their water, renters are evicted, and homeowners lose their homes through tax sales.  With the lack of substantial assistance from the Department of Public Works, we need radical change to come from City Hall.  Access to safe, affordable water is a fundamental human right, one that our City must affirm for all Baltimoreans. Work together to ensure that everyone in our city has access to safe, affordable water service! Contact Rianna Eckel at reckel@fwwatch.or or 410-394-7654.

23] – On Tues., Feb. 6 from 7 to 9 PM, attend the CivFed Meeting on Gerrymandering in Virginia, hosted by OneVirginia2021 and Arlington County Civic Federation at the Virginia Hospital Center, 1701 N George Mason Dr., Arlington 22205.  Brian Cannon, Executive Director of OneVirginia2021 will talk about gerrymandering, followed by a Q&A. If you are interested in learning more before attending you can view their movie online: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vD3ZZ-wzrHQ. Social time prior to the programing, starting at 6:30 PM.

To be continued.

Donations can be sent to the Baltimore Nonviolence Center, 325 E. 25th St., Baltimore, MD 21218.  Ph: 410-323-1607; Email: mobuszewski2001 [at] comcast.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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