Baltimore Activist Alert March 11 to March 14, 2018

Baltimore Activist Alert March 11 to March 14, 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 in need of movers & a handyperson

5] Wilmington Gun Violence – Mar. 11

6] “Making Room for Conservatives” – Mar. 11

7] Suffragists Rain on Wilson's Parade – Mar. 11

8] Help out with Homeless Hygiene Packs & Lunch Bags – Mar. 11

9] Platform Assembly -- Mar. 11

10] Hear from Frances Moore Lappé, -- Mar. 11

11] Public Forum on Community Empowerment/Police Accountability – Mar. 11

12] Book talk “The People vs. Democracy” --- Mar. 11

13] Baltimore City Green Party Meeting -- Mar. 11

14] Baltimore Green Forum -- Mar. 11

15] Come out for the 11th Anniversary of the Life Restoration Ministry – Mar. 11

16] Meet Chelsea Manning – Mar. 11

17] Protest at the Pentagon – Mar. 12

18] No private police force at JHU – Mar. 12 & 13

19] No oil trains in Baltimore – Mar. 12

20] Membership Meeting for Moms Demand Action – Mar. 12

21] Support Okinawan protesters – Mar. 113

22] Protect Our Community Against ICE Agents.  – Mar. 13

23] There is a hearing for Correctional Services – Mar. 13

24] There is a hearing for Water and Sewer Billing Correctional Services – Mar. 13

25] There is a hearing for Homeless Youth – Mar. 13

26] There is a hearing for Cannabis – Mar. 13

27] Peace Vigil – Mar. 13

28] No more Drone Research at JHU – Mar. 13

29] Cannabis legalization on the November 2018 ballot – Mar. 13

30] Environmental Justice – Mar. 13

31] Black Mecca – Mar. 13

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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 for experienced movers to bring furniture from PODS into a house.  Also let them know if you are working with a reliable handyperson. Let Max know if you have any suggestions—410-323-1607 or mobuszewski 2001 at comcast dot net. 

5] – On Sun., Mar. 11 at 10 AM, come to the Wilmington Gun Violence: A Sunday Seminar Series with Mayor Mike Purzycki, who will discuss the city's efforts and plans to address Wilmington's gun violence.  It takes place in the Community Hall at the Westminster Presbyterian Church, 1502 W. 13th St., Wilmington, DE.  Visit http://depaceminterris.org/.

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., Mar. 11, the Sunday Platform is “Making Room for Conservatives.” For over 140 years Ethical Humanism has promoted progressive solutions to social problems – solutions that try to ease human suffering through collective action and civic engagement. At times this leads Ethical Societies to appear exclusively dedicated to liberal perspectives. What do these political labels mean? Is there room for conservatism in Ethical Humanism? How do we encourage freethought and civil debate while remaining true to our heritage?

Hugh Taft-Morales explores the challenge of balancing diverse perspectives and group cohesion within Ethical Culture.  He joined the Baltimore Ethical Society as its professional leader in 2010, the same year he was certified by the American Ethical Union as an Ethical Culture Leader. Call 410-581-2322 or email ask@bmorethical.org.

7] – On Sun., Mar. 11 AM to 2 PM, recreate the Suffragists Rain on Wilson's Parade, hosted by Belmont-Paul Women's Equality National Monument, 144 Constitution Ave. NE, WDC 20002.  This is a Ranger-led walk, about 1.5 miles. Explore the spectacular pre-inauguration procession that filled Pennsylvania Avenue with 5,000 marching women, colorful floats and banners, ladies on horseback, and mayhem delivered by opposing forces. Over 100 people were hospitalized but the national event reinvigorated the struggle for women's suffrage. Meet at the Old Post Office Tower, corner of 12th St. and Pennsylvania Ave. NW. Tour ends at Belmont-Paul Women's Equality National Monument. Park Guide Catherine Cilfone can be reached at 202-306-3893. See https://www.facebook.com/events/219547525272344/.

8] –On Sun., Mar 11 from 1 to 2 PM, help out with Homeless Hygiene Packs & Lunch Bags, hosted by Sunday Dinner at St. Vincent de Paul Church, 120 N. Front St., Baltimore 21202.  Please give to the less fortunate hygiene items desperately needed and a good lunch. Visit this link to see what's needed: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1ZYNwzBk46ol1YkpQ-xAfogDnmk4Zb-zwvmOD9zxZQZw/edit?usp=sharing. Go to https://www.facebook.com/events/330121997495440/.

9] – On Sun., Mar 11 from 2 to 4 PM, attend a Platform Assembly, hosted by Baltimoreans for Educational Equity - BEE at Poly, 1400 W. Cold Spring Lane, Baltimore 21209-4904. Tickets are available at www.eventbrite.com. Do you want to ensure that the next Governor of Maryland is truly accountable to our students, parents, and educators? Join a Platform Assembly, where concerned Baltimoreans will come together to shape an agenda for BEE's upcoming Candidate Forum on Education. All are welcome and childcare will be provided.  Reserve a free "ticket" using the Eventbrite link. Go to https://www.facebook.com/events/1218041404996560/.

10] – On Sun., Mar. 11 from 2 to 4:30 PM, hear from Frances Moore Lappé, hosted by Cedar Lane Unitarian Universalist Church, 9601 Cedar Lane, Bethesda 20814. A writer in the area of food and democracy policy, she will discuss her most recent book co-authored with Adam Eichen - "Daring Democracy." This is an optimistic book for those who are asking, in the wake of Trump’s victory, What do we do now? The answer: We need to organize and fight to protect and expand our democracy.

Americans are distraught as tightly held economic and political power drowns out their voices and values. Legendary “Diet for a Small Planet” author Frances Moore Lappé and organizer-scholar Adam Eichen offer a fresh, surprising response to this core crisis. This intergenerational duo opens with an essential truth: It’s not the magnitude of a challenge that crushes the human spirit. It’s feeling powerless—in this case, fearing that to stand up for democracy is futile. It’s not, Lappé and Eichen argue. With riveting stories and little-known evidence, they demystify how we got here, exposing the well-orchestrated effort that has robbed Americans of their rightful power. But at the heart of this unique book are solutions. Even in this divisive time, Americans are uniting across causes and ideologies to create a “canopy of hope” the authors call the Democracy Movement. In this invigorating “movement of movements,” millions of Americans are leaving despair behind as they push for and achieve historic change. The movement and democracy itself are vital to us as citizens and fulfill human needs—for power, meaning, and connection—essential to our thriving. In this timely and necessary book, Lappé and Eichen offer proof that courage is contagious in the daring fight for democracy.

The Kiplinger Lecture series brings in speakers related to an ethical topic of current interest. It is free and open to the public. The lecture is from 2 to 3:15 PM, followed by a reception with refreshments. Go to https://www.facebook.com/events/174206769838153/.

11] – On Sun., Mar 11 from 3 to 5 PM, come out for a Public Forum on Community Empowerment and Police Accountability at the Davies Memorial Unitarian Universalist Church, 7400 Temple Hill Rd., Temple Hills 20748. At the forum, hear from Mr. Jonathan W. Hutto, Sr., Social Justice and Peace Activist, and Major Neill Franklin (Ret.), Executive Director of Law Enforcement Action Partnership. Learn about the history and current status of police/community relations in the county and new possibilities for community involvement in policing. Take part in discussion about the next steps, with moderator Hena Zuberi. Park in the church parking lot or in the adjacent lodge parking lot. For questions or for accessibility or childcare or transportation concerns, email CEPAcoalitionPGC@gmail.com. The forum is sponsored by CEPA Coalition-Prince George's County, including Prince George's People's Coalition, Prince George's Peace & Justice Coalition, SURJ Green Line, Greenbelt Racial Equity Alliance, and Greenbelt People Power. Email CEPAcoalitionPGC@gmail.com, or go to https://www.facebook.com/CEPAcoalitionPGC/.

12] -- On Sun., Mar. 11 from 3 to 4 PM, hear from Yascha Mounk about his book “ The People vs. Democracy,” hosted by Politics and Prose Bookstore, 5015 Connecticut Ave. NW, WDC 20008.  As he shows in this closely-reasoned history and analysis of liberal democracy, recent years have seen a widening split between the system’s two components. As liberalism and democracy come apart, they tend toward the extremes of either an illiberal democracy under the sway of populist demagogues or an undemocratic liberalism, run by technocratic elites. Using data, social science research, and evidence drawn from voting behavior, economic inequality, and global political trends, Mounk, author of “The Age of Responsibility” and a senior fellow in the New America Political Reform Program, charts the forces that have pulled liberal democracy apart and proposes ways to bring popular will and individual rights back together again. Mounk will be in conversation with E.J. Dionne, Washington Post columnist and co-author of “One Nation after Trump.”  See https://www.facebook.com/events/164263487551843/.

13] – Join the Baltimore City Green Party for its Monthly General Meeting on Sun., Mae. 11 from 4 to 6 PM at 100 E 23rd St., Baltimore 21218-5807. All interested in building alternative electoral power in Baltimore are welcome; decision-making is a responsibility of members of the local. To become a member, follow this link http://bgp.nationbuilder.com/membershipsand/or chat with Membership Coordinator Ty Ra. See https://www.facebook.com/events/1505258369571495/.

14] – There is a Baltimore Green Forum on Sun., Mar. 11 at 4 PM with a New "BGF Discussion Group" for the Hottest New Developments for Environmentalists. The Roundtable Discussion will go unto 5:15 PM.  Announcements & networking will happen from 5:15 to 5:45 PM.  Another Roundtable Discussion is from 5:45 to 6:30 PM.  The forum is at 1105 Providence Road, Towson 21286.

 This will be the first time the Baltimore Green Forum will experiment with a ”Discussion Group" idea. On March 11, a topic will be selected.  Also there will be a discussion about a new venue option.  Some of the meeting could be at the Baltimore Hebrew Congregation.  This venue is within Baltimore City and has access to public transportation.   It is suspected that younger people will not come out unless they can take public transportation to the meetings.

Topic A is "First things first" with climate change?   What individual actions makes the most difference?  Can this information make a difference?

Topic B is Astounding Recent Warming in the Arctic - Why Does It Matter? Visit https://www.ecowatch.com/arctic-climate-change-2539897203.html. And there are other possible topics.

 The Baltimore Green Forum seeks to educate and stimulate dialogue about what humans can do to make modern civilization more sustainable, including adjusting to finite resource limits and preserving biodiversity and a healthy environment. We do this through 8 monthly meetings a year. The topics are far ranging. They vary from local to planetary and from philosophical to scientific to very practical.

BGF is open to the public and is free of charge, but donations to Maryland Presbyterian Church are collected during the meeting to thank the church for their generous gift of the space to us. Email BaltimoreGreenForum@gmail.com.  Or call Sam Hopkins at 410 935 8540.  Go to http://www.baltimoregreenforum.org.

15] –  Come out for the 11th Anniversary of the Life Restoration Ministry and the celebration of International Women's Day  on Sun., Mar. 11 at 4 PM,  The Guest Speaker is the African Union Ambassador  Arikana  Chihombori Quao at  Shiloh AME Church,  2601 Lyndhurst  Ave.,  Baltimore  21216. RSVP for the reception at Mankekolo@aol.com.

16] –  Catch the DIRECTOR'S SHOWING:  “Thank God It's Friday,” hosted by the BALTIMORE PALESTINE SOLIDARITY on Sun., Mar. 11 at 6 PM at Homewood Friends Meeting House, 3107 N. Charles St., Baltimore 21218.  This 55 minute film tells the story of everyday life during one week in the Palestinian village Nabi Saleh and the neighboring Jewish settlement Halamish. Every Friday the people of Nabi Saleh demonstrate against the Israeli occupation. As protests get more intense, one Friday Mustafa Tamimi of Nabi Saleh is shot to death. Filmmakers return to organize a screening in Nabi Saleh and the settlers are also invited to the screening.  Enjoy Arabic food.

Chelsea Manning, candidate for U.S. Senator from Maryland, will attend the screening. In her campaign, she plans to raise the issue of Palestine.   Come by to meet and talk with her.

17] – 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 Mar.

12, 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.

18] – On Mon., Mar. 12 and Tues., Mar. 13 from 11 AM to 2 PM, help out with the JHSPH Phone Banking Against Private Police, hosted by LEAD: Liberate, Eradicate, Activate, to Dismantle and Students Against Private Police in Room 9519, at 615 N. Wolfe St., Baltimore 21205-2103. Join Students Against Private Police at the School of Public Health in calling Maryland representatives to demand that they rescind support for the bill that would allow private universities to establish their own private police forces. Calling scripts and snacks will be provided! All JHU students, staff, faculty, and visitors are welcome. Introducing private police to Hopkins campuses will likely increase the disproportionate surveillance and targeting of Black and brown students, staff, and city residents. Black and brown people experience higher rates of arrests, stops and searches, injury, and death due to legal intervention. Police victimization and discrimination is most often reported by racial, ethnic, and gender minorities (and especially so for those with intersecting marginalized identities) and is linked to stress and poor mental health outcomes.  Demand an end to bill HB1803/SB1214! SIGN THE PETITION: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScUyHR6WItJY71RUKW0JVGerWTsBhraUSRpaeLxDiYVBWlNBg/viewform.  Go to https://www.facebook.com/events/150079742337627/?event_time_id=150079765670958.

19] – On Mon., Mar. 12 from 4:30 to 6 PM, join the rally No crude oil trains in Baltimore! Today is the final city council vote, hosted by CCAN Action Fund and Clean Water Action Maryland.  Come to Baltimore City Hall, 100 Holliday St., Baltimore 21202.  Did you know that 165,000 Baltimoreans live in the crude oil train blast zone? Baltimore City could be a national leader and protect Baltimore residents and people across the country from crude oil train explosions by passing the Crude Oil Terminal Prohibition - a straightforward zoning code change that would prevent any new crude oil terminals from being built in Baltimore, cutting off the market for this dangerous fossil fuel before it begins again. 

On February 26, the Baltimore City Council voted 14 to 1 to move this legislation forward. On March 12, they will vote for the final time. Join public safety, clean water, clean air, and climate advocates as well as your neighbors from across the city to send a clear message to the City Council and Mayor Pugh that it's time for Baltimore to lead the East Coast in the fight against crude oil trains and climate change!  Go inside City Hall from 5 to 6 PM. Wear red! Visit https://www.facebook.com/events/332537613819228/.

20] – On Mon., Mar. 12 from 7 to 9 PM, there is a Howard County - Membership Meeting for Moms Demand Action – MD at Owen Brown Interfaith Center, 7246 Cradlerock Way, Columbia 21045.  Get tickets at www.northeast-moms.ngpvanhost.com.  This meeting will be a briefing on the status of our state legislative priority--a bill to keep guns out of the hands of convicted domestic abusers. Also get a preview of upcoming events and share ways to take action in the fight to prevent gun violence.  RSVP at https://northeast-moms.ngpvanhost.com/ngpvanforms/8898. https://www.facebook.com/events/1817206271684739/.

21] – Hiroji Yamashiro and his co-defendants face serious jail time at hard labor for their protests against US bases on their island of Okinawa.  The verdict will be heard on Wed., Mar. 14.  Urgent action in their defense is needed. See https://www.facebook.com/JusticeForHiroji.  Protest on Tues., Mar. 13 from 2 to 4 PM at the Capital Hilton Hotel, 1001 16th St. NW, WDC 20036.

22] – Protect Our Community Against ICE Agents.  The 2017 Maryland Trust Act bill passed in the House last year but not in the Senate. It is being re-introduced in 2018 as the SAFE (Supporting All Families Everywhere) Act. It intends to create protections against ICE Agents.  Greenbelt People Power would like you to take action.  Attend the SAFE Act hearing on Tues., Mar. 13 at 1 PM in the Judiciary Committee.  Also email a written testimony in .doc or PDF format to Delegate Ana Gutierrez's office at ana.gutierrez@house.state.md.us.  Contact Jeff Harrison, Greenbelt People Power, at 240-604-4475.  

23] – There is a hearing for Correctional Services - Pre-release Unit for Women (HB1160) on Tues., Mar. 13 at 1 PM before the House Judiciary Committee. . Work release programs can provide necessary rehabilitation, work skills and other preparation for those nearing the end of their sentences. The advocacy organization Out for Justice had brought the issue to Delegate Washington’s attention that most women are released from incarceration without ever obtaining any educational, wellness, or substance abuse help needed to successfully integrate and transition back into their communities. This bill would require the Commissioner of Corrections to operate a pre-release unit for women that would be comparable in facilities and restrictions to current men’s programming. If you support this legislation, call 410-841-3476. 

24] – There is a hearing for Baltimore City - Landlord and Tenant - Water and Sewer Billing (HB1470) on Tues., Mar. 13 at 1 PM in the House Environment and Transportation Committee.  This bill would help prevent families from losing their homes due to unpaid water bills by prohibiting landlords from evicting families solely due to unpaid water charges, which frequently result from excessive charges due to leaks that the landlords themselves are responsible for fixing.

25] – There is a hearing for Ending Youth Homelessness Act of 2018 (HB1224) on Tues., Mar. 13 at 1 PM in the House Appropriations Committee. Establishing the Ending Youth Homelessness Grant Program to focus on preventing and ending youth homelessness in the State and addressing disparities based on race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, and gender identity; requiring the Department of Housing and Community Development to administer the Program and provide funds to housing and supportive services for at risk and unaccompanied homeless youth; establishing the Ending Youth Homelessness Grant Fund as a special, nonlapsing fund; etc.

26] – There is a hearing for Cannabis - Use, Possession, Cultivation, and Sale (SB 1039/HB 1264) in the House Judiciary Committee on Tues., Mar. 13 at 1 PM.  Amending the Maryland Constitution to establish subject to certain exceptions, an individual in the State who is at least 21 years old may under State law use cannabis, possess up to 1 ounce of cannabis, cultivate up to 6 cannabis plants, and share a certain amount of cannabis; providing that the amendment does not require or prohibit certain employment policies, authorize certain driving conduct, or change certain existing laws, with a certain exception; etc.

27] –  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 Mar. 13.  Call 215-426-0364.

28] – Vigil to say "No Drone Research at JHU" each Tuesday at 33rd & North Charles Sts. Join this ongoing vigil on Mar. 13 from 5:30  to 6:30 PM. Contact Max at mobuszewski2001 at Comcast dot net or 410-323-1607. 

29] – On Tues., Mar. 13 from 6 to 8 PM, be at a Family Friendly Rally calling on the Maryland General Assembly to put cannabis legalization on the November 2018 ballot, hosted by Maryland NORML in Lawyers Mall, Bladen St., Annapolis 21401.   Let the voters decide! Legislators don't have to vote for legalization, but they should not stand in the way of citizens expressing their view on the matter.  See https://www.facebook.com/events/138007770359092/.

30] – On Tues., Mar. 13 from 7:30 to 9 PM, get over to Environmental Justice: What's Next?

The event is hosted by the Environmental Film Festival in the Nation's Capital and National Geographic Museum, 1145 17th St. NW, WDC 20036.  Tickets are available at www.nationalgeographic.org.  From the Flint, Michigan, water crisis to massive hurricanes like Harvey, low-income communities bear the brunt of environmental disasters. Reporter Talia Buford, Professor Robert Bullard, environmentalist and National Geographic Explorer Jon Waterhouse, policy expert Mustafa Ali, and environmental advocate Adrianna Quintero will examine how the decades-long movement for equal access to a safe environment must adapt in the face of our changing planet. See https://www.facebook.com/events/378596365945848/.

31] –  On Tues., Mar. 13 at 7:30 PM at Red Emma's Bookstore Coffeehouse, 30 W. North Ave., Baltimore 21201, turn out for THE LEGEND OF THE BLACK MECCA: POLITICS AND CLASS IN THE MAKING OF MODERN ATLANTA.  For more than a century, the city of Atlanta has been associated with black achievement in education, business, politics, media, and music, earning it the nickname “the black Mecca.” Atlanta’s long tradition of black education dates back to Reconstruction, and produced an elite that flourished in spite of Jim Crow, rose to leadership during the civil rights movement, and then took power in the 1970s by building a coalition between white progressives, business interests, and black Atlantans. But as Maurice Hobson demonstrates, Atlanta’s political leadership--from the election of Maynard Jackson, Atlanta’s first black mayor, through the city’s hosting of the 1996 Olympic Games--has consistently mishandled the black poor. Drawn from vivid primary sources and unnerving oral histories of working-class city-dwellers and hip hop artists from Atlanta’s underbelly, Hobson argues that Atlanta’s political leadership has governed by bargaining with white business interests to the detriment of ordinary black Atlantans. 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: 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