Baltimore Activist Alert -- March 15 - 19, 2019

49] Gender Related Killings in the Americas -- Mar. 15

50] WIB peace vigils – Mar. 15

51] White House vigil -- Mar. 15

52] Prisoners of Politics: Breaking the Cycle of Mass Incarceration – March 15

53] Black Lives Matter – March 15

54] Politics in Film – March 15

55] Emergency Dinner for Yemen -- Mar. 15

56] Ballroom Dancing – Mar. 15

57] Movement Politics Training – Mar. 16

58] Peace Vigil – March 16

59] UNICEF USA Annual Summit – March 16 - 19

60] U.S. Hands Off Venezuela! – March 16

61] Next meeting of Our Revolution – Mar. 16

62] Computer Literacy classes for immigrant women – Mar. 16

63] Baltimore Civil Rights Leader Victorine Q. Adams -- Mar. 16

64] Zero Waste – Mar. 16

65] SOFT MAGIC – Mar. 16

66] Kings Bay Plowshares are hiring

67] Emergency Demonstration against an attack on Venezuela or Iran  

68] Donate books, videos, DVDs and records  

69] Do you need any book shelves?

70] Join the Global Zero campaign

71] Peace Park Antinuclear Vigil

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49] – On Fri., March 15 from 9 AM to 12:30 PM, you are invited in commemoration of International Women's Day to participate in a debate on Gender Related Killings in the Americas.  It will take place at the Organization of American States (OAS), OAS Hall of the Americas, 200 17th St. NW, WDC 20006. Hear a Keynote Speech on Femicide in the Americas and a group interview by a renowned feminist journalist of specialists from Latin America and the Caribbean.  There will be simultaneous interpretation into English and Spanish.  Check out https://www.facebook.com/events/228559294757862/.

50] – On Fri., Mar. 15 from noon to 1 PM, join a Women in Black peace vigil. A vigil will take place in McKeldin Square at the corner of Light and Pratt Sts.  STAY FOR LUNCH at Baba's Kitchen.  Warm-up, dry off, and enjoy a vegetarian chili lunch and lots of good conversation. Bring a side or topping for the chili.  There are still places at the table; invite a friend to come along with you.

Another vigil is at Roland Park Place, 830 W. 40th St, Baltimore. 21211. However, if weather is iffy, contact Anne at awyattbr@gmail.com.  Lunch will take place at 1 PM at the RPP Café, 830 W. 40th St., Baltimore 21211.

A third vigil will be in Chestertown, Kent County at Memorial Park at Cross Street and Park Row.  This vigil is looking for more peace bodies on the Eastern Shore.  Welcome to the network, Chestertown Women in Black.

Wear black. Dress for who knows what kind of weather.  Peace signs will be available. When there are others to stand with, you don't need to carry the burden alone. Do this to be in solidarity with others....when everything around us says “Be afraid of the stranger.” Carpool and parking available. Just send an email that you need a ride to: wibbaltimore@peacepath911.org.

51] – On Fri.,  Mar. 15 from noon to 1 PM, join the Dorothy Day Catholic Worker in a vigil urging the powers that be to abolish war and torture, to disarm all weapons, to end indefinite detention, to close Guantanamo, to establish justice for all and help create the Beloved Community! This vigil will take place at the White House, 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. NW. Contract Art @ artlaffin@hotmail.com or at 202-360-6416.

52] – On Fri., March 15 from noon to 1:30 PM, get over to Prisoners of Politics: Breaking the Cycle of Mass Incarceration, hosted by The Cato Institute, 1000 Massachusetts Ave. NW, WDC 20001.  Tickets are at www.cato.org.  “Mass incarceration” has been a ubiquitous term in criminal justice circles because of the extraordinary number of people behind bars in the United States. Many partial solutions have been implemented on the state and federal levels, mostly concerned with sentence length and re-entry services for nonviolent offenders. Those changes have been improvements, for the most part, and have been life changing for thousands of inmates, returning citizens, and their families.  However, the fundamentals of our criminal justice system remain unchanged, and our policies continue to put too many people in cages for too long. The politics surrounding crime policy are often driven by fear and vengeance, not experience and data, and thus many jurisdictions are one tragedy — or a crime-rate increase — away from another wave of bad criminal laws. Our collective desire to punish wrongdoing through our criminal justice system too often outweighs the data that suggest better ways to improve public safety and reduce criminal recidivism.

In her new book, “Prisoners of Politics: Breaking the Cycle of Mass Incarceration,” Professor Rachel Elise Barkow provides a new conceptual framework for criminal justice policy. Barkow suggests new institutions and policies to provide oversight to prosecutors who currently have free rein over the most important aspects of criminal cases. She also proposes new expert bodies to collect and analyze data to formulate evidence-based crime policy to insulate policymakers from the populist whims that too often result in punitive laws and long sentences. In these and other ways, Barkow shows how our criminal justice system could reduce crime and roll back mass incarceration at the same time.  REGISTER https://www.cato.org/events/prisoners-politics-breaking-cycle-mass-incarceration.  If you can’t make it to the event, you can watch it live online at www.cato.org/live and join the conversation on Twitter using #CatoCJ.  See https://www.facebook.com/events/2316401691711885/.

53] – There is usually a silent vigil on Fridays, from 5 to 6 PM, sponsored by Homewood Friends Meeting, outside the Homewood Friends Meetinghouse, 3107 N. Charles St.  The next scheduled vigil is on Mar. 15. Black Lives Matter.  

54] – On Fri., March 15 from 6:30 to 8 PM, catch up with History Happy Hour: Politics in Film, hosted by Sandy Spring Museum, 17901 Bentley Rd., Sandy Spring 20860. Tickets are at www.sandyspringmuseum.org.  Films, both fiction and documentary, are a fascinating chronicle of how we as a society feel about our nation and its government. How have they portrayed our government officials in good and bad economic times, war and peace, and in the current polarizing political climate? Join Christopher Llewellyn Reed for a selection of takes on Uncle Sam, past and present, and a discussion of how such representations have reflected and influenced the public sphere.  He is a film critic, filmmaker, and professor and Chair of Film & Moving Image at Stevenson University. He is the lead film critic at Hammer to Nail, an online magazine devoted to independent cinema, and a regular commentator for the Roughly Speaking podcast.  Enjoy drinks and snacks.  The series is sponsored by Therrien Waddell, Inc. Visit https://www.facebook.com/events/638752436540580/.

55] – On Fri., March 15 from 7 to 10 PM, Together for Yemen is hosted by Islamic Relief USA at Chandni Chowk Restaurant and banquet hall, 1109 Ingleside Ave., Baltimore 21207.  This is an Emergency Dinner for Yemen. See https://www.facebook.com/events/2872286199455650/.

56] – There is an opportunity to participate in ballroom dancing, usually every Friday of the month, in the JHU ROTC Bldg. at 8 PM.  Turn south on San Martin Dr. from the intersection of Univ. Parkway and 39th St.  Drive on campus by taking the third left turn. The next dance will be on Mar. 15. Call Dave Greene at 301-570-3283; or email eneergdivad@gmail.com.

57] – On Sat., March 16 from 10 AM to 6 PM, get over to a Movement Politics Training, hosted by Progressive Maryland at the Startup Nest, 1401 Severn St., Baltimore 21230.  Get tickets at www.progressivemaryland.org.  Are you interested in running for office, working on a campaign, or volunteering on one in 2020? Progressive Maryland is excited to announce its first one-day Movement Politics Training of 2019!  Cover a range of topics from the process and rules of filing to run for office and how to run a campaign, including fundraising, campaign strategy, endorsements, field operations, communications, and budgeting. You'll also learn how the political system functions, why it’s currently failing Maryland voters, and what trainees can do to change that as we get ready for the next election cycle. RSVP to Alexiss Kurtz at 301-684-6715 or by email at alexiss@progressivemaryland.org. Check out https://www.facebook.com/events/809634849383581/.

58] – Each Saturday, 11 AM – 1 PM, Chester County Peace Movement holds a peace vigil in West Chester in front of the Chester County Courthouse, High & Market Sts. Go to www.ccpeace.org. Email ccpeacemovement@aol.com. 

59] – On Sat., March 16 at noon through Tues., Mar. 19 at 6 PM, attend the 2019 UNICEF USA Annual Summit at the International Trade Center, 1300 Pennsylvania Ave. NW, WDC 20004.  Tickets are at unicefusa.cvent.com.   Network with inter-generational global citizens from around the country who are ready to raise their voice for children.  Learn about innovative UNICEF programs.  Take action, attend interactive workshops on tapping into social media, and learn how to leverage the power of community organizing to receive the tools needed to use your voice and act in real-time to benefit the world’s children.  To register for the event, learn more about the schedule, and read through our FAQs, click here unicefusa.org/annualsummit. See https://www.facebook.com/events/2248702815405390/.

60] – On Sat., March 16 from noon to 5 PM, join a National March on the White House: U.S. Hands Off Venezuela!  Gather in Lafayette Square, 1608 H St. NW, WDC 20006. U.S. hands off Venezuela! NO to the coup — NO to sanctions — NO to a new U.S. war.  March against the Trump administration’s brazen coup in Venezuela and a new devastating war there. The outrageous, illegal attacks against Venezuela repeats the ugly pattern of wars for regime change in the oil-rich countries of Iraq and Libya. National Security Advisor John Bolton is reading from the same script, declaring a “troika of tyranny” in Latin America (like the George W. Bush’s “axis of evil”) as a precursor for attempted regime change first in Venezuela, and then Cuba and Nicaragua. Trump has always said that the real “mistake” of the Middle East wars was that the U.S. didn’t “take the oil.”   Visit https://www.facebook.com/events/242059076711261/.

61] –  Upcoming Membership Meeting The next meeting of Our Revolution, which holds monthly membership meetings the 3rd Saturday of every month from 12:30 to 2:30 PM, will be on March 16 at the Waverly Library, 400 E 33rd St., Baltimore 21218.  Hear about Education in Baltimore, Funding, Kirwan and More.  Go to http://ourrevolutionmd.com/local-chapters/baltimore-city-and-county/.

62] –  Beginning on Sat., Mar. 16 from 1 to 4 PM, the Immigration Outreach Service Center will hold its second cohort of Computer Literacy classes for immigrant women. This is a great opportunity for women with some English skills to learn how to use a computer and how to search for jobs online.  Classes will be held at the St. Matthew Rectory, 5401 Loch Raven Blvd., Baltimore 21239 for three hours every Saturday through May 11th, with the exception of Easter weekend, April 20th. Email info@ioscbaltimore.org or call 410-323-8564.

63] -- On Sat., March 16 from 1 to 3 PM, hear from Ida E. Jones about Baltimore Civil Rights Leader Victorine Q. Adams  at the Reginald F. Lewis Museum, 830 E Pratt St., Baltimore 21202. Tickets can be had at lewismuseum.org. Her book is “Baltimore Civil Rights Leader Victorine Q. Adams: The Power of the Ballot.”  Adams was the first African American woman elected to the Baltimore City Council. In 1946, she founded the Colored Women’s Democratic Campaign Committee to educate African American women about the vote and the power of the ballot box. Jones reveals the story of this civic leader and her crusade for equity for all people in Baltimore. You can hear her talk which is included with Museum Admission.  Go to https://www.facebook.com/events/376734829757431/.

64] -- On Sat., March 16 from 1 to 3 PM, catch up with Zero Waste: Youth Leadership in Action Day, hosted by United Workers at City Garage, 101 W. Dickman St., Baltimore 21230.  Join youth leaders from South Baltimore to move our city away from environmental injustice and failed development towards a just transition to Zero Waste and Fair development. Right now, in response to years of grassroots work for our basic right to breathe clean air - our city is envisioning a future free from the BRESCO trash burning incinerator which causes 55 million dollars in health damages every year. This is a big change that calls for bold action. In response, youth leaders have initiated a concrete action research program to identify connections between vacant housing, land ownership, safety in our communities, food systems and our waste infrastructure. Students at Benjamin Franklin High School who formed Free Your Voice in 2011 and spent years researching and eventually organizing to stop the plan to build the nation's largest trash burning incinerator from being built less than a mile from their school - are now building the next generation of youth leaders at their former high school and throughout Lakeland, Curtis Bay, Westport, Mt. Winans, Brooklyn and Cherry Hill. Visit https://www.facebook.com/events/353694002142832/.

65] – On Sat., Mar. 16 from 7 to 9 PM, UPILE CHISALA PRESENTS "SOFT MAGIC" at Red Emma's Bookstore Coffeehouse, 1225 Cathedral St., Baltimore 21201.  From Malawian storyteller Upile Chisala comes a collection of poetry and prose exploring the self, joy, blackness, gender, matters of the heart, spirituality, the experience of Diaspora, and above all, how we survive. Told in five parts, soft magic is a shared healing journey.

Born in 1994 and raised in Zomba, Malawi, writer Upile Chisala hopes to tell stories from the margins and, through her work, to help others and herself come to terms with pasts, celebrate presents, and confidently dream beautiful futures. Call (443) 602 7611 or go to https://www.redemmas.org/. See https://www.facebook.com/events/382884212505161/.

66] – The Kings Bay Plowshares 7 are looking for a SHORT-TERM PAID ORGANIZER.  Go to https://www.kingsbayplowshares7.org/help-wanted/ or contact Sarah Cool at 404.449.7893.

67] – It is a violation of U.S. law for us to attack a country that has not attacked us, as only Congress can declare war. The Trump administration is nevertheless beating the war drums for war against Iran and Venezuela. The Mueller investigation is tightening the vise, and could cause Trump to attack those countries in order to divert attention from Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election. Such a military strike would demand an immediate and unequivocal response from us to show that we will not tolerate his abuse of power.

Let's mobilize to show that we the people will not tolerate another military adventure, which would be bound to have profound negative consequences. If a preemptive military strike against Iran or North Korea takes place, then meet outside the War Memorial, 101 N. Gay St., Baltimore, MD 21202. If the attack is before 2 PM local time, then events will begin at 5 PM, local time. If the attack occurs after 2 PM local time, then events will begin at noon, local time, the following day. Contact Max at 410-323-1607 or mobuszewski2001 at Comcast dot net.

68] -- If you would like to get rid of books, videos, DVDs, records, tarps and table cloths, contact Max at 410-323-1607 or mobuszewski2001 at comcast.net.

69] -- Can you use any book shelves? Contact Max at 410-323-1637 or mobuszewski2001 at comcast.net.

70] -- Join an extraordinary global campaign for the elimination of nuclear weapons: http://www.globalzero.org/sign-declaration. A growing group of leaders around the world is calling for the elimination of nuclear weapons and a majority of the global public agrees.  This is an historic window of opportunity.  With momentum already building in favor of Zero, a major show of support from people around the world could tip the balance. When it comes to nuclear weapons, one is one too many.

71] – A Peace Park Antinuclear Vigil takes place every day in Lafayette Park, 1601 Pennsylvania Ave. NW, 24 hours a day, since June 3, 1981. Go to http://prop1.org; call 202-682-4282.

Donations can be sent to the Baltimore Nonviolence Center, 325 E. 25th St., Baltimore, MD 21218.  Ph: 410-366-1637; Email: mobuszewski2001 [at] comcast.net. Go to http://baltimorenonviolencecenter.blogspot.com/.

“One is called to live nonviolently, even if the change one works for seems impossible. It may or may not be possible to turn the US around through nonviolent revolution. But one thing favors such an attempt: the total inability of violence to change anything for the better" - Daniel Berrigan