Baltimore Activist Alert April 28 – July 25, 2019

"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] Get involved with NCNR   

4] Buy an Anti-War Veteran hat  

5] Lawyers Against War

6] “Explore & Live Palestine” from July 11 through July 25, 2019

7] SUPPORT AMAZON WORKERS OF CONSCIENCE

8] CODEPINK NEEDS YOU AT THE VENEZUELA EMBASSY

9] Shadows and Ashes: The Peril of Nuclear Weapons – through May 31

10] Poisoning the Black Butterfly – April 28

11] Solitude – April 28

12] Adopt an animal – April 28

13] Songs of Change concert – April 28

14] Kings Bay Plowshares Presentation – April 28

15] ERA Call – April 28

16] Jammin’ for Justice – April 28

17] Pentagon Protest – April 29

18] Food Rescue – April 29

19] Medicare For All Rally – April 29

20] Food Rescue Pop-Up – April 22

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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 U.S. wars.

To join the ORGANIZING List, please send your name, group affiliation, city and email address to mobuszewski2001 at Comcast dot net.  Different local chapters of a national organization are encouraged to subscribe.  

4] – Get a good-looking black hat which says Anti-War Veteran in the front and Viva House 50^th in the back.  The cost is $10. Contact Max at 410-323-1607 or mobuszewski2001 at Comcast dot net.

5] – Jeff Ross, an attorney in Maryland, is interested in gathering with other lawyers to discuss ways in which the legal profession and the law generally can be conceptualized as a peace-building and war-resisting institution and redirected to these ends. Areas to explore might include: 1) ways in which this group could support with legal analysis/writing those lawyers who are representing peace-builders/war-resisters in criminal prosecutions; 2) ways in which, from a more theoretical perspective, the law might be grounded in an ethic of non-violence; and 3) ways in which law students and young lawyers might be exposed to a non-violent vision of the law. All religious, philosophical, and critical perspectives on the law are welcome. The group might want to call itself Lawyers Against War. Jeff can be reached at 443-690-6872 and jross50@hotmail.com.

6] – If you are 18 to 35, don't miss this unique opportunity to visit Palestine! Registration is Now Open at https://kthps.org/join. For more information, please visit: https://kthps.org/.  Know Thy Heritage, Inc. is offering a Leadership Initiative “Explore & Live Palestine” from July 11 through July 25, 2019.  This is a program of The Arab American Institute.  Visit http://www.aaiusa.org/.

7] -- SUPPORT AMAZON WORKERS OF CONSCIENCE.  We are in a deep struggle to support conscience within the high tech community, which may be the only way to prevent a major leap into artificial intelligence warfare that we see the beginnings of in the expanding global U.S. drone war system.  This may be of particular interest to Johns Hopkins' Navy-funded researchers, some of whom have been working on swarming drone technology.

These are not major asks and can be a powerful reinforcement of conscience at an extremely critical moment.  Please consider circulating this link to your lists encouraging people to sign the linked RootsAction petition - https://www.knowdrones.com/blog/2019/3/6/support-amazon-workers-who-dont-want-to-work-for-war and leafletting Whole Foods in your areas. This is a link to the leaflet -- https://gallery.mailchimp.com/dd110b000ca250d868d4f419b/files/107fc695-8af9-4f7e-a523-ecd1d1dfd28f/Wholefoods_Leaflet.pdf. Should you have interest in circulating the links and possibly leafletting, contact Nick Mottern at  nickmottern at gmail.com.

8] – Urgent: CODEPINK needs you at the Venezuela Embassy, 1099 30th St. NW, WDC 20007, through all of next week.   A group of activists have been living in the embassy to protect it from a hostile takeover by the opposition, in violation of international law.  We’ll also have events all week long. For a list of all the activities, see https://www.codepink.org/washington_dc_24_7_protection_of_dc_venezuelan_embassy.

The events are part of an ongoing presence at the Venezuelan embassy by the Embassy Protection Collective. We have been staging a round-the-clock vigil inside the embassy for the past two weeks, including overnight shifts, and organizing activities at the embassy every night.  We think this will be the week that the opposition comes to take over. So this coming week is critical, especially Thursday and Friday. You can come anytime, or join us overnight. 

The opposition already took over the Venezuelan military attaché office in Washington, DC and the Venezuelan consulate in New York City in violation of Article 22 of the Vienna Convention and has announced its intention to take over the Embassy next week.  Call 415-235-6517.

9] – An important art exhibition continues at the Takoma Park campus of Montgomery College through May 31.  The exhibit is named Shadows and Ashes: The Peril of Nuclear Weapons, and features works by photographer Gary Schoichet; drawings by the child survivors of Hiroshima; ceramic masks by multimedia artist Marion Held; the poetry of John Canaday; and the Program on Science and Global Security at Princeton University  This is a traveling exhibition from Princeton University, sponsored by Montgomery College’s Institute for Race, Justice, and Civic Engagement, Peace Action Montgomery, and Prevent Nuclear War/Maryland, and it will be on view at Montgomery College’s Cultural Arts Center, 7995 Georgia Ave., Silver Spring. It will be accompanied by various events, including films, lectures, and discussion.

This exhibition of art and science examines the role of nuclear weapons in our society and reflects on their results. By combining artwork and scientific information, it opens conversations on the practical and the philosophical implications of humans’ continued efforts to create and to dismantle nuclear weapons. This multi-faceted exploration of the implications of nuclear weapons includes photographs, drawings, masks, and technical information. Photographer Gary Schoichet provides portraits and reflective comments of Hiroshima survivors, as well as documentary photographs of the historic 1982 Anti-Nuclear Rally in New York City. All Souls Church in Washington, D.C., contributes Hiroshima Children’s Drawings in crayon from 1947 by young survivors. In commemoration of the human catastrophe in Japan, multimedia artist Marion Held has made ceramic masks as a response to her exploration of the site of the bombing at Hiroshima. Related events will be posted throughout the time of the exhibition on the website, www.peaceactionmc.org/. For information on exhibit hours and parking, visit mcblogs/montgomerycollege.edu/cac. 

10] -- On Sun., April 28 from 9 to 11 AM, look up Poisoning the Black Butterfly, hosted by Runners4Justice at the Dovecote Café, 2501 Madison Ave., Baltimore 21217.  This will focus on environmental racism and lead poisoning. April marks four years since the arrest and murder of Freddie Gray, and the uprising that followed. Baltimore's rate of lead poisoning is nearly three times the national average, and Freddie Gray grew up in one of the neighborhoods with some of the highest lead poisoning levels in the city. Even now, 25-40% of children in Sandtown-Winchester continue to have elevated lead levels.

We know the impact - tiny amounts have lifelong damaging effects including speech delays, lack of impulse control, aggressive tendencies, ADHD, and other learning disabilities. This is a public health emergency, and Baltimore has failed to respond in ways that reflect the seriousness of this childhood health crisis. Stay for brunch & to continue the conversation after the run! See https://www.facebook.com/events/379212349344333/.

11] –Usually, the Baltimore Ethical Society, 2521 St. Paul St., Baltimore 21218, meets on Sundays, and generally there is a speaker and discussion at 10:30 AM.  On Sun., April 28, the platform address is “Solitude: The Art of Being Alone.”  Human beings are social creatures. Social media seduces us into more and more communication with others, some in person and a lot virtually. But most people sometimes need to be alone, without electronic distractions and conversation. Many find solitude a source of inspiration, creativity, and renewal. How can we better appreciate the place of solitude in our lives? Does being alone have to result in loneliness? What inner resources might we better access by finding some time to ourselves? Meditate on these questions alone, and then come explore some answers with Hugh Taft-Morales.  Taft-Morales 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. 

12] – On Sun., April 28 from 11 AM to 2 PM, go to the Pet Valu Off-Site Adoption, hosted by Maryland SPCA, 711 W 40th St., Baltimore 21211-2105.  Meet some adoptable animals looking for homes with an adoptions counselor on-site to complete same-day adoptions!  See here: http://www.mdspca.org/adopt/howto/.

13] – On Sun., April 28 at 4 PM, get over to the Songs for Change contract, which will include peace and justice through music and art: as the performances will incorporate digital images from 2018-2019 Pacem in Terris Traveling Youth Peace Art Exhibition and original music addressing social change.  It is happening at the Silverside Church, 2800 Silverside Rd., Wilmington, DE. Visit http://depaceminterris.org/.

14] – Hear a Presentation by some of the Kings Bay Plowshares Defendants at the Embassy of Venezuela, 1099 30th St. NW, WDC from 4 to 7 PM. On the morning of April 4, 2018, seven people of conscience entered the world's largest nuclear submarine weapons facility to protest the presence of nuclear weapons. On that anniversary of Rev. Martin Luther King's assassination, they continued his protest against the triplets of evil! They continue to prepare for trial, whose date has not been set. Three defendants remain incarcerated and four are out on bail. Three of the defendants out on bail will be in Washington D.C, on their way home from trial preparation. Email Paki at pakiwieland@gmail.com.

15] – On Sun., April 28 and May 5 from 4 to 5 PM, get on The CALL - ERA Education Program at Katrina's Dream, PO Box 32003, WDC 20007.  Tickets are at www.katrinasdream.org.  Please come each Sunday and help build the groundswell. The collaboration of grassroots organizers, lobbyists, and professionals is dedicated to promoting and educating folks across the United States of America to empowering women around the world.

The CALL IN NUMBER is 563.999.2090, the CONFERENCE NO: 898879#.  Visit https://www.facebook.com/events/1710130249022424/?event_time_id=1710130255689090.

16]  – On Sun., April 28, Sun., May 6 and Sun., June 23 at 4 PM, check out Jamming for Justice at 5301 North Capitol Street NE, WDC 20011. The DC Poor People's Campaign is hosting A Justice Arts Event by pianist Maceo Kemp and vocalist Bonnie Burnett. Instrumentalists and singers welcome for the open mike and collaboration. Sign up begins at 3:30 PM. Bring song sheets and charts to lend and share. Everybody's Got a Right to Live! They are looking for musicians to form a local chapter of the People's Music Network. Visit http://www.peoplesmusic.org, and see https://www.facebook.com/events/2239843369677616/?event_time_id=2239843379677615.

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 Apr. 29, 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., Apr. 29 at noon, there will be a Food Rescue at Land of Kush, 840 N. Eutaw St., Baltimore 21201. Food Rescue Baltimore is honored to partner with The Land of Kush each and every Monday to bring access to free vegan/plant-based food in the community. Bring a bag. Take what you want from noon to 1PM or while supplies last. No purchase is necessary to take advantage of the Food Rescue Baltimore give away. Items from The Land of Kush's menu are not included in the give-away but will be available for sale. See https://www.facebook.com/events/415842178868197/.

19] – On Mon., April 29 from12:30 PM – 1:30 PM, Rally for Medicare for All, hosted by Fight to Win Medicare for All at 950 F St. NW, WDC 20004-1404.  Come to the headquarters of PhRMA to say loud and clear: We've had enough of corporate greed and it's time for Medicare for All!  Go to https://www.facebook.com/events/2333954190213581/.

20] –On Mon., April 29 from 3 to 4 PM, there is a Food Rescue Pop-Up at Flourish, 3418 Belair Road, Baltimore 21213-1233.  Bring a bag, and take home healthy, free food! View https://www.facebook.com/events/301851223848295/?event_time_id=301851250514959. 

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