Johns Hopkins University 2019 Peace Diploma

BALTIMORE NONVIOLENCE CENTER, 325 East 25th St., Baltimore, MD 21218  

Phone - 410-323-1607 Email - mobuszewski2001 at Comcast dot net/ http://baltimorenonviolencecenter.blogspot.com/

CONGRATULATIONS GRADUATES & FAMILIES May 23, 2019

  Members of the Baltimore Nonviolence Center bestow this Peace Diploma with the hope you will engage in seeking peace and working for justice. As you depart from Johns Hopkins University, you may realize recent events have highlighted the many problems we face in Baltimore--extreme pockets of poverty, income inequality, a lack of living wage jobs, police brutality and other ills. These problems can only be solved with a significant infusion of tax dollars. 

  Unfortunately, however, more than 50% of the federal discretionary budget goes to military expenditures, despite the great needs of cities and states.  The university, especially through its Applied Physics Laboratory, is #46 on the Top-100 list of military contractors, receiving an estimated 894 million dollars for FY 2018.  For example, the Air Force Nuclear Weapons Center’s (AFNWC) has a strategic partnership with JHU/APL. The APL will provide support for the AFNWC’s mission for strategic and tactical air delivered and ground-based nuclear weapon system capability, and nuclear command, control and communications.

  Another example of the APL’s work is the Long-Range Standoff (LRSO) Cruise Missile and Its Role in Future Nuclear Forces. Programs have just started for a new ICBM and for the Long-Range Standoff (LRSO) cruise missile that is planned to replace earlier weapons.

   JHU is also involved with unmanned aerial vehicles/Reaper and Predator killer drones. Killer drone strikes which help create more enemies are immoral and unconstitutional.  Even U.S. citizens have been killed by drone strikes without any semblance of due process.  President Obama authorized a drone strike on an Al-Qaeda target, and Warren Weinstein, a hostage, was killed.  Join our Tuesday protest from 5 to 6 PM at 33^rd & N. Charles Sts.    

WE SUPPORT THE STUDENT GROUPS CALLING FOR POSITIVE SOCIAL CHANGE.

Of course, the occupation of Garland Hall was a remarkable action, which ended with several people being arrested.  Baltimore State’s Attorney Marilyn Mosby wisely decided not to prosecute the arrestees.    One group involved in the sit-in was the Hopkins Coalition Against ICE which opposed the university’s contract with the Immigration and Customs Enforcement.  Another group which was involved in the Garland Hall sit-in was Students Against Private Police.  The Maryland legislature did vote in favor of a private police force at John Hopkins University.

  Several of us from the community attended the groups’ rallies and visited Garland Hall during the sit-in to show support and to discuss issues, such as JHU’s military contracts.

  We in the peace movement will continue to speak out.  Add your voices to urge Johns Hopkins University to focus only on humanitarian research and to end its contract with ICE.

“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