Baltimore Activist Alert – June 30 to July 1, 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] SUPPORT
AMAZON WORKERS OF CONSCIENCE
7] Starvin'
for Justice 2019 Fast and Vigil – through July 3
8] Baltimore
Hope for the Homeless – June 30
9] Get to a Know Your
Rights -- June 30
10] Cat Fest - June 30
11] Sea Shepherd
Conservation Society Benefit Day - June 30
12] Improved Medicare for
All -- June 30
13] Ride for the Living – June 30
14] Adoption Sunday – June 30
15] CASA Bystander Training
– June 30
16] On the Call for the ERA
– June 30
17] Pentagon Protest – July 1
18] Food Bank Drive – through July 31
19] Food Rescue – July 1
20] Protest Water Rate
Hikes – July 1
21] Food Rescue Pop-Up at
Flourish – July 1
22] No hate at the Spy
Museum – July 1
23] Demilitarize
JHU
Support the immigrants – July 1
24] Bleeding Out – July 1
----
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 50th 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] -- 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.
7] – The
annual Starvin' for Justice 2019 Fast and Vigil is
taking place, starting on June 28 with the last supper at the United Methodist
Building next to the Supreme Court starting at
9 PM. The opening
circle is at midnight after the dinner. Check
out http://www.abolition.org/fastandvigil/schedule.html.
There will be a simple orientation meeting on Sat., June 29 at the Methodist Building from 9 to 9:30 AM.
Here, you will hear about the flow of the event, what to expect, and ways you
can be involved over the next four days. Discuss what actions and petitions to
place on the table.
A
daily vigil will start as
soon as the orientation meeting is over, and
a presence will be maintained outside the court until the end of the evening teach programs (which start at 6 PM and end around 9
PM each night. Note
that many will sleep
out in front of the court on the sidewalk on the night of July 1.
The vigil concludes on Wed., July 3. Sleeping
bags and pillows are recommended. Juices, sodas, water, ice and cups will be
available for all your liquid needs to stay hydrated
and cool. Also provided will be sunscreen,
chairs and a few umbrellas for your sun
protection and comfort. It is recommended that you bring a hat,
sunglasses, your own umbrella, and anything else
you feel will protect you from the sun and the heat. Camping-style
chairs for extra comfort are welcome if you want to bring one. Email <scott@abolition.org> or call (518) 768-1867.
8] – On Sun., June 30 from 7 to 9 AM, get with the
Baltimore Hope for the Homeless 5K- 10K Run/Walk, hosted by Run Life's
Course and Back on My Feet Baltimore starting at Union Square, 1599
Hollins St., Baltimore 21223. Run/walk with hundreds of community-minded and
socially conscious participants to advance awareness and provide proceeds to
local initiatives focused on the prevention and elimination of homelessness in
Baltimore with charity Back on My Feet. Nestled between Hollins Market and
Carroll Park, this electronically chip timed USATF-certified 5K/10K Walk/Run is
being held to experience fun with friends, family, locals and tourists for a
great cause. Receive the commemorative medal (while supplies last), t-shirt,
photos and lots of refreshments to keep you hydrated and rejuvenated. Register
for $30 for the 5K or $40 for the 10K. It's family friendly so register kids as
well to walk or run in the 5K.
The
course is an out and back from Hollins Street to Carroll Park with runners
journeying through the Hollins Market section by the Baltimore & Ohio
Railroad Museum. The start and finish will be in the same location for ease of
parking and accessibility. Get with https://www.facebook.com/events/561972760977676/.
9]
– Get
to a Know Your Rights presentation being offered by the Esperanza Center in
Spanish on Sun., June 30 at 9:30 AM at St. Patrick’s church, 319 S. Broadway
St., Baltimore 21231 in Fells Point. Call 667-600-2925.
10] – On Sun., June 30 from 10 AM to 1 PM, get over to
Cat Fest—Maryland 2,000 Kick Off Event! It is hosted by the Baltimore
Humane Society at the Cat Hospital at Towson, 6701 York Rd., Baltimore
21212. Cats, kittens, and fun—oh my! Cats will be available for
adoption. Kids can craft puppets, play vet, and participate in other cat-themed
fun while their adults fall in love with their purrfect bestie. New adopters
will learn tips and tricks of cat care from CHAT staff.
Admission
to Cat Fest is Free! All cat and kitten adoption fees are waived and adopters
can take their new family member home with them that day! All adopters will
receive a certificate for a free wellness exam for their feline from CHAT.
Can’t make Cat Fest, but would love to add a feline fur baby to your home? No
worries! Waived adoption fees for Maryland 2,000 start July 1 and goes until
July 31 at participating shelters. Learn more at Maryland2000.com. Visit https://www.facebook.com/events/2101628839959563/.
11]
– On
Sun., June 30 from 10 AM to 9 PM, participate with the Sea Shepherd
Conservation Society Benefit Day, hosted by Great Sage, 5809 Clarksville
Square Drive, Clarksville 21029. Established in 1977, Sea Shepherd
Conservation Society (SSCS) is an international non-profit, marine wildlife
conservation organization. Their mission is to end the destruction of habitat
and slaughter of wildlife in the world's oceans in order to conserve and protect
ecosystems and species. Great Sage is honored to donate 10% of its daily sales
to SSCS to help them take action, when necessary, exposing and confronting
illegal activities on the high seas. Reservations are welcome at
443.535.9400. Learn more @ seashepherd.org. Visit https://www.facebook.com/events/313807049546388/.
12] – 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., June 30, the platform address is Expanded and
Improved Medicare for All. Why does the US have such a
convoluted and costly health insurance system? What does single payer
healthcare really mean? Didn’t we already do health insurance reform with
Obamacare? Review the state of our current US health insurance system and
various proposals for health insurance payment for the future. Max J.
Romano, MD, MPH is an ethical humanist and a physician. He has experienced
health insurance the perspective of a patient, parent, clinician practicing
family medicine, public health professional working for private health
insurance companies, and as an advocate for a comprehensive single-payer system
covering all Americans. Call 410-581-2322 or email ask@bmorethical.org.
13]
– On Sun., June 30 from 11 AM to 4 PM, participate
in the Ride for the Living, hosted by DC Jews on Bikes at 100 Raoul
Wallenberg Place SW, WDC 20024-2126. Every year, the JCC Krakow sponsors
the Ride for the Living - a multi-day celebration of the resurgence of Jewish
life in Krakow, with the highlight being a 55-mile bike ride from
Auschwitz-Birkenau to JCC Krakow. As not everyone who would like to participate
in Ride for the Living is able to go to Poland, JCC Krakow is partnering with
Jewish groups across North America to offer a Satellite Ride for the Living
program around the United States and Canada.
In
Washington, DC, 3GDC - Grandchildren of Holocaust Survivors, DC Jews on Bikes,
and the Sixth and I Community Service Collective is organizing the satellite
ride. This is an 18-mile ride around DC to show support for Polish
brethren and as a memorial to the fallen and tribute to the survivors. Riders
will receive a biographical card or a child victim of the Shoah, allowing you
the rider to take the bike ride that the child never go to. After the ride,
break for lunch and educational programming. Not a rider? No problem. You can
join afterwards for food and drink and to take part in the discussion. The ride
is free. Please register at https://kavodensuringdignity.com/.
Email matthew@3gdc.org. See https://www.facebook.com/events/922456934769008/.
14] -- On Sun., June
30 from noon to 2 PM, get with Adoption Sunday at Howl: World Animal Guardians,
3531 Chestnut Ave., Baltimore 21211. WAG Rescue will be bringing animals
for adoption at Howl! “World Animal Guardians is an internationally connected
group of animal rescuers working to make a better world for the most abused and
overlooked souls.” Go to https://www.facebook.com/events/2205830119494770/.
15] --
On
Sun., June 30 from 2 to 3:30 PM, go to the CASA Bystander Training, hosted
by Howard County Democratic Party and CASA in Action at Owen
Brown Interfaith Center, 7246 Cradlerock Way, Columbia 21045. This workshop is
designed for community members who are interested in learning how to help
prevent and respond to immigration raids or detentions in our neighborhoods and
businesses. This is a great opportunity for allies to get involved in CASA's
immigrant defense work. Register here: tinyurl.com/bystandertrainingHC. Check
out https://www.facebook.com/events/2116587488632916/.
16] – On Sun., June 16 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.
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 July 1, 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] – St. Ursula / St. Vincent de Paul Food Bank Food
Drive will take place at Boscov's (White Marsh, MD), 8200 Perry Hall Blvd.,
Baltimore 21236 from Mon., July 1 through the month of July 30 from 10 AM to 9
PM. Boscov's is celebrating Christmas in July by giving back to those in need
in our community. Join in spreading Christmas cheer during the month of
July. Boscov’s White Marsh has partnered with St. Ursula/ St. Vincent de
Paul Food Bank to stock up their food bank for the summer season. Donations of
non-perishable items are welcome and can be dropped off at your local Boscov’s
store now through July 31st. Go to https://www.facebook.com/events/604073376781185/?event_time_id=604073383447851.
19]
– On Mon., July 1 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/.
20]
– On
Mon., July 1 from 12:30 to 1:30 PM, rally Water Rate Hikes Without
Affordability, hosted by Baltimore Right to Water Coalition at War
Memorial Plaza, 100 Holliday St., Baltimore 21202. This is the first hike in
the series of a three-year, 30 percent rate increase package that was approved
by the Board of Estimates. Before this rate increase, water bills had
already doubled since 2012. According to the United Nations, water is
affordable when it is no more than 3% of a family’s income. Already, more than
a third of Baltimoreans are being billed more than this. After this rate
increase, the typical household will be paying about $1,200 a year on water,
sewer and storm water service -- an amount unaffordable for more than 40
percent of the City. Enough is enough! These rate increases keep coming
year after year, without any real action from the Department of Public Works to
provide comprehensive affordability assistance - renters, for example are
ineligible for assistance.
It’s
time to change the law and make the Department of Public Works act to meet the
needs of our community! The City Council needs to pass the Water Accountability
& Equity Act NOW to ensure everyone has access to our most basic necessity:
water. Check out https://www.facebook.com/events/700277353740011/.
21] –On
Mon., July 1 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.
This
will continue into the future.
22] – On Mon., July 1 at 4 PM through Sat., July 6 at 4
PM, tell the Spy Museum, 700 L'Enfant Plaza SW, WDC 20024, to shut down the
alt-right, hosted by All Out DC. Call the Spy Museum to drop the VIP
event organized by Demand Free Speech. Speakers during the rally, include Laura
Loomer, a banned Twitter-personality notorious for promoting Islamophobia; Mike
Cernovich, who speaks openly in favor of date rape; Milo Yiannopoulus, who
harassed trans women at AU, taught College Republicans to snitch on the
undocumented, and sang America the Beautiful in front of Richard Spencer giving
Hitler salutes; Gavin McInnes founder of the Proud Boys; Roger Stone who helped
steal an election; Proud boys Chairman Enrique Tarrio; and Jack Posobiec who
created the Pizza Gate conspiracy. Call 202.393.7798 for their mainline
or directly to the people in charge of booking: JULIE LEBO - SALES ACCOUNT
EXECUTIVE - 202.654.0942 or STEPHANIE WOOD - SALES ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE -
202.654.0992.
Here
is a call-in-script: "Hello my name is ______, I'm calling you in
concern to the July 6th event featuring prominent members of the alt-right.
Speakers like Gavin McGinnes, who founded the far-right organization the Proud
Boys, have brought violence and bigotry to wherever they organize. We are
asking you to keep DC safe from right-wing violence and please drop this
contract. This rally/event isn’t about freedom of speech, it’s
about protecting the promotion of hate and bigotry. Thank you." See https://www.facebook.com/events/1841643212604509/.
23]
– On
Mon., July 1 at 7 PM, join a Rally to Demilitarize JHU, hosted by JHU
Sit-In at the Wyman Park Dell Baltimore. Despite the collective efforts
of Hopkins affiliates, community advocates and organizers, and many
legislators, Johns Hopkins University (JHU) demonstrated its overwhelming
political reach at the local and state levels, ensuring that SB793 passed. A
clear example of how private entities can subvert democratic processes, on July
1st, SB793 goes into effect. Despite its misnomer, "The Community
Strengthening and Safety Act," this legislation does nothing of the kind.
SB793 allows JHU to enter into a Memorandum of Understanding with the Baltimore
City Police Department (BPD) to form its own armed, private police force. In
addition, it provides funding for a youth cadet program that will further
normalize policing in our communities. This legislation shields JHU officers
from accountability, who will act with impunity. Enshrining this bill into law
is a disgrace to the memory of Tyrone West, who was brutally murdered by Morgan
State police officers and BPD, who continue to continue to collect salaries
while menacing our communities.
July
1st also marks one week since the Trump administration announced an increase in
raids by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in cities across the
country. By maintaining its contracts with ICE for "education" and "leadership
training," JHU is not merely passively complicit in the ongoing violence
perpetrated by ICE and the Trump administration, our university is actively
supporting it. The institution and its affiliates train tactical medics for
teams deployed to kidnap undocumented immigrants. Though the JHU administration
previously characterized all Hopkins campuses as safe spaces for undocumented
community members, they have been deafeningly silent over the last week as our
neighbors have been abducted and imprisoned in concentration camps. JOIN
the RALLY at Harriet Tubman Grove. Look at https://www.facebook.com/events/2175599969219651/.
24]
– On Mon., July 1 from 7
to 8 PM, hear Thomas Abt who will discuss his book “Bleeding Out,” hosted
by Politics and Prose Bookstore, 5015 Connecticut Ave. NW, WDC
20008. Drawing on his extensive experience as a policymaker in the Obama
Justice Department and as Deputy Secretary for Public Safety to Governor Cuomo
in New York, Abt shows that we have the necessary tools to rid our cities of
violence. Proposing a targeted, data-driven approach, Abt argues that we should
focus on the “hot spots”—the blocks and corners where most crime takes
place—and on the “hot people”—the groups of men who commit the majority of the
crimes. By homing in on the violence itself, rather than on the gangs, guns, or
drugs, Abt believes we can achieve a 50% drop in homicides over the next
decade. This event is free to attend with no reservation required. Seating is
available on a first come, first served basis. See https://www.facebook.com/events/1355860764589444/.
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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