Baltimore Activist Alert – July 8 & 9, 2019

Baltimore Activist Alert – July 8 & 9, 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] Maryland 2,000 – through noon on July 8

8] Pentagon Protest – July 8

9] Hear about AMLO & the 4th Transformation – July 8

10] Food Bank Drive – through July 31

11] North Korea Sanctions – July 8

12] No War with Iran – July 8

13] Environmental Law Institute event – July 8

14] Food Rescue – July 8

15] Food Rescue Pop-Up at Flourish – July 8

16] Baltimore Women United – July 8

17] Anacostia River Keeper Boat Tour – July 8

18] XRDC Nonviolent Direct Action Training – July 8

19] Get Money Out of Maryland Teleconference – July 8

20] Tunisia at a Crossroads – July 9

21] Statehood Phone Bank – July 9

22] Basic Human Rights Training – July 9

23] Peace vigil – July 9

24] Protest killer drone research at JHU – July 9

25] Declare Climate Emergency – July 9

26] Baltimore’s immigration policy -- July 9

27] Community Conversation on Racial Equity – July 9

28] Oppression and Jewish Identity – July 9

29] Peace Talks – July 9

30] Meet and Greet Fundraiser – July 9

31] County Council Hearing on a Police Citizen’s Advisory Board – July 9

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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] -- 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] -- On Mon., July 8 from midnight to noon, attend Maryland 2,000, hosted by Animal Welfare League Queen Anne's County.  Tickets are at www.maryland2000.com.  There’s no better time to find your feline bestie than right meow!  The third annual Maryland 2,000 is back to find homes for more than 2,000 cats and kittens in shelters across Maryland this July. Stop by any one of 21 participating shelters listed at Maryland2000.com to find a cat or kitten that is just right for you and your family. Normal adoption procedures apply, but cat and kitten adoption fees are waived! Sponsored by Cat Hospital at Towson, Maryland 2,000 adopters will receive a certificate for a free wellness exam for their new cat or kitten at one of our participating veterinary clinics. Find your nearest veterinary practice at https://www.maryland2000.com/participating-veterinarians.  See https://www.facebook.com/events/476717003131923/?event_time_id=476727283130895.

8] – 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 8, 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.

9] -- On Mon., July 8 from 9:30 to 11:30 AM, hear about AMLO & the 4th Transformation: 1 Year After His Election Victory, hosted by Mexico Institute, One Woodrow Wilson Plaza, 1300 Pennsylvania Ave. NW, WDC 20004.  Tickets are at www.wilsoncenter.org.  It has now been one year since the victory of President Andrés Manuel López Obrador, an election that was won with the promise of a Fourth Transformation in Mexico. As part of this transformation, López Obrador promised to end corruption, grow the Mexican economy, reduce violence, build infrastructure, and expand social programs designed to reduce poverty and inequality. Six months after taking office, he has maintained a high level of popular support while aggressively pursuing his agenda and managing a challenging relationship with the U.S. administration. He has initiated a new worker training program for youth; canceled the construction of a new airport in Mexico City; suspended oil bids and auctions for renewables; gained congressional support to create a National Guard; launched a campaign to fight fuel theft; and raised the minimum wage. However, he has yet to make an impact on Mexico's record high homicide rate, and the economy appears to be slowing. 

How much progress has President López Obrador made in his Fourth Transformation? Join in to consider the achievements of the new administration and the trajectory of the country for the rest of President López Obrador's six-year term. Our experts will discuss public opinion on the AMLO administration, the administration's anti-corruption efforts, and the prospects for the Mexican economy one year after AMLO's victory, and progress made in realizing AMLO's vision for Mexico.  RSVP at https://www.wilsoncenter.org/event/amlo-the-fourth-transformation-one-year-after-his-historic-election-victory.  See https://www.facebook.com/events/451180372339406/.

10] – 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 8 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.

11] – On Mon., July 8 from 10 to 11:30 AM, catch the talk The North Korea Sanctions Regime a Year After Singapore, hosted by the United States Institute of Peace, 2301 Constitution Ave. NW, WDC 20037.  Tickets are at www.usip.org.   A year into deadlocked U.S.-North Korea denuclearization negotiations, sanctions relief has emerged as a key sticking point. Pyongyang is demanding relief from economic and financial sanctions in exchange for steps toward denuclearization, raising questions for U.S. policymakers about whether and how to roll back the complex regime of U.S. and multilateral sanctions. Please join USIP for a discussion that will examine the scope and purposes of the North Korea sanctions regime, consider the constraints and opportunities for providing partial and complete sanctions relief, and provide a comparative look at other such regimes. RSVP at https://www.usip.org/events/north-korea-sanctions-regime-year-after-singapore. See https://www.facebook.com/events/288621598590840/.

12] – On Mon., July 8 from 11 AM to 1 PM, be at No War With Iran, hosted by March on the Pentagon at the White House, 1600 Pennsylvania Ave., WDC 20500.  March on the Pentagon is headed to Washington D.C. for a mini-Rage Against the War Machine action at the White House to say hands off Iran and demand an end to US aggression toward the country. Check out https://www.facebook.com/events/379677372754311/.

13] – On Mon., July 8 from noon to 1:30 PM, get with Community-Based Water Tenure and Women in Water Diplomacy, hosted by the Environmental Law Institute, 1730 M St. NW, Suite 700, WDC 20036. Tickets can be had at www.eli.org. This summer, the Rights and Resources Initiative (RRI) and ELI will release the findings of an innovative methodology and global analysis that monitors national legal recognition of Indigenous Peoples’, local communities’, and indigenous and community women’s freshwater tenure rights. And in the Nile Basin, ELI is working in partnership with the Stockholm International Water Institute (SIWI) to elevate perspectives from women water leaders and to shine a light on the persistent failure to include women equitably in political decision-making processes related to transboundary waters. Please join ELI WELL (Women in Environmental Law & Leadership) for a discussion of two groundbreaking projects that highlight the importance of community-based water tenure rights and the role of women in water governance from the local to the transboundary level. Learn more at https://bit.ly/2RMmuFa.  Go to https://www.facebook.com/events/770103540051854/.

14] – On Mon., July 8 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/.

15] –On Mon., July 8 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.

16] – On Mon., July 8 from 6 to 9 PM, attend an Election 2020 Kick Off: PAC Launch Event, hosted by Baltimore Women United at the Enoch Pratt Free Library, 1303 Orleans St., Baltimore 21231. Baltimore Women United for Action PAC is a political action committee supporting women candidates and candidates who support issues that are important to women and families.  BWUA PAC will be working to get a majority women City Council and increase voter turnout among women.   RSVP at https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScOT5ptN0rnCAroRa7X-yC-ObyU9g7my1zuQS7COyjk-NJkGg/viewform. See https://www.facebook.com/events/2286164838267172/.

17] – On Mon., July 8 from 6 to 8 PM, get over to the Anacostia River Keeper Boat Tour, hosted by Surfrider Foundation - DC Chapter at The Yards Marina, 1492 4th St. SE, WDC 20003. Join Anacostia River Explorers to learn about the Anacostia River’s history, wildlife, the environmental threats it faces, and the solutions helping it realize its full potential. BYOB and Food! You must be an active Surfrider member to reserve a seat! Afterwards head to Whaley's for a late happy hour- see everyone there! Go to https://www.facebook.com/events/476290376248113/.

18] – On Mon., July 8 from 7 to 10 PM,  join an XRDC Nonviolent Direct Action Training, hosted by Extinction Rebellion Washington D.C., 1525 Newton St. NW, WDC 20010-3103. This training will cover the basic principles of Nonviolent Direct Action, addressing topics such as how to interact with police, how to de-escalate tense situations, and how to effectively use your body to cause disruption. There will also be a dress rehearsal for the upcoming action on July 9th.  Anybody considering participating in this action is strongly encouraged to attend the training. And it is essential that anyone considering risking arrest attend the training.  Visit https://www.facebook.com/events/921932131478215/.

19] – Join the Get Money Out of Maryland Teleconference on Mon., July 8 from 8:30 to 9:30 PM.  Call 605-475-6711, code 1136243#.  Work only on brainstorming ideas for participation in the upcoming General Election.

20] – On Tues., July 9 from 10 to 11:30 AM, get the word on Tunisia at a Crossroads, hosted by the Carnegie Tunisia Monitor at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, 1779 Massachusetts Ave. NW, WDC 20036.   Tickets are at carnegieendowment.org.  Get involved for a discussion on Tunisia's transition with the latest results from the Arab Barometer survey.  See https://www.facebook.com/events/678228702615934/.

21] – Can you participate in a DC Statehood Phone Bank on Tues., July 9 from 10 AM to 6 PM at the John A. Wilson Building, 1350 Pennsylvania Ave. NW, WDC 20004 in room G-9. Join the Washington, DC Statehood Office for a DC Statehood Phone Bank. Call state legislatures across the US to raise awareness of DC residents' lack of full and equal voting representation in Congress.   Phones, scripts, materials, and light refreshments will be provided. See https://www.facebook.com/events/673834763077915/?event_time_id=673834779744580.

22] – On Tues., July 9 from 1 to 5 PM, get over to Basic Human Rights Training Certification, hosted by Youth for Human Rights at the Fraser Mansion, 1701 20th St. NW, WDC 20009.  Are you a social worker, case manager, attorney, government employee, human rights advocate or a leader of a non-profit organization? Come participate in a free, in-depth human rights training and learn your human rights as enshrined in the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights. In this four-hour training you will find out how these rights apply today in our community and why human rights are so crucial in creating the society we are all working hard to achieve. You will also learn how to deliver youth oriented human rights trainings yourself.

All registered participants who complete the entire four-hour training will receive a certificate in Basic Human Rights at the end of the training, as well as a complete Educator's Package containing the human rights curricula, the documentary film The Story of Human Rights, 30 award-winning public service announcements illustrating the 30 human rights, the UNITED music video and copies of What Are Human Rights? booklets.  The instructor is Isabelle Vladoiu, a human rights advocate, speaker and international specialist on human rights law. Currently, she serves as the Director of United for Human Rights in Washington, DC, a nonprofit organization committed to promoting the instruction of people worldwide on their human rights and accompanying responsibilities through the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights. See https://www.facebook.com/events/705003319918687/.

23] –  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 July 9.  Call 215-426-0364.

24] – Vigil to say "No Drone Research at JHU" near the entrance to Johns Hopkins at 34^th & N. Charles Sts. on Tuesday, July 9 from 5 to 6 PM. Contact Max at mobuszewski2001 at Comcast dot net or 410-323-1607. 

25] – On Tues., July 9 from 5 to 7 PM, Tell Congress: Declare Climate Emergency! Come to Spirit of Justice Park, WDC.  Sign up here: https://actionnetwork.org/events/tell-congress-declare-climate-emergency/.  The UK and Canada have declared a climate emergency. It's time for the US to get its act together and follow suit.  We are in the middle of an unprecedented crisis. Global warming threatens to destroy our civilization. Congress must begin taking the crisis seriously. And the first step to action is telling the truth. Congress must officially declare a climate emergency and begin working on solutions to the crisis.  The United States is the second-largest emitter of fossil fuels on the planet. As a leader of the push to embrace fossil fuels worldwide, it now has an obligation to be a leader in the push to eliminate them.

But instead of addressing the climate crisis, Congress has chosen over and over again to continue with business-as-usual. We want our elected leaders to know that the climate crisis needs to be the top legislative priority.  Extinction Rebellion's first demand is that our governments tell the truth by declaring a climate emergency and working with existing institutions to educate the public. Without telling the truth, we cannot hope to pass serious climate policy. Go to https://www.facebook.com/events/2229098547400491/.

26] – On Tues., July 9 from 6 to 9 PM, Real Talk Tho: How will Baltimore Respond to Immigration Policy, Hosted by The Real News Network and Ida B's Table, 231 Holliday St., Baltimore 21202.  As Trump Ratchets Up Anti-immigrant Rhetoric, How Will Baltimore Respond? Images of children at the border locked in cages and starving have sparked protests across the country. Meanwhile, President Trump’s threats to carry out raids in cities like Baltimore have immigrant communities living in fear of being detained or deported.

Do these harsh immigration policies and rhetoric really make America safer? What impact are they having on undocumented youth living in this city? And, what are cities doing to promote safety and welcome undocumented immigrants?  Real Talk Tho is an opportunity for people to discuss and debate real solutions to our city's intractable problems. What would effective policy look like and how do we get it implemented? See https://www.facebook.com/events/382200865735855/.

27] -- On Tues., July 9 from 6:30 to 9:30 PM, get with a Community Conversation on Racial Equity & Social Justice in Montgomery County Public Schools, hosted by Progressive Maryland and Montgomery County Education Association (MCEA) at Georgian Forest Elementary, 3100 Regina Drive, Silver Spring 20906. Tickets are at www.mobilize.us.  This is an assembly of students, parents and guardians, teachers, school support staff, and community members sharing experiences and discussing ways to improve racial equity and social justice in our schools.  MEALS will be provided. CHILDCARE will be available. If you have any other accessibility needs or concerns, email jacquelyn@progressivemaryland.org.  Look at https://www.facebook.com/events/684862781962145/.

28] –  On Tues., July 9 from 7 to 9 PM,  listen to Oppression and Jewish Identity, hosted by Jews United for Justice at the Jewish Museum of Maryland, 15 Lloyd St., Baltimore 21202.  Join JUFJ and other Jewish partners for the first in a series of workshops around confronting and healing from its relationship to white supremacy. Situate your lived experiences as Jewish people carrying multiple identities within a society built upon structural oppression, through facilitated activities and dialogue. To be more effective in the struggle for racial and economic justice, do the work to understand and heal. RSVP at https://jufj.org/event/baltimore-july-community-convening/.  This workshop series is built through a Jewish lens, and all folks are welcome if they feel moved to attend. Go to https://www.facebook.com/events/891937887809133/.

29] – On Tues., July 9 from 7 to 9 PM, get with Peacetalks with Youth Peacebuilders, hosted by Peace Direct at Eaton Workshop, 1201 K St. NW, WDC 20005. In the Beverly Snow Room, youth peacebuilders Christian from DR Congo and Dishani from Sri Lanka will share their experiences fostering peace amid war.  Peace Direct, in partnership with Eaton Workshop, will be hosting a series of #peacetalks with local peacebuilders from conflict zones around the world. Speakers will discuss innovative and practical ways to promote a more peaceful society. They will also discuss ways in which individuals can practice building peace in their own communities.  Look at https://www.peacedirect.org or https://www.eatonworkshop.com/ or https://www.facebook.com/events/566866113842547/.

30] –  You’re Cordially Invited to a Meet and Greet Fundraiser in DC With Progressive Democrats of America Executive Director Alan Minsky and local leaders on Tues., July 9 from 7 to 9 PM.  There is a $20 suggested donation, but all are welcome!  Seating is limited. Click here to get your tickets: https://secure.actblue.com/donate/dc-pda.  Gather at the Talay Thai Restaurant on Capitol Hill, 406 First Street SE, WDC 20003.  The restaurant is one short block walk from Capitol South Metro station and a 1/2 mile walk from the Union Station Metro station.  Attendees will buy their own meals with vegetarian options available.

31] – On Tues., July 9 at 7:30 PM, attend a County Council Hearing on a Police Citizen’s Advisory Council in the Council Office Building, 100 Maryland Ave., Rockville 20850.  The Montgomery County Council will be hearing testimony on creating a Citizen’s Advisory Committee on Policing Policy. Progressive Neighbors urges turnout and advocacy.  Sign up at https://www.montgomerycountymd.gov/council/phsignup.html#/?i=1.

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