Wednesday, February 26, 2020

Baltimore Activist Alert -- February 26 - 27, 2020


43] Maryland's Criminal Justice System – Feb. 26
44] Maryland Humane Lobby Day – Feb. 26
45] Food Justice Lobby Day -- Feb. 26
46] Ash Wednesday vigil – Feb. 26
47] Untraceable Firearms – Feb. 26
48] Mayoral Transportation Forum – Feb. 26
49] South Carolina Primary Phone Banks for Bernie – Feb. 26
50] Mead & Greet Bill Henry – Feb. 26
51] District 12 Baltimore City Council Candidate Forum – Feb. 26
52] "The Observer Effect" – Feb. 26
54] South Carolina Primary Phone Banks for Bernie – Feb. 27
55] Trumpism and All-American Nativism – Feb. 27
56] Finding the Clotilda – Feb. 27
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43] --  On Wed., Feb. 26 from 8 AM to 2 PM in the Miller Senate Office Building (West 1 Meeting Room), 11 Bladen Street, Annapolis 21401, advocate for legislative changes that improve Maryland's Criminal Justice System. Bring your own lunch and also enjoy light refreshments. You are welcome to contribute a snack or potluck item for folks to share.  To learn more about our 2020 legislative priorities visit https://www.ma4jr.org/initiatives-2020.  Registration is required as space is limited: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/maryland-alliance-for-justice-reform-legislative-advocacy-day-tickets-87745835155.  If you are interested in serving as a volunteer, email Backdoor@ma4jr.org. 

Maryland Alliance for Justice Reform (MAJR) is a bipartisan, all-volunteer, statewide alliance seeking legislative changes in Maryland’s correctional policies to support alternatives to incarceration, address inequities, and aid citizens returning from prison to lead productive lives, thus, strengthening families and communities.

44] – On Wed., Feb. 26 from 8:30 AM to 2 PM, consider going to Maryland Humane Lobby Day, hosted by The Humane Society at 6 Bladen St., Room 150, Annapolis 21401-1912. Tickets are at action.humanesociety.org. Register at http://action.humanesociety.org/site/Calendar?id=117010&view=RSVP.  Advocate for legislation to prohibit the sale of cosmetics tested on animals and furbearer killing contests, and organized events in which participants compete for prizes for killing the most or the largest animals within a certain time period. Additional animal welfare bills are likely to be filed and may also be covered at the event. Visit https://www.facebook.com/events/2522052078042712/.

45] – Your legislators are currently considering a bill that would set a target to reduce the emissions from the food the state purchases by 25% by 2030. Maryland could make history by being the first state to pass a bill like this. And one of the most effective ways you can engage with your legislators is by meeting with them directly. Come to Food Justice Lobby Day on Wed., Feb. 26 from 9:45 AM to 1:30 PM.   The Lobby Day is at the House Office Building, 6 Bladen St., Annapolis 21401. RSVP at https://actionnetwork.org/events/food-justice-lobby-day/. During the lobby day, advocate for legislation that will improve public health, reduce healthcare costs, and fight climate change. As part of the lobby day, you’ll learn about these priority bills, receive training for how to have a successful meeting with your legislators, pair up with other people from your district, and get to meet directly with the decision-makers that can pass these critical food justice bills!  A delicious, plant-based FREE lunch will be shared together (thanks to support from VegFund). You can do a walk-up registration by arriving at 9:45 AM to room 145 at 6 Bladen St in Annapolis.

46] – On Wed., Feb. 26 from noon to 1 PM, gather near the White House on the north side on Pennsylvania Ave. Due to construction of a new $64 million fence around the White House, you cannot be on the street directly in front of the White House. Gather on Pennsylvania Ave. where there are no barricades, near where visitors exit the White House and in proximity to the Treasury Dept. Ash Wednesday marks the beginning of Lent, a time for personal and societal repentance, radical conversion, renewal and transformation. Living under the brutal occupation of the Roman Empire, Jesus declared: "The kingdom of God is at hand. Repent and believe in the Gospel." (Mk.1:15) Living in the U.S. Empire, which is responsible for so much needless death and suffering in our world, we need to heed Jesus' proclamation now more than ever!

On Ash Wednesday, people from the faith-based peace and justice community in the D.C. area will hold a prayer service in front of the White House to call for repentance and conversion of ourselves, our society and our churches to the Gospel way of justice, nonviolence and a reverence for all life and creation. Ashes will be blessed and distributed. Contact Art Laffin, Dorothy Day Catholic Worker: artlaffin@hotmail.com or 202-360-6416.

47] – On Wed., Feb. 26 from 12:30 to 6 PM, check out HB910 -- Untraceable Firearms (Ghost Guns) at a House Judiciary Committee Hearing, hosted by Moms Demand Action – MD.  Come to the House Office Building, Judiciary Committee Room, 6 Bladen St, Annapolis 21401-1912.   This law would close gaps in federal law, respond to the dangers presented by 3D printing technology, and ensure that DIY gun makers and others cannot evade Maryland’s strong gun safety laws by creating and using untraceable and undetectable weapons. The hearing begins at 1 PM, but plan to arrive around 12:30PM to ensure you get a seat. This is a Maryland Moms Demand Action priority, so wear your Moms Demand Action shirts or anything red!  Twenty-one bills are scheduled to be heard this day. There are parking garages around downtown Annapolis, but they fill up quickly. Park at the Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium. It costs $5 per day. A shuttle runs every 20 min. to take you to downtown Annapolis, with a stop near the State House. The cost is $2. RSVP at https://act.everytown.org/event/moms-demand-action-event/32246/.  Visit https://www.facebook.com/events/808162173019727/.

48] – On Wed., Feb. 26 from 6 to 8 PM, attend the Mayoral Transportation Forum, hosted by Bikemore at The Real News Network, 231 Holliday St., Baltimore 21202. Hear from Mayoral candidates about their visions for Baltimore's transportation future.  This forum is hosted by Bikemore in Action 501(c)(4), and developed in partnership with The Real News Network, Central Maryland Transportation Alliance, Baltimore Transit Equity Coalition, other transportation advocacy organizations, and transit riders and operators.  Look at https://www.facebook.com/events/212544866580526.

49] – Get involved with a South Carolina Primary Phone Banks for Bernie on Wed., Feb. 26 from 6:30 to 8:30 PM.  You can do this from the comfort of your own home.  Go to https://www.mobilize.us/ourrevolution/event/232299

50] – On Wed., Feb. 26 from 7 to 8:30 PM, get over to Mead & Greet Bill Henry at Charm City Meadworks, 400 East Biddle St., Baltimore 21202. Meet Bill Henry, candidate for Baltimore City Comptroller. Stop by for a drink and learn why the Comptroller must be Baltimore's financial watchdog and how Bill will make government more transparent and accountable to the people.  This is a free event, but if you would like to support the campaign, your contribution is always appreciated. RSVP at bit.ly/meadbill.  Look at https://www.facebook.com/events/2867423076637035/.

51] – On Wed., Feb. 26 from 7 to 8:30 PM, attend a District 12 Baltimore City Council Candidate Forum, hosted by Washington Hill Community Association at the Ministry of Brewing, 1900 E. Lombard St., Baltimore 21231. Hear from the District 12 candidates for Baltimore City Council before voting in the April primary! Each candidate will make an opening statements from each candidate followed by a moderated Q&A. You can submit questions ahead of time by emailing washhillca@gmail.com.  No purchase is necessary to attend. You can also bring your own food.  Visit https://www.facebook.com/events/187049202567773/.

52] – On Wed., Feb. 26 from 7 to 9 PM, hear from Barry Schwabsky about his writings in "The Observer Effect," hosted by Red Emma's Bookstore Coffeehouse, 1225 Cathedral St., Baltimore 21201. Schwabsky is a U.S. art critic, art historian, and poet, who writes for the Nation. Check out https://www.facebook.com/events/623841915044132/.

53] – On Thurs., Feb. 27 at 9 AM, get with a Lobby Day for End-Of-Life Option Act. Compassion & Choices is dedicated to passing the Maryland Richard E. Israel and Roger “Pip” Moyer End of Life Option Act (HB643) and companion bill SB 701, which would authorize medical aid in dying in Maryland. See https://compassionandchoices.org/in-your-state/maryland/.

54] – Get involved with a South Carolina Primary Phone Banks for Bernie on Thurs., Feb. 27 from 6:30 to 8:30 PM.  You can do this from the comfort of your own home.  Go to https://www.mobilize.us/ourrevolution/event/232299

55] – On Thurs., Feb. 27 from 6:30 to 8:30 PM, hear about Trumpism and All-American Nativism at the Socialist Night School, hosted by Metro D.C. Democratic Socialists of America at the Cleveland Park Public Library, 3310 Connecticut Ave. NW, WDC 20008.  It is often said that with the election of Donald Trump nativism was raised from the dead. But although his actions may often seem unprecedented, they are not as unusual as many people believe. For decades, Republicans and Democrats alike have employed xenophobic ideas and policies, declaring time and again that “illegal immigration” is a threat to the nation’s security, wellbeing, and future.  In this Socialist Night School, Daniel Denvir, author of “All-American Nativism: How the Bipartisan War on Immigrants Explains Politics as We Know It,” explains the long but often forgotten history that gave us Donald Trump. See https://www.facebook.com/events/174705193629662/.

56] – On Thurs., Feb. 27 from 7:30 to 9 PM, find out about Finding the Clotilda: America's Final Slave Ship, hosted by National Geographic Museum, 1145 17th St. NW, WDC 20036. Tickets are at www.nationalgeographic.org.  Discovered in 2019 in a remote arm of Alabama’s Mobile River, the schooner Clotilda smuggled African captives into the United States in 1860, more than 50 years after importing slaves had been outlawed. Learn how this tremendous discovery has illuminated a shameful episode in American history and impacted the slaves’ descendants—and how archaeologists used advanced technologies to find the ship. National Geographic magazine Executive Editor of Culture Debra Adams Simmons will moderate a conversation with photographer Elias Williams, historian Sylviane Diouf, and National Geographic Archaeologist-in-Residence Fred Hiebert. Check out https://www.facebook.com/events/1249883911885076/.

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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