Friday, February 28, 2020

Baltimore Activist Alert -- February 29 -- April 13, 2020


73] Get out the Vote for Bernie -- Feb. 29
74] Public Transit: Ballot Launch – Feb. 29
75] Community Meeting on Public Safety – Feb. 29
76] Rally in Northern Virginia with Bernie Sanders & Rep. Ilhan Omar – Feb. 29
77] Exhibit of Willa Bickham’s art work – Feb. 29 – Apr. 13
78] Write letters supporting the Plowshares
79] Two Berrigan Books still in print
80] Emergency Demonstration against an attack on Venezuela or Iran  
81] Donate books, videos, DVDs and records  
82] Do you need any book shelves?
83] Join the Global Zero campaign.
84] Peace Park Antinuclear Vigil
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73] – On Sat., Feb. 29 from 12:30 to 4 PM, Get out the Vote Canvass, hosted by Metro D.C. Democratic Socialists of America.  You are encouraged to plug in where you can with the Bernie campaign’s Get out the Vote efforts!  DSA will help organize carpooling as well as host an after-party for canvassers, phone bankers, and text bankers. If you can drive or need a ride to get to a canvass, please fill out the following Google form: https://forms.gle/XESFmZ8xuvph94V58.  After canvassing, come to a GOTV happy hour at Courthaus Social at 5 PM.  Stay in the loop for MDC DSA4Bernie efforts as well as MDC DSA Chapter happenings by subscribing to the weekly update here: https://bit.ly/3bSZbU1. See https://www.facebook.com/events/182227403164745/.

74] On Sat., Feb. 29 from 2 to 4 PM, join a People-Powered Public Transit: Ballot Launch, hosted by Baltimore Transit Equity Coalition and Baltimore Regional Transportation Authority Mandate.  It will take place at the Enoch Pratt Free Library, 1303 Orleans St., Baltimore 21231. Gather to hear stories from transit-dependent people today, and learn how a Regional Transit Authority can create an accessible, efficient, multi-modal transit system our region deserves! Email Maura at maurasdwyer@gmaill.com.   Look at https://www.facebook.com/events/2560377074246294/.

75] – On Sat., Feb. 29 from 3:30 to 5 PM, attend a Community Meeting on Public Safety, hosted by Sen. Mary Washington for Mayor at 1100 Wicomico St., Baltimore 21230. Mary Washington wants to hear your thoughts and feedback on her public safety proposal because community should be at the center of this conversation. RSVP at http://bit.ly/bybmore, and check out https://www.facebook.com/events/177840756972834/.

76] – On Sat., Feb. 29 from 4 to 5:30 PM, rally in Northern Virginia with Bernie Sanders & Rep. Ilhan Omar at The St. James, 6805 Industrial Road, Springfield, VA 22151. RSVP HERE: https://events.berniesanders.com/event/245116/.  Doors open at 2:30 PM. Go to https://www.facebook.com/events/204743927395164/.

77] – There is a reception as part of the opening of an Exhibit of Willa Bickham’s art work on Sat., Feb. 29 from 4 to 6 PM at the Emmanuel Episcopal Church,. 811 Cathedral St., Baltimore 21201.  The exhibit runs until Apr. 13.  Gallery hours are Fridays, 5:30 to 8 PM, Saturdays, 1 to 4 PM, and Sundays noon to 4 PM.  Willa paints what she sees around her home in Southwest Baltimore, the flowers in the backyard, the evicted family huddled on a door stoop, Christmas at her granddaughters' home, the Arabber's wagon full of fruit and vegetables, the burned-out house where children have died.  Her home is the Catholic Worker Viva House that she and her husband, Brendan Walsh, founded more than 50 years ago at 26 S. Mount St. in a struggling neighborhood where survival is even harder today. See https://www.facebook.com/emmanueldowntown/ or call (410) 685-1130.

78] The PLOWSHARES SENTENCING is PENDING, so please WRITE THE JUDGE. Now is the time to write letters to Judge Lisa Godbey Wood regarding her sentencing of the Kings Bay Plowshares 7. The group is collecting letters, especially from those who know the defendants, testifying to their character and the good work that they are doing in their communities which will not be done if they are serving long terms in prison. These letters are not the forum to criticize the law, the legal process or government policies. Rather it is the place to point out positive things about the defendants that should mitigate a harsh sentence.  Letters should be sent to defense attorney Bill Quigley at the address below. He will compile them and distribute to various defendants' attorneys for delivery to Judge Wood. The attorneys suggest it would be helpful to get these done by Thanksgiving or the week after in order to get processed and delivered. Sentencing may be in January or possibly February.   The best letters are simple, polite, and tell good things about the person you are writing to support.

The suggested format is as follows:
Date
Sender’s Name
Sender’s Address
Judge Lisa Godbey Wood
C/o Bill Quigley
Loyola University New Orleans Law Clinic
Campus Box 902
7214 St. Charles Avenue
New Orleans, LA 70118
Regarding Sentencing of: Mark Colville [or] Clare Grady [or] Martha Hennessy [or] Fr. Steve Kelly SJ [or] Elizabeth McAlister [or] Patrick O’Neill [or] Carmen Trotta (or all seven of the Kings Bay Plowshares)
Dear Judge Wood,
Suggested outline for the letter:
- Explain who you are.
- Explain who you are writing about, how you know them, and what good they do for their community.
- Explain why the Judge should not send them to jail.
- Thank the Judge for reading your letter.
Valediction,
Signature
For more ideas and details for your letters, you are welcome to see the defendants' biographies here: https://kingsbayplowshares7.org/about/bios/.
Thank you for your attentiveness to the trial, your support for the defendants and their families, and your focus on the issue of the abolition of nuclear weapons.
As Fr. Steve Kelly says, "The nuclear weapons won't go away by themselves." We do this work together.

78] – Two books by Fred Wilcox are still in print.  The first one is “Fighting the Lamb's War Skirmishes with the American Empire” by Philip Berrigan and Fred A. Wilcox with a FOREWORD by Tripp York.  It can be purchased by Wipf and Stock: https://wipfandstock.com/fighting-the-lamb-s-war.html.  It is a Memoir in paperback/ISBN: 9781532660078/240 pages/republished 8/21/2018/ Retail Price: $26.00/and Web Price: $20.80.

The second one is “Uncommon Martyrs The Berrigans, the Catholic Left, and the Plowshares Movement” by Fred Wilcox, who profiles members of this anti-war movement, whose Christianity compels them to acts of civil disobedience against the military industrial complex.  The ISBN is 0201522314/$6.50 for a hardcover, and it can be purchased at Powell's Books.  See https://www.spiritualityandpractice.com/book-reviews/view/7094/uncommon-martyrs.

79] –   The Trump Administration is again beating the war drums.  Most recently, the target is Iran.  Should the Trump administration initiate an act of war against Iran, consider joining us. It is a violation of U.S. law for the Trump Administration to attack a country that has not attacked us, as only Congress can declare war. The Trump administration is nevertheless beating the war drums for war against Iran and Venezuela. Should a war criminal, John Bolton, convince Trump to attack either of these countries, such a military strike would demand an immediate and unequivocal response from us to show that we will not tolerate his abuse of power.

Let's mobilize to show that we the people will not tolerate another military adventure, which would be bound to have profound negative consequences. If a military strike against Iran or Venezuela takes place, then meet at 33rd and N. Charles St., Baltimore 21218. If the attack is before 2 PM local time, then the event will begin at 5 PM, local time. If the attack occurs after 5 PM local time, then the event will begin at 5 PM, local time, the following day. Contact Max at 410-323-1607 or mobuszewski2001 at Comcast dot net.   

80] -- If you would like to get rid of books, videos, DVDs, records, tarps and table cloths, contact Max at 410-323-1607 or mobuszewski2001 at comcast.net.

81] -- Can you use any book shelves? Contact Max at 410-323-1607 or mobuszewski2001 at comcast.net.

82] -- Join an extraordinary global campaign for the elimination of nuclear weapons: http://www.globalzero.org/sign-declaration. A growing group of leaders around the world is calling for the elimination of nuclear weapons and a majority of the global public agrees.  This is an historic window of opportunity.  With momentum already building in favor of Zero, a major show of support from people around the world could tip the balance. When it comes to nuclear weapons, one is one too many.

83] – A Peace Park Antinuclear Vigil takes place every day in Lafayette Park, 1601 Pennsylvania Ave. NW, 24 hours a day, since June 3, 1981. Go to http://prop1.org; call 202-682-4282.

Donations can be sent to the Baltimore Nonviolence Center, 325 E. 25th St., Baltimore, MD 21218.  Ph: 410-366-1637; Email: mobuszewski2001 [at] comcast.net. Go to http://baltimorenonviolencecenter.blogspot.com/.

“One is called to live nonviolently, even if the change one works for seems impossible. It may or may not be possible to turn the US around through nonviolent revolution. But one thing favors such an attempt: the total inability of violence to change anything for the better" - Daniel Berrigan

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