Baltimore Activist Alert -- June 12 - 13, 2020

71] Free the West Papuan Political Prisoners – June 12

72] Religious Leaders Caucus Prayer Protest – June 12

73] Medicare for All Congressional Caucus – June 12

74] “Get Organized, Get Online!” training – June 12

75] Rally for the Oceans – June 12

76] Taking Stock of U.S.-North Korea Relations – June 12

77] Defund the BPD March – June 12

78] Minds on Justice Virtual Town Hall – June 12

79] Tell City Council: Defund the Police – June 12  

80] Defund the Police – June 12

81] DC Vigils against Racism – June 12  

82] Peace and justice vigil – June 12

83] Fund Care, Not Cops!  – June 12

84] Vegan meal and film – June 12

85] Comment on the waste plan – June 12

86] Special Y Food Distribution – June 13

87] Join a “Historic Germantown” Shout-Out for Justice -- June 13

88] Protest the Johns Hopkins Police Force – June 13

89] Defund the Police -- June 13

90] Educators for Black Lives Matter Virtual Rally -- June 13

91] Do you need a doctor?

92] Two Berrigan Books still in print

93] Emergency Demonstration against an attack on Venezuela or Iran  

94] Donate books, videos, DVDs and records

95] Do you need any book shelves?

96] Join the Global Zero campaign.

97] Peace Park Antinuclear Vigil

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71] – Please join TAPOL and ETAN in a live webinar exploring the consequences of a racist justice system for political activists in West Papua. Indonesia: Free the West Papuan Political Prisoners.  Get with the webinar on Fri., June 12 at 9 AM ET.  There will be a Livestream on TAPOL's YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XVYTMH9-ZfA.

This discussion with several speakers will take a closer look at the consequences of a racist justice system for political activists in West Papua. Founded on grassroots campaigning, TAPOL works closely with local organizations in Indonesia to advocate for truth and justice and encourage the international community to take action. The East Timor and Indonesia Action Network (ETAN, www.etan.org ) is a U.S.-based grassroots organization working in solidarity with the peoples of Timor-Leste (East Timor), West Papua and Indonesia.

72] –  On Fri., June 12 from 11 to 11:30 AM, there is a Religious Leaders Caucus Prayer Protest, hosted by BRIDGE Maryland at the War Memorial Plaza, 100 Holliday St., Baltimore 21202.  The praying will take place a few steps from Baltimore Police Headquarters. The prayers are for Black bodies taken down, often by the police, and for the growing sense among the body politic for reform of the community safety system. They will "take the knee," and invite the Police Commissioner to do the same. They will seek a fuller meeting with the Police Department to demand the full implementation of the consent decree. Visit https://www.facebook.com/events/588419678473185/.

73] – On Fri. June 12 at noon ET, ‌ ‌join the Medicare for All Congressional Caucus and Co-Chairs Pramila Jayapal and Debbie Dingell for a virtual panel on the Case for Medicare for All: COVID-19.

Register at https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_ffz_GhUUQAmU7pjsdPGe0A.

74] – On Fridays through June 19 at 2 PM EST, join a weekly “Get Organized, Get Online!” training, open to all United for Peace & Justice state coordinating committee members, state leaders, and partners organizing toward June 20. This week new digital organizing techniques will be covered. Register here for this week's training: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSf9qhHHZwcef3fMLtMTHIP5GpcNCuYVAQFIwmv4iUHfNeWkzg/viewform?link_id=6&can_id=38b6b11c389689cadce2bab94c8bff03&source=email-stayalive-take-action-and-important-updates&email_referrer=email_812934&email_subject=ppcncmr-weekly-update-join-the-digital-mass-meeting-keep-up-the-calls-and-emails.

75] – Rally for the Oceans on Fri., June 12 at 2 PM ET as a part of World Oceans Week. Racial justice and environmental justice are interconnected and that equity must be centered in our work to protect the oceans and the planet every day. Continue learning about the intersection of racial and climate justice in the environmental movement.  Join Jane Fonda and Greenpeace for the June Fire Drill Friday rally. Hear from Greenpeace USA Oceans Director John Hocevar, Marine Biologist Dr. Ayana Johnson, Oceans Icon Dr. Sylvia Earle, and Community Organizer Niaz Dorry to talk about the important connection between Oceans and Climate, and the critical need for global protection of our waters. RSVP at https://www.facebook.com/events/170177961094095/.

76] – On Fri., June 12 from 2 to 3:30 PM, catch the Terrible Twos? Taking Stock of U.S.-North Korea Relations Two Years after Singapore [Online], hosted by the Cato Institute.  The speakers are Victor Cha, Center for Strategic and International Studies; Suzanne DiMaggio, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace; and David Kang, University of Southern California.  Sign up at https://www.cato.org/events/terrible-twos-taking-stock-us-north-korea-relations-two-years-after-singapore.

77] – On Fri., June 12 from 3 to 6 PM, join a Defund the BPD March, hosted by Organizing Black at 300 E. Madison St., Baltimore 21202-4260.  Use people power to shift this city in the direction that we need it to be in. See and support a people's budget that increases funding for arts programs, violence and harm prevention/reduction programs in the community, education, health and housing just to name a few. See https://www.facebook.com/events/291854778530441/.

78] – On Fri., June 12 from 4 to 6 PM, consider going to Minds on Justice Virtual Town Hall, hosted by Coppin State University.  Visit www.coppin.edu.  This is a conversation on the state of our community and where we go from here, moderated by White House Correspondent & CNN Political Analyst April Ryan. This event is free and open to the public but requires and R.S.V.P. using the link below or at https://www.coppin.edu/townhall. Visit https://www.facebook.com/events/839738046435187/.

79] – On Fri., June 12 from 4 to 6:30 PM, Tell City Council: Defund the Police, Fund the People, hosted by Peoples Power Assembly at the Baltimore City Hall, 100 Holliday St., Baltimore 21202. The 2020 budget for the police was over $509 million and the proposed increase for 2021 is $13 million.  Defunding the police is a step toward full community control of the Baltimore Police Department. The City has the ability to cut the budget.  Every penny that is divested from the BPD can be spent on healthcare, education, jobs, sanitation and other numerous needs. Visit https://www.facebook.com/events/1240697002936978/.

80] – On Fri., June 12 from 4:30 to 6:30 PM, Rally to Defund the Police, hosted by Communities United. It is budget time again in the Baltimore City Council.  The City Council hearing on this police budget will be held Friday evening. Meet at City Hall to demand that the City Council cut the bloated $573 million police budget.  Invest in youth, schools, rental assistance, health care and all the immediate needs that Baltimore needs to thrive! Send a letter to Mayor Young telling him to change this outrageous budget!  This event is both in person at City Hall and Facebook Live. If you cannot be there in person, please join in through FB LIVE.  Look at https://www.facebook.com/events/628117448051169/.

81] –  On Fri., June 12, 19 and 26 from 5 to 6 PM, get with DC Vigils Against Racism, sponsored by All Souls Church Unitarian, 16th Street NW, WDC 20009.   BLACK LIVES MATTER TO [GOD AND TO] US!  The goal is to bring people together (safely!) from various congregations, organizations, and neighborhoods to take a public action against racism and police violence. This is a public, prayerful, meditative response to the murder of George Floyd (and far too many more), as well as a way of being in solidarity with the people protesting in downtown DC and across the country.

This is a decentralized action. There is no program other than 45 minutes of public vigil and then silent witness starting at 5:45 when participating institutions toll their bells for 8 minutes and 46 seconds—the amount of time the officer’s knee was on George Floyd’s neck. If you are not near a bell tolling, you can go to the All Souls Church website, https://all-souls.org, for an audio file of the bell tolling (recorded at a vigil June 2), or simply use a timer and be silent. At the end of 8:46, you are invited to pray or meditate, either silently or out loud, on your commitment to ending racism. RSVP via Facebook or Google Form to get updates on plans and resources. If you’re adding your organization as a participant, email Rev. Rob Keithan at rkeithan@allsouls.ws. Go tohttps://www.facebook.com/events/558616331688689/?event_time_id=558616338355355.

82] – There is usually a Quaker Vigil for Racial Justice on Fridays, from 5:15 to 6 PM, hosted by the Baltimore Quaker Peace and Justice Committee (BQPJC) outside the Homewood Friends Meetinghouse, 3107 N. Charles St.  The next scheduled vigil is on June 12. From 6 to 6:30 PM strategize. Black Lives Matter. Stop the Killing. Physical distancing applies. Wear your face mask. Email homewoodfriends@gmail.com or call 410-235-4438.

83] – On Fri., June 12 from 5:30 to 7:30 PM, Fund Care, Not Cops! This is hosted by Metro D.C. Democratic Socialists of America from John Marshall Park, WDC 20001, to Freedom Plaza.  The DC Council's Budget Oversight Hearing for the Committee on the Judiciary and Public Safety is on Monday, June 15. In the face of unprecedented cuts from COVID-19, demand the Council defund MPD, divest from policing, and invest in the communities through housing, healthcare, education, social services, public transportation, and real anti-violence programs. If your organization would like to co-sponsor this event, and provide a speaker to share your budget priorities in FY2021 and vision for a District that prioritizes working families, email steering-all@mdcdsa.org. Look at https://www.facebook.com/events/573453330225912/.

84] - On Fri., June 12 through Fri., June 26 from 6:30 to 9 PM, get with dinner and a movie night, hosted by the Everlasting Life Vegan Restaurant. Most movies are centered on social justice issues that plague our everyday lives. It is deliberate to air content that is not readily discussed in mainstream media outlets. Check out https://www.facebook.com/events/239881367031502/?event_time_id=239881410364831.

85] – Last Friday, the consultant for Baltimore's Department of Public Works (DPW) released its 30-year waste plan that will guide recycling, composting, and the future of waste handling in Baltimore. A Virtual Community Meeting is being held on Friday, June 19 from 2 to 4:30 PM. Comments submitted by Fri., June 12 will be answered at the meeting on the 19th.

There are some good things in the plan (like giving everyone large recycling bins and compost bins), but also some really awful ones too (like getting into different types of incineration down the road). Comment ASAP. Go to https://baltimoreplanning.konveio.com/lwbbmasterplandraft. Register to comment at the upper right corner of the page. Just use an email, put in a password, and prove you're not a robot! See http://www.cleanairbmore.org/solidwasteplan/.

86] – Help out with a Special Y Food Distribution at Ridgely's Run Community Center, 8400 Mission Road, Jessup 20794, each Saturday from 10 AM to noon through June 20. In partnership with the Y, Ridgely's Run Community Center will be distributing food every Saturday.  Pull up and pop your trunk of the car. Do not get out. Volunteers will load the food. First come, first serve. See https://www.facebook.com/events/609015823035988/?event_time_id=609015836369320.

87] -- Join a “Historic Germantown” Shout-Out for Justice at noon on Sat., June 13 at Germantown Ave. & Schoolhouse Lane, Town Square.  END WHITE SUPREMACY (& its wars); REFUSE FASCISM, EVICT TRUMP.  A Pennsylvania Historical Marker, in the center of the Germantown section of Philadelphia, entitled "FIRST PROTEST AGAINST SLAVERY" reads: "Here in 1688 at the home of Tunes Kunders, an eloquent protest was written by a group of German Quakers.  Signed by Pastorius and three others, it preceded by 92 years Pennsylvania's passage of the nation's first abolition law. This protest is sponsored by the Brandywine Peace Community/www.brandywinepeace.com. Contact Melissa Elliott, Germantown Friends Meeting at 215- 951-2235.

88] – On Sat., June 13 from 2 to 4 PM, there will be a March & Car Caravan for Community Control of Police, hosted by the Peoples Power Assembly starting at Orleans & Bond Sts., Baltimore 21202. Baltimore Joins National Protests to Stop Police Terror, Racism, and Repression. The focus will be on Johns Hopkins and its plan to develop a police force. An additional call will be to end the use of military tactics by police--tear gas, rubber bullets, and concussion grenades!  It will include people on foot and a car caravan, so everyone will be able to participate regardless of one’s health issues. RSVP at https://www.facebook.com/events/587040855533895/.

89] – On Sat., June 13 from 5 to 7 PM, Defund the Police, Invest in Communities!  This is hosted by Montgomery County DSA at the Silver Spring Civic Center, 1 Veterans Place, Silver Spring 20910.  This is a peaceful rally to demand that Montgomery County DEFUND the police department and instead INVEST in communities. The Montgomery County Police have killed 3 black men since 2011, including Finan Berhe last month and have engaged in harmful and racists practices that have hurt the community. The police, sheriff, and jail budget is $386 million. Demand increased mental health and family services, school counselors and nurses, affordable housing, youth services, and more. Demand that all police be removed from county schools. County leaders are saying Black Lives Matter - now they must back up their words with action. Gather outside the Civic Center in Veterans Plaza with signs, masks, and the practice of social distancing!  See https://www.facebook.com/events/269495224294300/.

90] – On Sat., June 13 from 5 to 6 PM, Educators for Black Lives Matter Virtual Rally is hosted by Fairfax Education Association, 3917 Old Lee Hwy, Suite 1, Fairfax, VA 22030. The Fairfax Education Association union members invite you to join educators and community allies from across the Commonwealth to participate in a virtual rally. Inspirational speakers will share powerful messages and actions for change! Go to https://www.facebook.com/events/2604032439870230/.

89] – Yousef Zarbalian [mailto:yzarbali@gmail.com] started his own medical practice in December before the pandemic hit. It is called East-West Medicine and Rheumatology, and its website is EastWestMD.com.  Yousef is licensed in Maryland and Virginia. He is doing primary care as well as rheumatologic care (focusing on joint problems and autoimmune diseases like rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, and sjogren's).  He is offering telemedicine visits, and he has very reasonable rates for uninsured individuals.  He makes use of herbs (which can be sent directly to patients from the herbal dispensary) as well as prescribing medications to their local pharmacy if needed.  

90] –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.

91] – 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.   

92] -- 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.

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

94] -- 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.

95] – 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 Max Obuszewski, Baltimore Nonviolence Center, 431 Notre Dame Lane, Apt. 206, Baltimore, MD 21212.  Ph: 410-323-1607; 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