Baltimore Activist Alert – August 20 to 21, 2023

Baltimore Activist Alert – August 20 to 21, 2023

"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 Max Obuszewski, BNC, 431 Notre Dame Lane, Apt. 206, Baltimore, MD 21212.  Max 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] Need help in archiving activist material    

4] Max is looking for tips on a garage or a storage suggestion.

5] Support the Pratt Workers United

6] Get the book Surely Goodness and Mercy by Murphy Davis

7] Get the book Male Supremacy in the Catholic Church: An Insider’s View by Roy Bourgeois

8] Can you sponsor a Ukrainian family?

9] Food n Prison conversation – Aug. 19

10] Anti-eviction canvass – Aug. 19

11] Letter to the Editor Party – Aug. 19

12] Poetry Salon – Aug. 20

13] Medicare for All outreach – Aug. 20

14] Israeli occupation – Aug. 20

15] Black Lives Matter – Aug. 20

16] Rally for Fairness – Aug. 20

17] Freedom Flotilla – Aug. 20

18] Free Assange – Aug. 20

19] Phone bank for Virginia – Aug. 20

20] Case against Julian Assange – Aug. 20

21] Not on Our Dime campaign – Aug. 20

22] Protest at the Pentagon – Aug. 21

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1] – Buttons, bumper stickers 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] –  Janice Sevre-Duszynska needs some assistance in archiving her activist material.  If you are interested in this project, contact Max at 410-32301607 or mobuszewski2001 at Comcast dot net.

4] – Max is in need of a garage or a storage space.  Any suggestions would be welcome.  Contact Max at 410-323-1607 or mobuszewski2001 at Comcast dot net.

5] – The workers at the Enoch Pratt Free Library have started a drive to organize a union calling themselves Pratt Workers United.  Go to https://www.prattworkersunited.org/. There is a letter of support for community members to sign at https://www.prattworkersunited.org/community-letter-support.

"Pratt Library workers are forming a union, Pratt Workers United. We are seeking pay equity for all, safer working conditions, benefits for part-time workers, and a voice in decisions that affect our work.” The workers voted to unionize

6] – Consider getting HOSPITALITY, the newsletter of OPEN DOOR: A prophetic discipleship community honoring the Black Jesus, Dorothy Day and Martin Luther King, Jr. The September/October 2022 issue contains a wonderful review by Claire Schaeffer-Duffy of Surely Goodness and Mercy by Murphy Davis, reprinted from The Catholic Worker, March-April 2022.  Davis, a co-founder of the Open Door Community, died in 2020.   You can subscribe to the newsletter or buy a copy of the book by calling 404-290-2047 or by emailing opendoorcomm@bellsouth.net.

7] – Another book to consider purchasing is Male Supremacy in the Catholic Church: An Insider’s View by Roy Bourgeois. His new book is both memoir and position-paper, and it makes the case that the Roman Catholic Church is a corrupt system that spits out truth-tellers. The crime he was excommunicated for was attending the ordination ceremony of Janice Sevre-Duszynska in Lexington, Kentucky, in August 2008. The ordination was under the auspices of the Association of Roman Catholic Women Priests.  The Vatican’s response has been to excommunicate any woman who has the audacity to see herself as a priest equal to a male priest. You can purchase a copy from Amazon or by Kindle.

  Here are two quotes to contemplate: “I permit no woman to teach or to have authority over men. She is to keep silent.” – Timothy 1, 2:12-13.  “If the patriarchy that dominates the church is not dismantled and women are not treated as equals, the church will continue to diminish and, eventually, die.” – Roy Bourgeois.

8] – Jerry Windley-Daoust is looking for an individual or community that might be in a position to sponsor a Ukrainian refugee family under the Uniting for Ukraine program. The head of this family, Dymtro, needs a sponsor. He is 33 and a male fashion model living in Kyiv. He speaks and writes English very well. His 54-year-old mother and his 19-year-old brother, Artem, live in a nearby city. His brother has autism, is nonverbal, and had been receiving care from a local institution until the onset of the war; in recent months, he has not received adequate care due to medical facilities prioritizing war-related physical and mental health issues. Dmytro’s mother is a professional baker who has been out of work and suffers from depression, likely due to the stress of the war and care for her 19-year-old son.

 Dmytro is the sole breadwinner and supporter of his mother and brother. He is keen to leave Ukraine to avoid military conscription, since that would leave his mother and brother in a more vulnerable position. He is legally able to leave the country due to his circumstances. The family would probably best be placed in a major urban center with an existing Ukrainian population, but at this point, they just want to get out of the country and will accept placement anywhere.

The main responsibilities of the sponsor would be to provide the family with temporary shelter and assistance getting Artem connected to the health care system. You can learn more about U4U sponsorship at the USCIS web page. If you or your community are interested in possibly sponsoring this family, please reach out to me at wind@gracewatch.org or jerry@catholicworker.org.

9] – Join a Food n Prison conversation part 2, hosted by Life After Release on Sat., Aug. 19 from 1 to 3 PM ET at the Greenbelt Library, 11 Crescent Road, Greenbelt 20770. This event is a community conversation about the food and correctional facilities in Prince George's County and how to change the food in those facilities. Register at https://www.mobilize.us/mobilize/event/576353/?followup_modal_context=nonexclusive_newsletter_more_events_of_type

10] – Metro DC DSA [info@mdcdsa.org] is inviting you to an anti-eviction canvass on. Sat., Aug. 19 at 1:30 PM with Stomp out Slumlords.  If you are new to SOS, this is a great way to get involved and be introduced to the work. Meet at L’Enfant Plaza Metro Station on D Street exit between 6th and 7th St., 600 Maryland Ave. SW, WDC 20024. For new folks, you will get a quick training and be paired up with someone more experienced. After the canvass, meet at Sonny’s in Park View to debrief and socialize. RSVP at https://actionnetwork.org/events/soss-anti-eviction-canvass?link_id=5&can_id=4b9d4061aec5469758759317ac0f5285&source=email-metro-dc-dsa-weekly-newsletter-for-august-11-2023&email_referrer=email_2020349&email_subject=metro-dc-dsa-weekly-newsletter-for-august-18-2023

11] – Join the Letter to the Editor Party: Freedom To Vote by engaging in Virtual Letter Writing, hosted by Common Cause from 8 to 9 PM ET on Sat., Aug. 19. In America, we value our freedom. The freedom to have a say in decisions that impact our lives - from curbing the pandemic to creating jobs to making health care affordable. For months, the American people have been calling for national standards to protect our freedom to vote and have an equal voice in our government. In July of 2023, the Freedom to Vote Act was reintroduced in the Senate. The Freedom to Vote Act is an extremely necessary reform. This important legislation will protect our right to vote, end partisan gerrymandering, counter undemocratic and dangerous election sabotage efforts, and help eliminate the undue influence of dark money in our elections. The last time the Freedom to Vote Act was introduced, all 50 Senate Democrats twice voted to advance major voting rights legislation, and all Senate Republicans twice voted against even allowing public debate on the bill, causing a filibuster.  Can this legislation get passed? RSVP at https://www.mobilize.us/dfadcoalition/event/418654/?followup_modal_context=organization_newsletter_custom_recommendations.  Learn how to use an easy-to-use tool to draft a short letter on the urgent need to pass the Freedom to Vote Act. The Party will continue on Tues., Sept. 19 and Thurs., Oct. 19 from 8 to 9 PM ET.

12] – Usually, the Baltimore Ethical Society, 2521 St. Paul St., Baltimore 21218, meets on Sundays, and usually there is a virtual platform address at 10:30 AM ET.  On Aug. 20, check out the Poetry Salon. For almost two decades, a few members of the Baltimore Ethical Society have been gathering on a monthly basis prior to the platforms, to start their Sunday mornings with poetry.  The poetry which has been shared has sometimes been composed by participants within the group and sometimes by “famous and not so famous” poets.  Gather to enjoy the beauty of the spoken word.  After the reading of the poem, discuss what the poem evoked in us.  Please bring a poem to share with the group.  Email PRESIDENT@BMORETHICAL.ORG for Zoom login information.

13] – The Northern Virginia Democratic Socialists [novabranch@mdcdsa.org] is doing a Medicare 4 All In-Person Outreach and Sun., Aug. 20 from 11 AM to 1 PM ET.  The outreach will take place at the Arlington Fair, 3501 Second Street South, Arlington 22204. RSVP at https://actionnetwork.org/events/medicare-4-all-in-person-outreach-august-20th-11am?link_id=5&can_id=4b9d4061aec5469758759317ac0f5285&source=email-nova-branch-dsa-upcoming-actions-and-events-113&email_referrer=email_2016097&email_subject=nova-branch-dsa-upcoming-actions-and-events. Meet at the funnel cake stand. Outreach will happen around the indoor tabling section, where local organizations from Arlington are setting up shop. Talk to them about Medicare for All efforts in Alexandria, and plans for Medicare for All in Arlington. Don't try to park near the fair - there will be shuttles from the Clarendon Metro that will take you to the community center.

14] – MAZIN QUMSIYEH will discuss the PALESTINIAN/ISRAELI CONFLICT on Sun., Aug. 20 at 12:15 PM ET at the Adelphi Friends Meeting, 2303 Metzerott Road, Adelphi 20783.  This will be at a Second Hour presentation, focusing on the tradition of nonviolent resistance in the West Bank and Gaza.  He offers a message of hope. Mazin left a distinguished career as an evolutionary biologist and geneticist in the US to found an environmental institute in his native Bethlehem, a beautiful act of nonviolent resistance of his own. All are welcome and encouraged to attend. Please contact Laurie Gagne at lauriegagne74@gmail.com for more information.

15] – The Black Lives Matter Interfaith Coalition <paperlesspost@paperlesspost.com> is hosting a rally on Sun., Aug. 20 from 1:30 to 2:30 PM at Coppin State University, 2500 W. North Ave., Baltimore 2121This will be Joan and Ryan Sattler’s last rally before they return to Wisconsin.  Join the rally and wish them well.

16] – On Sun., Aug. 20 from 2 to 3 PM ET, Pennsylvania Stands Up for a Rally for Fairness in PA out of Lancaster, PA 17602.  Join a rally to pass the Fairness Act in PA! Fight to protect our LGBTQ+ neighbors from discrimination!  Send a message to Senators Martin and Aument: support the Fairness Act in the PA Senate so that LGBTQ+ anti-discrimination protections are codified into state law!  RSVP at https://www.mobilize.us/mobilize/event/573765/?followup_modal_context=nonexclusive_newsletter_more_events_of_type

17] – The Freedom Flotilla from Gothenburg (Sweden) to Olso (Norway), for the final leg of Handala's 2023 itinerary, is sailing for the children of Gaza, to end the blockade. The Handala will resume its voyage in 2024, traveling to the Mediterranean to challenge the blockade of Gaza. Visit https://freedomflotilla.org/freedom-flotilla-ports/.

  See the film The Truth: Lost at Sea by registering at https://tinyurl.com/VFHL-August2023. You can view the film online for free anytime between now and August 20, and then join the online Q&A discussion with Voices from the Holy Land on Sun., Aug. 20 at 3 PM ET. Panelists include Rifat Audeh (director, producer, activist, survivor of 2010 Gaza Freedom Flotilla), Ann Wright (retired US Army Colonel and former US diplomat, 2010, 2015, & 2016 Gaza Freedom Flotillas, 2018 & 2023 ground crew) and Awni Farhat (Gaza activist, 2018 & 2023 Gaza Freedom Flotilla participant).

18] – Gather near the home of US Attorney General Merrick Garland on Sun., Aug. 20 from 4 to 5 PM ET for a peaceful vigil calling for the US to drop the extradition request and drop all charges on Julian Assange. Go to the 5,000 Edgemoor Lane in Bethesda by a fence at Sidwell Friends Lower School, two blocks from the Bethesda Metro station. Contact Ann Wilcox ann1.wilcox@gmail.com. On Sun., August 20 at 5 PM, come to a cookout with Jews United for Justice in Druid Hill Park! After a year of intense organizing, it is time to relax. There will be prizes, games, and a look ahead at local campaigns and the state legislative session. RSVP at https://jufj.org/event/cookout-23/?emci=c080d908-3a32-ee11-b8f0-00224832e1ba&emdi=66b35de3-4432-ee11-b8f0-00224832e1ba&ceid=3403859

19] –  On Sun., Aug. 20 from 6 to 8 PM ET, the Democratic National Committee is organizing VIRTUAL PHONE BANKS FOR THE VIRGINIA HOUSE OF DELEGATES- TO TURN VA BLUE! RSVP at https://www.mobilize.us/mobilize/event/569453/?followup_modal_context=nonexclusive_newsletter_most_popular_virtual. This event will continue on Sundays from 6 to 8 PM ET THROUGH November 5.  Call voters in Virginia to get them out to vote in the November election. NO EXPERIENCE is NECESSARY. Get TRAINING and hear from COACHES TO HELP ALL ALONG THE WAY.

20] -- Kevin Gosztola presents "Guilty of Journalism: The Political Case against Julian Assange" on Sun., Aug. 20 at 6 PM ET at Busboys & Poets, Shirlington, 4251 S. Campbell Ave., Arlington 22206. From an acclaimed independent journalist, this carefully-documented analysis of the government’s case against Julian Assange and its implications for press freedom acts as a crucial, compelling guidebook to Assange’s upcoming trial. The legal action against Julian Assange is poised to culminate in a trial in the United States in 2023, and this book will help the public understand the proceedings. The establishment media’s coverage of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange’s extradition case has focused on his deteriorating health and what CBS News called his “secret family,” but most of this coverage failed to detail the complex issues at stake against Assange. Guilty of Journalism outlines how WikiLeaks exposed the reality of American wars, the United States government’s unprecedented indictment against Assange as a publisher, and the media’s role in persuading the public to “shoot the messenger.”  RSVP at https://www.busboysandpoets.com/events/th-evt-31604786/?ref=thedissenter.org

21] –   Friends of Sabeel North America [friends@fosna.org] proudly endorses the Not on Our Dime campaign. Do phone banking for Not on Our Dime legislation on  Sun., Aug. 20 from 7 to 8:30 PM ET with Jewish Voice for Peace. Do phone banking by gathering on Zoom to call through a list of people in New York City to invite them to a town hall featuring Senator Kristen Gonzalez and Assembly Member Zohran Mamdan, two champions of the Not on Our Dime legislation. It's strategically important to pack this town hall to show that there is broad support for this campaign. If you’re not based in New York this is the perfect opportunity to support and build the campaign! RSVP at https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZAlfu2trjgiE9bvTFdp8hu97apCEYrG-4do#/registration

22] – 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 Aug. 21, 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.  This vigil will honor the visit to the area of the anti-nuclear ship the Golden Rule.

 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 begins at 8 AM.  No cameras are allowed on Pentagon grounds. The restrooms are located inside Marriot Providence Inn on corner of S. Fern and Army Navy Dr.

To be continued.

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/.

"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