Baltimore Activist Alert -- February 23 - 29, 2024

59] Serving People from All Places – Feb. 23

60] Fridays with Steve – Feb. 23

61] Peace vigil at the White House -- Feb. 23

62] Women in Black vigil – Feb. 23

63] AFSC Action Hour for ceasefire – Feb. 23

64] Election in El Salvador – Feb. 23

65] Prayer vigil for Ukraine – Feb. 23

66] Vigil for a ceasefire – Feb. 23

67] Power Half-hour for Gaza – Feb. 23

68] Election Protection phone bank – Feb. 23 & 29

69] Film Where the Wind Blew – Feb. 23

70] Democratic National Committee discussion – Feb. 23

71] Columbia Democratic Club Candidates Forum – Feb. 24

72] Bayard Rustin legacy forum – Feb. 24

73] Medicare for All training – Feb. 24

74] Activist is selling her home

73] Medical supplies are needed in Ukraine

74] Tell JHU president to renounce nuclear weapons contracts

75] Read Dave Eberhardt’s book "For All the Saints- a Protest Primer"

76] Do you need a doctor?

77] Donate books, videos, DVDs and records

78] Do you need any book shelves?

79] Peace Park Antinuclear Vigil

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59] – The Interfaith Immigration Coalition [media@interfaithimmigration.org] wants you to know about a virtual workshop: Serving People from All Places on Feb. 23 at 11:30 AM ET.  Join the CCDA Immigration Network to gain a basic understanding of the U.S. immigration system. Learn more about the differences between the refugee and the asylum process, what is happening at the southern border, and more. RSVP at https://ccda16.wildapricot.org/event-5581907

60] – Steve Phillips [info@democracyincolor.com] hopes you will tune in on Fri., Feb. 23 at noon ET to Fridays with Steve. He will share three reasons to stay optimistic about Democrats’ chances to hold the White House and win back Congress. RSVP at https://www.facebook.com/events/7013585088718563/7013585112051894/

61] – The Dorothy Day Catholic Worker will host a peace vigil at the White House, 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. NW, WDC, on Fri., Feb. 23 at noon.  Contact the Dorothy Day Catholic Worker: 202-882-9649 or artlaffin@hotmail.com.

62] – Every Friday from noon to 1 PM, Baltimore Women in Black vigil for peace with men and women who live in Roland Park. WIB invites all to join, and any peace sign is welcome, such as "Defuse Nuclear War."  The vigil takes place outside Roland Park Place at the corner of West 40th Street and Elm Street. Parking is free at RPP or at the Rotunda across the street. Contact Ann Vinup at annvinup@gmail.com.

63] – The American Friends Service Committee holds an Action Hour for a Cease-fire Now every Friday at noon ET. Join AFSC staff to hear updates from Gaza. Then, take action by contacting elected officials and call for an immediate cease-fire and humanitarian access to Gaza. Our elected officials need to keep hearing from us. RSVP at https://afsc.org/events/action-hour-cease-fire-now?ms=EMA24EI1103&emci=17faec34-887a-ee11-b004-00224832eb73&emdi=9695a439-f87c-ee11-b004-00224832eb73&ceid=764241

64] –Get in-depth analysis on the elections in El Salvador - and how they were rigged from the start - when CISPES program director Yesenia Portillo and one of our international observers join the Latino Media Collective for an interview on the DC Pacifica station, WPFW. Listen here on Fri., Feb. 23 at 1 PM ET: https://wpfwfm.org/radio/?eType=EmailBlastContent&eId=3aa29de3-aabb-42a3-b781-59678ce87390

65] – On Fri., Feb. 23 from 1 to 2 PM ET, join an online prayer vigil to commemorate the second anniversary of the war in Ukraine. The Friends Committee on National Legislation (FCNL, the Quakers), along with the Episcopal Public Policy Network, have organized an online prayer vigil to commemorate the second anniversary of the war in Ukraine. Pax Christi USA Ambassador of Peace Mary Yelenick, who also serves on the Pax Christi International board and represents Pax Christi International at UN in New York, will be one of the speakers.  Pray together and to lament the human harm caused by violence and conflict. Offer prayers for the people of Ukraine, Russia, and across the region, and for those displaced, and for a peaceful resolution to the crisis that prevents further human suffering. Go to this livestreaming link: https://www.fcnl.org/events/interfaith-faith-vigil-peace-ukraine

66] – Ronda Cooperstein <rondacooperstein@hotmail.com> wants you to know that BALTIMORE PEACE ACTION will gather on Fri., Feb. 23 from 3 to 4:45 PM ET at the four corners of Pimlico Road and Northern Parkway.  There are many banners and signs available -- CEASEFIRE NOW, NO MORE DOLLARS FOR WAR, NEGOTIATION NOT ANNIHILATION, ISRAEL OBEY THE ICJ, JEWS FOR PEACE, & STOP GENOCIDE.  This event will be quiet and peaceful.   

67] –Jewish Voice for Peace [info@jewishvoiceforpeace.org] is doing Power Half Hours for Gaza every day, Monday through Friday, at 3 PM ET. Sign up to take collective action toward a ceasefire alongside hundreds of other people like you. RSVP at https://jvp-org.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_Un0Lupy1SFObVVXJaZO5UQ?_x_zm_rtaid=J9kaFJwuR9e7Mh6JBKOREg.1708646266475.2a692d3bfd22320e6c703079034c64f4&_x_zm_rhtaid=813#/registration  If the Zoom room is full, go to https://www.youtube.com/@JewishVoiceforPeace/streams. 

  There are no words to describe the devastating pain of the last four months, in which the Israeli military has killed over 29,000 Palestinians in Gaza, including more than 11,500 children. The highest court in the world has named Israel’s actions as plausibly a genocide. And the U.S. government is actively supporting the Israeli military as it wreaks devastation on the over 2 million Palestinians in Gaza.

68] – On Fri., Feb. 23 from 4 to 6 PM ET and Thurs., Feb. 29 from 5 to 7 PM ET, there is a Common Cause organized Election Protection phone bank.   Work together to demand bold changes to our democracy to create a government that represents all of us, not big corporations or special interests. Register for a shift to make calls and help strengthen the phone bank team to protect our democracy. These shifts will also always include training for first-timers before you make calls, so if this is your first time, no worries! Register at https://www.mobilize.us/dfadcoalition/event/376178/?followup_modal_context=organization_newsletter_custom_recommendations.

69] –Consider attending the DC Independent Film Forum to see screening of Where the Wind Blew, followed by a panel discussion of director Andre Singer's 2016 documentary chronicling the experiences of a rural town in Kazakhstan during the USSR's open-air and underground nuclear weapons tests, alongside American stories affected by testing in Nevada.  The event will be held at the JCC, 1529 16th St. NW, WDC on Fri., Feb. 23 from 5:30 to 8 PM ET. Start the night with drinks, followed by the showing and a panel discussion expected to feature a former Assistant Secretary of Defense [sic] for Nuclear, Chemical & Biological Defense Programs, a representative from Navajo Nation, and an international journalist with experience covering nuclear armament issues. Visit https://dciff-indie.org/

70] – On Fri., Feb. 23 from 7:30 to 9 PM ET, the Democratic National Committee will have a Fourth Branch Action discussion.  These Friday events will continue through December 27. Fourth Branch Action is a national grassroots group organizing for action, supporting the Biden/Harris administration, and working through civic, electoral, and legislative action to achieve progressive goals. The group accomplishes this through advocacy, oversight, holding elected officials accountable to perform their jobs on behalf of their constituents; community engagement, civic education, and other events.   Everyone is welcome to join in. Come and enjoy a friendly conversation among like-minded folks, get acquainted with others from across the country, and build a community to restore the soul of our nation.  After you register for this event, you will receive an automated email with the Zoom meeting details: https://www.mobilize.us/mobilize/event/373917/?followup_modal_context=nonexclusive_newsletter_most_popular_virtual

71] –On Sat., Feb. 24 from noon to 4 PM ET, the Maryland Democratic Party will host a Columbia Democratic Club Candidates Forum at Elkridge Branch - Howard County Library System, 6540 Washington Blvd., Hockley Room, Elkridge 21075. Learn more about the 2024 Democratic candidates for Maryland Congressional District 3 and the Howard County Board of Education. This is a free, public event. Due to space considerations, pre-register for the event here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/columbia-democratic-club-candidates-forum-tickets-832045930777?aff=oddtdtcreator Email columbiademclub@gmail.com  Visit columbiademclub.org

72] – The AFSC [actioncenter@afsc.org] on Sat., Feb. 24 at 1 PM will be doing a virtual Bayard Rustin legacy forum.  This virtual symposium on the legacy of Quaker civil rights leader Bayard Rustin is presented by the BlackQuaker Project and Swarthmore College’s Department of Peace and Conflict Studies. You'll hear from BlackQuaker Project founder Hal Weaver; Palestinian-American Quaker scholar-activist Sa’ed Atshan; Terrence Wiley, Haverford College Africana and Religious Studies scholar; and Laura Brownlee, administrator of Friends Council on National Legislation. It is recommended viewing the 2023 biopic "Rustin" on Netflix before the event. RSVP at https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_ejLCWRumRe-3zOFhPfWKRA?utm_source=weekendreading0210&utm_medium=email&ms=EMA24WR0210&emci=f240b937-65c7-ee11-85f9-002248223794&emdi=ff6afc78-18c8-ee11-85f9-002248223794&ceid=764241#/registration

73] – The Northern Virginia DSA [novabranch@mdcdsa.org] is holding a MEDICARE 4 ALL virtual teach-in and organizer training on Sat., Feb. 24 at 5 PM ET to help new organizers and activists learn about the dysfunctional US healthcare system, how Medicare For All would work to fix our broken system, and how to join campaigns in support of universal healthcare for all, including efforts to pass Medicare For All resolutions in Alexandria and Arlington. RSVP at https://actionnetwork.org/events/m4a-101-medicare-for-all-organizer-training-workshop/?clear_id=true&link_id=20&can_id=4b9d4061aec5469758759317ac0f5285&source=email-nova-branch-dsa-upcoming-actions-and-events-141&email_referrer=email_2211947&email_subject=nova-branch-dsa-upcoming-actions-and-events

74] – A home in Baltimore is for sale on a dead-end street in the Lauraville neighborhood, with three bedrooms, and one bath. The yard backs into a field and then a forest. There is a serene and quiet setting with an abundance of wildlife. The owner will be asking a reasonable amount for the property but it will not be overpriced. Contact her by text only at 443 500 6733. On the text, leave your name and phone number, and she will get back to anyone that reaches out. 

75] -- If you are able to donate any kind of surplus medical supplies for field hospitals in eastern Ukraine, please email Brendan.walls@seaseton.org or call 410-721-5770 x231.  There is a colleague whose father is a medic on the front line. One container is shipped every month to the Donbass region. Donations can be picked up in Baltimore and Columbia every Thursday, and on other days in Annapolis and Crofton.

76] -- This is A PLEA TO CONVINCE JOHNS HOPKINS UNIVERSITY TO OBEY INTERNATIONAL LAW. The world reached a historic milestone on January 22, 2021: The Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons [TPNW] entered into force and become binding international law -- https://www.icanw.org/the_treaty.

Prevent Nuclear War/Maryland has called attention to the growing danger of nuclear war and the outrageous $1.7 trillion dollars we are spending to upgrade the nuclear arsenal. On July 18, 2017, Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, a U.S. Navy - affiliated research center received a seven-year, $92 million contract to continue its systems engineering and research-and-development services for the Air Force Nuclear Weapons Center. Help convince JHU to renounce nuclear weapons contracts. Contact the president, Ron Daniels, to urge him to reject all nuclear weapons contracts: Office of the President, 242 Garland Hall, The Johns Hopkins University, 3400 N. Charles St., Baltimore, Maryland 21218.  Call his office at (410) 516-8068 or email president@jhu.edu.

77] – David Eberhardt was a member of the Baltimore Four with Father Philip Berrigan, Tom Lewis and Rev. James Mengel.  The group poured blood on draft files on October 27, 1967.  They would be convicted and sentenced to prison.

He has written a book "For All the Saints- a Protest Primer"- documenting the Baltimore Four action and many others up to and including the most recent Plowshares action – Kings Bay Plowshares 7.  Dave printed new copies of For All the Saints, a Protest Primer- 250+ pp w photos-therefore #'s 351-400 making it o so collectable with two Berrigan book reviews added. The books are signed, and the price remains $25. Will send free if need be- he is not in it for the money! If you want one, send him a check, or contact Dave Eberhardt, 4 Hadley Square North, Baltimore, MD 21218 by email at 1941mireille@gmail.com. 

78] – Yousef Zarbalian [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.  

79] -- 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.

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

81] – 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, and 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