Friday, March 15, 2024

Baltimore Activist Alert -- March 15 - 16, 2024

46] Friday Power Lunch – March 15

47] Peace vigil at the White House March 15

48] Women in Black vigil – March 15

49] AFSC Action Hour for ceasefire – March 15

50] Shut down Scotiabank – March 15

51] Maryland’s Climate Pollution Reduction Plan March 15

52] Vigil for a ceasefire – March 15

53] Power Half-hour for Gaza March 15

54] Combat Islamophobia – March 15

55] Fourth Branch Action discussion March 15

56] Film Festival – March 16 & 23

57] Community Wealth Building Fund March 15

58] Bring the rainbow back to Russia – March 16

59] Bird dog David Trone – March 16

60] Rent Stabilization Canvass March 16

61] Vigil for a ceasefire – March 16

62] Bird dog David Trone – March 16

63] Prison Capital – March 16

64] Activist is selling her home

65] Medical supplies are needed in Ukraine

66] Tell JHU president to renounce nuclear weapons contracts

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

68] Do you need a doctor?

69] Donate books, videos, DVDs and records

70] Do you need any book shelves?

71] Peace Park Antinuclear Vigil

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46] – On Fri., March 15 at noon ET, join the Friday Power Lunch, a weekly show amplifying the voices of the Virginia Grassroots on politics, culture, and making change with the BADASS women of Network NOVA. RSVP at https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZYscumspzMoHtOe4-JRDrtezzQNNh9EhWEh#/registration

47] – The Dorothy Day Catholic Worker will host a peace vigil at the White House, 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. NW, WDC, on Fri., March 15 at noon.  Contact the Dorothy Day Catholic Worker: 202-882-9649 or artlaffin@hotmail.com.

48] – 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 830 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.

49] – 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

50]The Canadian BDS Coalition [coalition@bdscoalition.ca] is calling on Fri., March 15 at noon ET for a SHUT DOWN of GENOCIDE PROFITEERING! Shut down Scotiabank, and find a location near you, or book your own.  RSVP at https://bdscoalition.ca/2024/03/02/march-15-shut-down-genocide-profiteering-shut-down-scotiabank/

  The Canadian BDS Coalition endorses the call from member group the Canada Palestine Association to “adopt” a Scotiabank branch and shut it down! Why is the gap between the sentiments of the mass of people and that of the political establishment so wide?  Because the Canadian ruling class is totally invested in Israel.  They rely on Israel to act as an armed outpost of the Anglo-American imperialist alliance, of which they are a part. They do $2 billion+ in annual trade with Israel via the Canada Israel Free Trade Agreement. And the big Canadian banks, the cornerstone of Canadian imperialism, have billions invested in Israel, and particularly in its military and ‘security’ industries. Scotiabank with its $500 million investment in Israeli arms manufacturer Elbit Systems is Exhibit A of Canadian capital’s genocide profiteering.

51] –Maryland LCV [info@mdlcv.org] needs you on Fri., March 15 at noon ET to attend a webinar to discuss its work to implement Maryland’s Climate Pollution Reduction Plan.  The webinar will be hosted by Kim Coble, Maryland LCV’s Executive Director, joined by special guests Laura Wood, the Director of Development, and Kristen Harbeson, the Policy Director. Together, they will provide insights into Maryland LCV's priorities and the strategies to employ to get crucial bills across the finish line.  Register at https://www.mdlcv.org/event/friday-digest-3-15-24?emci=0fcb67cd-dddf-ee11-85fb-002248223794&emdi=b7a86e30-81e0-ee11-85fb-002248223794&ceid=578562

52] – Join Baltimore Peace Action on Fri., March 8 (unless there is rain) at the corners of Pimlico Road and Northern Parkway (by the racetrack) as the group calls for a ceasefire and hand out leaflets.  The set-up is at 3 PM, and the demo will end at 4:45 PM ET. Banners and signs are available. The BPA gatherings are quiet and peaceful.  Contact Ronda Cooperstein [rondacooperstein@hotmail.com]. 

53] –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.

54] CAIR Daily News [info@action.cair.com] wants you to know that on Fri., March 15 at 7 PM U.S., Global Muslim Groups to Mark UN's International Day to Combat Islamophobia. Over a dozen groups plan to call for action to address hotspots of anti-Muslim bigotry. The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the nation’s largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy group, plans to unite with a coalition of more than a dozen Muslim civic organizations around the world to mark the UN’s Second International Day to Combat Islamophobia by issuing a joint statement highlighting key hotspots of Islamophobia around the globe. Journalists should expect to see a joint international statement and social media posts commemorating the day.  Contact CAIR Research and Advocacy Director Corey Saylor, 202-384-8857, csaylor@cair.com; CAIR Research and Advocacy Coordinator Farah Afify, fafify@cair.com  Ramadan, Islam’s holy month of fasting and reflection, began this week. During the latter part of Ramadan, CAIR plans to release “Fatal: The Resurgence of Anti-Muslim Hate,” the 2024 edition of its annual report on the status of Muslim civil rights in the U.S.

55] – On Fri., March 15 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

56] – World BEYOND War [greta@worldbeyondwar.org] is doing a film festival with three films continuing on Sat., March 16 and concluding on March 23.  Get tickets at https://worldbeyondwar.org/2024filmfest/?link_id=2&can_id=4b9d4061aec5469758759317ac0f5285&source=email-announcing-this-years-film-fest-2&email_referrer=email_2219875&email_subject=film-fest-starts-next-week

  Marking International Women’s Day (March 8), this year’s theme is “Women & War” and the films explore the intersection of women, war, and militarized masculinity. Each Saturday, there will be a live Zoom discussion with key representatives from the films and special guests to answer your questions and explore the topics addressed in the films. The purchase of one ticket gets you access to all three films and three discussions. You will get the screening link to watch the films on your own time leading up to the Zoom discussions.

The films are as follows: Released in 2023, Israelism uniquely explores how Jewish attitudes towards Israel are changing dramatically, with massive consequences for the region. Two young American Jews – Simone Zimmerman and Eitan – are raised to defend the state of Israel at all costs. Eitan joins the Israeli military. Simone supports Israel on ‘the other battlefield:’ America’s college campuses. When they witness Israel’s mistreatment of the Palestinian people with their own eyes, they are horrified and heartbroken.

 Naila and The Uprising (2017) takes place during the First Intifada in 1987. A woman in Gaza must choose between love, family, and freedom. Undaunted, she embraces all three, joining a clandestine network of women in an inspiring story that weaves through the most vibrant, nonviolent mobilization in Palestinian history.

The hour-long documentary Power on Patrol (2022) from the Women’s International League for Peace & Freedom (WILPF) sheds light on the concept of militarized masculinities as a key driver of this conflict and aggression, the ways it manifests itself in conflict societies, how it is sustained and spotlights the stories of the male allies doing vital work alongside female activists to achieve equitable peace.  As news reports remind us on a daily basis, violence and war are having a devastating effect on countries, communities, and individuals across the world. 

57] – Yuri Guaiana [projects@allout.org] is asking us on Sat., March 16 to bring the rainbow back to Russia. As the situation for LGBT+ people in Russia grows increasingly perilous, your support is more vital than ever. Since Russia's crackdown on the "international public LGBT+ movement" as extremist, the danger for many in the community has escalated. It's become too risky for many LGBT+ Russians to stay. Join the Global Speak Outs where hundreds will gather in cities around the world in solidarity with the Russian LGBT+ community. Visit https://campaigns.allout.org/globalspeakout/?akid=101676.5849845.5rohDI&rd=1&t=3&utm_campaign=globalspeakout&utm_medium=email&utm_source=email

58] –On Sat., March 16 and March 23 at 10 AM ET, join Casa and members of the WUFU Coalition to collect signatures for a ballot initiative that will create a people powered Community Wealth Building Fund!  Meet at 2707 Pulaski Hwy., Baltimore 21224. For any questions or additional information please reach out to Loraine Arikat at loraine.arikat@1199.org

59] – On Sat., March 16 at 10:30 AM ET at 150 E.Bay View Drive, Annapolis get over to a Meet & Greet with David Trone, hosted by Sharon Blugis & D30 Democratic Club. RSVP at https://www.mobilize.us/davidtrone/event/607921/?followup_modal_context=organization_newsletter_custom_recommendations

60] – The Metro DC DSA [info@mdcdsa.org] is holding a Rent Stabilization Canvass on Sat., March 16 at noon ET at the Eaves Washingtonian Apartments, 9600 Marathon Terrace, Gaithersburg 20878. Email montgomerycountydsa@gmail.com. The Montgomery County Council is currently considering regulations to implement rent stabilization. Join Montgomery County DSA to talk to tenants about the regulations and urge the County Council to pass the regulations as soon as possible and not to weaken the proposed rules.  RSVP at https://actionnetwork.org/events/rent-stabilization-canvass-8?link_id=51&can_id=4b9d4061aec5469758759317ac0f5285&source=email-metro-dc-dsa-weekly-newsletter-for-february-16-2024-2&email_referrer=email_2226721&email_subject=metro-dc-dsa-weekly-newsletter-for-march-1-2024

61] – The NoVA Democratic Socialists [novabranch@mdcdsa.org] is promoting a VIGIL FOR a CEASE-FIRE at the Alexandria City Hall, 301 King St., Alexandria, VA 22314 on Sat., March 16 at 5 PM ET.  Alexandria for Palestine is hosting the vigil, and participants will hear stories, poems, and speeches from Alexandria neighbors about demanding that the City Council pass a ceasefire resolution. Please bring signs and keffiyeh!   Visit https://bit.ly/ARLHU to RSVP for this event, and https://linktr.ee/ArlingtonM4A if you’d like to get involved with this campaign.

62] – Get over to a Meet & Greet with David Trone, hosted by the Calvert County Democrats at the Calvert Library, Fairview Branch, 8120 Southern Maryland Blvd., Owings, MD on Sat., March 16  from 1:30 3:30 PM ET.  RSVP at https://www.mobilize.us/davidtrone/event/607925/?followup_modal_context=email_post_shift_future_timeslots_other_events

63] – On Sat., March 16 at 6 PM ET, as part of the hybrid Socialist Night School, the Metro DC DSA’s Political Education working group will discuss at the Cleveland Park Neighborhood Library, 3310 Connecticut Ave. NW, WDC 20008, Lydia Pelot-Hobbs book Prison Capital: Mass Incarceration and Struggles for Abolition Democracy in Louisiana. Louisiana had the highest per capita rate of incarceration in the nation (and thus, the world) every year during 1998 to 2020 except for one. Understanding Louisiana’s carceral crisis extends our understanding of the interplay between the crises of mass criminalization and racial capitalism while highlighting the conditions of possibility for dismantling carceral power in all its forms. RSVP at https://actionnetwork.org/events/prison-capital-socialist-night-school?link_id=22&can_id=4b9d4061aec5469758759317ac0f5285&source=email-metro-dc-dsa-weekly-newsletter-for-march-1-2024&email_referrer=email_2235665&email_subject=metro-dc-dsa-weekly-newsletter-for-march-8-2024

64] – 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. 

65] -- 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.

66] -- 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.

67] – 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.  

68] -- 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.

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

70] – 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

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