Baltimore Activist Alert – September 7 – 8, 2025

Baltimore Activist Alert – September 7 – 8, 2025

"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] Get the book A Bag of Snakes

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

6] Pilgrimage around Laudato Si’ – through Oct. 4

7] Friends meeting – Sept. 7

8] Recovering from religion -- Sept. 7

9] Medicare for All – Sept. 7

10] Doctors against genocide – Sept. 7

11] DSA canvas for a member – Sept. 7

12] Metro DC DSA Montgomery County Branch member – Sept. 7

13] Boycott Chevron – Sept. 7

14] Evergreen Organizing Skills – Sept. 7

15] Occupied DC Teach-in – Sept. 7

16] Phone bank for gun sense – Sept. 7

17] Be the change – Sept. 7

18] Beyond Resistance – Sept. 7

19] DSA meeting – Sept. 7

20] Israeli refuser – Sept. 7

21] Vigil at the Pentagon – Sept. 8

22] Baltimore Sign Wave – Sept. 8

23] Grassroots protection for the vote – Sept. 8

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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 410-323-1607 or mobuszewski2001 at Comcast dot net.

4] – Barry Lee Burnside, a gaggle of great writers and copy editors are making available “A Bag of Snakes: Selected Writings on Prisons and the Death Penalty by Murphy Davis and Eduard Loring. Edited by Barry Lee Burnside.” Ed indicates the book will be available for sale on April 13, and is asking you to pre-order your copy. Your donation will provide a needed financial boost for the printing costs. The suggested donation is $20 for one copy; and $30 for your copy and an additional copy for a prisoner or someone in need. Any donation is appreciated. More or less you will receive the book.  Barry and the team have spent over two years putting this book together. It begins with outlines and notes found in the boxes of materials Murphy left when she ascended. The work is a work of love, and all involved are proud of the fruit borne by seeds nourished in good soil.

To order by postal mail, make your check to Open Door Community.  Send it to Open Door Community, PO Box 10980, Baltimore 21234.  For any questions, contact David Payne at 404-290-2047 or davidpayne@opendoorcommunity.org.

5] – 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.

6] – Join thousands of Catholics in an unprecedented effort to lift a unified voice around Laudato Si’ and the importance of care for creation in the United States and the Catholic Church. 120+ Catholic communities across the United States are organizing local pilgrimages as sacred opportunities to pray for the grace to encounter Christ in Creation and renew relationships with God, the Earth, and one another. Join a Pilgrimage of Hope for Creation during the Season of Creation—September 1 to October 4. Sign up at https://catholicpilgrimsofhope.org/how-to/?utm_source=ISN+Updates+List&utm_campaign=d58dbcde1e-NEWS_VOICES_020720_COPY_01&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_f721035495-d58dbcde1e-257628616&mc_cid=d58dbcde1e&mc_eid=6d27546950

7] – Homewood Friends Meeting [homewoodfriends@gmail.com] gathers for worship on Sundays at 10:30 AM at 3107 N. Charles St., Baltimore 21218 and on Zoom.  There is a heat policy when temperatures exceed 90 degrees.  Thus the meeting will be in the dining room. A simple lunch will take place after the 10:30 AM worship. Call 410-235-4438. To join by Zoom, go to https://us02web.zoom.us/j/255867065?pwd=UDNxVnlVSkZQOHlXWlc3NHpHeHdhZz09#success

8] – The Baltimore Ethical Society invites you on Sundays at 10:30 AM for a platform presentation on Zoom or at the Impact Hub Baltimore, 10 E. North Ave., Baltimore 21202. Email president@bmorethical.org. Masks are optional. On Sun., Sept. 8 it will be a virtual gathering entitled "Recovering from Religion: The Struggle is Real” by Darrel Ray, Ed.D. Register at https://www.meetup.com/bmorethical/events/310210972/?eventOrigin=group_upcoming_events

Religion infects people in ways they do not understand. Religious beliefs cause harm in many ways. The symptoms may look quite “normal” until you look behind the behavior to understand the beliefs. For example, a person may have persistent symptoms of anxiety. This may seem like a response that any human might have until we scratch below the surface and find religiously motivated beliefs that underpin the anxiety. Perfectionism seems like a common and “normal” behavior but perfectionism is often rooted in religious childhood training. In this talk, he will explore these and other ideas and how they relate to religious recovery. Dr. Ray is a psychologist and author of four books including, The God Virus: How Religion Infects Our Lives and Culture (IPC Press, 2009) and Sex and God: How Religion Distorts Sexuality (IPC Press 2012).  Dr. Ray has spoken at dozens of conferences and on hundreds of podcasts, TV and radio programs about the psychological impact of religion on emotional and sexual health and development.

9] – On Sun., Sept. 7 from 10:30 AM to noon, come to the Fairlington Community Center, 3308 S. Stafford St., Arlington 22206. Join volunteers from the DSA NoVA Branch Medicare For All Working Group and the M4A coalition partners. Gather petition signatures and hand out flyers near the Community Center to build support for the Medicare for All Resolution Campaign. A link to attend this virtual event will be emailed upon RSVP: https://actionnetwork.org/events/petition-drive-972025-at-the-fairlington-community-center/?link_id=7&can_id=4b9d4061aec5469758759317ac0f5285&source=email-08282025-nova-branch-dsa-upcoming-actions-and-events&email_referrer=email_2873089&email_subject=09042025-nova-branch-dsa-upcoming-actions-and-events&&

10] – Doctors against Genocide [info@doctorsagainstgenocide.org] on Sun., Aug. 31 at noon ET wants you to check out the upcoming webinar “Global Structures Driving Genocide and Starvation,” which will address urgent health crises in regions facing famine, displacement, and systemic violence. This session will include critical medical guidance on starvation, refeeding syndrome in famine conditions, and sexual violence in Congo and Sudan. Register at https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_aUUzycRDSwaem750Nc6iFg

11] – Join the Frankie Fritz for Greenbelt Canvass on Sun., Sept. 7 from noon to 3 PM.  Meet at the Greenbelt Metro Station, 5717 Greenbelt Metro Dr., Greenbelt 20770. Call 301-501-0485. You will be provided literature and a list number for MiniVAN. Please indicate in your RSVP if you are able to drive to the metro to transport other volunteers to a canvass location. Bring a water bottle, a tote bag and sunscreen. Make sure your phone is charged and that you have installed the MiniVAN app and also the Signal app. Check out the Frankie for Greenbelt website at frankieforgreenbelt.org for key talking points. RSVP at https://actionnetwork.org/events/frankie-for-greenbelt-canvass-september-7?link_id=98&can_id=4b9d4061aec5469758759317ac0f5285&source=email-metro-dc-dsa-weekly-newsletter-for-august-22-2025&email_referrer=email_2866069&email_subject=metro-dc-dsa-weekly-newsletter-for-august-29-2025&&

12] – The Metro DC DSA Montgomery County Branch will hold a hybrid General Body meeting on Sun., Sept. 7 from 2 to 4 PM at the Gaithersburg Library, 18330 Montgomery Village Ave., Gaithersburg 20879. RSVP to see the Zoom link at https://actionnetwork.org/events/montgomery-county-branch-september-general-body-meeting?link_id=100&can_id=4b9d4061aec5469758759317ac0f5285&source=email-metro-dc-dsa-weekly-newsletter-for-august-22-2025&email_referrer=email_2866069&email_subject=metro-dc-dsa-weekly-newsletter-for-august-29-2025&&

13] – The Metro DC DSA’s Internationalism Working Group BDS Research Party will take place on Sun., Sept. 7 from 2 to 4 PM at the MLK Library, 901 G St. NW, WDC 20001. In support of DSA IC’s Chevron boycott escalation #StopFuelingGenocide, the Internationalism Working Group will strategize next steps for mobilizing in the DMV area. Participants will get background on the campaign and learn about victories achieved by other DSA chapters. Then break into groups to research several areas of potential focus, including sponsorships and partnerships with local organizations, boycotts of Chevron products at local auto shops, and mapping Chevron’s political priorities in DC. The full group will evaluate next steps and make an action plan. RSVP at https://actionnetwork.org/events/metro-dc-dsas-internationalism-working-group-bds-research-party?link_id=99&can_id=4b9d4061aec5469758759317ac0f5285&source=email-metro-dc-dsa-weekly-newsletter-for-august-22-2025&email_referrer=email_2866069&email_subject=metro-dc-dsa-weekly-newsletter-for-august-29-2025&&

14] – On Sundays, including Sept. 7, from 2 to 3:45 PM, join the  Sunrise Movement's virtual training Evergreen Organizing Skills: The Hard 1:1. RSVP at https://www.mobilize.us/mobilize/event/794334/?followup_modal_context=nonexclusive_newsletter_more_events_from_org

Much of activism is devoted to trying to spread the word and "visibility" of an issue. But the step between agreement and action is a huge one!  How do you convince someone who isn't already on your side, is skeptical, or even hostile to join your cause? Learn about and practice the skills needed to have a Hard 1:1 (aka a structured organizing conversation). This training will continue each month through Dec. 7.

15] – Occupied DC is doing a hybrid Teach-in: How policing got us here and what we can do about it on Sun., Sept. 7 from 2 to 4 PM at Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library. 901 G St. NW, 401-E, WDC 20001. The presence and danger of federal and local police has been constant throughout DC and the DMV area long before this current crisis. While the urgency and danger of this moment can't and shouldn't be denied in many ways DC has always been an occupied city. Join for a teach-in on the current federal takeover, how we can understand it in the context of policing and criminalization in DC, and what we can do about it.

This crisis did not arise in a vacuum, and DC communities are not helpless to respond. The coalition that led the fight against Secure DC is organizing on the status of the federal takeover, how DC got here, and what can be done to fight back. Register to attend https://actionnetwork.org/events/occupied-dc-how-policing-got-us-here-and-what-we-can-do-about-it

16] – Moms Demand Action [info@everytown.org] on Sun., Sept. 7 from 3 to 5 PM hopes you will phone bank to voters in New Jersey and make a difference in this year's elections, even if you can't vote in them. This election could change everything. Help elect Gun Sense Candidates in key states this year. In November, New Jersey and Virginia have the chance to vote for a new Governor and state lawmakers who will stand up to Trump and the gun lobby's interests. The results of this election will have a ripple effect all over the country—which is why, even if we don't live in these states, we need to take action. There will also be a phone bank on Wed., Sept. 10 from 6 to 8 PM to voters in Virginia. SIGN UP TO PHONEBANK: https://forms.everytown.org/a/gotv-with-gsan-2025?akid=314689.6235915.fmcDUD&rd=1&sourceid=1000305&t=18

17] – On Sun., Sept. 7 from 4 to 5 PM at Stony Run Friends Meeting, 5116 N. Charles St., Baltimore 21210, get with Be the Change Bmore. It is part of Indivisible's One Million Rising! Join your Be the Change friends and share information about how to increase activism in our communities. RSVP to https://www.mobilize.us/mobilize/event/826653/?followup_modal_context=nonexclusive_newsletter_more_events_of_type

18] – Progressive Democrats of America [info@pdamerica.org] on Sun., Sept. 7 at 4 PM at its weekly Town Hall: Beyond Resistance with Anthony Flaccavento & Aftyn Behn for Congress.  The way to vanquish fascism and renew American Democracy is by implementing a positive political program that improves the lives of working- and middle-class Americans.  Two years ago, Anthony Flaccavento of the Rural Urban Bridge Initiative, Dave Alba from the Progressive Democrats of America, and Alan Minsky co-authored a Rural New Deal proposal that put forward an unapologetically progressive set of policies addressing the endemic problems facing rural and small-town communities across the country.  Namely, the progressive programs in the Rural New Deal directly address the primary economic concerns of a broadly dissatisfied public and propose appealing solutions - more so than anything on offer from centrist Democrats and Republicans alike.  The Rural Urban Bridge Initiative's new project, that PDS is endorsing. It's called "Beyond Resistance: Reclaiming Our Nation for the Workers Who Built It."

 Aftyn Behn, who is running for Congress in a special election in Tennessee's 7th district to replace Rep Mark Green, a GOP Congressman who left Congress after voting to defund Medicaid and critical safety net protections in Trump's awful bill.  Though Nashville is a progressive place and the economic driver of the state, MAGA statehouse officials sliced it into three congressional districts in one of the most extreme forms of Republican gerrymandering to date. Instead of being represented by a Democrat or two in Congress, Nashville has three different extremist MAGA Republicans who all live far outside the city limits. TN-7 is one of those districts, and if Aftyn can win the race, she will make history by overturning this undemocratic gerrymandering.  RSVP at https://us06web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJ0tceuhrzsvHdymeeZRwb-i7X50FJa-HMR4?%2fregistration=&emci=abff68d8-1c8b-f011-b484-6045bdeb7413&emdi=ea000000-0000-0000-0000-000000000001&ceid=#/registration

19] – The Northern Virginia Democratic Socialists [novabranch@mdcdsa.org] want you to know that there is a monthly working group meeting on Sun., Sept. 7 at 7 PM!  It will be a chance to go over work researching the 2025 general elections in NoVA and VA. Join in #nova-electoral on Slack, and fill out the interest form. Feel free to reach out to @Alex Yarkosky on Slack with any questions about electoral work. Sign in at https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdzwJ8ZGVvzyX8OUo1VySzedRPnyKDlKb8JcltvrnAzndksqQ/viewform?link_id=52&can_id=4b9d4061aec5469758759317ac0f5285&source=email-07312025-nova-branch-dsa-upcoming-actions-and-events&email_referrer=email_2839671&email_subject=08072025-nova-branch-dsa-upcoming-actions-and-events

20] – Ariel Gold, Fellowship of Reconciliation [ariel@fellowshipofreconciliation.ccsend.com] wants you to hear from Atalya Ben-Abba on Sun., Sept. 7 at 7 PM at Busboys and Poets, 450 K St., WDC.  The Fellowship of Reconciliation is collaborating with the Refuser Solidarity Network (RSN), an organization that mobilizes Israeli citizens who are taking a stand against endless war. The goal of this tour is to build partnerships between American communities and the Israeli conscientious objector, and explore possible paths towards a just peace. The tour’s central program will consist of conversations with Israeli Refuser (conscientious objector) Atalya Ben-Abba.  RSVP at https://forusa.org/israelirefusers/

21] – 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 Sept. 8, 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. 

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.

22] –  Baltimore Sign Waves on Mon., Sept. 8 from 7:30 to 8:30 AM will be at West Northern Parkway & Roland Ave., Baltimore 21210. Join in the waving of pro-democracy signs! Bring your sign or just show up. RSVP at https://www.mobilize.us/mobilize/event/793151/?followup_modal_context=nonexclusive_newsletter_closest

23] – Progressive Democrats of America [info@pdamerica.org] wants you to participate with the Grassroots Election Protection Coalition/ALLIANCE 4 GRASSROOTS DEMOCRACY Zoom on Mon., Sept 8 at 5 PM ET. Hear from leading activists, elected officials, and others committed to union organizing as well as cleaning up our elections and the environment, and other critically important issues. RSVP at https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZYqfuygpjIiHtc20uIOxdeqYRiAicjSLWUc#/registrationo be continued

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/.

"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