http://www.nytimes.com/2010/10/30/opinion/30herbert.html?_r=1&nl=&emc=a212

 

October 29, 2010

The Shame of New York

By BOB HERBERT

The whole notion of the rule of law, critical to a democracy, is sabotaged when the guardians of the law — in this case the officers of the New York City Police Department — are permitted to violate the law with impunity.

The police in New York City are not just permitted, they are encouraged to trample on the rights of black and Hispanic New Yorkers by relentlessly enforcing the city’s degrading, unlawful and outright racist stop-and-frisk policy. Hundreds of thousands of wholly innocent individuals, most of them young, are routinely humiliated by the police, day in and day out, year after shameful year.

Jeffrey Fagan, a professor of law and public health at Columbia University and a widely recognized scholar on the subject of police and citizen interactions, has filed a report in support of a federal class-action lawsuit challenging the stop-and-frisk policy as unconstitutional. Based on analyses of the department’s own statistics, he found, as the plaintiffs and other observers have argued all along, that seizures of weapons or contraband as a result of the stops “is extremely rare.”

The rate of gun seizures is near zero — 0.15 guns seized for every 100 stops. “The N.Y.P.D. stop-and-frisk tactics,” wrote Professor Fagan, “produce rates of seizures of guns or other contraband that are no greater than would be produced simply by chance.”

More important, after studying six years’ worth of data, the professor concluded that many of the millions of stops are violations of the Constitution. One of a number of constitutional problems, according to Professor Fagan, is that the police frequently use race or national origin rather than reasonable suspicion as the basis for the stops.

“I provide evidence that the N.Y.P.D. has engaged in patterns of unconstitutional stops of city residents that are more likely to affect black and Latino citizens,” he wrote.

From 2004 through 2009, city police officers stopped people on the street and checked them out nearly three million times. Many were patted down, frisked, made to sprawl face down on the ground, or spread-eagle themselves against a wall or over the hood of a car. Nearly 90 percent of the people stopped were completely innocent of any wrongdoing.

An overwhelming majority of the people stopped were black or Hispanic. Blacks were nine times more likely than whites to be stopped by the police, but no more likely than whites to be arrested as a result of the stops.

While crime has been going down, the number of people getting stopped has been going up. More than 575,000 stops were made last year — a record. But 504,594 of those stops were of people who had committed no crime, were issued no summonses and were carrying no weapons or illegal substances.

If the stops go up when crime goes down, it’s fair to wonder what might happen if there was no crime in the city. Mayor Michael Bloomberg and Police Commissioner Ray Kelly might decide that it is necessary to frisk everybody. The use of such stops has more than quintupled on their watch.

The Center for Constitutional Rights, which filed the class-action suit, wants the Police Department barred from engaging in what the center describes as race-based and “suspicionless stops and frisks.”

Professor Fagan, in his report filed in connection with the suit, found that nearly 150,000 stops over the six-year period that he studied lacked any legal justification at all. An additional 544,252 stops lacked sufficiently detailed information from the officers involved to determine their legality.

I’ve no doubt that the professor’s findings are, in fact, conservative. But even his figures show the police to be violating the Constitution on a scandalously vast scale. The police use such specious justifications as “furtive movements” or an alleged “bulge” in someone’s pocket as the basis for stopping people. If you believe all those furtive-movement and bulging-pocket stories, I’ve got some antiques spanning the East River that you might be interested in.

It’s important to keep in mind that what we are talking about here, in the overwhelming number of cases, are innocent people, not criminals. No one wants to stop the police from going after the bad guys. But what keeps happening with this lousy policy is that the cops target skin color, not the likelihood that a crime might be in progress, or have taken place. As Professor Fagan found, “Blacks and Latinos are more likely to be stopped than whites, even in areas where there are low crime rates and where residential populations are racially heterogeneous or predominantly white.”

It doesn’t matter if innocent black or Hispanic kids are in a high-crime area or low, a minority area or white, they stand a good chance of being harassed by New York City cops.

Copyright 2010 The New York Times Company

Donations can be sent to the Baltimore Nonviolence Center, 325 E. 25th St., Baltimore, MD 21218.  Ph: 410-366-1637; Email: mobuszewski [at] verizon.net

 

"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

 

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/10/30/opinion/30herbert.html?_r=1&nl=&emc=a212

 

October 29, 2010

The Shame of New York

By BOB HERBERT

The whole notion of the rule of law, critical to a democracy, is sabotaged when the guardians of the law — in this case the officers of the New York City Police Department — are permitted to violate the law with impunity.

The police in New York City are not just permitted, they are encouraged to trample on the rights of black and Hispanic New Yorkers by relentlessly enforcing the city’s degrading, unlawful and outright racist stop-and-frisk policy. Hundreds of thousands of wholly innocent individuals, most of them young, are routinely humiliated by the police, day in and day out, year after shameful year.

Jeffrey Fagan, a professor of law and public health at Columbia University and a widely recognized scholar on the subject of police and citizen interactions, has filed a report in support of a federal class-action lawsuit challenging the stop-and-frisk policy as unconstitutional. Based on analyses of the department’s own statistics, he found, as the plaintiffs and other observers have argued all along, that seizures of weapons or contraband as a result of the stops “is extremely rare.”

The rate of gun seizures is near zero — 0.15 guns seized for every 100 stops. “The N.Y.P.D. stop-and-frisk tactics,” wrote Professor Fagan, “produce rates of seizures of guns or other contraband that are no greater than would be produced simply by chance.”

More important, after studying six years’ worth of data, the professor concluded that many of the millions of stops are violations of the Constitution. One of a number of constitutional problems, according to Professor Fagan, is that the police frequently use race or national origin rather than reasonable suspicion as the basis for the stops.

“I provide evidence that the N.Y.P.D. has engaged in patterns of unconstitutional stops of city residents that are more likely to affect black and Latino citizens,” he wrote.

From 2004 through 2009, city police officers stopped people on the street and checked them out nearly three million times. Many were patted down, frisked, made to sprawl face down on the ground, or spread-eagle themselves against a wall or over the hood of a car. Nearly 90 percent of the people stopped were completely innocent of any wrongdoing.

An overwhelming majority of the people stopped were black or Hispanic. Blacks were nine times more likely than whites to be stopped by the police, but no more likely than whites to be arrested as a result of the stops.

While crime has been going down, the number of people getting stopped has been going up. More than 575,000 stops were made last year — a record. But 504,594 of those stops were of people who had committed no crime, were issued no summonses and were carrying no weapons or illegal substances.

If the stops go up when crime goes down, it’s fair to wonder what might happen if there was no crime in the city. Mayor Michael Bloomberg and Police Commissioner Ray Kelly might decide that it is necessary to frisk everybody. The use of such stops has more than quintupled on their watch.

The Center for Constitutional Rights, which filed the class-action suit, wants the Police Department barred from engaging in what the center describes as race-based and “suspicionless stops and frisks.”

Professor Fagan, in his report filed in connection with the suit, found that nearly 150,000 stops over the six-year period that he studied lacked any legal justification at all. An additional 544,252 stops lacked sufficiently detailed information from the officers involved to determine their legality.

I’ve no doubt that the professor’s findings are, in fact, conservative. But even his figures show the police to be violating the Constitution on a scandalously vast scale. The police use such specious justifications as “furtive movements” or an alleged “bulge” in someone’s pocket as the basis for stopping people. If you believe all those furtive-movement and bulging-pocket stories, I’ve got some antiques spanning the East River that you might be interested in.

It’s important to keep in mind that what we are talking about here, in the overwhelming number of cases, are innocent people, not criminals. No one wants to stop the police from going after the bad guys. But what keeps happening with this lousy policy is that the cops target skin color, not the likelihood that a crime might be in progress, or have taken place. As Professor Fagan found, “Blacks and Latinos are more likely to be stopped than whites, even in areas where there are low crime rates and where residential populations are racially heterogeneous or predominantly white.”

It doesn’t matter if innocent black or Hispanic kids are in a high-crime area or low, a minority area or white, they stand a good chance of being harassed by New York City cops.

Copyright 2010 The New York Times Company

Donations can be sent to the Baltimore Nonviolence Center, 325 E. 25th St., Baltimore, MD 21218.  Ph: 410-366-1637; Email: mobuszewski [at] verizon.net

 

"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

 

Baltimore Activist Alert - Part 2

31] Halloween Cat Nip – Oct. 30                        

32] Olney vigil to end the war – Oct. 30                        

33] Peace vigil in Chester, PA – Oct. 30

34] Peace vigil at Capitol – Oct. 30

35] People’s Assembly – Oct. 30

36] Gimmie Shelter – Oct. 30

37] Amy Goodman in D.C. – Oct. 30

38] All Night Vigil – Oct. 30

39] Animal Farm – Oct. 30 

40] New People Day at Ethical Society – Oct. 31

41] Get on the bridge for peace – Oct. 31

42] Film THE POWER OF FORGIVENESS – Oct. 31

43] Philadelphia Peace Vigil – Oct. 31

44] Stop Youth Jail – Oct. 31

45] Red Emma’s needs volunteers – Oct. 31

46] Protest at the Pentagon – Nov. 1

47] Marc Steiner on WEAA – Nov. 1 – 4

48] Protest the death penalty – Nov. 1            

49] Get to City Hall/urge TV hearings – Nov. 1

50] Book Big Pharma – Nov. 1

51] Pledge of Resistance meeting – Nov. 1

52] Get signatures for wind power – Nov. 2

53] War Is Not the Answer demo – Nov. 2

54] Honduran human rights actvist to speak – Nov. 2 & 16

55] Kal on election night – Nov. 2

_________________________________

31] – MD SPCA’s Halloween Cat Nip is happening all day at 3300 Falls Road.  The SPCA is offering a free cat neuter for male guys, after you secured an appointment.  Call 410-235-8826, ext. 122 or email fixem@mdspca.org.  Go to www.mdspca.org.   

32] – Friends House, 17715 Meeting House Rd., Sandy Spring, MD 20860, hosts a peace vigil every Saturday, 10:30 to 11:30 AM, on the corner of Rt. 108 and Georgia Ave. in Olney, MD.  The next vigil is Oct. 30. Call Chuck Harker at 301-570-7167. 

33] –  Each Saturday, 11 AM – 1 PM, Chester County Peace Movement holds a peace vigil in West Chester in front of the Chester County Courthouse, High & Market Sts. Go to www.ccpeace.org. Email ccpeacemovement@aol.com.

 

34] – There will be a peace vigil on the West Lawn of the Capitol at noon on Oct. 30. Look for the blue banner with the message, "Seek Peace and Pursue It.--Psalms 34:14." The vigil lasts one hour and is silent except when one responds to the occasional questions. Go to http://www.quaker.org/langleyhill/seekpeace.htm or email seekpeacevigil@yahoo.com.

 

35] – On Sat., Oct. 30 from 2 to 4 PM at 2640 [27th & St. Paul Sts.], attend the People's Assembly on Joblessness organized by the Bail out the People Movement's open assembly on the unemployment crisis. Go to http://www.bailoutpeople.org/.  Max will be one of the speakers.  Testify and speak out about how the economic crisis is affecting you.  Call 410-218-4835.

 

36] – Gimme Shelter Productions continues to do consciousness/fundraising events for the homeless and the shelters.  The next one is part of the “Winter in America,” and it is happening on Sat., Oct. 30 at 5 PM. This reading, called "Witches Brew,” is at the Minas Gallery, 815 W. 36th St. and will feature Heather Joi Baker, In the Clear, Sam Schmidt, Ron Williams, Virginia Crawford, Suzanne X, Alan Barysh and Brian Baker. Admission is $5, and donations of warm clothing and blankets are also accepted. Call 410- 627-8774.

 

37] – There will be a post-rally event with Amy Goodman on Sat., Oct. 30 from 7 to 9 PM at Busboys and Poets (5th & K), 1025 5th St. NW, WDC. Go to http://www.busboysandpoets.com/ and http://www.democracynow.org/.

 

38] – On Sat., Oct. 30, there will be an All-Night Vigil.  The Baltimore Choral Arts Society presents Rachmaninoff's All-Night Vigil, with readings by actors from Everyman Theatre. A conversation with director Tom Hall and the actors will precede the performance at 7:15 PM in Kraushaar Auditorium on the Goucher College campus.  The performance is at 8 PM, and tickets go from $25 to $38. Go to www.baltimorechoralarts.org or call 410-523-7070 for tickets.

 

39] – On Sat., Oct. 30 at 8 PM, Goucher College’s Theatre and Music departments present an adaptation of George Orwell’s Animal Farm, an allegory in which the animals on a farm revolt and try to create their own utopian society.  It will take place at the Mildred Dunnock Theatre.  Tickets are $10 for general admission and $6 for Goucher community members with ID. Call 410-337-6512.

 

40] – On Sun., Oct. 31 at 10:30 AM, the Baltimore Ethical Society, 306 W. Franklin St., Suite 102, welcomes new people to attend and meet members.  Call 410-581-2322 or visit www.baltimoreethicalsociety.org.

 

41] – Maryland Bridges for Peace welcomes you to stand for peace Sundays from noon (or thereabouts) to 1 PM on the Spa Creek Bridge in Annapolis.  Contact Lucy at 410-263-7271 or mdbridgesforpeace@toadmail.com. Signs are not allowed to be on a stick or pole.   If there is interest, people will be standing on the Stoney Creek Bridge on Fort Smallwood Road in Pasadena [410-437-5379 or magicalgodmom@aol.com]. Go to http://BridgePeace.blogspot.com/.

 

42] – On Sun., Oct. 31 at 12:30 PM at  the Emergence Community Arts Collective (ECAC), 733 Euclid St. NW, WDC, 20001, will show the film THE POWER OF FORGIVENESS, which explores the ongoing research being done on this subject.  The film combines character-driven stories of dramatic transgressions with those of mere annoyance, studying the role forgiveness can play in alleviating the resulting anger and grief and the physical, mental and spiritual benefits that come with forgiveness. The suggested donation is $5. Call 202-462-2285 or visit www.ecacollective.org. 

 

43] – Every Sunday, 4 to 5 PM, there is a Quaker Peace Vigil at Independence Mall, N. side of Market between 5th and 6th Sts., Philadelphia. Call 215-421-5811.

 

44] – A number of organizations will host Youth Justice Sunday, October 31 on the site of the proposed $110 Million youth Jail. There is a need for vans to provide shuttle service. Since it is Halloween or Harvest Festival, there will be a blessing to the community. So if you would like to donate clothes, food or candy for the children it would be greatly appreciated. Email info@kineticnet.org.  Call the governor at 410-974-3901. 

Gather at 1010 E. Monument St. at 4 PM, and enjoy African drumming, uplifting songs, inspirational speeches, and most importantly come ready to take a stand for the youth!  Then march to the site of O’Malley’s proposed Youth Jail.

45] – Red Emma’s needs volunteers.  Stop in to the weekly Sunday meeting at 7 PM at 800 St. Paul St. or email info@redemmas.org.  The next meeting is Oct. 30.  There is no meeting on the first Sunday of the month.  Call 410-230-0450. If you would be interested in volunteering or becoming a collective member of 2640, send an email to 2640@redemmas.org.

 

46] – 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 Mon., Nov. 1, and it is sponsored by the Dorothy Day Catholic Worker.  Call 202-882-9649.

 

47] – The Marc Steiner Show airs Monday through Thursday from 5 to 7 PM on WEAA 88.9 FM, The Voice of the Community, or online at www.weaa.org.   The call-in number is 410-319-8888, and comments can also be sent by email to steinershow@gmail.com. All shows are also available as podcasts at www.steinershow.org.

 

48] – There is usually a vigil to abolish the death penalty every Monday from 5 to 6 PM, outside the prison complex and across the street from Maryland’s Super Max Prison, at the corner of Madison Ave. and Fallsway in Baltimore.  Recently death row was moved out of Baltimore, but it was decided to continue the vigil. The next one is scheduled for Mon., Oct. 31.  Call 410-366-1637.

 

49] – The Citizens Planning and Housing Association is urging you to attend the City Council Hearing on Mon., Nov. 1 at 5 PM.  Support President Jack Young’s efforts to televise Liquor Board, BMZA and Board of Estimates hearings so residents can see how decisions impacting their communities are being made. Consider testifying as to why you think televising the Liquor Board, Board of Estimates and BMZA hearings would make government more transparent.  If you cannot attend but still want to support the effort, send an email to both michelle.wirzberger@baltimorecity.gov @ James.Kraft@baltimorecity.gov. 

 

VOTE on Tues., Nov. 2.  VOLUNTEER to ride a bus and improve public transit—Email bryana@cphabaltimore.org. Free legal services are offered on Sat., Oct. 30.  Call 410-539-5936 x102 to register.  Email info@cphabaltimore.org.

 

50] – On Mon., Nov. 1 at 7 PM @ Red Emma's, 800 St. Paul St., Robert Abadie presents THE PROFESSIONAL GUINEA PIG: Big Pharma and the Risky World of Human Subjects.  Call 410-230-0450.  Go to http://redemmas.org/.

 

51] – The Pledge of Resistance-Baltimore usually meets on Mondays at 7:30 PM, and the meetings now take place at Max’s residence.  The next meeting is scheduled for Nov. 1.  The agenda will include a discussion of G. Gordon Liddy’s visit to Baltimore, further plans to bring together climate chaos and antiwar activists.  Contact Max at 410-366-1637 or email mobuszewski at verizon.net for directions.  

 

52] – On Election Day, Nov. 2, CCAN supporters will be at the polls collecting petition signatures for our elected officials, whoever they may be, to ask for their support of offshore wind.  You can do this at your own polling station, and you can pick your time. If you can help, email keith@chesapeakeclimate.org.

 

53] – There is a vigil to say "War Is Not the Answer" each Tuesday since September 11, 2001 at 4806 York Road. Join this ongoing vigil.  The next vigil is Oct. 19 from 5:30 to 6:30 PM. Note participants will make a call for clean energy.  Call Max at 410-366-1637.

 

54] – Defending Justice in Honduras will showcase Nectali Rodezno, a lawyer and co-coordinator of the National Front of Lawyers in Resistance Against the Coup in Honduras.  Rodezno and the Lawyers' Front are engaged in the daily defense of life and liberties in Honduras, as part of a massive resistance that opposes not only the de facto government that took over when President Zelaya was ousted, but the illegitimate regime installed after fraudulent elections were held last November.  

 

Rodenzo will speak on Tues., Nov. 2 at 6:30 PM at St. Stephens Church auditorium, 1525 Newton St NW, WDC. Contact Vera Leone at 706-405-1273 or wfpma@witnessforpeace.org.

 

He also will speak in Columbia, MD at 7 PM on Tues., Nov. 16 at the Oakland Mills Meeting House and be co-sponsored by Howard County Friends of Latin America & Columbia United Christian Church. Contact Leslie Salgado at 410-381-4899 or cuba_is_hope@comcast.net.

 

55] – The Baltimore Improv Group and Kal [Kevin Kallaugher] will team up to deliver a night of political send-ups on Tues., Nov. 2 at 8 PM at the Creative Alliance, 3134 Eastern Ave. General admission is $8.  Call 410-276-1651. Go to www.creative.alliance.

 

To be continued.

 

Donations can be sent to the Baltimore Nonviolence Center, 325 E. 25th St., Baltimore, MD 21218.  Ph: 410-366-1637; Email: mobuszewski [at] verizon.net

 

"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

 

Stop loan for nuclear reactor

ACTION ALERT:

6930 Carroll Avenue, #340, Takoma Park, MD 20912; 301-270-6477; nirsnet@nirs.org; www.nirs.org

URGENT!

DOE SERIOUSLY CONSIDERING $7.5 BILLION LOAN TO ELECTRICITE DE FRANCE FOR CALVERT CLIFFS-3!

HELP US PUSH BACK NOW!

October 29, 2010

Dear Friends,

It's election season. It's almost Halloween. The John Stewart/Stephen Colbert rally is tomorrow (hope to see some of you there!). In short, for most of us there's a lot going on and not enough time to do it all. But if you haven't yet sent a letter to DOE and Congress, and called your Members, please take one moment to act now.

Because, incredibly, the U.S. Department of Energy is seriously considering giving a $7.5 Billion loan to the French government-owned company Electricite de France (EDF) to try to rescue the proposed Calvert Cliffs-3 reactor. As you know, this project took a major hit recently when EDF’s U.S. partner, Constellation Energy, backed out of the project because Constellation realized it made no economic sense.

But EDF and the French government apparently aren't worried about the economics—they just want to build a new reactor in the U.S. no matter what the cost.

And the real costs: routine radiation releases, radioactive waste generation, increased electricity rates, and the constant threat of nuclear meltdown and terror attack, the risk of losing the entire $7.5 Billion loan, all of these would be borne by U.S. ratepayers and taxpayers.

We ask each of you to do everything you can to push back against this absurd idea as hard as possible as fast as possible.

Please send a letter to DOE and your Congressmembers here, and then please forward the link to the Action page to all of your organizational e-mail lists. Tell your friends, dormmates, and office colleagues too! And please also take a moment to call your Congressmembers (their direct phone numbers will show up when you send your e-mail). The link to the Action page is here: http://org2.democracyinaction.org/o/5502/p/dia/action/public/?action_KEY=4558 You can also copy and paste this link on your Facebook page (add this headline: Urgent: Stop $7.5B Loan to French Govt for New Nuke in U.S.). Thanks to everyone who has taken action already, but we hope many more of you will take the opportunity now.

EDF, of course, legally cannot actually own or operate a U.S. nuclear reactor, it would still need a U.S. partner. And NIRS is already litigating this issue in NRC licensing hearings--and we'll keep doing so until we win! So why should U.S. taxpayers promise $7.5 Billion to a company that cannot actually use it? Perhaps more importantly, EDF is 85% owned by the French government. Why should U.S. taxpayers lend money to the French government? Let them waste their own money! Don’t we have a few pressing needs to take care of here in the U.S.? The whole idea is simply outrageous!

So please raise your voice to DOE and Congress here.

And, please, help us spread the word as far as we can and push back as hard as we can. We’re going to do everything we can to reach as many people as we can, but we need your help too.

Note: if you don’t live in the U.S.—wish us luck! A victory here would be a major blow to EDF and the Areva EPR reactor worldwide!

Thanks for all you do,

Michael Mariotte
Executive Director
Nuclear Information and Resource Service
nirsnet@nirs.org
www.nirs.org

 

Baltimore Activist Alert - Part 1

Baltimore Activist Alert Oct. 29 – Nov. 6, 2010

 

"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 BNC, 325 East 25th Street, Baltimore, MD 21218.  Max Obuszewski can be reached at 410-366-1637 or mobuszewski [at] verizon.net.

 

The Baltimore IndyMedia Center publicizes peace-related events. Go to http://www.radicalendar.org/group/_baltimore.

 

1] Books, buttons and stickers

2] Web site for info on federal legislation

3] Join Nonviolent Resistance lists  

4] Buy coffee through HoCoFoLA  

5] Used stamps for humanitarian causes

6] Bring the World Home continues    

7] Cease violence contest through Dec. 6/event Dec. 10

8] You can buy Shiori’s book of poetry – which is available Dec. 15

9] “Freedom’s Sisters exhibit – through Jan. 17

10] Protest Chamber of Commerce – Oct. 29

11] White House vigil – Oct. 29    

12] WIB Inner Harbor vigil – Oct. 29

13] WIB Roland Park vigil – Oct. 29 

14] Justice for Palestine/Israel vigil – Oct. 29

15] Film BUDRUS – Oct. 29—Nov. 4

16] Human rights launch party – Oct. 29

17] Homewood vigil – Oct. 29

18] Vigil to End the Wars – Oct. 29

19] Civil rights organizing -- Oct. 29

20] Radical Info night – Oct. 29

21] Spirituality/Evolution? – Oct. 29

22] Film WHO KILLED SISTER DOROTHY – Oct. 29

23] Vigil at Walter Reed – Oct. 29

24] Ballroom dancing – Oct. 29

25] Farmers Market – Oct. 30                        

26] Town Hall Jobs Not War – Oct. 30                        

27] Get on the dragon – Oct. 30                                

28] AVP conference – Oct. 30                                

29] DC Vote at rally – Oct. 30                               

30] Human Rights First at rally -- Oct. 30

_____

 

1] – Buttons, bumperstickers and books are available.  “God Bless the Whole World, No Exceptions” stickers are in stock. Call Max at 410-366-1637.

 

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] – THE ORGANIZING LIST will be the primary decision-making mechanism of the National Campaign of Nonviolent Resistance [NCNR].  It will be augmented by conference calls and possibly in-person meetings as needed.  It will consist of 1 or 2 representatives from each local, regional, or national organization (not coalitions) that wishes to actively work to carry out the NCNR campaign of facilitating and organizing nonviolent resistance to the war in Iraq.

 

To join the ORGANIZING List, please send your name, group affiliation, city and email address to donmuller@msn.com.  Different local chapters of a national organization are encouraged to subscribe.  

 

THE NOTICES LIST will include only notices of NCNR actions and related information and is open to any interested person to subscribe.  It will be moderated to maintain focus & will include periodic notices about getting involved in NCNR national organizing.  To join the NOTICES List, send an email message to ncnrnotices-subscribe@lists.riseup.net. You will get a confirmation message once subscribed.  If you have problems, please write to the list manager at ncnrnotices-admin@lists.riseup.net.

 

4] – You can help safeguard human rights and fragile ecosystems through your purchase of HOCOFOLA Café Quetzal. Bags of ground coffee or whole beans can be ordered by mailing in an order form. Also note organic cocoa and sugar are for sale.  For more details and to download the order form, go to http://friendsoflatinamerica.typepad.com/hocofola/2010/02/hocofola-cafe-quetzal-order-form-2010.html.

 

Be sure you indicate ground (G) or bean (B) for each type of coffee ordered. Make the check out to HoCoFoLA and send it with your order form to Nancy Meier, 10 Pepperdine Circle, Catonsville, MD 21228.  Contact Pat McLaine at 410-964-0960 or pamcl@aol.com.  The coffee will arrive some time the following week and you will be notified where to pick it up.

 

5] – Brad Hathaway spearheads an effort to sell donated used stamps to raise money for different humanitarian causes around the world. Go to www.mattapoisettquakers.org, and click the link for the stamp ministry.  Carefully clip canceled postage stamps and send to Quaker Missions, PO Box 795, Mattapoisett, MA 02739. Send no small flag stamps or Liberty Bell Forever stamps.

 

6] – Catch the "Bringing the World Home" exhibit in celebration of the 50th Anniversary of the Peace Corps!  The exhibit is in the UMBC Library Rotunda through the end of the semester and consists of 5 display cases featuring photos and artifacts from UMBC's faculty, staff and students who have served in the Peace Corps, including many current and alumni Shriver Peaceworker Fellows.  The center case features pieces from the Peace Corps founding era (a tribute to Sarge Shriver!) and the surrounding case highlight experiences from Africa, Asia-Pacific, Eastern Europe, and the Americas.  There is no formal "opening,” but mark Tues., Nov.16 from 7 to 9 PM in your calendars for the "Practical Idealist Evening" event in the Library during which the exhibit will be featured.  If you are coming from off campus, give Joby Taylor a call at (410) 455-6398, and he will give you a tour.

 

7] – Shiori was born in Tokyo, Japan in 1951 on August 15, six years after the day the initial announcement of Japan's surrender to the Allies was made, the official end of World War II. She describes herself as hapa, half-American, and half-Japanese— the child of the enemy amor.  In her first chapbook collection of poetry from Finishing Line Press, the debut author weaves memoir and historical record into a lyrical and moving portrait of post-war immigration to the United States. Shiori’s work has appeared in many publications, and she has won several awards including Thomas Merton poetry prizes.

 

Finishing Line Press is a poetry publisher based in Georgetown, Kentucky, and the Chapbook Series will be published on Dec. 3.  However, early orders can be made by ordering online at http://www.finishinglinepress.com/ or directly from the publisher [$12, check or money order] at Finishing Line Books, PO Box 1626, Georgetown, KY  40324. Email finishingbooks@aol.com or call 859-514-8360.  You may also contact Kathleen Hellen at khe1721111@aol.com or khellen@coppin.edu.

 

8] – Now through Dec. 6, Baltimore City and County School Students who submit an essay, poetry, or artwork for the David B. Wright Memorial Foundation, Inc. “Cease Violence / Increase Education Campaign” will be entered to win a Holiday Gift Card! To participate email SHAWNTE WRIGHT at snjwright@gmail.com.  The Selected Student's Essay Winners will win a $100 card by Mon., Dec. 20.  Submitted materials will not be returned and will be kept by the David B. Wright Memorial Foundation, Inc. for future displays.  At the DBWMF, INC. Holiday Event on Fri., Dec. 10 from 6 to 10 PM, families and students can enjoy an evening of essay/poetry reading, art and culture and fitness dancing! Essay Winners will be Announced! The cost is $10 for adults, $5 for students. Register at www.DavidBWrightMemorialFoundation.org. Local business sponsors and vendors are needed! Call 443-438-5302.

 

9] – Catch the exhibit at the Reginald F. Lewis Museum of African American History & Culture, 830 Pratt St.—“Freedom’s Sisters,” which runs through Jan. 17.  Twenty remarkable African-American women are profiled, including Coretta Scott King.  Call 443-263-1800 or go to www.africanamericanculture.org.

 

10] – On Fri., Oct. 29 at noon, gather at the Chamber of Commerce, 1615 H St NW, WDC (near Lafayette Park).  Protest Thomas J. Donohue, CEO of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, for sucking the life out of our electoral system by pouring $75 million of undisclosed money into political ads. There will be a few Donohue look-alikes dressed as Dracula and a good theater performance. Call Medea at 415-235-6517.

 

11] – A peace vigil takes place every Friday from noon to 1 PM at Lafayette Park facing the White House.  Join the Dorothy Day Catholic Worker and friends. Contact Art Laffin: artlaffin@hotmail.com.   

12] – Every Friday from noon to 1 PM, Women in Black, Baltimore, host a vigil at Pratt and Light Sts. in the Inner Harbor. Peace signs and flyers about the siege will be available. See http://www.peacepath911.com/ or write wibbaltimore@hotmail.com or call 410-467-9114.

13] – There is also a noon vigil, weather permitting, on Fri., Oct. 29 at Roland Park Place at 830 W. 40th St.  Call 410-467-9114.

14] – A vigil for Justice in Palestine/Israel (now in its 8th year) takes place every Friday from noon to 1 PM at 19th & JFK Blvd., Philadelphia (across from Israeli Consulate.  It is sponsored by Bubbies & Zaydes (Grandparents) for Peace in the Middle East. Email cswartz@pil.net. Go to http://phillyjewishpeace.org/.

15] –  See the film BUDRUS beginning Fri., Oct. 29 from 12:15 PM through Thurs., Nov. 4 at 9:30 PM at the West End Cinema, 2301 M St. NW, at 23^rd and M Sts. The director Julie Bacha will be present for a daily Q&A after the screening from Friday through Sunday.  BUDRUS is an award-winning feature documentary film about a Palestinian community organizer, Ayed Morrar, who unites local Fatah and Hamas members along with Israeli supporters in an unarmed movement to save his village of Budrus from destruction by Israel’s Separation Barrier. Success eludes them until his 15-year-old daughter, Iltezam, launches a women’s contingent that quickly moves to the front lines. Struggling side by side, father and daughter unleash an inspiring, yet little-known, movement in the Occupied Palestinian Territories that is still gaining ground today.

 

16] –  The National Lawyers Committee on Human Rights (NLCHR) Launch Party is Fri., Oct. 29 from 3:30 to 7:30 PM at AU Washington College of Law, 4801 Mass. Ave., NW, WDC 20016.  There will be presentations/discussions on international human rights issues and an evening reception. RSVP to Katherine Hughes-Fraitekh, Executive Director, PBI-USA, katherine@pbiusa.org/kcelav@aol.com/202-232-0142.

 

17] – There is a silent vigil on Fri., Oct. 29 from 5 to 6 PM outside of Homewood Friends Meeting, 3107 N. Charles St., in opposition to war in Afghanistan, Iraq and Pakistan. Placards say: "War Is Not the Answer." The silent vigil is sponsored by AFSC, Homewood Friends and Stony Run Meetings. 

 

18] Vigil to End the Wars – Oct. 29

18] – On the last Friday of the month, join a vigil, Oct. 29, from 5 to 6 PM at Broad & Arch Sts., Philadelphia. It is a Vigil to End the Wars, with a Gold Star Mother for Peace, Celeste Zappala.  Email czappala1@yahoo.com.

 

19] –  On Fri., Oct. 29 from 6:30 to 8:30 PM at Luther Place Memorial Church, 1226 Vermont Ave., NW on N St., see the film “Have You Heard from Johannesburg From Selma to Soweto” by Connie Field (www.clarityfilms.org) about the way the civil rights movement in the United States took on the brutal South African regime. This screening is part of a global effort to boost long-term activism! (www.activevoice.net/haveyouheard).  Afterwards, there will be a discussion.  Contact Kristen Kane-Osorto at steinbruckcenter@gmail.com.

 

20] –  On Fri., Oct. 29 at 7PM @ 2640 [27th & St. Paul Sts.] it's the return of STEW, where local food networks, social justice and engaged cultural production sit down at the dinner table together to share a meal, raise some funds, and spread some knowledge around about what people are doing to remake Baltimore city. This time it will feature some of the "Hit and Stay" documentary on the Catonsville 9.  Go to http://stewbaltimore.org. Admission is $10 to $20 on a sliding scale.

 

21] – Dr. Alfredo Sfeir-Younis will address “Spirituality in the 21st Century: Is Spirituality Subject To Evolution?" on Fri., Oct. 29 at 7 PM at 4209 East West Hwy., Chevy Chase, MD 20815. Use the Red Line: Bethesda Stop.  After a very long and distinguished career as an environmental economist-- having held posts such as representative of the World Bank to the United Nations and as Director of the office in Geneva-- Dr. Sfeir-Younis is now dedicated full time to spreading the Buddhist and Mayan spiritual teachings. This is an excellent opportunity to meet him personally, have a short meditation, and learn about his work with Silent meditation, a practice he is bringing to many countries around the world. Light refreshments will be served. RSVP to shantiyoga2@earthlink.net.  

 

22] – The Hiroshima-Nagasaki Commemoration Committee is hosting its latest FILM & SOCIAL CONSCIOUSNESS DVD SERIES. The theme is MAN & WOMAN AGAINST THE MACHINE.   The second film in the series is WHO KILLED SISTER DORTHY? [USA, 2008], and it will be shown on Fri., Oct. 29 at a private home.  If interested in seeing the DVD, RSVP to Max at 410-366-1637.

 

 This documentary tells the story of Dorothy Stang, who was murdered on Feb. 12, 2005 in Anapu, located in the Amazon Rainforest. Directed by Daniel Junge, the film is narrated by Martin Sheen. At the mouth of the Amazon River, a murder trial is taking place. The victim - a 73-year-old Catholic nun from Dayton, Ohio - was shot six times at point blank range. The events that led to her death, and the trials that follow, reveal the larger battle being fought for the future of the rainforest.

 

Doors open at 7 PM, and the DVD starts at 7:30 PM.  There is no charge, and refreshments will be available.  A discussion will follow.

 

23] – SHED LIGHT ON US WAR CASUALTIES: FROM THE FRONT LINE TO THE BACK DOOR of Walter Reed Army Medical Center (North Gate), every Friday night, from 7 to 9 PM in the middle of the 7100 block of Georgia Ave., NW. The vigil calls for peace, care for the wounded, and full benefits for all veterans.  Contact Bruce Wolf - Haunteddog@aol.com.

 

24] –  There is an opportunity to participate in ballroom dancing, usually every Friday of the month, in the JHU ROTC Bldg. at 8 PM.  Turn south on San Martin Dr. from the intersection of Univ. Parkway and 39th St.  Drive on campus by taking the third left turn. The next dance will be Oct. 15. Call Dave Greene at 410-599-3725.

25] – Go to the West Baltimore Farmer's Market for fresh fruits, vegetables, breads and other treats every Saturday from 8 to noon.  CPHA has worked with the West Baltimore Marc TOD and Transit Inc. (WBMTTI) to establish a Farmer's Market at the West Baltimore Marc Train stop at Smallwood Road at Franklin and Mulberry Sts.  Since opening in June, over 300 people buy fresh groceries there every Saturday morning. WBMTTI will continue to include the community in the transit-oriented developments on the west side and continue to improve the area around "the highway to nowhere" until it becomes the highway to somewhere. Go to www.cphabaltimore.org.

 

26] –  Attend a TOWN MEETING FOR JOBS NOT WARS at Community College of Philadelphia from 9 AM to 3 PM on Sat., Oct. 30.  There are many speakers, including a Congressperson, an NAACP representative, community members and activists. It will take place in Bonnell Hall (BG-10), 17th St. between Spring Garden and Callowhill Sts. in Philadelphia.  Go to http://www.ccp.edu/site/about/locations/. There will be a Q&A opportunity and workshop reports. Be there to address the need to end the policy of war so funds can be re-directed.  Contact Thomas Paine Cronin at 215-353-1885 or tompainecronin@comcast.net.

 

27] – Sixty Samurai Seeking Sanity Invite You to Ride Golden Dragon to Colbert/Stewart Rallies on Sat., Oct. 30 starting at 9 AM with the march at 10 AM.  This is Another March Against the Insanity of American Nukes on Hair Trigger Alert! This is a feeder march to Colbert/Stewart Rallies which will begin at Columbia Heights Metro Station (14th and Irving NW).  Join the Washington Peace Center, don your favorite costume and march through DC with The Abraxas, a 50 ft golden dragon, 10,000 watt sound system and rode by sixty samurai wielding nuclear weapons.  It'll be a roving party for insanity until the samurai disarm their nukes and get some sanity on the National Mall. There are rumors that electronic music icon MIA and/or Michael Franti will be performing on the dragon.  Contact Adam at 202-744-2671.

 

28] – On Sat., Oct. 30 from 10 AM to 3 PM, there will be an AVP Gathering for the Mid-Atlantic Region (3rd Annual) at the Annapolis Friends Meeting. Go to www.annapolis.quaker.org, but plan to arrive between 9:30 and 9:50 AM for sign-in, coffee, meet and greet.  Share information, get suggestions from other AVP facilitators, put faces to names, build on the relationships between groups, facilitate exchanges between AVP groups & start something new.  THE AGENDA IS FLEXIBLE.  LUNCH is potluck style:  Please bring something that can be shared but does not need to be prepared.  Coffee/ tea/water/ paper goods/condiments provided.  RSVP is helpful, but come anyway: Nancy Hutchins at 301-668-8213 or nhutchins471@comcast.net.

 

29] – Meet DC Vote, DC Delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton and the old Hypocrisy Hippos to pick up posters and share the message with all the potential new supporters on Sat., Oct. 30 from 11 AM to noon at the corner of 6th Ave. NW & Constitution Ave. NW.  RSVP with Jen Matson at jmatson@dcvote.org or 202.462.6000 x18.

 

30] – Human Rights First is asking you to join them at the Stewart/Colbert rallies on Sat., Oct. 30.  The organization will bring a giant chicken to the rally.  Organizers will gather people, chickens (beaks to be supplied), and facts—to mobilize against fearmongering around Guantanamo and terrorism trials. Wear yellow, and you will get a chicken beak to match. The Human Rights First Fight Fear Brigade will meet in front of the office, the United Methodist Building, near the Supreme Court). 100 Maryland Ave., NE, starting at 11 AM.  Email Communications@humanrightsfirst.org or call 646-472-6537.

 

To be continued.

 

Donations can be sent to the Baltimore Nonviolence Center, 325 E. 25th St., Baltimore, MD 21218.  Ph: 410-366-1637; Email: mobuszewski [at] verizon.net

 

"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