Friday, February 24, 2012

Baltimore Activist Alert - Part 1

Baltimore Activist Alert Feb. 24– Feb. 30, 2012

 

"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.

 

Tune into the Maryland Progressive Blog at http://mdprogblog.org.

   

1] Books, buttons and stickers

2] Web site for info on federal legislation

3] Join Nonviolent Resistance lists  

4] Buy coffee through HoCoFoLA  

5] Occupy Freedom Plaza is undergoing a transformation

6] Occupy Baltimore evicted—vows to stay relevant

7] MOVE needs help

8] Gimmie Shelter seeks talent

9] Windows & Mirrors exhibit at Goucher – through Feb. 29

10] Passage on the Underground Railroad – through Mar. 22

11] Silent peace vigil -- Feb. 24

12] Occupy Peace - Feb. 24 - 26

13] GENDER EDGE – Feb. 24

14] Occupy Peace vigil – Feb. 24

15] Voices of Experience – Feb. 24

16] Ballroom dancing – Feb. 24

17] Farmer's Market – Feb. 25

18] Support the union – Feb. 25

19] Learn Wikileaks – Feb. 25

20] Olney peace vigil – Feb. 25

21] West Chester, PA demo – Feb. 25

22] Silent vigil at Capitol – Feb. 25

23] Lethal Injustice – Feb. 25

24] Vonnegut biographer in town – Feb. 25

25] Film DEAD MAN WALKING – Feb. 25

26] Israel Apartheid Week – Feb. 26 – Mar. 3

27] Ethical manifold -- Feb. 26

28] Get on Bridge for Peace – Feb. 26

29] Ralph Waldo Emerson – Feb. 26

30] Philadelphia Peace Vigil – Feb. 26

31] Homeless youth benefit – Feb. 26

32] Red Emma's meeting – Feb. 26

33] Pentagon Vigil – Feb. 27

----

1] – Buttons, bumperstickers and books are available.  "God Bless the Whole World, No Exceptions" stickers are in stock. Donate your books to Max. Call him 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. The coffee comes in one-pound bags.

 

Fill out the form and mail it with a check made out to HOCOFOLA on or before the second week of the month.  Be sure you indicate ground or beans for each type of coffee ordered.  Send it to Adela Hirsch, 5358 Eliots Oak Rd., Columbia, MD 21044.  Be sure you indicate ground (G) or bean (B) for each type of coffee ordered. The coffee will arrive some time the following week and you will be notified where to pick it up.  Contact Adela at 410-997-5662 or via e-mail at adela4peace@verizon.net.

 

5] – The occupation of Freedom Plaza, 14th & Pennsylvania Ave. NW, is in a state of flux.  For recent developments, go to http://october2011.org/.

 

6] – Occupy Baltimore was evicted from McKeldin Square, Pratt and Light Sts.  Participants indicate the operation will continue in some fashion.  Sign up at http://groups.google.com/group/occupy-baltimore/.  Ask for the digest or you get hundreds of emails. 

 

7] "This year marks 27 years since the vicious bombing and murder of my family.  MOVE family members never allow this date to go by

un-noticed, so we are beginning our plans now for this year's May program.  As the years go by it is getting increasingly more difficult to find venues for our program as most places that would work and have been available to us in the past for free, are now charging fees for use of their facilities.  The state of the economy along with massive cutbacks are largely responsible but nevertheless this is the state of things.  We need to raise money to begin preparing this years May 13th program so I am asking those that can afford it, to send a contribution to MOVE, PO Box 19709, Phila., PA. 19143.  All contributions are sincerely appreciated.  Thanks in advance for your support.  Take care and never lose the fire of revolution----Ramona.

 

8] There is a TRAVELING EXHIBIT at GOUCHER: Windows and Mirrors: Reflections on the War in Afghanistan, which will continue through Wed., Feb. 29 in the Lenrow Gallery, 4th floor, Athenaeum. The war in Afghanistan is now the longest in U.S. history, yet for many of us it has been rendered largely invisible. Windows and Mirrors: Reflections on the War in Afghanistan is an invitation to reflect upon the impact of this war on a civilian population caught in the crossfire. This exhibit of murals by Afghan and American artists and students memorializing Afghan civilian deaths and the daily reality of life in Afghanistan is on loan from the American Friends Service Committee. Visit http://windowsandmirrors.org/.

 

Contact Gary Gillespie, Baltimore College Peace Network, garygillespie@collegepeace.org. For directions and a campus map, visit http://www.goucher.edu/x4643.xml. These events have been organized and sponsored by the Goucher Quakers and the Goucher Department of Philosophy and Religion, and the Baltimore College Peace Network.

 

9] –  Passage on the Underground Railroad is on exhibit through Thurs., Mar. 22 at the Albin O. Kuhn Library Gallery, Univ. of Maryland Baltimore County, 1000 Hilltop Circle.  Exhibit hours are Sundays & Saturdays, 1 to 5 PM and Mondays through Wednesdays and Fridays, noon to 4 PM and Thursdays, noon to 8 PM. 

 

Tempe, Arizona-based artist Stephen Marc, tenured professor at the Arizona State Univ. Herberger Institute for Design and the Arts, presents a lecture on his work on Mar. 7 at 4 PM in the Albin O Kuhn Library Gallery of the University of Maryland, Baltimore County. Dr. Marc's work documents his visits to Underground Railroad sites, from which he creates photo-montages combining both historic and new imagery dealing with the African-American experience in American society through the centuries.  Call 410-455-3827 or go to http://aok.lib.umbc.edu/gallery.

 

10] –  Gimmie Shelter Productions is looking for performance artists in all Disciplines, i.e. poets, dancers, singers, and musicians in all art forms who are willing to make a prolonged commitment.  The group does periodic benefits for the homeless and the shelters that serve them. We also participate in a monthly dinner for the homeless and needy at the Govans Presbyterian Church. There is a need there for musical entertainment. Potential candidates should send non-returnable hard copies on compact disk in either MP3 form or regular disk form. Dancers should send anything they have on a DVD. Include any hard copies on paper of your writing. A biography and short statement saying why you want to help the homeless and an optional picture are asked, and these are non-returnable. Please include a phone number and email eddress. This call is only for those willing to perform but to also help promote the events and to attend events of Gimmie Shelter Productions. All serious applications should be mailed to Alan Barysh, 5849 B Western Run Drive, Baltimore 21209.

 

11] – There is a silent vigil on Fri., Feb. 24 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.

 

12] – OCCUPY PEACE: a National United for Peace & Justice Gathering to Envision, Strategize, Network, and Collaborate in building a powerful people's movement for justice and peace starts on Fri., Feb. 24 from 5 to 7 PM with registration & Meet & Greet at Mexican Post, 1601 Cherry St., Philadelphia, PA. At 7 PM, participants will join the vigil at LOVE PARK.

 

On Sat., Feb. 25 from 9:30 AM to 5 PM, do Vision & Strategy, Arch Street United Methodist Church, Broad & Arch Sts. It concludes on Sun., Feb. 26 from 9:30 AM to 4 PM with Networking & Planning, Friends Center, 1501 Cherry St. Go to www.unitedforpeace.org.

 

13] – On Fri., Feb. 24 at 7 PM @ Red Emma's, 800 St. Paul St., participate in Gender EDGE: gender variant/trans/queer/punk arts activism. These events are just simply a way for each one to continue to join together and push forward for all things militant, trans, gender varied, and queer.

 

Each Gender EDGE quarterly event will include a performance aspect and an activist art gathering/planning session. It's a space to share your ideas, your art, and your thoughts. Come out and support our collective, our movement, and our militant mission. NO MORE DESTROYED LIVES, NO MORE HIDDEN YEARS. Call 410-230--560 or email info@redemmas.org.

 

14] – On Fri., Feb. 24 at 7 PM, join the OCCUPY PEACE Demonstration and Candlelight Vigil at LOVE PARK, 15th St. & JFK Blvd., Phila., PA.  Bring an umbrella in case of rain showers. Say NO! to U.S./Israeli nuclear hypocrisy...Say NO! to War on Iran

 

This weekend, the U.S. Air Force will test fire a Minuteman III ICBM [Intercontinental Ballistic Missiles] from the Vandenberg Air Force Base on the Coast of California.  Minuteman III ICBMs are deployed with multiple Mark 12A nuclear warheads, maintained in contract with Lockheed Martin in King of Prussia, PA.  This test of the U.S. Minuteman III ICBM, the center point of the U.S. arsenal of more than 10,000 nuclear weapons, comes at the very same time as the U.S. and Israel dangerously threatens Iran over its purported attempts to acquire a nuclear bomb in the future. For the world's sole nuclear superpower - and nuclear armed Israel - to threaten Iran is the height of Nuclear Hypocrisy and an extremely dangerous course for the region and the world. Call the Brandywine Peace Community at 610-544-1818,

 

15] – VOICES of EXPERIENCE: Extraordinary individuals share their stories of loss, redemption, forgiveness & healing--Kirk Bloodsworth and Bonnita Spikes.  This event takes place on Fri., Feb. 24 at 7 PM at St. Mark's on the Hill Episcopal Church, 1620 Reisterstown Rd., Pikesville. Kirk Bloodsworth was wrongly convicted and sentenced to death in Maryland but he was innocent. An honorably discharged Marine and lifelong waterperson on the Chesapeake Bay, in 1993 he became the first person exonerated and freed from death row in the United States using DNA technology. "If this can happen to me it can happen to anyone."

 

Bonnita Spikes' husband Michael was killed in a convenience store robbery in March 1994. His murder left Bonnita and their four sons to navigate the system and get the help they needed to survive. "All of us were devastated," says Bonnita, "and my faith and family and friends were a tremendous support. I believe in forgiveness and redemption. Not all victims' families seek death." VOICES of EXPERIENCE events are Cosponsored by MD CASE, NCADP and Witness to Innocence. Email info@mdcase.org.

 

16] – 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 Feb. 24.  Call Dave Greene at 410-599-3725.

17] – 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.

 

18] – Join a Solidarity Action at Cooper Tire, 1110 East West Hwy., Silver Spring, MD 20910, on Sat., Feb. 25 from 10 AM to noon. When Cooper Tire hit hard times, USW Local 207L members in Findlay, Ohio sacrificed $31.2 million of concessions in the 2008 contract negotiations. Since Jan. 1, 2009, however, Cooper Tire has made $448 Million dollars in Operating Profits and posted an income (before taxes) of $360 million. The members of USW 207L wanted to continue working while negotiating a fair contract. Instead, since November 28, 2011, Cooper Tire has locked out over 1,000 members of the United Steelworkers (USW) at its plant in Findlay, Ohio.  The company is hiring replacement workers to operate the plant during the lockout. Go to www.stopcoopertire.org.

 

19] – Wikimedia DC invites you to learn to edit Wikipedia on Sat., Feb. 25 from 10 AM to 3 PM at the Martin Luther King Library, 901 G St. NW, WDC, Library Lab, Street Level floor.  This is a free class for individuals, as well as members of various DC area organizations and groups. There will be a 40 minute lunch.  RSVP at workshops@wikidc.org. Go to http://wikimediadc.org/wiki/Wikipedia_Workshops.

 

20] – 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 Feb. 25. Call Chuck Harker at 301-570-7167. 

 

21] –  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.

 

22] – There will be a peace vigil on the West Lawn of the Capitol at noon on Feb. 25. 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.

 

23] –Lethal Injustice and Its Effects -- from Prisoners to Family & Community is on Sat., Feb. 25th @ 5 PM at Busboys & Poets (5th & K Sts. NW), 1025 5th St. NW, WDC.  While the U.S. is a leader in executions and incarceration of its citizens with 1281 executed and over 2.3 million in prison-- the human cost of these practices extends far beyond the lives of the prisoners themselves.  The US criminal (in)justice system also negatively affects the physical, mental, and economic well-being of the families and communities connected to prisoners. Go to http://www.facebook.com/events/269733536430817/.

 

 Some of the participants are Kim Davis (via Skype), sister of Troy Anthony Davis, Rev. Graylan Hagler, minister of Plymouth Congregational Church, and Mike Stark, DC Troy Davis Collective & Campaign to End the Death Penalty.  The event will also raise funds for the family of Troy Davis.  His execution contributed to the tragic death of his mother, Virginia, and sister, Martina.  So the event is to raise funds for the Davis family.  There is a suggested donation of $10, but no will be turned away. 

 If you would like to show your support for the Davis family, donations will be received at pay-pal using  aug1970@bellsouth.net. Or donations can be sent to I Am Troy Davis,  PO Box 2105 Savannah GA 31407

 

24] – Charles Shields, author of SO IT GOES: Kurt Vonnegut, A Life will be at the Baltimore Science Fiction Society's headquarters to give a reading, sign books and answer questions on Sat., Feb. 25 at 7 PM,  The Society is located at 3310 E. Baltimore St. Call 410-563-2737.

 

25] – On Sat., Feb. 25 at 7 PM, see the Academy Award-winning Film, DEAD MAN WALKING, free on the big screen at St. John Vianney, 105 Vianney Lane, Prince Frederick.

 

26] – The eighth annual Israeli Apartheid Week (IAW), an annual international series of events held in cities and on campuses across the globe, goes from Sun., Feb. 26 through Sat., Mar. 3.  The aim of IAW is to educate people about the nature of Israel as an apartheid state and to build BDS campaigns as part of a growing global BDS movement. Call 202-332-0994 or email USCAMPAIGN@ENDTHEOCCUPATION.ORG or visit WWW.ENDTHEOCCUPATION.ORG.

 

27] – Usually, the Baltimore Ethical Society, 306 W. Franklin St., Suite 102, Baltimore, MD 21201-4661, meets on Sundays, and generally there is a speaker and discussion from 10:30 to 11:30 AM.  On Sun., Feb. 26, the topic is "Imagining the Ethical Manifold: The Science Fiction 

of Spider Robinson" with Perry Beider, board president, Washington Ethical Society

 

Ethical Culture founder Felix Adler coined the term "Ethical Manifold" to refer to the ideal state of society in which each person is uniquely himself or herself and all contribute their unique gifts to the good of the whole. A worthy goal for us to strive for! Beider will argue that Spider Robinson, winner of a Robert A. Heinlein Award for Lifetime Excellence in Literature 2008, is unofficially the Official Science Fiction Writer of Ethical Culture. Call 410-581-2322 or visit www.baltimoreethicalsociety.org.

 

28] – 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/.

 

29] – The Great Thinkers Discussion Series continues with a focus on Ralph Waldo Emerson and Emerson, Adler, and Transcendence in its second installment. Baltimore Ethical Society Leader Hugh Taft-Morales will present a series of conversations involving some of America's most important thinkers connected to humanism and freethought on Sun.,  Feb. 26 at 12:30 PM at the Baltimore Ethical Society, 306 W. Franklin St. Call 410-581-2322 or go to http://www.bmorethical.org.

 

30] – 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.

 

31] – There is a benefit for homeless youth on Sun., Feb. 26 from 6 PM to midnight at Pazo, 1425 Aliceanna St. The event will take place during the Oscars presentation.  The cost is $125.  Call 410-576-5070 or go to www.airshome.org.

 

32] – 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 Feb. 26. 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.

 

33] – 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., Feb. 27, and it is sponsored by the Dorothy Day Catholic Worker.  Call 202-882-9649.

 

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. 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

No comments: