Baltimore Activist Alert - March 29 - 30, 2015

18] “Race and Ethical policing” – Mar. 29
19] Spring Garden Party – Mar. 29
20] Water scarcity – Mar. 29
21] Pentagon Vigil – Mar. 30
22] Marc Steiner on WEAA – Mar. 30 – Apr. 3
23] Protest Exelon CEO – Mar. 30
24] Support Dr. Aafia Siddiqui – Mar. 30
25] Benefit for Maryland League of Conservation Voters – Mar. 30
26] LIVING DOWNSTREAM – Mar. 30
27] Pledge of Resistance/FOC meeting – Mar. 30
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18] – Usually, the Baltimore Ethical Society, 306 W. Franklin St., Suite 102, Baltimore 21201-4661, meets on Sundays, and generally there is a speaker and discussion from 10:30 AM to noon. On Mar. 29, however, this program BES Dialogue: “Race and Ethical policing” will begin with screening several statements excerpted from a December 2014 The Real News Network (TRNN) broadcast of a town hall meeting that addressed the question “Should the Community Control the Police?” Then the program will switch to a community dialogue to discuss issues surrounding “Black Lives Matter,” ethical policing, and the topics raised during the platform addresses this month. Watch the town hall meetings.

The leaders of the discussion follow. Laura Griffin, a member of the BES Ethical Action Committee, and Mr. Omari Jeremiah are former leaders of Community Conversations, a 2013 project to facilitate Baltimore community dialogues on welcoming immigrants in Baltimore, addressing topics such as race, prejudice and community response. Mr. Angad Singh is a member of the BES Executive Board and co-chair of the Program Committee. He is an activist for social justice and campaign finance reform, and is the father of Jaisal Noor, a TRNN host, producer, and reporter. Call 410-581-2322 or email ask@bmorethical.org.

19] – Celebrate the start of our 2015 growing season by attending a Spring Garden Party on Sun., Mar. 29 at 12:30 PM at the Platform Gallery, 116 W. Mulberry St. There will be a silent auction of seedlings potted in beautiful handmade pottery and more, to help and inspire you to do some of your own growing this season! Learn about upcoming projects, and enjoy coffee and light fare! Call 443-433-6294. Go to www.platformbaltimore.com. Advance tickets are $7, and $10 for two; and at the door a ticket is $10 or two for $15. Go to http://allevents.in/baltimore/garden-party-a-spring-fundraiser-for-desert-farm-initiative/1632729110279203#.

20] – Go to the Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company, 641 D St. NW, WDC 20004 on Sun., Mar. 29 from 2 to 4 PM for Water Day. Attend this performance and panel discussion about water scarcity and what you can do to end this problem. See https://www.facebook.com/events/1603671153180801/.

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 Mon., Mar. 30, 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 begin at 8 AM. No cameras are allowed on Pentagon grounds. Restrooms are located inside Marriott Residence Inn on corner of S. Fern and Army Navy Dr.

22] – The Marc Steiner Show airs Monday through Friday from 10 AM to noon 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.

23] – On Mon., Mar. 30 at 10 AM, Exelon CEO Chris Crane will testify before the DC Public Service Commission about his company’s effort to take over Pepco. Be at 1333 H St. NW, Suite 200, West Tower City, WDC to keep Crane and Exelon honest! Crane’s company, Exelon, has a history of playing fast and loose with the truth. In a brief filed to the Maryland Public Service Commission, Maryland’s Attorney General called the testimony of an Exelon official “unreliable”, “not credible” and “fundamentally flawed.” The proposed merger is a bad deal for DC residents. It means higher electric bills, lower reliability and less renewable energy. The Public Service Commission, and DC’s elected officials, especially Mayor Bowser, need to know that we’re watching! Go to https://www.eventbrite.com/e/dont-let-dc-get-a-bad-deal-let-exelon-know-were-watching-tickets-16323576256?utm_campaign=new_event_email&utm_medium=email&utm_source=eb_email&utm_term=eventurl_text.

24] – Get over to the Federal Bureau of Prisons, 320 First St. NW, WDC on Mon., Mar. 30 at noon. The objective of the March 30 Mobilization will be to demand that federal authorities allow an Independent Medical Team (IMT) to enter FMC Carswell in Fort Worth, TX to examine Dr. Aafia Siddiqui – to determine: (a) she is still alive; (b) the exact state of her physical and mental health. For information on Dr. Siddiqui, her case, and the international campaign for her release and repatriation. Go to www.aafiamovement.com.

To contribute financially to this campaign, send a check or money order to The Peace Thru Justice Foundation, 11006 Veirs Mill Road, STE L-15, PMB 298, Silver Spring 20902 or make an online contribution at www.civilfreedoms.org - designate your donation "For Aafia" and send an email (at: peacethrujustice@aol.com ) to let them know a donation made.

Dr. Siddiqui, a Pakistani-born, U.S. educated neuroscientist was widely known and respected for her work in the area of dawahand humanitarian relief. She has been so cut off from the outside world that her family doesn’t even know (with certainty) whether she is alive or dead. On March 30, 2003, shortly after her return to Pakistan, Dr. Siddiqui and her three young children (ages 6, 4, and six months) were the targets of a rendition operation carried out by Pakistani and American agents. In 2008, after it was discovered that Aafia was a secretly-held prisoner at the American controlled “detention center” in Bagram, Afghanistan, she was released in a severely weakened state, reunited with her son Ahmed, and set up to be killed. Aafia was shot by a U.S. soldier (while awaiting re-interrogation); brought back to the United States and later put on trial in a federal courthouse in New York City (2010); and found guilty of “attempting to murder US personnel” in Afghanistan (despite all of the evidence in her favor); and given a sentence of 86 YEARS (Life without the possibility of parole)!

25] – Maris St. Cyr and Sam Bleicher invite you to a reception to benefit Maryland League of Conservation Voters featuring guest speaker, Brian Frosh, Maryland Attorney General. He will discuss current 2015 legislative session issues including fracking and storm water, and how the Maryland League of Conservation Voters is advancing comprehensive clean energy and climate legislation. It takes place on Mon., Mar. 30 from 6 to 7:30 PM at 2515 Boston Street, #1002, Baltimore 21224. The expected donations are as follows: friend--$250 or individual--$75. RSVP to Karen Doory at 410-280-9855 ext. 208 or kdoory@mdlcv.org.

26] – Beyond the Classroom: University of Maryland, 1102 South Campus Commons, Building 1, 4230 Knox Road, College Park 20742, on Mon., Mar. 30 from 7 to 9 PM, see LIVING DOWNSTREAM as part of a Seminar Series on People Power: Activism for Social Change. The film is based on the acclaimed book by ecologist and cancer survivor Sandra Steingraber, Ph.D., which is an eloquent and cinematic documentary film. This poetic film follows Sandra during one pivotal year as she travels across North America, working to break the silence about cancer and its environmental links. After a routine cancer screening, Sandra receives some worrying results and is thrust into a period of medical uncertainty. Thus, we begin two journeys with Sandra: her private struggles with cancer and her public quest to bring attention to the urgent human rights issue of cancer prevention.

But Sandra is not the only one who is on a journey—the chemicals against which she is fighting are also on the move. We follow these invisible toxins as they migrate to some of the most beautiful places in North America. We see how these chemicals enter our bodies and how, once inside, scientists believe they may be working to cause cancer. Several experts in the fields of toxicology and cancer research make important cameo appearances in the film, highlighting their own findings on two pervasive chemicals: atrazine, one of the most widely used herbicides in the world, and the industrial compounds, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs). Their work further illuminates the significant connection between a healthy environment and human health. Go to https://www.umd.edu/fyi/index.cfm?id=237966.

27] – The Pledge of Resistance-Baltimore usually meets on Mondays at 7:30 PM, and the meetings take place at Max’s residence. The next meeting will be on Mon., Mar. 30. The proposed agenda will include anti-drone activities, lobbying in Annapolis, a march from the EPA to the Pentagon, May Day and dealing with US warmongering. Call 410-366-1637 or email mobuszewski at verizon.net.

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