Tuesday, May 19, 2015

Baltimore Activist Alert - May 19 -21, 2015

33] Hear John Paul Stevens – May 19
34] Peace vigil – May 19
35] Stop police brutality – May 19
36] No JHU Drone Research – May 19  
37] One Fair Wage – May 19
38] Sustainable Cycles – May 19
39] Lobby Rep. Sarbanes – May 20
40] Organize African Liberation Day 2015 – May 20
41] Book reading: DISSENT: THE HISTORY OF AN AMERICAN IDEA – May 20
42] Computerized election theft – May 20
43] A play BEFORE/AFTER – May 20
44] Write letters to political prisoners -- May 20
45] #DCFerguson meeting May 20
46] "Steps to Safety: Reducing the Danger of Nuclear Weapons" – May 20
47] Help distribute peace diplomas at JHU graduation – May 21
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33] – Come to George Washington University - Jack Morton Auditorium, 805 21st St. NW, WDC on Tues., May 19 from 11:30 AM to 1:30 PM for a Conversation with The Honorable John Paul Stevens, Associate Justice (Retired), with Nan Aron, President, Alliance for Justice, Jonathan Capehart, Opinion Writer, Washington Post & Contributor, MSNBC, and Nina Totenberg, Legal Affairs Correspondent, National Public Radio. Go to http://org2.salsalabs.com/o/6539/p/salsa/event/common/public/?event_KEY=75910.

34] – Each Tuesday from 4:30 - 5:30 PM, the Catholic Peace Fellowship-Philadelphia for peace in Afghanistan and Iraq gathers at the Suburban Station, 16th St. & JFK Blvd., at the entrance to Tracks 3 and 4 on the mezzanine.  The next vigil is May 19.  Call 215-426-0364.

35] – On Tues., May 19 from 5 to 6:30 PM, in the wake of recent fatal police shootings, policymakers, law enforcement agents, and community advocates are questioning whether new technologies can improve public safety, civil liberties, and civil rights. At the center of this discussion is body-worn cameras. In March, a bipartisan coalition of senators introduced the Police Camera Act of 2015, designed to create a pilot grant program to assist state and local law enforcement agencies develop safe and effective body-worn camera programs that also protect civilians’ privacy rights.

Thirty-three states and the District of Columbia are also pushing or have passed legislation addressing body-worn cameras. How can law enforcement and communities use body cams to protect civil rights? What are best practices for implementation? How do citizen videos of police misconduct complicate--or complement--implementation efforts? And what’s missing from the current debate?  Join New America in collaboration with Howard University for the fourth event in the “From Moment to Movement” series on Tues., May 19 from 5 to 6:30 PM at 1899 L St. NW, Suite 400, WDC, to discuss the challenges and opportunities in the use and deployment of new police technology. See http://www.newamerica.org/new-america/whos-watching-who/.

36] – Vigil to say "No Drone Research at JHU" each Tuesday at 33rd & North Charles Sts. Join this ongoing vigil on May 19  from 5:30 to 6:30  PM.  Call Max at 410-366-1637

37] –    Join Faith Leaders For One Fair Wage at a Workers' Rights Potluck and Meeting on Tues., May 19 at 6:30 PM at 1100 Florida Ave. NW, WDC (above the Florida Ave. Grill, blue side door).    Portland, Oregon just became the latest city to win a minimum wage increase, joining a host of other west coast cities, including Seattle and San Francisco. From there, the movement has begun to spread eastward as fast food workers in St. Louis, Detroit, and Chicago have made similar demands. This momentum has led organizers at Restaurant Opportunities Center (ROC) and Working Families DC to propose a ballot initiative for 2016 that would bring a higher minimum wage to all workers in the D.C area. This would include tipped workers and those working in the food-service industry who represent one of the largest bodies of exploited and marginalized workers.  Call Jeremiah Lowery at 240-475-4009 or see https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1vTvilknevvGRuKGoFzqhD4aGli-9juU-sZOIpgnc5bs/viewform.

The women of Sustainable Cycles are biking across the country to talk about sustainable menstrual supplies and break down the taboo around periods. Join a lively discussion, presentation, and menstrual cup giveaway! All gender identities are welcome. Call 443-602-7585.  Go to http://www.redemmas.org.

39] – As part of the national "Educate Congress" Campaign Letter Drops, on Wed., May 20 at 4:30 PM, the Pledge of Resistance will go to Rep. John Sarbanes’ office, 600 Baltimore Ave., Suite 303, Towson, MD 21204, to deliver a letter.  The letter urges him to oppose “Fast Track,” support the ERA and to condemn killer drone strikes.  Let Max know if you can sign on to the letter and go to Sarbanes’ office--410-366-1637 or mobuszewski at verizon.net. Are you a constituent?

40] –  On Wed., May 20 from 6 to 9 PM, the All African People's Revolutionary Party (A-APRP) is organizing African Liberation Day 2015 in Washington D.C. This year's theme is: "African Lives Matter; At Home and Abroad. Pan-Africanism equals Dignity and Respect for African People Everywhere!" Come to the Emergence Community Arts Collective, 733 Euclid St. NW, WDC.  Contact Sister Mjiba at aaprpmd@gmail.com or 202-294-5593.  Visit http://www.aaprp-intl.org/.

41] – There is a book reading: DISSENT: THE HISTORY OF AN AMERICAN IDEA at Busboys & Poets, 625 Monroe St. NE, WDC on Wed., May 20 at 6:30 PM.  Dissent is not new; since humans have had voices, they have raised them, as Ralph Young has demonstrated in his classic Dissent in America, a gathering of primary documents from the last four hundred years. Young has also produced a concise version of the book and has taught the subject at universities in Rome and Prague. His new book explores the particular ways dissenters have used their sense of injustice, periodically calling on the United States to keep its promises of freedom and equality. See http://www.busboysandpoets.com/events/event/ralph-young-dissent.

42] – Get over to the Moot Court Room, 5th Floor, 4340 Connecticut Ave. NW, WDC 20008 on Wed., May 20 6:30 to 10 PM for a discussion--If computerized election theft WERE occurring, would you want to know? Boston-based attorney Jonathan D. Simon -- co-founder and director of the Election Defense Alliance - has written a new book entitled CODE RED: Computerized Election Theft and the New American Century.  If there WAS organized computer-based election fraud happening, would that be worth investigating?  Go to http://www.law.udc.edu/event/CodeRed.

43] – The Goethe Institut, 812 7th St, NW, WDC, on Wed., May 20 from 7 to 9 PM invites you to see “Before/After”, the latest play by John Feffer, a multimedia portrait of the transformation of East-Central Europe told by the people who made it happen. Through words, pictures, video, and music, it tells the story of the people who chipped away at the Iron Curtain, tore down the Berlin Wall in 1989, and tried to realize their hopes and dreams in the decades that followed. Drawn from interviews with people from the region, the reading will be performed by 12 actors. It is directed by Natalia Gleason. Get tickets at http://www.goethe.de/ins/us/was/ver/en14237651v.htm.

44] – Join CIA whistleblower John Kiriakou and the CODEPINK DC team at the PINK house, 1241 Evarts St. NE, WDC on Wed., May 20 at 7 PM to write letters of support to nuclear resistors, anti-war activists, whistleblowers and other political prisoners serving time for their brave actions (courageous folks like Chelsea Manning, Megan Rice, Leonard Peltier, and more!). John Kiriakou, who knows first-hand how meaningful these messages of encouragement can be, will be there sharing stories of his recent experience in the US prison system and his new ideas for prison reform.  This event will be a potluck, so please bring a drink or dish to share.  Email katiep@codepink.org. Visit https://www.facebook.com/events/1594867090798353/.

45] – #DCFerguson is a movement that emerged in Washington, DC following the murder of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri to demand an end to racist policing.   Come to the Justice Center, 617 Florida Ave. NW, WDC on Wed., May 20 at 7 PM and learn more about the organization and how to get involved.  Go to https://www.facebook.com/events/1599908363614865/.

46] – Gather at the Peace Center of Delaware County, 1001 Old Sproul Road, Springfield, PA 19064 on Wed., May 20 at 7 PM for "Steps to Safety: Reducing the Danger of Nuclear Weapons," a talk & discussion with Dr. Daniel Wolk, M.D, Physicians for Social Responsibility.  You can get directions and more at www.delcopeacecenter.org or call (610) 544-1818. How are nuclear weapons putting the United States at risk today and what we can do about it? Dr. Wolk is a representative member of Physicians for Social Responsibility, PSR, http://psrphila.org/  PSR is the U.S. affiliate of the International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War, recipient of the 1985 Nobel Peace Prize. For the past 25 years Dr. Wolk has combined private practice in Broomall, Delaware County, and teaching at Bryn Mawr Family Medicine Residency Program. He has been an activist for nuclear disarmament, environmental justice, and peace.

 The 2015 Review Conference of the Parties to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) is currently being held at the United Nations headquarters in New York City. NPT Review Conference opened with a massive international peace and environmental demonstration at U.N. on April 27.  The U.N. NPT review conference will conclude on May 22. It's time to put our minds on the urgent matter of Peace and the Planet, and the dangers posed by the continued existence of nuclear weapons.

 47] – The Pledge of Resistance-Baltimore annually distributes peace diplomas at Johns Hopkins University’s graduation ceremonies at the Homewood campus.  Help distribute peace diplomas on Thurs., May 21 from 8 AM to 9 AM outside the football stadium on University Parkway.  Afterwards, participants will go to One World Café for breakfast.  Call Max at 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  

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