Baltimore Activist Alert - November 30 - December 2, 2016

22] Should we fear Russia? – Nov. 30

23] The settlements are continuing. -- Nov. 30

24] Nuclear Explosion Monitoring – Nov. 30

25] Support prison strikers – Nov. 30

26] Serving Refugees in our Communities – Nov. 30

27] Film DO NOT RESIST -- Nov. 30

28] People’s Tribunal on the Iraq War – Dec. 1 & 2

29] Global Security Forum – Dec. 1

30] Disclosing the Drone program -- Dec. 1

31] Creating a Moral Economy -- Dec. 1

32] A Look at US-Cuban Relation – Dec. 1

33] Refuse to Occupy – Dec. 1

34] World AIDS Day Fashion Show – Dec. 1

35] Building Resistance to Trump – Dec. 1

36] Film BLACK CANDLE – Dec. 1

37] Indigenous Peoples Symposium -- Dec. 1

38] Film THE GREAT INVISIBLE – Dec. 2

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22] – On Wed., Nov. 30 from 10:30 AM to noon, Dmitri Trenin, author of “Should we Fear Russia?” Will be at the Carnegie Endowment, 1779 Massachusetts Ave. NW, WDC 20009. RSVP at http://carnegieendowment.org/events/forms/?fa=registration&event=5424&lang=en&id=%7bDACFA8E6-CDD0-E011-878A-1CC1DEE8EA49%7d&mkt_tok=eyJpIjoiTXpjNE1qRm1PV1JoWlRFNCIsInQiOiIwTVZMaEZnMzdOUUp4R01XODJNdkszOUwyNThzR1lvemw1bVMyR1RpcUZtUjlUdFFGZjVcLys4cm9uM1hHZ1NhcGppZkNsZ05nRmRKZUdseG5FYm53N1NOQmpkV2ZwM0JXQUJ5Nmp4NXJtalU9In0%3D.

23] – Living in Limbo: East Jerusalem's Neighborhoods Behind Separation Barrier will be discussed at The Palestine Center, 2425 Virginia Ave. NW, WDC, on Wed., Nov. 30 from 12:30 to 2 PM.  This talk will focus on the East Jerusalem neighborhoods behind the separation barrier where approximately 120,000 Palestinians reside. In these neighborhoods, the Palestinian Authority is not allowed to work because they are part of “Jerusalem”. Although located within the Jerusalem municipal boundaries, these neighborhoods receive almost no service from the Israeli Authorities, in the form of garbage disposal, functional road infrastructure, or sufficient water supply. This creates living conditions that would be unacceptable anywhere else. In other words, the Palestinian neighborhoods beyond the separation barrier present in an extreme form the broader processes that have taken place in East Jerusalem and Israel’s attitude toward the Palestinian population in the city. Israeli policy in these neighborhoods has destabilized Palestinians’ physical and symbolic linkage and belonging to their home city of Jerusalem. The separation barrier has restricted the residents’ actions and their physical, social, economic, cultural, and political existence, pushing tens of thousands of them into the neighborhoods beyond the wall, effectively displacing them from the city.  Visit http://www.thejerusalemfund.org/events/upcoming/living-limbo-east-jerusalems-neighborhoods-behind-separation-barrier.

24] – On Wed., Nov. 30 from 1 to 6:15 PM in the Dirksen Senate Office Building,
SDG-50, First St. NE, WDC 20002, catch "Nuclear Explosion Monitoring: 60 Years of Science and Innovation," sponsored by the State and Defense [sic] Departments. RSVP at http://www.rsvpbook.com/event.php?502707&m=2637305&h=e0f0253a65a8a294550dd01c5ccb1bd3&preid=1521756&preh=1974422c331e40682c8dac074d53905f&contactid=1521756&contacth=1974422c331e40682c8dac074d53905f.

25] - Participate in a Letter Writing to Support Prison Strikers at The Potter's House, 1658 Columbia Rd. NW, WDC, on Wed., Nov. 30 from 6:30 to 8:30 PM.  Prison resistance has been building over the last several years, culminating in a nationwide strike starting on September 9. Tens of thousands of incarcerated workers in at least a dozen states staged coordinated protests calling for an end to prison slavery. These workers took great risks in demanding basic rights, and many have been put in solitary, seen their food withheld and their communication restricted. Many have faced torturous conditions for asserting their humanity. Join DC Stampede in writing letters of support to these prisoners, letting them and the authorities know we are still with them on the outside. A representative of the DC IWW Incarcerated Worker Organizing Committee will tell us more about the campaign and update us on the latest news from inside the walls. Check out click here. https://www.facebook.com/events/1142088629216073/.

26] – The Peace & Justice Coalition of Prince George’s County invites you to a panel discussion Serving Refugees in our Communities Projects Past and Present on Wed., Nov. 30 from 7 to 9 PM at the Greenbelt Community Center, 15 Crescent Road, Room 114. Refugees from war and persecution in the Middle East are being resettled in nearby communities. How might we follow the long tradition of citizen volunteers who have welcomed families in similar need?

The speakers are Linda Rabben, human rights activist, anthropologist, & author of “Sanctuary and Asylum: A Social and Political History,” Shruti Bhatnagar, founding member of Maryland Welcomes Refugees & Coordinator of the Takoma Park Welcoming Group for Syrian Families, and Mira Mendick, Community Resource Coordinator of Maryland Refugee & Immigrant Programs of Lutheran Social Services, a U.S. State Department liaison resettlement agency. Go to www.md4refugees.org. Email justpeacepg@earthlink.net or call 301-577-2350.

27] – See the film DO NOT RESIST at 1102 South Campus Commons, Building 1, College Park, on Wed., Nov. 30 from 7 to 9 PM. Starting on the streets of Ferguson, Missouri, as the community grapples with the death of Michael Brown, the film, the directorial debut of Detropia cinematographer Craig Atkinson, offers a stunning look at the current state of policing in America and a glimpse into the future. The Tribeca Film Festival winner for Best Documentary puts viewers in the center of the action – from a ride-along with a South Carolina SWAT team and inside a police training seminar that teaches the importance of “righteous violence” to the floor of a congressional hearing on the proliferation of military equipment in small-town police departments – before exploring where controversial new technologies including predictive policing algorithms could lead the field next. See https://www.facebook.com/events/1778402709115841/.

28] – As part of the ongoing Peace Pledge campaign to get Washington out of the war business, UFPJ is asking Peace Pledge signers to submit testimony on the People’s Tribunal on the Iraq War, scheduled for Thurs., Dec. 1 and Fri., Dec. 2 from 9:30 AM to 5 PM at the University of DC, David Clarke Law School Moot Court Room, 4340 Connecticut Ave. NW, WDC. Register at http://www.codepink.org/iraqtribunal?link_id=8&can_id=9c5bbb0ed9159a7bb5318410d9b7fb18&source=email-testify-peoples-tribunal-on-the-iraq-war-dec-1-2-2&email_referrer=testify-peoples-tribunal-on-the-iraq-war-dec-1-2-2&email_subject=testify-peoples-tribunal-on-the-iraq-war-dec-1-2. 

   After 14 years of costly war based on lies, it’s time for truth and accountability. The People’s Tribunal on the Iraq War will unify the global anti-war/peace movements with other justice movements by uplifting testimonies of the costs of this war—and war itself. The Tribunal will bring the lies that created the war on Iraq into public awareness, while demanding Obama act on them. It will build and inspire the anti-war movement that we will need after the inauguration of the next administration in 2017. It will be a tool that all groups can use to build, inspire, and enliven their organizations and communities.

29] – On Thurs., Dec. 1 from 9:30 to 10:45 AM, Irina Kosterina, Heinrich Boell Foundation, and Olga Oliker, Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), will discuss "Russia Today and Tomorrow: Implications for the U.S," which is part of the CSIS Global Security Forum taking place at CSIS, 1616 Rhode Island Ave. NW, WDC. RSVP at https://www.csis.org/events/global-security-forum-2016 Global Security Forum 2016. The forum goes from 8 AM to 4 PM.

From 11 AM to 12:15 PM, Victor Cha, Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS); Robert Gallucci, Georgetown University; retired Gen. Walter Sharp, former Commander, United States Forces Korea; and Christine Wormuth, former Undersecretary of Defense for Policy, will tackle "Challenges from North Korea." RSVP at https://www.csis.org/events/global-security-forum-2016.

30] – Disclosing the Drone Program will take place on Thurs., Dec. 1 from 3:30 to 5 PM at the Stimson Center, 1211 Connecticut Ave. NW, 8th Floor, WDC. RSVP https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdq42POPLqNvVBFQxBvD8uUiwspYkV1mj4vxrs66cGg6ZU7ew/formResponse. Please join the Stimson Center for a discussion with Jameel Jaffer and Charlie Savage on issues surrounding the U.S. drone program. Jaffer is a former deputy legal director of the ACLU and was director of its Center for Democracy. He is the author of the recent book The Drone Memos. Charlie Savage, a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist, is a Washington correspondent for the New York Times and author of Power Wars, an inside look at Obama’s post 9-11 Presidency. Jaffer and Savage will discuss their recent books and examine the ethical, legal, and security implications of the U.S. drone program as well as its impact on current and future armed conflicts.

Drones have become a coveted tool in militaries and armed groups around the world. Under the Obama administration, the United States' use of armed drones considerably expanded, targeting terrorist threats and providing reconnaissance and surveillance support to military and intelligence operations in an increasing number of countries. Yet the U.S. drone program has largely been shrouded in secrecy and the administration has been reluctant to reveal substantive details about the program's policy guidance, legal justifications for strikes, or measures of effectiveness.

For years, journalists and civil society groups have tried to persuade the administration to increase transparency around the drone program. The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and New York Times have been at the forefront of efforts to get the administration to disclose information that could contribute to the accountability of the U.S. drone program, as well as inform the public debate about the use of drones, engender greater understanding of strategic and political aims of the U.S. drone program, and help assess the program’s efficacy.

31] – From Thurs., Dec. 1 at 4 PM through Sun., Dec. 4, concluding after a noon meal, get over to Visioning and Creating a Moral Economy with Gar Alperovitz, Mark Engler, George Lakey, Judy Wicks, and others at Pendle Hill, 338 Plush Mill Rd., Wallingford, PA 19066-6023. Register at https://pendlehill.org/learn/visioning-and-creating-a-moral-economy/#.WDzNz_krKUl..

32] – A Look at US-Cuban Relation, Past Present & Desired Future is happening at the Institute for Policy Studies, 1301 Connecticut Ave. NW, Suite 600, WDC 20036, on Thurs., Dec. 1 from 6:30 to 8 PM.  In the wake of a new incoming U.S. Presidential Administration you’re invited to an energetic, in depth, and thought provoking discussion using comic relief and multi-media presentation with First Secretary of the Cuban Embassy, Miguel Fraga, who will overview incredible but little known comparisons with Cuba on the world stage, the nature and impact of the decades long U.S. blockade on the island, the changes made over the last two years, and how Cubans are preparing for continued negotiations going forward.  He was appointed First Secretary in June 2015 to the then Cuban Interests Section. Since 2006 he has worked in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in both the North American and U.S. divisions and the Office of the Minister. This program will now feature a showing of the new film "Fidel is Fidel."  Go to http://www.ips-dc.org/events/43801/.

33] –   Refuse to Occupy – A Solidarity Vigil at the White House, 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. NW, WDC, on Thurs., Dec. 1 from 6:30 to 8 PM.  Go to https://www.facebook.com/events/1322523801100924/. Tamar Alon and Tamar Ze'evi are facing imprisonment for refusing to serve the Israeli occupation. Support them at an international day of action.  Vigils will take place outside arms manufacturing facilities and other locations calling on governments to stop arming the Israeli occupation and profiting from it.  As long as the US continues to arm Israel, young Israelis will continue to be imprisoned for refusing to aim these weapons toward civilians. Email mesarvot.im@gmail.com.  Go to http://www.gumfilms.com/projects/lab or http://www.whoprofits.org/sites/default/files/weapons_report-8.pdf.

34] – Participate in World AIDS Day Fashion Show at BUSBOYS AND POETS, Takoma 234 Carroll St. NW, WDC, on Thurs., Dec. 1 from 6:30 to 8:30 PM.  The Women's Collective will be in the Nicolás Guillén Room. Join them for a night of art and fashion while discussing matters surrounding women and sexual reproductive health. Get the facts about PrEP as an HIV prevention tool. Refreshments will be provided. Visit http://busboysandpoets.com/events/event/world-aids-day-fashion-show.

35] – Come to a Public Meeting Building Resistance Against Trump at the Juanita Thornton Shepard Park Library, 7420 Georgia Ave. NW, WDC, on Thurs., Dec. 1 from 7 to 9 PM.  Now is the time to get organized. Join Socialist Alternative for a public meeting discussing how you can build resistance against Trump. Visit https://www.facebook.com/events/1149074928518536/.  There will be a meeting in Virginia on Saturday: https://www.facebook.com/events/1370225303018302/. Also there will be another meeting in D.C. on Sunday: https://www.facebook.com/events/1218871408180881/.

36] –   See the film “Black Candle” and hear from Dr. Raymond Winbush at the Emergence Community Arts Collective, 733 Euclid St. NW, WDC, on Thurs., Dec. 1 from 7 to 10 PM.  The National Black United Front presents a Pre-Kwanzaa Film Discussion with other panelists as well. Go to https://www.facebook.com/events/211098189341369/.

37] – On Thurs., Dec. 1 from 7 to 8:30 PM, attend the Delmarva Indigenous Peoples Symposium, Victory Church & Camp Ground, 2736 Forest Ave., Dover, DE 19936. There will be a question and answer session including a discussion about Standing with Standing Rock and Split Rock Camp along the Pilgrim Pipeline. Honor our Indigenous People.  Consider how to support and contextualize their learnings in the area to protect our water. Go to https://www.pachamama.org/workshop/3405/delmarva-indigenous-peoples-symposium?utm_source=Host%20Published%20Event&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Auto%20Emails.

38] –  The Hiroshima-Nagasaki Commemoration Committee, Baltimore Quaker Peace and Justice Committee of Homewood and Stony Run Meetings and Chesapeake Physicians for Social Responsibility are continuing the FILM & SOCIAL CONSCIOUSNESS DVD SERIES.  The DVDs will be shown at Homewood Friends Meetinghouse, 3107 N. Charles St., Baltimore 21218, usually on the First Friday.  After the Black Lives Matter vigil, there will be a potluck dinner. At 7:15 PM, from September through December, a DVD will be shown with a discussion to follow.  There is no charge, and refreshments will be available.  The series theme is REACTING TO WARS ON CONSTITUTIONAL PROTECTIONS, PEOPLE AND THE ENVIRONMENT.

On Fri., Dec. 2 see THE GREAT INVISIBLE [USA, 2014.] directed by Margaret Brown.  It is a documentary about the oil rig explosion in the Gulf of Mexico.  On April 10, 2010, the Deepwater Horizon oil rig exploded, killing 11 workers on the rig, and dumping what amounted to almost 5 million barrels of crude into the gulf. The leak continued without interruption for 87 days, devastating the Gulf coastline, its wildlife, its beaches and its entire fishing industry (the main source of income for many in the bayou). BP's lack of response to the initial spill brought ferocious criticism to the company, and there was a possibility of fines of up to $18 billion. Brown's documentary personalizes the well-publicized event, bringing us close to those affected by it, fishermen, survivors and seafood workers: the "invisible" victims of the massive catastrophe. Call 410-366-1637 or email mobuszewski [at] verizon.net for further information

To be continued.

Donations can be sent to the Baltimore Nonviolence Center, 325 E. 25th St., Baltimore, MD 21218.  Ph: 410-323-1607; 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