Thursday, December 28, 2017

Baltimore Activist Alert - December 29, 2017 to May 6, 2018

22] The SPCA is collecting toys for the cats and dogs – through Dec. 31
23] Food Drive -- Dec. 29
24] Peace vigil at White House – Dec. 29
25] WIB peace vigil – Dec. 29
26] Gift of Life to an Animal – through Dec. 31
27] Bring Compassion to Our City – Dec. 29
28] Black Lives Matter vigil – Dec. 29
29] Sharing Real Hope for Haiti LIVE – Dec. 29
30] Ballroom Dancing – Dec. 29
31] Anti-Prom for Anti-Racism -- Dec. 29
32] Feeding the Homeless – Dec. 30
33] West Chester peace vigil – Dec. 30
34] CLOSE DRONE WAR COMMAND CENTER – Dec. 30
35] Urge Congress to Advance Whole-Person Integrative Healthcare – Dec. 30
36] Film CHASING CORAL – Jan. 5, 2018
37] Help deliver a Healthcare not Warfare petition – Jan. 11 & 12
38] Conference on U.S. Foreign Military Bases -- Jan. 12 - Jan. 14
39] Catonsville Nine Commemoration – May 4 – 6
40] JONAH HOUSE NEEDS WORKERS FOR PEACE AND JUSTICE
41] Donate books, videos, DVDs and records
42] Do you need any book shelves?
43] Join the Global Zero campaign
-------
22] – Throughout December, the Maryland SPCA is collecting toys for the cats and dogs in its adoption center. The goal is to collect enough toys in one month to entertain the homeless animals in the shelter throughout the coming year by filling its sleigh! You can help by bringing new cat and dog toys and treats to the Maryland SPCA's adoption center, 3300 Falls Road, Baltimore 21211 or Project Adopt in White Marsh Mall, 8200 Perry Hall Blvd, Baltimore 21236. Some of the toys which are needed are kongs, hard rubber chew toys, soft treats, toy mice (without catnip) and small cat balls w/ bells. Providing toys for the animals is more than a nice touch. Having toys and treats in the shelter environment helps socialize animals, reduces stress and improves health. See http://www.mdspca.org/updates/detail/presents-for-pets.

23] – On Fri., Dec. 29 from 9 AM to 7 PM, participate in the 4th Annual Food Drive, hosted by Aaduri Healing Arts, 4705-A Harford Rd., Baltimore 21214. Go to https://www.facebook.com/events/1605765029485378/?event_time_id=1605765042818710.

24] – On Fri., Dec. 29 from noon to 1 PM, join the Dorothy Day Catholic Worker in a vigil urging the powers that be to abolish war and torture, to disarm all weapons, to end indefinite detention, to close Guantanamo, to establish justice for all and help create the Beloved Community! This vigil will take place at the White House, 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. NW. Contract Art @ artlaffin@hotmail.com or at 202-360-6416. 

25] – On Fri., Dec. 22 from noon to 1 PM, join a Women in Black peace vigil. A vigil will take place in McKeldin Square at the corner of Light and Pratt Sts. Enjoy lunch afterwards.  Bring a brown bag lunch or something to share.

  Another one is at Roland Park Place, 830 W. 40th St, Baltimore. 21211. However, if weather is iffy, contact Anne at awyattbr@gmail.com.  Lunch will take place at 1 PM at the RPP Café, 830 W. 40th St., Baltimore 21211.

Wear black. Dress for who knows what kind of weather. Bring your own poster or help with the "NO WAR IN MY NAME" banner.  When there are others to stand with, you don't need to carry the burden alone. Do this to be in solidarity with others....when everything around us says “Be afraid of the stranger.” Carpool and parking available. Just send an email that you need a ride [mailto:wibbaltimore@peacepath911.org].  Peace signs will be available.

26] –  Continuing through Dec. 31, you can have the Gift of Life Adoption Special, hosted by BARCS Animal Shelter, 301 Stockholm St., Baltimore 21230.  On Fri., Dec. 29, for example, the shelter will be open from 2 to 6 PM.  Go to https://www.facebook.com/events/174440716485060/?event_time_id=174440769818388.

27] – On Fri., Dec. 29 from 5 to 6 PM, Bring Compassion to our City with a Day of Action, hosted by Direct Action Everywhere – Baltimore at the Inner Harbor, 100 E. Pratt St., Baltimore 21202. FOR FULL DETAILS & PARTICIPATION, JOIN THE GROUP at https://www.facebook.com/groups/BmoreDxE/.  Share another gift with our cities: compassion and justice for nonhuman animals. We will create the world we wish to see - one where all animals are safe, happy, and free. 

The ACTION PLAN is as follows: Activists enter a public place where eating animals is normalized. One by one, activists say a line or short speak-out about how their city would be better off if the rights of animals were enshrined in their laws/customs/constitution. The more specific to the city, the better. Activists can each hold a fake candle or other symbol of hope. Alternatively, they can hold regular signs or other signs with words such as "hope", "justice", "compassion", "respect", etc... written on them. One speak-out at the end is given, summarizing how much better their city and the world would be for everyone if nonhuman animals were given respect and telling everyone that this world is possible if people join the movement and take action for animals.

28] – There is usually a silent vigil on Fridays, from 5 to 6 PM, sponsored by Homewood Friends Meeting, outside the Homewood Friends Meetinghouse, 3107 N. Charles St.  The next scheduled vigil is on Dec. 29. Black Lives Matter.  

29] – On Fri., Dec. 29 from 6 to 9 PM, get involved in Sharing Real Hope for Haiti LIVE, Abingdon, MD 21009.  Visit https://www.facebook.com/events/158236851454815/?event_time_id=158236938121473.

30] – 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 on Dec. 29. Call Dave Greene at 410-599-3725.

31] – On Fri., Dec. 29 from 9 PM to 2 AM, come to the Anti-Prom for Anti-Racism, hosted by Liz Coakley at The Windup Space, 12 W. North Ave., Baltimore 21201.  Go to https://www.eventbrite.com/e/anti-prom-for-anti-racism-tickets-40856509921.  Attend an anti-prom for a good cause, sponsored by the student coalition Fighting for Anti-Racist Education (FARE) to fund an anti-racism workshop at the UMB School of Social Work! An anti-prom is an alternative social event "often staged by students as a protest against, or boycott of, their school's official prom." Anti-proms are inclusive celebrations of queerness "with an emphasis on acceptance, individuality, and creativity." It’s a rejection of prom culture — of excess, consumer values, conformity, social hierarchies, authority and its rules and expectations.  But why stop formally celebrating activism, queerness and anti-capitalism just because we’ve aged out of high school?  Get a prom do-over—dance the night away to tunes by DJ Brandon Carlo, snack on finger foods provided by local chefs, snap pics at a prom-style photo booth, and, of course, indulge in your favorite Windup Space beverages.  Cocktail/prom attire is encouraged, but feel free to wear whatever makes you feel good!  Proceeds from tickets sales will go toward bringing Undoing Racism, an intensive 2.5 day workshop by The People's Institute for Survival and Beyond, at the School of Social Work.  Visit http://www.pisab.org/programs#urcow.  Tickets are $15 online, and $20 at the door. You can support the cause through the YouCaring page: https://www.youcaring.com/fightingforantiracisteducationfare-1013081.

32] – On Sat., Dec. 30 from 9 AM to 1 PM, help Our Daily Bread: Feeding the Homeless, hosted by HOPE worldwide - Baltimore Chapter at 725 Fallsway, Baltimore 21202.
Ten adult volunteers are needed to serve food.  Email volunteer@greaterbaltimorechurch.org.

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] – IGNITE PEACE END ENDLESS WAR CLOSE DRONE WAR COMMAND CENTER IN HORSHAM on Sat., Dec. 30 from noon to 2 PM. Protest the drone war command center at Horsham Air Guard Station, Route 611/Easton Road & County Line Road.  This happens the last Saturday of the month, except for the months of January and February. Recommended parking is in the Regal Cinemas Warrington Crossing on Rout 611 just beyond County Line Road.  Dress according to the weather and bring an umbrella in the event of rain,

The protest is initiated by the Brandywine Peace Community and the American Friends Service Committee. More on drone warfare, see www.knowdrones.com.  Contact Brandywine Peace Community at 484-574-1148 or go to www.brandywinepeace.com.

35] – On Sat., Dec. 30 from midnight through 11:59 PM, Urge Congress to Advance Whole-Person Integrative Healthcare, hosted by Integrative Health Policy Consortium – IHPC. At 712 H St. NE, Suite 1108, WDC 20002.  Get ticket at ihpc.rallycongress.net.  Go to https://www.facebook.com/events/357252458080345/?event_time_id=357252628080328.

36] – The First Friday Movie Nights will continue at Homewood Friends Meeting, 3107 N. Charles St. on Jan. 5 with CHASING CORAL.  The film will begin at 7:15 PM, following the vigil from 5 to 6 PM and a potluck meal from 6 from 7 PM. There will be snacks and some discussion after the film. "Chasing Coral" (postponed from Nov. 3) is an award-winning documentary showing the beauty of undersea gardens and their decline. Enjoy a visual tropical get-away in the middle of winter! Contact Megan Shook <mega330@comcast.net>.

37] – Please note that the National Campaign for Nonviolent Resistance will organize on Thurs., Jan. 11 a visit to the office of Minority Whip Steny Hoyer, 1705 Longworth House Office Building, WDC 20515 to Say No US Support for Saudi Arabia’s Assault on Yemen.  We will first gather at 11:30 AM at the White House to join Witness Against Torture in calling for the closing of the prison at Guantanamo.  At 1:30 PM, we will gather in the Longworth Cafeteria. After that meeting, we will deliver a letter to Hoyer’s office.  Contact Max at 410-323-1607 or mobuszewski2001 at Comcast dot net if you want to sign the letter.

  On Fri.,  Jan. 12 at 11 AM, we will deliver a Healthcare not Warfare petition to Captain Mark A. Kobelja, Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, 4494 North Palmer Road, Bethesda 20889.  We are still gathering signatures on our petition.  If you want to sign it, please provide name, hometown and your organization to Max. RSVP to Max if you can join NCNR on Jan. 11, Jan. 12 or both days.  

38] – Attend a Conference on U.S. Foreign Military Bases from Fri., Jan. 12 through Sun., Jan. 14, 2018 at the University of Baltimore, Learning Commons Town Hall, 1415 Maryland Ave., Baltimore 21201, hosted by the Coalition Against U.S. Foreign Military Bases.  Prior to the conference opening on Fri., Jan. 12, there will be a demonstration from 3 to 5 PM at Centre & Charles Sts. in the Mount Vernon neighborhood of Baltimore.

Thirteen prominent peace and justice organizations in the United States are collectively organizing this conference.  Some of the groups are Black Alliance for Peace, CODEPINK, Global Network Against Weapons and Nuclear Power in Space, Popular Resistance, Veterans For Peace, Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom and World Beyond War.  The conference will feature national and international experts. Several expert panels will discuss the economic, political, environmental and health costs and impact of U.S. foreign military bases in various regions of the world, including South America, Asia-Pacific, Africa, the Middle East, and Europe. The conference will be live streamed for the international audience.  For more information and to register for the conference, go to http://noforeignbases.org/conference-on-u-s-foreign-military-bases/?epl_action=process_cart_action&cart_action=add&event_id=723&_rand=59d50af323702.

39] –   Save the Dates.  The fiftieth anniversary of the Catonsville Nine draft board raid will be commemorated  There will be a CATONSVILLE NINE SYMPOSIUM on FRIDAY, MAY 4, 2018 from 4 to 10 PM at the Shriver Center, University of Maryland – Baltimore County, 1000 Hilltop Cir, Catonsville, MD 21250. Enjoy Films, Lectures, Discussion Panels and Dramatic Readings.  There will be more CATONSVILLE NINE COMMEMORATION ACTIVITIES on SATURDAY, MAY 5, 2018 from 9 AM to 2 PM at the Baltimore County Public Library Catonsville Branch, 1100 Frederick Rd., Catonsville, MD 21228.  Enjoy more Films, Lectures, Discussion Panels and Dramatic Readings.  On Sun., May 6 there will be an opportunity to engage in direct action and later participate in a prayer service.  Go to http://www.catonsville9.org/50th-anniversary-commemoration/.

40] – JONAH HOUSE NEEDS WORKERS FOR PEACE AND JUSTICE

After 44 years of resisting weapons and war, Jonah House is Baltimore is in danger of shutting down. Two of the three core members have announced their intention to leave the community as of May 2018. That leaves one core member, Joe Byrne, who will remain to recruit and re-form intentional community. But if no one steps forward, Jonah House will have to close.

Jonah House was founded by Phil Berrigan, Liz McAlister, and others, in 1973, during the Vietnam War. It was a center of resistance to that war. When the war ended, the focus of resistance became the nuclear arms race. This resistance blossomed into the Plowshares movement. Jonah House members have spent years in jail for Plowshares disarmament actions. Other members have spent years supporting them, and doing the work of the community in their absence. Resistance to weapons and war continues at Jonah House. More recently, Jonah House has also become involved in racial justice efforts in Baltimore, and the environmental justice movement.

Jonah House is planted in the middle of a 22-acre, mostly-wooded cemetery in West Baltimore called St. Peter’s. Maintaining and slowly restoring St. Peter’s Cemetery is the work that pays the bills for the community. Jonah House also uses the property to serve the living as well as honor the dead. Our gardens and orchards feed the Jonah House community, and the surrounding neighborhood community, via a food pantry and weekly food distribution to low-income neighbors. We envision the cemetery—particularly the 11-acre forest patch—as a haven for the people of the neighborhood, international peace activists, and numberless living beings.

Jonah House is also an interfaith spiritual community. We pray or meditate together daily, and our spiritual practice informs and empowers everything we do, whether in the fields or in the streets.

To continue the vision, Jonah House is looking for a few new core members willing to commit to a two-year stint. We are also open to short- and long-term interns (3 months to a year). The work of radical peacemaking, direct service to the poor, and stewarding the land requires workers. We pray that God will send laborers to the vineyard (yes, we have that too) and that Jonah House will continue to comfort the afflicted and afflict the comfortable for another 44 years!  For more information, call 443-804-3410, or email us at engage@jonahhouse.org

41] -- If you would like to get rid of books, videos, DVDs, records, tarps and table cloths, contact Max at 410-323-1607 or mobuszewski2001 at comcast.net.

42] -- Can you use any book shelves? Contact Max at 410-366-1637 or mobuszewski at verizon.net.

43] -- Join an extraordinary global campaign for the elimination of nuclear weapons: http://www.globalzero.org/sign-declaration. A growing group of leaders around the world is calling for the elimination of nuclear weapons and a majority of the global public agrees.  This is an historic window of opportunity.  With momentum already building in favor of Zero, a major show of support from people around the world could tip the balance. When it comes to nuclear weapons, one is one too many.

Donations can be sent to the Baltimore Nonviolence Center, 325 E. 25th St., Baltimore, MD 21218.  Ph: 410-366-1637; Email: mobuszewski2001 [at] comcast.net. Go to http://baltimorenonviolencecenter.blogspot.com/.


“One is called to live nonviolently, even if the change one works for seems impossible. It may or may not be possible to turn the US around through nonviolent revolution. But one thing favors such an attempt: the total inability of violence to change anything for the better" - Daniel Berrigan

No comments: