Baltimore Activist Alert -- April 23, 2020

53] South Korea’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic – April 23

54] Anti-fracking activists – April 23

55] Food rescue – April 23

56] Mumia Press Conference – April 23

57] Sew Face Masks – April 23 - 30

58] COVID-19 poses a threat to prisoners and detainees -- April 23

59] Vote by Mail 101 -- April 23

60] Rethinking National Security – April 23

61] Phone Banking for Bill – April 23

62] Resistance to US Imperialism in Venezuela – April 23

63] Weekly Solar Hours – April 23

64] Virtual Phone Bank -- April 23

65] The State of Fracked Gas -- April 23

66] Conservation Conversations, hosted by Environment America – April 23

67] Divestment webinar -- April 23

68] Red and Rural Webinar Series Episode 1 – April 23

69] Legislative Wrap Up with Key Legislators – April 23

70] Variety Show – April 23

71] The Fascist Threat – April 23

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53] – As the world is reeling from the coronavirus pandemic, South Korea has emerged as a model of effective testing, contact tracing, and treatment. It is remarkable that South Korea succeeded in flattening the curve of new infections without lockdowns or travel restrictions. On April 15, South Koreans even held the world’s first general election in the coronavirus era with a record high turnout rate. As the U.S. is aiming to reopen the economy, the South Korean case would provide a rare example of how the coronavirus pandemic management could work.  Join George Washington University Institute for Korean Studies for an online discussion on South Korea’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic in the areas of public health measures, use of technology and data, and economic and financial measure on Thurs., April 23 from 9 to 10 AM.  The Livestream will be via WebEx.  Registered guests will receive a confirmation email with details for joining the WebEx event. Register at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/virtual-korea-policy-forum-south-koreas-response-to-the-corona-virus-tickets-102893459106.

54] -  On April 22-24, the 50th anniversary of Earth Day, millions of people around the world are going online for a three-day mobilization demanding action on the climate emergency.  On Thurs., Apr. 23 at noon, go live online from the 'virtual' front door of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), 888 First St. NE, WDC 20426, Beyond Extreme Energy will broadcast a conversation with activists from Oregon, Texas, North Carolina, West Virginia and Pennsylvania on the frontlines of the US Fracked Gas Buildout. Email info@beyondextremeenergy.org for call-in info.

55] -  On Thurs., April 23 from noon to 1 PM, get over to Food Rescue at Pratt Library Orleans Street, 1303 Orleans St., Baltimore 21231.  Food Rescue Baltimore partners with Baltimore’s esteemed Enoch Pratt Free Library. Come to the library, bring a bag, and take home delicious free food. Look at https://www.facebook.com/events/520045111963240/?event_time_id=520045138629904.

56] – There is a Press Conference organized by the Campaign to Bring Mumia Home to inform the public about the fight for Mumia's legal, political, and urgent health care issues amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. Danny Glover will be one of the speakers.  Email bringmumiahome@gmail.com. It is happening on Thurs., April 23 from 1 to 2:30 PM.  Visit https://www.eventbrite.com/e/at-66-mumia-fights-legal-political-urgent-covid-19-battle-tickets-102743526654?aff=ebdssbeac.

57] – Sew Face Masks for UMMS hosted by Pets on Wheels, P.O. Box 44176, Baltimore 21236, on Thurs., April 23 through April 30 from 1 to 4 PM. As many of you know, the hospital systems in the United States have been and will continue to be challenged to meet the needs of patients who may be COVID-19 positive. In light of this, in the coming weeks many hospitals will need additional personal protective equipment (PPE), including face masks. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recently issued guidance approving the use of cloth masks, and anyone who has sewing experience should consider making cloth face masks to be delivered to the University of Maryland Medical Center (UMMC) for distribution.  There is a PDF for making folded masks at https://files.constantcontact.com/c9e08a1b201/13dbf7af-4ee5-4470-be1f-451542bf468e.pdf, and there are links below with detailed instructions, including a video, for making fitted and folded masks.

For example, there is DIY Cloth Face Mask (fitted mask): https://www.instructables.com/id/DIY-Cloth-Face-Mask/; and Folded Mask: https://sweetredpoppy.com/how-to-sew-a-surgical-face-mask/.  Both of the websites listed above follow CDC guidelines and have links to the CDC website. Unlike the N95 masks, these are not designed to prevent COVID-19 entirely; however, they will prevent some transmission, and the CDC has approved them for use. Once you have made the masks, please send them via mail to Susan Dorsey, 5401 Hamlet Avenue, Baltimore 21214.  If you have any questions about connecting with Susan, please email her (sdorsey@umaryland.edu). Susan will deliver the face masks to UMSON weekly, and UMMC will arrange to send someone to UMSON to pick them up.

If you have questions, or need additional guidance for making the masks, please feel free to reach out to Deb Greenspan, who is coordinating this effort with Susan. Her email address is dbg003@hotmail.com.  Go to

https://www.facebook.com/events/661361757959670/?event_time_id=661361797959666. 

58] – Join an exclusive briefing on the coronavirus moderated by PHR's senior medical director Dr. Ranit Mishori and featuring Dr. Scott Allen, Eunice Cho, and Gerald Staberock. As a severely infectious disease, COVID-19 poses a particular threat to prison and immigration detention center populations. Physicians for Human Rights (PHR) will host a conversation with medical, human rights, and correctional facility and detention center experts on the U.S. and international response to the danger of contagion in these densely populated environments. Join PHR for this conversation on Thurs., April 23 at 2 PM EDT, the sixth webinar in the ongoing series on COVID-19-related issues. Register at https://zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_uvX7C6NjQdaSsAZ96ar4hw?utm_campaign=483609_FY20%20April%20COVID-19%20Webinar%206%2C%20Email%201_NonAction%2C%20Non%20Webinar%20Attendee&utm_medium=email&utm_source=Physicians%20for%20Human%20Rights&dm_i=4GV7,AD5L,1TO2EP,12XVZ,1. Submit questions for consideration at webinar@phr.org. Pre-registration for this call is required.

59] – On Thurs., April 23 from 4 to 5 PM, hosted by Baltimore Votes, get with Vote By Mail 101, and Get Out The Vote before April 28.  See www.eventbrite.com.  Join Open Society Institute-Baltimore, Black Girls Vote, No Boundaries Coalition, and Baltimore Votes for a special Vote by Mail 101 webinar. With the election just days away, hear from some coalition members about what they're doing as a final "get out the vote" push to get voters registered by April 24, and ballots in the mail by April 28.See  https://www.facebook.com/events/247388066453704/.

60] - You're invited to Rethinking National Security in the Age of Pandemics, a virtual event co-sponsored by MIT’s Starr Forum and Center for International Studies (CIS). This timely conversation between Joe Cirincione, Vipin Narang, and Yasmeen Silva—moderated by Jim Walsh—will be livestreamed nationwide. The recording will be part of a future episode of Press the Button, a Ploughshares Fund podcast about nuclear weapons and national security. REGISTER for the conversation taking place on Thurs., April 23 at 4:30 PM ET.  Join via Zoom by clicking this link at the time of the event: https://mit.zoom.us/j/791133646. Please note: Before you can join the webinar, you will be prompted to enter a valid email address. Email bfisk@ploughshares.org.

61] – On Thurs., April 23 from 5 to 8 PM, do Phone Banking for Bill, hosted by Friends of Bill Henry at 2801 Sisson St., Baltimore 21211-2902.  With a lot of voters in Baltimore City being renters, sometimes the only way a campaign can reach them is through phone calls. Please come out and make a few calls to voters to let them know why Bill Henry is the right choice for Comptroller.  You can sign up here at bit.ly/phonebankforbill. The phone banking will continue on April 21 and 23.   Check out https://www.facebook.com/events/2645900688862464/?event_time_id=2645900745529125.

62] – At 5 PM EDT on Thurs., April 23, get an An Inside View of Resistance to US Imperialism in Venezuela and How to Build International Solidarity. It is co-hosted by Popular Resistance, CODEPINK and others. Kevin Zeese and Margaret Flowers of Popular Resistance will be two of the speakers. Look at https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfuCrvGdWShmboqTZoBq5xuyFQg1-6a8FxZ5xn9cpOrhoMo4A/viewform.

63] - On Thurs., April 23 from 5 to 6 PM, check out Weekly Solar Hours, hosted by Neighborhood Sun.  Zoom in for a casual Q&A hangout and note community members can save money during this challenging time, and that's where community solar can help.  If you pay an electric bill, you can get a share of a local solar farm and have that clean energy delivered to your home or apartment, all at a cost that is lower than what the utility company charges for their standard electricity. If you're already a community solar customer, come with questions about your bill, your solar credits, or how to help spread the word. See https://www.facebook.com/events/867067973769565/?event_time_id=867067977102898.

64] -- Join Progressive Maryland on Thurs., April 23 from 5:30 to 7 PM, and stay connected to the community and learn how to make calls from home. Call to do wellness checks and to contact folks about the June 2 primary election. RSVP to the Training & Virtual Phone Bank at https://secure.everyaction.com/ZK9R7XSDQkSdN0fJzObIaw2.

65] – Food and Water Watch will hold a Webinar: The State of Fracked Gas and the Proposed Federal Bailouts on Thurs., April 23 at 6 PM. RSVP at https://secure.foodandwateraction.org/act/webinar1-fracking?j=520372&sfmc_sub=5823356&l=35&mid=100001791&utm_source=MarketingCloud&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=FWA_Climate_Renewables_MD_Invite+to+Webinar+Series+(FWA%2c+no+GL)_JA0420&ms=onor-em-04212020-FWA_Climate_Renewables_MD_Invite+to+Webinar+Series+(FWA%2c+no+GL)_JA0420&oms=onor-em-04212020-FWA_Climate_Renewables_MD_Invite+to+Webinar+Series+(FWA%2c+no+GL)_JA0420&eml_name=FWA_Climate_Renewables_MD_Invite+to+Webinar+Series+(FWA%2c+no+GL)_JA0420&eml_id=520372&gs=GxlJbkxjcq%2B8UZOd9mKlA%2FrUqmVv9Bhub1uCcnoOsk%2FAQ6T%2FAXyET%2BMg3cRAarznEzHCt2OjmsdtrlSDEDixGGAEUZALOZueWujWnmqqAL6EdUG%2FrkG9nV1e1aPSVG%2Br&af=RA1%2BJp3N228aRV69knhQi6HdXOURCg1a8LjFy%2FqVNQ3Po1gpJ2TWtaez2njMlOuEAnWCHkgEsbpWshTz9SyXZHZ4ZBqwHCVVpKJ%2BZXlAWLZyR%2BzfO2QzqSyd2JPeL%2BzCwsk6jgcMJb7Pj3wbBih8ImqkfiHWDev%2BgezUDN3cgbh1mDCeaXiPKbkB9fKqQpGU.

66] -- On Thurs., April 23 from 7 to 8 PM, get with Conservation Conversations, hosted by Environment America. RSVP at https://environmentamerica.webaction.org/p/salsa/event/common/public/?event_KEY=870.

67] – World BEYOND War is excited to be partnering with CODEPINK on a free 5-week divestment webinar series, starting April 23 until May 19! Over the course of 5 webinars in 5 weeks, you will get the why, what, and how of divestment. Share campaign success stories and talk about how to replicate this success in your community. Learn how to do divestment research, what is coalition-building and power-mapping, how to divest your university and city, debunking divestment myths, and much more. The goal of this webinar series is to provide activists with the training, tools, and resources to start up divestment campaigns in their communities.

The first webinar on Thurs., April 23 at 8 PM ET will feature Carley Towne & Cody Urban of CODEPINK and David Swanson of World BEYOND War talking about divestment 101 and the successful campaign to divest Charlottesville from weapons and fossil fuels.  Here is the registration page for the divestment webinar series: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/divest-from-the-war-machine-webinar-series-registration-102039713530.  Register separately for EACH webinar. When you sign up, you'll receive an email confirmation with the Zoom link to access the webinar.

68] – Red and Rural Webinar Series Episode 1 will focus on folks who live and work in rural communities all over the US. This will be a space to share insights from experiences living and organizing in rural areas and lessons learned fighting for our communities. This is happening on Thurs., April 23 at 8 PM ET, and you can join in at https://indivisible.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_162tUfpFR9mW4gaaWx5kTA.

69] – Tune in to the 2020 Legislative Wrap Up with Key Legislators on Thurs., April 23 from 8 to 9:30 PM, organized by the Maryland Sierra Club & Maryland League of Conservation Voters.  Email Lindsey Mendelson at lindsey.mendelson@mdsierra.org.  Register for this event to receive the virtual event log in information! 

70] – Jewish Voice for Peace is hosting on Thurs., April 23 from 8 to 9:30 PM ET a virtual Variety Show.  Enjoy a series of performances. Register at https://secure.everyaction.com/O5nneFqIhk6r2EvHSDtWlw2?contactdata=KMCjX1QBZJDrbFdWYAZRGoqtBBafS0USKyq9UKpGmBHJDrTkI2JWM37%2fFzrXSLZw6miwPH%2bQ%2ffG3Ad50q8tIO5VPHCAqIFMYNrj84p59zLDGea9t0Xm7NSPzjcjPQX3ogRudYlakHtBN2930LqLc3vg5dVfVzHnrMJjQ333oLn09%2fSibdfTedaa5SPayurLgVPXbJoLufkNQo%2b1x1o79QKG%2fggKiOC%2bFwvGCEEJuQn0BhsiVeWa3zFXeE%2fqFOHKfQc1n%2fLeqXa0yCaXFSkEQ%2fdNs4a91tRij4oYQSv5Hk5Y%3d&emci=dd3ee1b3-547b-ea11-a94c-00155d03b1e8&emdi=eef3ee74-807d-ea11-a94c-00155d03b1e8&ceid=237778.

71] – Tune in to The Fascist Threat: A Working Class Response on Thurs., April 23 at 8 PM ET.  Over the past week, demonstrations by openly white supremacist, fascist forces have been held across the U.S. demanding an end to COVID-19 quarantine measures, and that workers be sent back to work immediately.  How can working and oppressed people respond to these reactionary demonstrations, advocate for policies that would result in mass death and suffering in the name of ruling class profits? Join Workers World members and allies to discuss a working class response to rising fascism, and the need for solidarity and organization in these challenging times. Sign in https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_oUxeAdxUQQaesHSNFgoPQg.

To be continued.

Donations can be sent to Max Obuszewski, Baltimore Nonviolence Center, 431 Notre Dame Lane, Apt. 206, Baltimore, MD 21218.  Ph: 410-323-1607; Email: mobuszewski2001 [at] comcast.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