Saturday, April 25, 2020

Baltimore Activist Alert – April 26 – 28, 2020



Baltimore Activist Alert – April 26 – 28, 2020

"I speak as an American to the leaders of my own nation. The great initiative in this war is ours. The initiative to stop it must be ours." -Martin Luther King Jr.

Friends, this list and other email documents which I send out are done under the auspices of the Baltimore Nonviolence Center.  Go to www.baltimorenonviolencecenter.blogspot.com.  If you appreciate this information and would like to make a donation, send contributions to Max Obuszewski, BNC, 431 Notre Dame Lane, Apt. 206, Baltimore, MD 21212.  Max Obuszewski can be reached at 410-323-1607 or mobuszewski2001 [at] comcast.net.

1] Books, buttons and stickers
2] Web site for info on federal legislation
3] Get involved with NCNR   
4]The Hidden Worlds of the National Parks”
5] Bill Marker is running for the seat in District 10 for Baltimore City Council.  
6] Baltimore Ethical Society closed April 26
7] Bmore Humane Race Ready Virtual 5K -- April 26
8] Laudato Si' Online Faith Sharing Group -- April 26
9] Pentagon Peace Vigil – April 27
10] Fairfax Car Caravan to Free Them All – April 27
11] Challenges to Democratic Governance -- April 27
12] Updated Food Collection Needs April 27
13] Sew Face Masks – April 26 - 30
14] "Joint Israeli-Palestinian Memorial Ceremony" – April 27
15] Celebrate the front line workers – April 27
16] Baltimore Teachers Union Mayoral Candidate Interviews -- April 27 - 28
17] Food Truck Mondays April 27
18] From Emmett Till to Freddie Gray– April 27
19] Get Money Out – Maryland call April 27
20] Tell JHU President Ron Daniels to renounce weapons contracts – April 28
21] Southern Workers Fight Back and Organize – April 28
22] MomsRising -- April 28
23] Teaching Palestine – April 28
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1] – Buttons, bumperstickers and books are available.  “God Bless the Whole World, No Exceptions” stickers are in stock. Call Max at 410-323-1607.

2] – To obtain information how your federal legislators voted on particular bills, go to http://thomas.loc.gov/.  Congressional toll-free numbers are 888-818-6641, 888-355-3588 or 800-426-8073. The White House Comment Email is accessible at http://www.whitehouse.gov/contact/.

3] – THE ORGANIZING LIST will be the primary decision-making mechanism of the National Campaign of Nonviolent Resistance [NCNR].  It will be augmented by conference calls and possibly in-person meetings as needed.  It will consist of 1 or 2 representatives from each local, regional, or national organization (not coalitions) that wishes to actively work to carry out the NCNR campaign of facilitating and organizing nonviolent resistance to U.S. wars.

To join the ORGANIZING List, please send your name, group affiliation, city and email address to mobuszewski2001 at Comcast dot net.  Different local chapters of a national organization are encouraged to subscribe.  

4] – Courtesy of the National Park Service and Google Arts & Culture, you can do a Virtual Tour of Five National Parks Online. ”The Hidden Worlds of the National Parks” is a satisfying escape. Whether you spend five minutes on the site or an hour, it’s an important reminder that the world is still beautiful and wonderful and weird, even in uncertain times.  Learn more about how you can take a digital adventure into your national parks: https://www.sierraclub.org/sierra/stuck-home-visit-these-5-national-parks-online?utm_source=insider&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=newsletter.

5] – Bill Marker is running for the seat in District 10 for Baltimore City Council. He is deeply committed to the community and promises great constituent service, better city government, community building and bold ideas.   You can speak to him at 443-827-6669 or email him at wmmarker@gmail.com.

6] - Usually, the Baltimore Ethical Society, 2521 St. Paul St., Baltimore 21218, meets on Sundays, and generally there is a speaker and discussion at 10:30 AM.  However, there will not be a meeting on Sun., April 19.  Call 410-581-2322 or email ask@bmorethical.org. 

7] – On Sun., April 26 from 9 to 10:30 AM, get over to the Bmore Humane Race Ready Virtual 5K & Fun Run, hosted by the Baltimore Humane Society. Tickets are at e.givesmart.com.  There is a 50/50 Raffle, where $20 could net you $5000.  All proceeds benefit the animals, programs and services of the Baltimore Humane Society! Register and get more info at www.BmoreGoRun.GiveSmart.com! Look at https://www.facebook.com/events/513343986020431/.

8] – On Sun., April 26 from 3 to 4 PM, this is the start of a New Sunday Series - Laudato Si' Online Faith Sharing Group, hosted by Cathedral of St. Matthew the Apostle, 1725 Rhode Island Ave. NW, WDC 20036.  Pope Francis has invited Catholic communities around the world to celebrate Laudato Si’ Week, May 16 to May 24. He invites us to take an honest look at our progress in the five years since Laudato Si’ was released and to consider the next steps in our “ecological conversion.” In response to Pope Francis’ invitation, the co-chairs of the Creation Care Team, Phil Downey and Simone Seym, will host the Laudato Si’ Online Study Series, a seven-week web-based series on Sundays from 3 to 4 PM with no session on Easter Sunday.  RSVP at stmattcreationcareteam@gmail.com. Join through Zoom: https://www.stmatthewscathedral.org/news/2020/04/new-series-laudato-si-connect-zoom. Check out https://www.facebook.com/events/645695239332337/?event_time_id=645695252665669.
9] – 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 April 27, 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.  

10] – On Mon., April 27 from 10:30 AM to 1 PM, join the Fairfax Car Caravan to Free Them All, hosted by Sanctuary DMV. Demand that jails, prisons and detention centers #FreeThemAll!  Drive together and take action at three locations in Fairfax, VA to echo the demands from around the country that people who are incarcerated be released. Even before the pandemic, imprisonment was inhumane and a death sentence for many members of our communities. As the corona virus ravages our country and exposes its divisions and injustices, it is even more unconscionable.  To join, fill out the form at https://bit.ly/car-caravan-VA, and you will be sent more information including the starting location. If you can't join in person in your car, you can still join on zoom as the action will be broadcast.  This protest will comply with CDC recommendations for social distancing. Visit https://www.facebook.com/events/225454965454250/.

11] – On Mon., April 27 from 11 AM to 2 PM, hear about Covid19: Challenges to Democratic Governance, hosted by Organization of American States (OAS).  Open consultation with civil society on possible Organization of American States (OAS) areas of action on issues of democratic governance in the context of the #COVID19 and promotion of the principles of open government (transparency, accountability, collaboration, and participation) in any initiative carried out by governments. Visit https://www.facebook.com/events/598634824072649/.

12] - On Mon., April 27 from noon to 2 PM, note the Updated Food Collection Needs  by Assistance Center of Towson Churches and Ascension Lutheran Church.  This will continue through Mon. May 4 at 7601 York Road, Towson 21204.  The ACTC remains open to provide assistance for food insecure people in our community. During the upcoming weeks, the need for food will increase while supplies will diminish. With churches closed, it's difficult to collect food right now.  Bring food each Monday to the parking lot across the street from Ascension Lutheran Church in Towson. Simply place your food in the truck waiting for this purpose.  Those who are uncomfortable going out and picking up groceries, but want to help, can make financial contributions to ACTC directly online: http://www.actconline.info/.  Look at https://www.facebook.com/events/226765075311832/?event_time_id=226765078645165.

13] – Sew Face Masks for UMMS hosted by Pets on Wheels, P.O. Box 44176, Baltimore 21236, on Sun., April 26 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

14] – Check out "Joint Israeli-Palestinian Memorial Ceremony" on Mon., April 27 at 1:30 PM.  Tune in at https://afcfp.org/get-involved/memorial/?emci=8fca9c91-bb68-ea11-a94c-00155d03b5dd&emdi=bcaaa14f-a96e-ea11-a94c-00155d03b1e8&ceid=8142762.

15] –  On Mon., April 27 at 2 PM, Essential, Not Expendable is hosted by Shut Down DC-Climate Strike Washington, DC and Black Lives Matter DC. Look at www.shutdowndc.org. Climate change and the COVID-19 pandemic are both global crises, but here in Washington, DC the effects are very local. And while both of these crises impact everyone, they do not impact everyone equally. The moving protest with cars and bicycles will celebrate the front line workers who are keeping us safe during the pandemic and confront the politicians and corporate executives that are putting our communities at risk. Fill out the form at edtmd.org/BLM and you will be sent the meet-up location the morning of April 27th.  See https://www.facebook.com/events/1167448020253534/.

16] – Starting on Mon., April 27 from 4 to 5:30 PM, the Baltimore Teachers Union will start doing Mayoral Candidate Interviews Live on Facebook. The first interview is with Mayor Bernard C. "Jack" Young; and on Tues., April 28 with TJ Smith. If you cannot make one of these times don't worry, you will be able to watch the recorded interviews at your convenience. If you'd like to submit a question in advance for a candidate, email Corey Gaber at cgaber@baltu.org. See https://www.facebook.com/events/2817694108553466/.



17] – On Mondays from April 27 through June 22 from 5 to 8 PM, get with Food Truck Mondays at Mt. Zion, 1643 E. Churchville Road, Bel Air 21015. Each week will feature a few different local food trucks. Proceeds will benefit Children of Zion Village in Namibia. Weekly food truck lineups coming soon! Each event will be held rain or shine... indoor seating will be available in inclement weather. Skip cooking and come have dinner to support a great cause. Look at https://www.facebook.com/events/518593122133594/?event_time_id=518593132133593.

18] – From Emmett Till to Freddie Gray: The Impact of Murders and Lynchings on Radicalizing African American Youth is happening on Mon., April 27 at 6:30 PM EDT. To hear an inter-generational conversation about a multi-generational issue, register at https://zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_jXCGDNuNRzO-WHK8fE7NFQ.  This will include a cultural performance, which includes a spoken word artist and Baltimore Stand Strong video and song!  It is better TO PREREGISTER. 

19] – Join the Get Money Out of Maryland Teleconference on Mon., April 27 from 8:30 to 9:30 PM.  There are two ways to join the conference: Dial 1 929 205 6099, and then use meeting ID: 512 862 260. Or Click on your device if you have downloaded the app from Zoom. The focus will be on organizational sign-ups, public relations, and logistics for lobbying in Annapolis.

20] – The Vigil to say "No Drone Research at JHU" at 33rd and N. Charles Sts. on Tuesdays from 5 to 6 PM is postponed until further notice. Contact Max at mobuszewski2001 at Comcast dot net or 410-323-1607.  You may consider contacting President Ron Daniels and telling him that the university should reject all military contracts, including those for killer drone and nuclear weapons research.  The president’s mailing address is Office of the President, 242 Garland Hall, The Johns Hopkins University, 3400 N. Charles St., Baltimore, Maryland 21218.  You can also reach his office by Phone: (410) 516-8068, Fax: (410) 516-6097 or email: president@jhu.edu.

21] – At 6 PM EDT, On Tues., April 28 at 6 PM ET, tune in to COVID-19: Southern Workers Fight Back and Organize, a webinar organized by the Southern Workers Assembly to launch a campaign to protect U.S. Southern workers. The group hopes to launch a South-wide campaign that unites workers on the following PRINCIPLES: 1) Right to a safe workplace, 2) Building workplace organization and 3) Healthcare is a human right. Go to https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_-V719ZhhSPOVviEHzXujKg?fbclid=IwAR3DsVfMavs_Kh3Lbz0efc_uHKUfWUHkniVG2uYE8KTLPht3e-JrRh-UaDc.

22]--On Tues., April 28 at 8 PM ET, join MomsRising for the next #KeepMarching online Zoom meeting. We are in a crisis on multiple fronts right now, and one such crisis at a breaking point with COVID-19 is our mass incarceration rate — the highest in the world — and crowded detention facilities in which we have totally inadequate health protections. There are 2.3 million people behind bars. On any given day, more than 400,000 people are held pretrial in jails mostly because they don’t have enough money to be home with their families. Moreover, 38,000 people are currently being held in ICE detention centers. Look at incarcerated communities, how our systems are broken, how so many people are detained unjustly, the impact of COVID-19 on these populations, and what should be done. RSVP to join the discussion -- https://action.momsrising.org/go/66167?t=7&akid=13790%2E2545036%2EaIiqzZ.

23] – The Jewish Voice for Peace April Spotlight Webinar is “Teaching Palestine” with Professors Loubna Qutami, Justin Leroy, and Keith Feldman on Tues., April 28 at 8 PM ET. The academics in JVP are at the front lines of challenging dominant narratives around Zionism, Palestine, colonialism, and more. There is a reason Zionist institutions have zeroed in on college campuses as priority fights - the power of the classroom is massive, and the challenges graduate students and faculty face when trying to teach Palestine are growing and changing every day. From fighting institutional and government attacks on academic freedom, to enduring and pushing back against bullying and blacklists, to producing essential knowledge for students and the public, JVP’s academics are in the fight year-round. Email info@jewishvoiceforpeace.org. Register at https://drive.google.com/file/d/1KF2Dpqz2wDqnWcg0_JHmWyYk2uVrbWk2/view?emci=efee9c81-6270-ea11-a94c-00155d03b1e8&emdi=9ccf2229-dc74-ea11-a94c-00155d03b1e8&ceid=237778.

To be continued.

Donations can be sent to Max Obuszewski, Baltimore Nonviolence Center, 431 Notre Dame Lane, Baltimore, MD 21212.  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

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