Thursday, April 30, 2020

Baltimore Activist Alert -- May 1 - 2, 2020


48] Flip the Senate
49] Get involved in Progressive Maryland’s MOCO Chapter
50] General Strike – May 1
51] An Impactful Annapolis May Day – May 1
52] New Social Contract – May 1
53] Food rescue – May 1
54] White House vigil – May 1
55] Protecting Both Public Health and Civil Liberties May 1
56] Swarm the Capitol and the White House – May 1
57] Roots of food insecurity – May 1
58] Join a May Day Strike May 1
59] Friday Free Food Distribution May 1
60] Peace and justice vigil – May 1
61] Interview with Council President Brandon Scott – May 1
62] Charm City Cheers – May 1
63] Hear from Ben Sheehan with Rep. Jamie Raskin – May 1
64] 5-year anniversary of the death of Freddie Gray – May 1
65] Building Workers Assemblies -- May 1
66] Compassion for Animals – May 2
67] Our Revolution Maryland meeting -- May 2
68] No One Hungry 2020 Food Drive – May 2
69] “This is an Uprising” -- May 2
70] Emmanuel Macron – May 2
71] Decriminalize Nature DC – May 2
72] Two Berrigan Books still in print
73] Emergency Demonstration against an attack on Venezuela or Iran  
74] Donate books, videos, DVDs and records
75] Do you need any book shelves?
76] Join the Global Zero campaign.
77] Peace Park Antinuclear Vigil
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48] – Progressive Democrats of America (PDA) is working to flip the Senate by supporting strong progressive challengers, and by keeping great incumbents in office. Corporate Democrats oppose policies we need, like the Green New Deal, Medicare for All, Climate Emergency Action, Clean Elections, Dignity for Immigrants, Ending Corporate Rule, and Peace. Volunteer to Help PDA Build a Massive Progressive Wave by emailing mikefox@pdamerica.org.

49] –   Contact  Josh Raznick at josh@progresssivemaryland.org or Patty Snee at patty@progressivemaryland.org if you want to learn more and get involved in the MOCO Chapter’s education, election, or other issue work.

50] – On Fri., May 1 from 12:01 AM to 11:59 PM, participate in a General Strike and Chill. They need us. We don't need them. Visit https://www.facebook.com/events/513704039323145/.

51] –  On Fri., May 1 from 10 AM to 10 PM, have An Impactful Annapolis May Day, hosted by Ward One Residents Association.  For May Day 2020, in coordination with the Garden Club of Old Annapolis Towne, which has faithfully led May Day in Annapolis for 65 years, residents of Ward One are encouraged to decorate their doors and porches and chalk up their sidewalks to celebrate their favorite downtown restaurant or small business, as well as thank the healthcare workers that live among us.  Place a tip-jar near the sidewalk to collect tips from passersby, which you can donate directly to the business you are highlighting.  Donate non-perishable goods to the Anne Arundel County Food Bank. Place them in a cardboard box outside your door and let the Ward One Residents Association know to collect by sending your address to AnnapolisMayDay@gmail.com. If you prefer, there will be large collection boxes in Acton Landing Park, Lafayette Park, and Fleet Street Park.  Share images of the day with #MayDayAnnapolis2020. Check out https://www.facebook.com/events/250205019682567/.

52] – On Fri., May 1 from 11 AM to 1 PM, Workers of the World Unite for a New Social Contract with No Excuses, hosted by the AFL-CIO Global and AFL-CIO. The COVID crisis exposes systemic injustices that the global labor movement has long fought to change — informality in our economy, weak health care systems, lack of a social safety net, structural racism, gender discrimination and inhumane and exploitative migration regimes. This discussion will highlight issues that workers around the world are facing right now, with particular attention to migrant workers. Our speakers will provide examples of the work that unions are doing to ensure that all workers, regardless of status, have protections amid the pandemic, and we strategize about how to use the crisis as a catalyst to push for a new social contract with no exclusions.  Tune in at https://www.facebook.com/events/722808838459041/.

53] On Fri., May 1 from 11:30 AM to 12:30 PM, come to the Grace Baptist Church, 3201 The Alameda., Baltimore 21218, for a Food Rescue. Bring a bag, bring a friend, and take delicious, nutritious, free rescued food. This will continue every Friday through Sept. 4.  See https://www.facebook.com/events/479389629278759/?event_time_id=479389689278753.

54] – The Dorothy Day Catholic Worker will host a peace vigil at the White House, 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. NW, WDC, on Fri., May 1 at noon.  Contact the Dorothy Day Catholic Worker: 202-882-9649 or artlaffin@hotmail.com.

55] – On Fri., May 1 from noon to 12:45 PM, Protecting Both Public Health and Civil Liberties is hosted by SNF Agora Institute at Johns Hopkins University.  A live webcast is at coronavirus.jhu.edu/live. Protecting both public health and civil liberties is always a balancing act—think of the ongoing and very heated debate in the United States and elsewhere between gun control and the right to bear arms. In the current pandemic crisis, how do we negotiate the tightrope walk between putting extraordinary measures in place to save lives, while also protecting individual freedoms? Watch coronavirus.jhu.edu/live.  Visit https://www.facebook.com/events/566807537273089/.

56] – On Fri., May 1 at 1 PM, join May Day - Swarm the Capitol!  This is hosted by Shut Down DC-Climate Strike in Washington, D.C. See www.shutdowndc.org. This year, as we celebrate the 50th anniversary of Earth Day, we find ourselves just ten years from plunging irreversibly into a catastrophic climate crisis driven by fossil fuels that threatens our collective survival. It is clear that bold direct action is as essential as ever. The COVID-19 pandemic has placed the inequities in health care, wealth, housing, education, and much more on full display. The politicians and lobbyists will continue to take advantage of this pandemic to suppress the vote, funnel hundreds of billions of dollars to their corporate cronies, and loosen already inadequate environmental regulations.

Swarm the Capitol and White House. Come by car, bike or on foot. Wear masks and other appropriate personal protective equipment and keep each other safe by practicing appropriate physical distancing. Bring signs, banners, pots, pans and other noise makers.  If you’re coming by car, line up along Constitution Ave. facing East starting at Constitution and 7th NW. Stay in your car but dial into the Zoom conference for updates!  If you’re coming by bicycle or on foot meet in McPherson Square.  The Live Stream Begins at 12:30 PM.  At 2:30 PM, bang pots and pans, honk your horns and make some noise! Visit https://www.facebook.com/events/601218447142825/.

57] -- Millions of Americans have lost their jobs and food banks across the country are experiencing unprecedented demand – in a country where an estimated one in nine people – more than 37 million – already struggle with hunger. Physicians for Human Rights (PHR) will host a conversation with medical experts on the roots of food insecurity in the United States and how COVID-19 has worsened an already dangerous situation for communities most at risk. Panelists will discuss how social determinants of health contribute to food insecurity, the shortage of supplies reaching starving communities, the broken system of equity and distribution in U.S. food chain systems, and how the destruction of livelihoods will shape policies responding to food insecurity going forward. Join PHR for this conversation on Fri., May 1 at 1 PM EDT, the seventh webinar in an ongoing series on COVID-19-related issues.

The conversation will be moderated by founding member of PHR, past board chair, and board member emeritus Dr. Robert S. Lawrence, who is the Center for a Livable Future Professor Emeritus at the John Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. He serves on the board of the Socially Responsible Agriculture Project. The first featured panelist will be Dr. Hilary Seligman, a nationally recognized expert in food insecurity and a professor at the University of California San Francisco, with appointments in the departments of medicine and of epidemiology and biostatistics. She directs the Food Policy, Health, and Hunger Research Program at UCSF’s Center for Vulnerable Populations and the CDC’s Nutrition and Obesity Policy, Research and Evaluation Network.  The other speaker is Dr. Kofi Essel, also nationally recognized in the area of food insecurity and an assistant professor of pediatrics at the George Washington University School of Medicine & Health Sciences, where he directs the Community/Urban Health Scholarly Concentration and the Clinical Public Health Summit on Obesity.


58] -  On Fri., MAY 1 at 2 PM, join a May Day Strike - don't die for Trump, bankers and billionaires, hosted by Peoples Power Assembly.  To car caravan, meet at 2011 N. Charles St., Baltimore 21218-5927.  Workers and community groups across the country are calling for a general strike.  This means that on May Day, International Workers Day, the Peoples Power Assembly does not want you to go to work, or to shop or to pay the rent.  Of course, many essential workers, most especially hospital workers will go to work.  Some essential workers are not given adequate protection.   Go to the Facebook page to see a list of eleven DEMANDS -- https://www.facebook.com/events/2520217834960946/. Call 410-218-4825.   Visit www.PeoplesPowerAssembly.org. Register at https://docs.google.com/forms/u/0/d/e/1FAIpQLSenWre4QbBhlu1EMKZnqgde_2CxTH_yQ0ycbVGGB9tFnbI6Lw/formResponse.

59] –On Fri., May 1 from 4 to 6 PM, get with Friday Free Food Distribution by A.I.R.S., 3701 Cottage Ave., Baltimore 21215-7727.  This will continue each Friday through May 29.  This is a partnership with the Italian Cultural Center of Maryland and their Be a Chef for a Day program to distribute free boxes of food every Friday. Come to Restoration Gardens 1. One box will be given to a household. Go to https://www.facebook.com/events/225129895461807/?event_time_id=225129898795140.

60] – There is usually a silent peace and justice 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 May 1. Black Lives Matter.

61] – On Fri., May 1 at 5 PM, the Baltimore Teachers Union will continue doing Mayoral Candidate Interviews Live on Facebook. The next interview is with Council President Brandon Scott. If you cannot attend, 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/.

62] - On Fri., May 1 from 7 to 7:02 PM, participate in Charm City Cheers, hosted by Councilwoman Shannon Sneed.  May Day, a day celebrated for the tribulations and triumphs of working people, Baltimore City Council President and Members, led by Councilwoman Sneed, ask that we applaud Baltimore's frontline workers.  Utilizing social distancing protocols join your neighbors, co-workers, and friends to thank those on the frontline who are working to keep us all safe and sustained.  Open your windows, step outside, hoot, holler, honk horns, ring bells, and bang pots and pans.  For two minutes, make some noise and unite Baltimore’s neighborhoods in solidarity and celebration.  Take a selfie between 7 and 7:02 PM and post to your social media with #CharmCityCheers.  Go to https://www.facebook.com/events/251346019345880/.

63] – On Fri., May 1 from  7 to 8 PM, hear from Ben Sheehan  with Rep. Jamie Raskin, hosted by Politics and Prose Bookstore. This event will be streamed online as part of our P&P Live! Series.  Sheehan’s mission to increase voter participation began in 2016, when, as executive director of Save the Day, he used digital videos to help register 50,000 new voters. In 2018 he founded OMG WTF (Ohio, Michigan, Georgia, Wisconsin, Texas, and Florida) to teach voters about executive races during the midterm elections. That project generated Gerrymander Jewelry—a finalist for Fast Company's World Changing Ideas 2019—and now this essential primer on how our government was designed to work. Using clear commentary and graphics, Sheehan has annotated the entire Constitution, from its preamble through the amendments, explaining the document’s provisions, pointing out its loopholes, and giving readers everything they need to become informed, effective voters.

Contribute what you can to support Politics and Prose Bookstore. Whatever you can afford will go a long way to keep the bookstore afloat. The other way you can support is by purchasing a copy of the book from the website: https://www.politics-prose.com/book/9780762498482. Click here to join the event: https://www.crowdcast.io/e/ben-sheehan-omg/register.  Check out https://www.facebook.com/events/2299095167064593/.

64] – Join Marc Steiner and his colleagues at The Real News Network on Fri., May 1 at 7 PM ET for a live online film premiere and interactive town hall discussion commemorating the 5-year anniversary of the death of Freddie Gray and the Baltimore Uprising.  On April 19, 2015, 25-year old Freddie Gray died while in police custody, after sustaining injuries to his spinal cord during his arrest for allegedly possessing a knife. After days of questioning and rising tensions around the circumstances leading to his death, Baltimoreans took to the streets on April 25 of that year, resulting in what is now called the Baltimore Uprising. "Freddie Gray: Five Years Later," explores the conditions leading to Freddie Gray's death and the Baltimore Uprising, reflects upon where we are now, and looks to the future with an eye on solutions. 

The short documentary will be streamed on The Real News Network (TRNN) at https://therealnews.com/.  It will be followed by a live chat and panel discussion. 

65] – On Fri., May 1 at 8 PM ET, get with an International Workers Day video conference. The topic is Building Workers Assemblies, and the event is hosted by Workers World Party. The webinar will pose a radical challenge: How can we build our own power through workers assemblies?  Commemorate the radical history of International Workers Day, from the Haymarket Square bombing in 1886 to the Day Without Immigrants in 2006. Look at https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_kfrLfQEzT56BIXmMbdHLEg.

66] – On Sat., MAY 2 from 9:30 to 10 AM, get with Junior PAWS: Animal Talk - Compassion for Animals, hosted by Animal Welfare League of Alexandria. Tickets are at www.signupgenius.com.  The Animal Welfare League of Alexandria is excited to share its new virtual humane education program, Junior Pet Advocacy and Wildlife Series (PAWS), with your family! Junior PAWS is a series of humane education lessons ranging from crafts to careers. Lessons utilize Zoom and Google Classroom to bring fun and learning directly to kids and their families at home! Families who register will be emailed the Zoom meeting link and password along with any digital resources needed for their lesson (such as access to the Junior PAWS Google Classroom). Registration is required at AlexandriaAnimals.org/JuniorPaws. Visit https://www.facebook.com/events/270076714021268/.

67] - Our Revolution Maryland will be livestreaming the May 2 Meeting from 11 AM to noon.  The voices on the left asking about the future of the progressive movement keep getting louder. You won't want to miss the dialogue. Joining the call will be Rep. Jamie Raskin and Our Revolution National Chair Larry Cohen. Sign on at https://www.mobilize.us/ourrevolution/event/268540/?link_id=1&can_id=4b9d4061aec5469758759317ac0f5285&source=email-our-statewide-call-is-saturday-morning&email_referrer=email_790860&email_subject=call-with-jamie-raskin-larry-cohen-is-saturday-morning.

68] – On Sat., May 2 from noon to 4 PM, get over to No One Hungry 2020 Food Drive & Giveaway, hosted by Rising Sun Baptist Church,  1901 N Regester St., Baltimore 21213. Because of the COVID-19 crisis, thousands of Baltimoreans are out of work, low income, and many are facing food insecurity. Rising Sun Baptist Church, NJahiem Ministries (Jah'iem McNill) & Greater St. Johns FGBC along with 10+ organizations and churches will be conducting a #NoOneHungry2020 Food Drive & Food Giveaway.  EVERYONE MUST follow CDC 6ft social distancing guidelines. Masks and gloves will be required. All donations are accepted, especially cases of water, baby diapers and wipes, bath products, and feminine hygiene items.  Food giveaway will be handled by members of each partnering church or organization. Deliveries start as early as 10 AM.  If you'd like to donate, volunteer or have any questions, please contact Minister N. Jahiem McNill at events.gsj@gmail.com. See https://www.facebook.com/events/3250678981618445/.

69] – On Sat., MAY 2 from 2 to 3 PM, get with the Sunrise Movement DC Hub Book Club.  The book club will take place each Saturday through May 23. The book club is reading “This is an Uprising” by Mark and Paul Engler.  Discuss Chapter 4. Check out the Book Club page on the website to get the book and join #book-club channel in Slack! Look at https://www.facebook.com/events/2634683346788043/?event_time_id=2634683360121375.

70] -- On Sat., MAY 2 from 3 to 4 PM, hear William Drozdiak, hosted by Politics and Prose Bookstore. Tickets are at www.crowdcast.io. This event will be streamed online as part of the Politics and Prose Live! Series.

Since being elected president of France in 2017, Emmanuel Macron has emerged as both an unexpected domestic radical and a strong voice for Europe. In this detailed profile, Drozdiak, former senior editor and foreign correspondent for The Washington Post and now a nonresident senior fellow at Brookings’s Center on the United States and Europe, draws on several one-on-one interviews with Macron to chart the one-time Socialist from his founding of the centrist En Marche party in 2016 through a wide range of challenges including Trump's attacks on NATO, Merkel's step away from public life, Italy's government of nihilists and satirists, the Gilets Jaunes protesters, the resurgence of anti-Semitism, and the endless turmoil of Brexit. You are asked to contribute what you can to support Politics and Prose Bookstore and the virtual event series. The other way you can show support is always by purchasing a copy of the book from the website: https://www.politics-prose.com/book/9781541742567. Join the Live Event at https://www.crowdcast.io/e/william-drozdiak-europe/register.  Visit https://www.facebook.com/events/2720361381402560/.

71] On Sat., MAY 2 from 6 to 8 PM, check out Our Stories - Our Lineages - Our Directions, hosted by Decriminalize Nature DC and Catharsis on the Mall. Join the Campaign to Decriminalize Nature DC for a livestream presentation hosted in conjunction with Catharsis on the Mall’s virtual event, "A Temporal Haven." RSVP https://www.facebook.com/events/3048137798541330/. With the intent to create an agreeably shared vision of haven, the Decriminalize Nature DC presents three consecutive segments of programming addressing our Campaign's stories, lineages, and directions.

72 –Two books by Fred Wilcox are still in print.  The first one is “Fighting the Lamb's War Skirmishes with the American Empire” by Philip Berrigan and Fred A. Wilcox with a FOREWORD by Tripp York.  It can be purchased by Wipf and Stock: https://wipfandstock.com/fighting-the-lamb-s-war.html.  It is a Memoir in paperback/ISBN: 9781532660078/240 pages/republished 8/21/2018/ Retail Price: $26.00/and Web Price: $20.80.

  The second one is “Uncommon Martyrs The Berrigans, the Catholic Left, and the Plowshares Movement” by Fred Wilcox, who profiles members of this anti-war movement, whose Christianity compels them to acts of civil disobedience against the military industrial complex.  The ISBN is 0201522314/$6.50 for a hardcover, and it can be purchased at Powell's Books.  See https://www.spiritualityandpractice.com/book-reviews/view/7094/uncommon-martyrs.

73] – The Trump Administration is again beating the war drums.  Most recently, the target is Iran.  Should the Trump administration initiate an act of war against Iran, consider joining us. It is a violation of U.S. law for the Trump Administration to attack a country that has not attacked us, as only Congress can declare war. The Trump administration is nevertheless beating the war drums for war against Iran and Venezuela. Should a war criminal, John Bolton, convince Trump to attack either of these countries, such a military strike would demand an immediate and unequivocal response from us to show that we will not tolerate his abuse of power.

Let's mobilize to show that we the people will not tolerate another military adventure, which would be bound to have profound negative consequences. If a military strike against Iran or Venezuela takes place, then meet at 33rd and N. Charles St., Baltimore 21218. If the attack is before 2 PM local time, then the event will begin at 5 PM, local time. If the attack occurs after 5 PM local time, then the event will begin at 5 PM, local time, the following day. Contact Max at 410-323-1607 or mobuszewski2001 at Comcast dot net.   

74] -- 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.

75] -- Can you use any book shelves? Contact Max at 410-323-1607 or mobuszewski2001 at comcast.net.

76] -- 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.

77] – A Peace Park Antinuclear Vigil takes place every day in Lafayette Park, 1601 Pennsylvania Ave. NW, 24 hours a day, since June 3, 1981. Go to http://prop1.org; call 202-682-4282.

Donations can be sent to Max Obuszewski, Baltimore Nonviolence Center, 431 Notre Dame Lane, Apt. 206, Baltimore, MD 21212.  Ph: 410-323-1607; 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

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