Baltimore Activist Alert -- August 4, 2021

37] ‌Climate Action Coffee – Aug. 4

38] Peace with North Korea – Aug. 4

39] Help pass the American Jobs Plan – Aug. 4

40] Water and Justice – Aug. 4

41] Coffee and a Column – Aug. 4

42] Biden, wrong direction – Aug. 4

43] Human Rights Campaign Membership Telephone Town Hall – Aug. 4

44] For the People Act – Aug. 4

45] Baltimore City Consent Decree – Aug. 4

46] Remembrance and Hope – Aug. 4

47] Economics for a Post-Covid World – Aug. 4

48] Jews United for Justice Baltimore Action Team meeting – Aug. 4

49] Japan's New Diplomacy Initiative – Aug. 4

50] Stand with Chesa – Aug. 4

51] Protect the vote call – Aug. 4

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37] – Takoma Park Mobilization [info@tpmobilization.org] announced that  the Climate Action Coffee is back on the first Wednesdays of the month at Busboys and Poets in Takoma, 235 Carroll St. NW, one block from Takoma Metro, from 9 to 10:30 AM! The next meeting will be on August 4. Support the generous friends at Busboys and Poets who have shown creativity and resilience during the pandemic and enjoy the best fair trade coffee in town -- on the house!  You can also Zoom weekly on the remaining Wednesday mornings at https://zoom.us/j/387972672?pwd=aFE3eXRRSUFjVERmZHB5VXJlM09PUT09.  The Meeting ID is 387 972 672 with the Password being 227728.  Dial-in at 646 876 9923. Note Zoom meetings are 8 to 9:30 AM, while in-person meetings at Busboys and Poets will be 9 to 10:30 AM.

38] – On Wed., Aug. 4 at 9 AM ET, check out Whose Court Is the Ball In? Tune in online to Making Progress on Peace and Denuclearization with North Korea at https://www.usip.org/events/whose-court-ball-making-progress-peace-and-denuclearization-north-korea. Since late 2019, North Korea has rejected U.S. requests for engagement. Even after the Biden administration’s rollout of a “calibrated, practical” approach to diplomacy and its stated willingness to meet “anywhere anytime without preconditions,” the North Korean government has rebuffed U.S. offers of a meeting to brief its policy. Instead, Pyongyang is laser-focused on combatting the spread of COVID and has sought to deepen ties with Beijing to mitigate the pandemic, as well as the effects of global sanctions and a crippled economy. Join the U.S. Institute of Peace and the Embassy of the Republic of Korea for a co-hosted discussion on the current state of diplomacy with North Korea.

39] –Emily, CCAN Action Fund [info@ccanactionfund.org] needs you on Wed., Aug. 4 at 11:30 AM ET  to help pass the American Jobs Plan by getting outside and fighting climate change. Get the most ambitious climate legislation of our time passed. Our future is in the hands of Congress -- and we need to show them we're watching. We need them to hear us.  To save our future, Congress needs to pass the American Jobs Plan with full funding! Gather with youth of all ages on the Capitol Lawn to show legislators what’s at stake. RSVP at https://actionnetwork.org/events/on-august-4th-on-capitol-hill-youth-climate-activists-for-100-clean-energy/.

40] – Meg Bohne, Consumer Reports [action@cr.consumer.org] wants you to go online for a Water and Justice series on Wed., Aug. 4 at 3 PM ET and Wed., Aug. 11 at 3 PM ET. Everyone deserves clean, affordable water. Yet shockingly in the United States, millions of people drink water that fails to meet federal health standards, and communities of color are disproportionately exposed. Countless Americans also have tap water contaminated with toxic chemicals not regulated by the EPA. A recent Consumer Reports investigation found PFAS — a group of unregulated ‘forever chemicals’ linked to cancer, birth defects and other health problems — in 117 of the 120 tap water samples we tested from throughout the country. RSVP at https://action.consumerreports.org/water_justice?utm_campaign=20210729_safety&utm_medium=email&utm_source=cr.

 On Aug. 4, hear from Susana De Anda who leads the Community Water Center, a nonprofit environmental justice organization based in California’s San Joaquin Valley. On Aug. 11, hear from Mari Copeny, ‘Little Miss Flint,’ who gained national attention at the age of 8, when she wrote a letter about the water crisis in Flint, Mich., to then-President Obama, who ultimately approved $100 million in relief aid.

41] – James J Zogby [jzogby@aaiusa.org] is inviting you to his weekly Coffee and a Column on Wed., Aug. 4 at 2 PM ET. This week on Coffee and a Column he will be joined by a very special guest, his dear friend, Nina Turner. Nina is a fierce advocate for civil and human rights both at home and abroad. Following Nina, discuss this week's column, "A Deeper Look at Anti-Semitism and Anti-Arab Bigotry:" https://jameszogby.com/washingtonwatch2021s/a-deeper-look-at-anti-semitism-and-anti-arab-bigotry?emci=f6eb848e-67f4-eb11-b563-501ac57b8fa7&emdi=ff250188-95f4-eb11-b563-501ac57b8fa7&ceid=389907. Register to receive the dial-in information for the Zoom at bit.ly/CCO8042021 to receive the dial-in information for the Zoom call. After you register, you will automatically get the dial-in information for the call.

42] – We all know that white supremacist violence is a grave threat. But the Biden administration’s approach to addressing white supremacist violence leaves much to be desired. Its tactics aren’t anything new: the CP3 program resurrects debunked CVE strategies. Far from tackling white supremacist violence, the new domestic extremism strategy will propagate white supremacy while suppressing dissent. Defending Rights & Dissent [info@rightsanddissent.org] wants you on Wed., Aug. 4 at 3 PM ET for conversations with activists, academics, and advocates at the heart of the struggle to resist CVE, CP3, and other specious surveillance programs. This is the fourth event in the #LunchtimeLive series focused on the “new” Biden counterterrorism strategy and what it means for dissent in America. Moderator Cody Bloomfield will be joined by Professor Nguyen for a conversation about how counterterrorism affects schools and why the “public health approach” exacerbates systemic bias. RSVP at https://www.rightsanddissent.org/live/new-name-same-flaws-pt-4-the-war-on-terrors-education-division/?wspage=register&eType=EmailBlastContent&eId=990dffc1-0752-4851-b49b-0af508257755.

43] – Maya Rao [hrc@hrc.org] is announcing on Wed., Aug. 4 at 6 PM ET a Human Rights Campaign Membership Telephone Town Hall advancing LGBTQ equality. This members-only town hall is going to be jam-packed with content. RSVP at https://act.hrc.org/page/87191/petition/1?ea.tracking.id=em_cul_080421&ea.url.id=5426101.

44] – Join activists around the country at a virtual phonebank to urge voters in key states to demand their senators’ support of the For the People Act! The August deadline for 2022 is fast approaching! Our democracy is in crisis: with redistricting around the corner and hundreds of voter suppression laws being introduced in states across the country, we do not have time to wait. Every day we’re getting closer to a very real deadline to take action to pass the For the People Act (S.1): If the Senate does not overcome the filibuster and pass S. 1 by late August, states will not have enough time to implement the legislation’s regulations before the 2022 midterm elections! Join activists around the country at a virtual phonebank to urge voters in key states to demand their senators’ support of S. 1! RSVP at https://www.mobilize.us/pfaw/event/376178/?utm_source=PFAW to call on Wed., Aug. 4 from 6 to 8 PM ET or Thurs., Aug. 5 from 3 to 6 PM ET and 6 to 8 PM ET.

45] – The Immigration Outreach Service Center [jean-marie@ioscbaltimore.ccsend.com] is hosting a meeting for Immigrants about the Police Consent Decree on Wed., Aug. 4 from 6:30 to 8 PM ET. Join in on ZOOM for Police Reform, Behavioral Health, and Immigrant Communities.  Learn how the Baltimore City Consent Decree is changing policing in Baltimore. Sign up https://files.constantcontact.com/dab7619c001/8b5801ad-c7c1-4a6b-97cb-7e83698888a1.pdf.

46] – Massachusetts Peace Action [info@masspeaceaction.org] invites you to Remembrance and Hope – the Journey from Hiroshima to the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW) on Wed., Aug. 4 at 7 PM ET.  Ground the myths and realities of Hiroshima, Nagasaki, and the nuclear age; hear the legacy of survivors; and know the importance of the recently established UN Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons. This engaging Zoom gathering will feature expert presentations, inspirational artistry, substantial opportunity for participation and dialogue, and concrete action steps to move toward the universal adoption of the TPNW and the elimination of these catastrophic weapons. Jerald Ross and Asha Asokan will make presentations.  Sign up at https://us06web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZEtdOmorzsrEte7zB0L5bVg5jgY3dpRVRDD?emci=e6312d91-c8f3-eb11-b563-501ac57b8fa7&emdi=7d77f499-caf3-eb11-b563-501ac57b8fa7&ceid=269591.

47] -- The Henry George School of Social Science [noreply@campaign.eventbrite.com] is inviting you to take a five-week course on Wednesdays from 6:30 to 8 PM ET. It starts on Aug. 4 -- Economics for a Post-Covid World – and runs through Aug 18.  The global health pandemic has laid bare the flaws of neoliberal economics. Is it time for a new paradigm? Sign up at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/economics-for-a-post-covid-world-tickets-160638115929?ref=enivtefor001&invite=MjA1ODEwMzEvbW9idXN6ZXdza2kyMDAxQGNvbWNhc3QubmV0LzA%3D%0A&utm_source=eb_email&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=inviteformalv2&utm_term=attend.

The instructor, Alanna Hartzok is co-founder and co-director of Earth Rights Institute. She is the author of The Earth Belongs to Everyone, winner of the 2008 Radical Middle Book Award. She has given many lectures and seminars on how to structure public finance and tax policy to address issues of wealth distribution, the environment, infrastructure, education and peace.

48] – Jews United for Justice are holding a Baltimore Action Team meeting on Wed., Aug. 4 from 7 to 8 PM ET. Discuss ongoing issue campaign work, share updates for all the local campaigns, and brainstorm on how to move the work forward. You will receive call-in instructions via email after you RSVP: https://jufj.org/event/bat-aug-4/?emci=9301e8e6-b4f0-eb11-b563-501ac57b8fa7&emdi=d79951cc-5bf1-eb11-b563-501ac57b8fa7&ceid=3403859.

49] – On Wed., Aug. 4 at 7:30 PM ET, check out an online event Global Security Talks—A Discussion with Japan's New Diplomacy Initiative, sponsored by the Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS) and the New Diplomacy Initiative (NDI). The speakers are Gregory Kulacki, UCS; Kyoji Yanagisawa, NDI; and Sayo Saruta, NDI. Sign up at ttps://secure.ucsusa.org/a/2021-08-04-event-global-security-japan. The US conversation about Japan is dominated by a narrow band of US and Japanese voices who are resistant to change, especially when it comes to reconsidering nuclear deterrence and the role of US nuclear weapons. We want to change that—and you can help. By creating opportunities for Japanese voices on security issues to be heard in the United States, we can effect much needed changes in US security policy. A better informed and more comprehensive discussion of Japanese concerns could encourage President Biden to take steps to reduce the risk of war with China, including declaring the United States would never use nuclear weapons first.

 The Union of Concerned Scientists and Japan's New Diplomacy Initiative invite you to a virtual event on a paradigm shift in Japanese thinking about security. Join the wide-ranging discussion on how Japan can move beyond nuclear deterrence and become a bridge-builder between the United States and China.

50] – Real Justice [info@realjusticepac.org] needs your help on Wed., Aug. 4 from 8 to 11 PM ET to take on a right-wing, police-backed effort against justice.  More dates will follow. In about three years, the dangerous recall effort targeting Chesa Boudin faces the deadline to turn in 51,325 valid signatures – which would trigger a recall election. Do not let them succeed.  The recall election would attempt to overturn a free and fair election, cost taxpayers at least a million dollars, and turn back historic progress on issues of justice and real public safety solutions.  The best way to fight back is to join a Stand with Chesa virtual phone bank to reach as many San Francisco voters as possible with the truth. RSVP at https://www.mobilize.us/chesaantirecall/event/399637/?source=em20210721-65792-rj&utm_source=em20210721-65792-rj.

51] – Public Citizen [action@citizen.org] wants you on a virtual strategy call on Wed., Aug. 4 at 8:30 PM ET to protect voting rights. Join our virtual strategy meeting on Wednesday, August 4th, at 8:30 p.m. ET to learn what you can do to make a difference. RSVP at https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZAtdOqtqz0qHdEpwtx5YFRrSKvnNyLjIgw-?eType=EmailBlastContent&eId=cbed3cd7-0c0b-4f96-ae3a-bab6619756fd. The only way we can fight back against this voter suppression is by passing the For the People Act and banning partisan legislatures from drawing Congressional districts.

To be continued.

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/.

"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