Baltimore Activist Alert -- March 25 - 31, 2025

29] Stop the execution of two Kurdish women

30] Call about betrayal of Ukraine – March 25

31] Power Half-Hour for Gaza – March 25, 26, 27 & 31

32] Stop the SAVE act – March 25 & 27

33] Poetry of Anne Montgomery -- March 25

34] PG County branch call – March 25

35] Ro Khanna speaks – March 25

36] The death penalty – March 25

37] Antiwar movement – March 25

38] Investments in climate chaos – March 26

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29] –The Islamic regime in Iran is using execution verdicts as a desperate act to suppress peaceful demonstrations and protests due to the disastrous economic condition in Iran.  The judicial system in Iran executes innocent activist and individuals by forced confessions, torture and sham trials.  The unjust death sentences for Pakhshan Azizi and Varisheh Moradi is another act of desperation by the Islamic Republic’s use of capital punishment to suppress members of minority communities and terrorize Iranian women who are fighting tirelessly for their rights as equal citizens of Iran.  You are asked to show your urgent support for contacting the United Nations Human Rights office and Iranian mission at United Nations to demand the Islamic republic of Iran stop the unjust execution verdicts for both women and hundreds of other prisoners on death row in Iran. These prisoners must receive fair trials according to international judicial standards, including the right for all prisoners to independent counsels. 

Contact the permanent mission of Iran, 622 Third Avenue, 34th Floor, NEW YORK, NY 10017 -- https://geneva.mfa.gov.ir or Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), Palais Wilson, 52 rue des Pâquis, CH-1201 Geneva, Switzerland -- ohchr-InfoDesk@un.org On Tues., March 4 from 7 - 8:30 PM ET, enjoy Habitant Gardening for Birds: Intro Webinar. Learn the basics of how to transform your home, school, work, or community space into a bird and butterfly paradise! Audubon experts will share practical tips and scientific support for gardening with native plants and making our neighborhoods more resilient. Explore resources needed to beautify your outdoor space and attract birds, butterflies, and other beneficial wildlife! RSVP at https://md.audubon.org/events/habitat-gardening-birds-intro-webinar?ms=aud-email-_(midatl)_ama_md_programming_february_march_2025&utm_source=ea&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=_(midatl)_ama_md_programming_february_march_2025&emci=5e01f646-22ea-ef11-90cb-0022482a94f4&emdi=b2049753-beeb-ef11-90cb-0022482a94f4&ceid=2504878

30] – On Tues., March 25 from 10 to 10:30 AM ET, Indivisible is raising concern about another of Trump’s distasteful behavior. Write/Call/Email your members of Congress to Stop an Alliance with Putin. THIS IS NOT A MEETING, JUST TEMPLATES TO USE WHEN CONTACTING MEMBERS OF CONGRESS. COPY, PASTE, SHARE. RSVP at https://www.mobilize.us/mobilize/event/759777/?followup_modal_context=nonexclusive_newsletter_most_popular_virtual

Disgusted that Trump, Vance & Rubio insulted and dismissed the President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskyy? Find your Senators at https://www.senate.gov/senators/senators-contact.htm Find your Representative at https://www.house.gov/representatives/find-your-representative.

I have contacted Van Hollen & Rubio, but I did not use the suggested “patriotic script.” I used a cleaned-up version.  I’m writing as a proud American who loves this country and I'm deeply troubled by recent events. On February 28, 2025, President Trump and Vice President Vance insulted President Zelenskyy, dismissed Ukraine’s struggles, and ignored the sacrifices of its people. That’s not the America I believe in. Watching America turn its back on freedom after so much sacrifice is heartbreaking. It feels like we’re abandoning our values and siding with Russia. Putin is a dictator—we all know that. America should stand for democracy and freedom. Our soldiers fought and died for those principles. But now, our actions send the wrong message to our allies and the world. I urge you to take a stand—for Ukraine, for democracy, and for the values that truly Make America Great. Don’t let this administration lead us down a path of dishonor. Your voice matters—not just to your constituents, but to the world. Please do what’s right for America and democracy’s future.

31] – Jewish Voice for Peace is doing a Power Half-Hour for Gaza: Channel grief & outrage into action to stop a genocide.  A year into the genocide in Gaza, we are overwhelmed with sorrow and rage. There are no words to describe the devastating pain of the past year in which the Israeli military has killed over 44,000 Palestinians in Gaza, including more than 17,000 children. The International Court of Justice and the International Criminal Court have both declared that Israel must stop the genocidal acts being committed on the Palestinian people. And the U.S. government is actively supporting the Israeli military as it wreaks devastation on the over 2 million Palestinians in Gaza. JVP continues to come together as a political community in its daily half-hour to take action, Monday through Friday, for the past year. Join in and take collective action to demand an arms embargo to Israel, immediate end to the genocide, a lasting ceasefire and an end to Israeli siege, apartheid, occupation, and oppression of Palestinians and Lebanon. All are welcome. All are needed. Get involved at 3 PM ET on Tues., March 25, Wed., March 26, Thurs., March 27 & Mon., March 31.  Visit https://jvp-org.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_Un0Lupy1SFObVVXJaZO5UQ?_x_zm_rtaid=8L0JUS3pQkenMGtx9ha3mQ.1732760660364.03949df73aedc7035fc618f76c52fc75&_x_zm_rhtaid=249#/registration

32] – Phone Bank virtually with Common Cause: STOP THE SAVE ACT on Tuesdays & Thursdays through April 29 from 6 to 8 PM ET.  This week phone bank on March 25 & 27. Join Common Cause for an important phone bank to mobilize voters to take action against the dangerous SAVE Act and advocate for the John Lewis Voting Rights Act. The SAVE Act threatens to make it harder for millions of Americans—especially students, seniors, and veterans—to cast their ballots. Ensure voters across the country call their representatives and demand they protect the freedom to vote. A full training will take place at the start of each shift! RSVP at https://www.mobilize.us/mobilize/event/758610/?followup_modal_context=nonexclusive_newsletter_most_popular_virtual

33] – Carole Sargent and Art Laffin, Dorothy Day Catholic Worker, are co-hosting a nonprofit event on Tues., March 25 at 6:30 PM at Georgetown public library on R Street.  The event is for a book we co-edited featuring the poetry of Anne Montgomery RSCJ.  She was a Catholic sister who went to prison for nuclear disarmament, and was very close to Art.  They co-edited a book on the Plowshares movement that is a classic.  Carole lived in Anne Montgomery House for 2.5 years.  You can read more about Anne Montgomery and Art Laffin here: https://www.globalsistersreport.org/qas/qa-carole-sargent-and-art-laffin-poetics-sr-anne-montgomery   

 We are living in such a treacherous time, and we're worried about basic civil rights.  You can read more about Art Laffin here: https://radicaldiscipleship.net/2021/01/22/interview-with-art-laffin-on-the-risk-of-the-cross/ Sign up for the event here: https://forms.gle/YREjJtqwGmFL2Xo89

34] – On Tues., March 25 at 7 PM ET, get over to a Prince George's County Branch Open Steering Call. Email pgdsa@mdcdsa.org. A link to attend this virtual event will be emailed upon RSVP: https://actionnetwork.org/events/prince-georges-county-branch-open-steering-call?link_id=61&can_id=4b9d4061aec5469758759317ac0f5285&source=email-metro-dc-dsa-weekly-newsletter-for-march-14-2025-2&email_referrer=email_2664936&email_subject=metro-dc-dsa-weekly-newsletter-for-march-21-2025&&

Join the Prince George's County Branch in the first post-election meeting to discuss what comes next after Shayla Adams-Stafford's landslide victory in the race for County Council District 5. Set campaign priorities for the rest of year, and plan the next general meeting and social events.

35] – Join in for Save Medicaid and Make Billionaires Pay (Taxes) Town Hall with Special Guest Congressman Ro Khanna on Tues., March 25 from 7 to 8:30 PM ET.  Join People’s Action Institute for a special town hall where you will hear from Khanna about Congress’s plan to slash health care, housing, climate and education funds from the federal budget in order to give big tax breaks to billionaires and corporations. Leaders and volunteers with People’s Action Institute will share what’s at stake for them in this fight, our strategy to fight back to stop these cuts and how you can join us to organize and win now and in the long-term!  RSVP at https://www.mobilize.us/peoplesactioninstitute/event/764360/?link_id=1&can_id=4b9d4061aec5469758759317ac0f5285&source=email-youre-invited-peoples-action-institute-and-rep-ro-khanna-on-standing-up-to-billionaires&email_referrer=email_2669039___subject_3174073&email_subject=tomorrow-peoples-action-institute-rep-ro-khanna-and-you&&

36] – Kristin Houle Cuellar [kristin@tcadp.org] on Tues., March 25 from 7:30 to 8:30 PM ET wants you to register for a webinar on the death penalty and late adolescence.  Roper v. Simmons was a landmark U.S. Supreme Court case in which the Justices ruled the death penalty for individuals under age 18 at the time of the crime is unconstitutional. The 5-4 decision, released on March 1, 2005, was based on the idea that executing juveniles violates the Eighth Amendment's prohibition on cruel and unusual punishment. The decision spared the lives of 72 people nationwide, including 29 people in Texas who had been sentenced to death for crimes that occurred when they were 17 years old. Yet the same reasons cited in the Roper decision, including lack of maturity or impulse control, apply to another group of individuals who should be exempt from the death penalty: Those ages 18 to 20 at the time of the crime.  Get on Zoom a special webinar featuring attorneys, professors, and friends of individuals who were sentenced to death for crimes that occurred when they were 18, 19, or 20 years old. RSVP at https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeLgUt0KLqCt8KZoovHjlmszHSJXFLy4ZA-D2phhJN7xglk1A/viewform

37] – The Vietnam Peace Commemoration Committee [vnpeacecomm-gmail.com@shared1.ccsend.com] on Tues., March 25 at 8 PM ET will hold a webinar on the Impact of the Antiwar Movement. Register al https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_YoUmo__4TZ-S7cFP2sf6sw

All registrants for this webinar will be invited to participate in an open zoom discussion at 5 PM ET on Fri., March 28. There will be a number of speakers on March 25 including Robert Levering moderator, peace activist, film producer, David Cortright, former Notre Dame University professor, GI peace activist and Morton H Halperin former Defense [sic] Department and National Security Council staff.

38] – Stop the Money Pipeline [info@stopthemoneypipeline.com] on Wed., March 26 at 1 PM ET is hosting a webinar -- Your Future, Your Investments: Is Your 401(k) Fueling the Climate Crisis?  Do you know where your retirement savings are invested? Many 401(k) and pension funds are invested in industries that prioritize short-term profits over long-term financial security. With approximately $22 trillion in private retirement funds, even a conservative estimate suggests that 2%—roughly $400 billion—is tied up in coal, oil, and gas companies. Attend an exclusive educational webinar and the official launch of the Climate-Safe Retirement Funds Campaign to learn how you can make informed decisions about your retirement investments. The goal is to ensure transparency, empower individuals to make informed decisions about where their money goes, and align financial futures with values and a commitment to a climate-safe planet.  This launch and educational session is hosted by Stand.earth's Amy Gray, and will feature a campaigner Nancy Treviño, an expert on asset manager campaigns and union organizing, and Breene Murphy from Carbon Collective, an expert on sustainable investing. Register  https://stand-earth.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_vOoi1Bc2S62p8YhUYBmy8w?link_id=0&can_id=4b9d4061aec5469758759317ac0f5285&source=email-webinar-326-your-future-your-investments-is-your-401k-fueling-the-climate-crisis&email_referrer=email_2654591&email_subject=webinar-326-your-future-your-investments-is-your-401k-fueling-the-climate-crisis&&#/registration

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