Baltimore Activist Alert - May 4 - 27, 2018

34] WIB peace vigils – May 4

35] White House vigil – May 4

36] Rally TO Protect Obamacare– May 4

37] Catonsville Nine Commemoration – May 4 – 27

38] Black Lives Matter – May 4

39] See the film STEP – May 4

40] “Baltimore's Strange Fruit” – May 4

41] Vegan Chef in town – May 4

42] The Wrong Complexion for Protection – May 4

43] Los inmigrantes de Baltimore – May 4

44] See film EYE IN THE SKY – May 4

45] Ballroom Dancing – May 4

46] Festival for the Animals – May 5

47] Chester County Peace Vigil –May 5

48] Dictionary of Marx – May 5

49] MOTHER EARTH POETRY VIBE – May 5

50] Emergency Demonstration against an attack on Iran or North Korea  

51] JONAH HOUSE NEEDS WORKERS FOR PEACE AND JUSTICE

52] Donate books, videos, DVDs and records  

53] Do you need any book shelves?

54] Do you need a stand up freezer?

55] Join the Global Zero campaign

56] Peace Park Antinuclear Vigil

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34] – On Fri., May 4 from noon to 1 PM, join a Women in Black peace vigil. A vigil will take place in McKeldin Square at the corner of Light and Pratt Sts.  STAY FOR LUNCH at Baba's Kitchen.  Warm-up, dry off, and enjoy a vegetarian chili lunch and lots of good conversation. Bring a side or topping for the chili.  There are still places at the table; invite a friend to come along with you.

  Another vigil is at Roland Park Place, 830 W. 40th St, Baltimore. 21211. However, if weather is iffy, contact Anne at awyattbr@gmail.com.  Lunch will take place at 1 PM at the RPP Café, 830 W. 40th St., Baltimore 21211.

A third vigil will be in Chestertown, Kent County at Memorial Park at Cross Street and Park Row.  This vigil is looking for more peace bodies on the Eastern Shore.  Welcome to the network, Chestertown Women in Black.

Wear black. Dress for who knows what kind of weather.  Peace signs will be available. When there are others to stand with, you don't need to carry the burden alone. Do this to be in solidarity with others....when everything around us says “Be afraid of the stranger.” Carpool and parking available. Just send an email that you need a ride to: wibbaltimore@peacepath911.org.

35] – On Fri.,  May 4 from noon to 1 PM, join the Dorothy Day Catholic Worker in a vigil urging the powers that be to abolish war and torture, to disarm all weapons, to end indefinite detention, to close Guantanamo, to establish justice for all and help create the Beloved Community! This vigil will take place at the White House, 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. NW. Contract Art @ artlaffin@hotmail.com or at 202-360-6416. 

36] – On Fri., May 4 from noon to 1 PM, join a Lightsaber Rally to Defend Health Care, hosted by Health Care Voter at Dupont Circle, WDC 20009.  In honor of Star Wars Day, #HealthCareVoter is defending the Affordable Care Act from Republican attacks—with a lightsaber rally!  A year ago, on May 4, 2017, the House of Representatives voted to pass the Republican health care repeal bill, which would have stripped health care from millions of Americans. It didn't make it through the Senate, but thanks to the continuous cruel and vicious efforts of Donald Trump and Republicans in Congress, our health care is still under attack. We have to fight back by holding elected officials accountable for their attacks on the things we need for survival.  Go to HealthCareVoter.org and take the pledge to defend our health care. If you take the pledge and share it on Facebook or Twitter, WE'LL GIVE YOU A FREE LIGHTSABER AT THE RALLY—all you have to do is show us your Facebook post or tweet in person! See https://www.facebook.com/events/269104070298807/.

37] – The fiftieth anniversary of the Catonsville Nine draft board raid will be commemorated  There will be a CATONSVILLE NINE SYMPOSIUM on FRIDAY, MAY 4, 2018 from 3 to 10 PM at the Shriver Center, University of Maryland – Baltimore County, 1000 Hilltop Cir, Catonsville, MD 21250. Max will be on a panel at 8:45 PM informing participants on how to take action in the spirit of the Catonsville Nine.

Enjoy Films, Lectures, Discussion Panels and Dramatic Readings.  There will be more CATONSVILLE NINE COMMEMORATION ACTIVITIES on SATURDAY, MAY 5 from 9 AM to 4:30 PM at the Baltimore County Public Library Catonsville Branch, 1100 Frederick Rd., Catonsville, MD 21228 and the Catonsville Presbyterian Church, 1400 Frederick Road, Catonsville 21228.  Enjoy more Films, Lectures, Discussion Panels and Dramatic Readings. 

On Sat., May 5 from 10:30 AM to 4:30 PM, join Amy Goodman at 50th Anniversary Commemoration of Catonsville 9 at the Catonsville Presbyterian Church, 1400 Frederick Rd., Catonsville 21228.  She will participate in three separate events: at 10:30AM, as keynote speaker, at 1 PM, The Meaning of Catonsville and at 3:15PM, as panel moderator for More Meaning of Catonsville. Visit http://www.catonsville9.org/ or https://www.facebook.com/events/2015738285345148/.

  On Sun., May 6 at noon, there will be an opportunity to engage in direct action at the National Security Agency; and in the evening participate in a prayer service.  There will be other events continuing until May 27.  Go to http://www.catonsville9.org/50th-anniversary-commemoration/.  To participate in the visit to the NSA, contact Max at 410-323-1607 or mobuszewski2001 at Comcast dot net.

38] – There is usually a silent 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 4. Black Lives Matter.  

39] – Come see a showing of "Baltimore's Strange Fruit: A Story of Food Apartheid and the Struggle for Sovereignty" at the 2640 Space, 27th and St. Paul Sts., on Fri., May 4 from 5:30 to 8 PM. This is a documentary film produced by Black Yield Institute, directed by Eric Jackson and Maddie Hardy. The film explores the intersections of food, land, and race and class politics through personal narrative and social commentary. The film journeys through the historical woes and triumphs of people of African Descent within the food system, while highlighting contemporary efforts to address the complex nature of food apartheid in Baltimore. Go to https://www.eventbrite.com/e/baltimores-strange-fruit-screening-space-2640-tickets-44292512096?aff=erelexpmlt.

40] – The First Friday Movie Nights will continue on the lower level of Homewood Friends Meetinghouse, 3107 N. Charles St. on May 4. Enter on the right side of the building after going down the steps. The films will begin at 7 PM, following the vigil and a potluck meal from 6 to 7 PM. There will be snacks and some discussion after the film. See STEP, a documentary directed by Amanda Lipitz, the story of five girls’ high-school step team in their senior year at the Baltimore Leadership School for Young Women. “They learn to laugh, love and thrive – on and off the stage – even when the world seems to work against them. Empowered by their teachers, teammates, counselors, coaches and families, they chase their ultimate dreams: to win a step championship and to be accepted into college. This all female school is reshaping the futures of its students’ lives by making it their goal to have every member of their senior class accepted to and graduate from college, many of whom will be the first in their family to do so.” Contact Megan Shook <mega330@comcast.net>.  Go to Wikipedia: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eTgDv2_1RIY&sns=em.

41] – On Fri., May 4 from 6 to 8 PM, see Vegan Chef Ietef Cavem Vita, hosted by The Land of Kush, 840 N. Eutaw St., Baltimore 21201. There is ticket information at www.bvsmd.org.  Enjoy his special juice recipes.  This is a fundraiser for Black Vegetarian Society of Maryland and their upcoming #MeatlessMonday events. Visit https://www.facebook.com/events/921019748072227/.

42] – On Fri., May 4 from 6 to 8 PM, hear from Dr. Robert Bullard: The Wrong Complexion for Protection, hosted by University of Maryland School of Public Health, School of Public Health Building, College Park 20742. Tickets are available at docs.google.com.  The Community Engagement, Environmental Justice, and Health (CEEJH) Laboratory welcomes Dr. Robert Bullard, distinguished professor of urban planning and environmental policy in the Barbara Jordan-Mickey Leland School of Public Affairs at Texas Southern University in Houston, to give the seventh annual CEEJH lecture. Dr. Bullard will present a talk titled, "The Wrong Complexion for Protection: Race, Place and the Politics of Pollution." The event will take place in the School of Public Health's lecture hall, room 1312.  Registration is required. The event is free and includes a reception in the Friedgen Family Lounge after the talk. Go to https://www.facebook.com/events/1628586420594790/.

43] – On Fri., May 4 from 6 to 9 PM, check out Los inmigrantes de Baltimore: a photo show/ una galería, hosted by Alizay Jalisi at the Creative Alliance, 3134 Eastern Ave., Baltimore 21224. Baltimore is known for many things, but often ignored is the fact that we have a richly diverse, burgeoning Latinx community. Yet, the narratives of this community remain subject to instability and drastic change. For example, the federal government's move in January 2018 to remove Temporary Protected Status for 200,000 Salvadorians leaves the local community--which is mostly composed of folks from Central America--especially vulnerable to deportation. 

Keeping this precarious political context in mind, this is a photography show featuring the stories of Latinxs in East Baltimore. Some are participants of Testimonios, a weekly, free mental health support group for uninsured, Spanish-speaking Latinxs (>18 years of age) to discuss their experiences as immigrants and dispel misconceptions about mental health. This support group is run by Johns Hopkins Centro SOL (Center for Salud/Health Opportunities for Latinos). Others featured in the show are Latinxs working professionally in the fields of health equity, advocacy and education. For various reasons, however, their faces are not shown. Instead, this show features their hands and the moving stories they tell. Photos and interviews have been taken by Alizay Jalisi, a senior undergraduate student enrolled at Johns Hopkins University. She is an amateur photographer and this is her first-ever show!  See https://losinmigrantesblog.wordpress.com/. This event is free and open to the public, and dinner will be provided. RSVP at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/los-inmigrantes-de-baltimore-tickets-42063178098.

44] – On Fri., May. 4 at 7 PM, come to the Free First-Friday Film @ the Peace Center of Delaware County, 1001 Old Sproul Rd., Springfield, PA to see EYE IN THE SKY (2016, drama, 103 minutes, directed by Gavin Hood and written by Guy Hibbert. The film is an intense dramatic-thriller that captures the ethical dilemma at the heart of drone warfare. The bulk of the film's ensemble scenes unfolds in two drone attack command centers, one in England, the other in the U.S., where drone computer "pilots" guide war drones by remote control, attacking suspected terrorists and related targets thousands of miles away

  Following the film people are invited to participate in a short time of discussion on the subject of drone warfare. CLICK https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cxp0TYHef6M  to see the film’s trailer!  Doors open at 6:30 PM for light refreshments.  A group discussion about the film follows its screening. Go to www.brandywinepeace.com. The screening is co-sponsored by the Brandywine Peace Community. For directions to the Peace Center of Delaware County, visit www.delcopeacecenter.org or call 484-574-1148.

45] – There is an opportunity to participate in ballroom dancing, usually every Friday of the month, in the JHU ROTC Bldg. at  8 PM.  Turn south on San Martin Dr. from the intersection of Univ. Parkway and 39th St.  Drive on campus by taking the third left turn. The next dance will be on May 4. Call Dave Greene at 410-599-3725.

46] –  On Sat., May 5 from 10 AM to 9 PM, get over to the Festival for the Animals March and Music Celebration, hosted by The Port and Maryland SPCA at the City Garage, 101 W. Dickman St., Baltimore 21230. Tickets are available at support.mdspca.org. Your participation in the Maryland SPCA Festival for the Animals, formerly the March for the Animals, helps the Maryland SPCA care for almost 15,000 homeless pets each year. As the MD SPCA’s largest fundraiser, the festival is an annual walk-a-thon, and new this year will be a free, outdoor music concert featuring local, regional and national music acts—all taking place at Port Covington. For more than 22 years, this spring event has been a staple on the calendars of committed animal lovers throughout Maryland. This is a critical event for the Maryland SPCA—funding from MD SPCA Festival for the Animals supports nearly 10% of the MD SPCA’s annual budget. Looking to become a sponsor for our Festival for the Animals event? Sponsorship information can be found here: http://www.mdspca.org/festivalsponsorship.  To register individually or form a team, please visit festivalfortheanimals.org.  See https://www.facebook.com/events/186033311994732/.

47] – Each Saturday, 11 AM – 1 PM, Chester County Peace Movement holds a peace vigil in West Chester in front of the Chester County Courthouse, High & Market Sts. Go to www.ccpeace.org. Email ccpeacemovement@aol.com.

48] –On Sat., May 5 from 6 to 10 PM see the Dictionary of Marx, hosted by Capital Fringe and Goethe-Institut Washington at Capital Fringe, 1358 Florida Ave. NE, WDC 20002. Tickets are available at www.capitalfringe.org.  Dictionary of Marx is a one-time-only multimedia experience based on the work of the German economic philosopher Karl Marx.  A dozen of Washington, DC’s most engaging presenter-performers will come together, responding to key words from the Marxist lexicon in a series of works accompanied by live music. With interpretations ranging from theater performance to poetry reading, from film to monologue, and from lecture to happenings and interactive experiences, Dictionary of Marx explores these economic theories from today’s perspective.  This event commemorates Marx’s 200th birthday as part of the Goethe-Institut Washington international series MarxNow. Go to https://www.facebook.com/events/370515120095313/.

49] – On Sat., May 5 at 6:30 PM at Red Emma's Bookstore Coffeehouse, 30 W. North Ave., Baltimore 21201 enjoy RED EMMA'S MOTHER EARTH POETRY VIBE--FEATURING THE TUBMAN CITY COLLECTIVE.  We're in crisis—and collective action is needed in all areas, including poetically! This is an n open mic of justice, conscious thought, spirituality, family, real life—whatever advances the village! In the tradition of Emma Goldman’s “Mother Earth” magazine, do poetry or contribute just with your presence and energy! By the way: it’s a non-erotic venue; rather than a love/erotica evening, focus this night on justice and other matters of life. And, almost needless to say, leave the misogyny, homophobia and other unnecessary rants outside! Call 443-602-7585. RSVP at http://www.redemmas.org. 

50] – It is a violation of U.S. law for us 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 North Korea. The Mueller investigation is tightening the vise, and could cause Trump to attack those countries in order to divert attention from Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election. 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 preemptive military strike against Iran or North Korea takes place, then meet outside the War Memorial, 101 N. Gay St., Baltimore, MD 21202. If the attack is before 2 PM local time, then events will begin at 5 PM, local time. If the attack occurs after 2 PM local time, then events will begin at noon, local time, the following day. Contact Max at 410-323-1607 or mobuszewski2001 at Comcast dot net.

51] – JONAH HOUSE NEEDS WORKERS FOR PEACE AND JUSTICE

   After 44 years of resisting weapons and war, Jonah House is Baltimore is in danger of shutting down. Two of the three core members have announced their intention to leave the community as of May 2018. That leaves one core member, Joe Byrne, who will remain to recruit and re-form intentional community. But if no one steps forward, Jonah House will have to close.

  Jonah House was founded by Phil Berrigan, Liz McAlister, and others, in 1973, during the Vietnam War. It was a center of resistance to that war. When the war ended, the focus of resistance became the nuclear arms race. This resistance blossomed into the Plowshares movement. Jonah House members have spent years in jail for Plowshares disarmament actions. Other members have spent years supporting them, and doing the work of the community in their absence. Resistance to weapons and war continues at Jonah House. More recently, Jonah House has also become involved in racial justice efforts in Baltimore, and the environmental justice movement.

   Jonah House is planted in the middle of a 22-acre, mostly-wooded cemetery in West Baltimore called St. Peter’s. Maintaining and slowly restoring St. Peter’s Cemetery is the work that pays the bills for the community. Jonah House also uses the property to serve the living as well as honor the dead. Our gardens and orchards feed the Jonah House community, and the surrounding neighborhood community, via a food pantry and weekly food distribution to low-income neighbors. We envision the cemetery—particularly the 11-acre forest patch—as a haven for the people of the neighborhood, international peace activists, and numberless living beings.

Jonah House is also an interfaith spiritual community. We pray or meditate together daily, and our spiritual practice informs and empowers everything we do, whether in the fields or in the streets.

To continue the vision, Jonah House is looking for a few new core members willing to commit to a two-year stint. We are also open to short- and long-term interns (3 months to a year). The work of radical peacemaking, direct service to the poor, and stewarding the land requires workers. We pray that God will send laborers to the vineyard (yes, we have that too) and that Jonah House will continue to comfort the afflicted and afflict the comfortable for another 44 years!  For more information, call 443-804-3410, or email us at engage@jonahhouse.org.

52] -- 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.

53] -- Can you use any book shelves? Contact Max at 410-366-1637 or mobuszewski at comcast.net.

54] – Do you need a stand up freezer?  Contact Max at 410-366-1637 or mobuszewski2001 at comcast.net.

55] -- 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.

56] – 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 the Baltimore Nonviolence Center, 325 E. 25th St., Baltimore, MD 21218.  Ph: 410-366-1637; 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

Can you sign on and help deliver a letter to the director of the NSA, as part of the Catonsville Nine Commemoration?

Friends,

  On  May 4, we will begin to commemorate the Catonsville Nine. For more information, go to http://www.catonsville9.org/.

As part of the commemoration, there will be a protest at the National Security Agency at Fort Meade, Maryland on Sunday, May 6 at noon. To participate in the protest, take the Canine Road entrance off of Route 32 and park in the visitors parking lot. Remain in the parking lot until the organizers arrive. There will be a vigil on Route 32, followed by a letter delivery to the main guard station at the NSA. 

Can you sign on to the letter to Vice Admiral Michael S. Rogers, the director of the NSA?  Can you join us in delivering the letter?  Kagiso, Max

Members of the Catonsville Nine Commemoration Committee

Email mobuszewski2001 at comcast.net or phone 410-323-1607.

May 3, 2018

Vice Admiral Michael S. Rogers

Director, National Security Agency

Chief, Central Security Service

National Security Agency

Fort George G. Meade, MD  20755

Dear Admiral Rogers:

  For years, members of the Pledge of Resistance-Baltimore have expressed a grave concern for the National Security Agency’s role in the invasions of Afghanistan and Iraq, and the attacks on Libya, Pakistan, Syria and Yemen.  The loss of lives, the devastation wreaked on civilian populations, and the resulting instability has only emboldened the terrorists to take advantage of the disarray.  

 Unfortunately, you have consistently ignored the organization’s request for a meeting with you or one of your representatives to discuss our concerns.  There are news reports that you plan to retire this year.  We still would like to have a meeting prior to your departure.  Your agency has a well-recognized history of illegal surveillance and other activities which violate the constitution.  For example, the Trump Administration, like Obama’s, is engaged in an assassination program through the use of unmanned aerial vehicles.  We believe this program using killer drone strikes is immoral, illegal and unconstitutional.  Even U.S. citizens have been assassinated by drones without due process.  Of course, your agency is culpable by providing potential targets for the president's "kill list."

  As part of the Commemoration of the Catonsville Nine draft board raid which took place May 17, 1968, a group of citizen activists plan to visit the NSA on May 6. It would be appreciated if a meeting could be arranged.  The Nuremberg Tribunals taught us that when a government is involved in war crimes, citizens must speak out. As a government employee, you have a responsibility to hear from the citizenry.  We are willing to adjust our schedules on May 6 to be available at a time convenient to a representative of the Agency. 

 Please note that Philip Berrigan’s last demonstration took place at the NSA.  Also note that in James Bamford’s book, THE PUZZLE PALACE, he reported that the very first protest which took place at the NSA was organized by the Jonah House, founded by Phil Berrigan and Elizabeth McAlister in 1973.  Our visit to the NSA will also honor the Kings Bay Plowshares arrested in Georgia on April 5 for a disarmament action.  McAlister and six other Plowshares advocates remain in jail in Georgia awaiting a trial date.

  Fortunately, there is a handful of courageous insiders who have stepped forward to blow the whistle on the NSA. The most recent whistleblower is Reality Winner, a federal contractor who faces up to 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine on charges she willfully retained and transmitted national defense information. If she did transmit data, we argue that releasing the information was in the public interest, especially considering that the Trump Administration is trying to deny Russian interference in the 2016 election.  What has been written in the media about the alleged leak suggests that she did not transmit “national defense information.” What was allegedly leaked is information that the general public should have seen.

  Most every day, journalists depend on leaks, which are a vital source of information in a democracy.  Considering the contempt the Trump Administration has for a free press, we are grateful that individuals take a risk in sharing information which belongs in the public realm.

   NSA whistleblower Thomas Drake exposed the NSA’s unconstitutional behavior, and suffered greatly. The whistleblowers who have probably suffered the most are Chelsea Manning, Edward Snowden and Julian Assange. Fortunately, Obama commuted Manning’s sentence.  Snowden and Assange are men without a country. Our most immediate concern, however, is Reality Winner.

   Join with us in celebrating these whistleblowers who exposed government malfeasance.  We ask you to join the celebration: publicly acknowledge that the above whistleblowers were right to speak out and that they should never have been punished; state that they must be compensated for their suffering; call out that all pending and future charges against Assange and Snowden should be dismissed; and finally, inform the president that Ms. Winner should not be prosecuted. 

  As Dan Berrigan wrote, “Our apologies, good friends, for the fracture of good order, the burning of paper instead of children, the angering of the orderlies in the front parlor of the charnel house.”  While the Nine were convicted of a nonviolent protest, the government was never prosecuted though as many as three million people were killed in the Vietnam War.

  We need your support for the dismissal of any charges against Winner. You exist in an insular world, and could benefit from a meeting with peace and justice activists. At this meeting we will urge the NSA to promote reconciliation and diplomacy and renounce pernicious killer drone strikes and illegal surveillance which violates the 4th Amendment. Following up on our demands will be a positive step for the National Security Agency to rebuild its tarnished reputation. We look forward to your response.

In peace,

Max Obuszewski

On behalf of the Committee to Commemorate the Catonsville Nine

Donations can be sent to the Baltimore Nonviolence Center, 325 E. 25th St., 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

Help deliver a letter at the NSA, as part of the Catonsville Nine Commemorative Events May 4 through May 27, 2018

  The Catonsville Nine were Catholic activists who burned draft files on May 17, 1968 to protest the Vietnam War outside a draft board in Catonsville, Maryland. They took 378 draft files, poured home-made napalm over them and set them on fire. There will be a commemoration of this heroic event starting May 4 and continuing through May 27, 2018. For more information, go to http://www.catonsville9.org/.

As part of the commemoration, there will be a protest at the National Security Agency at Fort Meade, Maryland. To participate in the protest, take the Canine Road entrance off of Route 32 and park in the visitors parking lot. Remain in the parking lot until the organizers arrive. There will be a vigil on Route 32, followed by a letter delivery to the main guard station at the NSA.

The letter will be addressed to Vice Admiral Michael S. Rogers, the director, seeking a meeting with him or his representative. The Nuremberg Tribunals taught us that when a government is involved in war crimes, citizens must speak out. The NSA has played a role in the invasions of Afghanistan and Iraq, and the attacks on Libya, Pakistan, Syria and Yemen.

The agency has a well-recognized history of illegal surveillance and other activities which violate the constitution. The Trump Administration, like Obama’s, is engaged in an assassination program through the use of unmanned aerial vehicles. We believe the use of killer drone strikes is immoral, illegal and unconstitutional. Even U.S. citizens have been assassinated by drones without due process. Philip Berrigan was one of the members of the Catonsville Nine, and his last protest before his untimely death took place at the National Security Agency. So join the protest to honor the Catonsville Nine and all others involved in draft board raids during the Vietnam War.

For Immediate Release – May 1, 2018

Contact Max Obuszewski at 410-323-1607 or mobuszewski2001 at Comcast dot net.

Baltimore Activist Alert - May 2 - 8, 2018

19] Adoption Event -- May 2

20] World Bank Investigation – May. 2

21] Women's Legislative Wrap Up – May 2

22] Solar Co-op Session – May 2

23] Negotiations Can Denuclearize North Korea? -- May 2

24] Nonviolence training -- May 2

25] Occupation Free DC meeting – May 2

26] Nomi Prins on COLLUSION--- May 2

27] The governor’s race – May 2

28] Climate Change and Public Lands – May 3

29] Rally for an Independent Inspector General – May 3

30] Nonviolence training – May 3 & 8

31] Labor stories – May 3

32] LEGEND OF THE BLACK MECCA – May 3

33] East Asia Strategic Dialogue – May 4

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19] –  There is a Daily Adoption Event at noon to 7 PM until May 2 at Petco, hosted by Last Chance Animal Rescue at 6612 Richmond Hwy., Alexandria, Virginia 22306. Adoptable pups and kitties available for same day adoption.  The animals are spayed/neutered, up-to-date on age appropriate vaccines.   See the animals at https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.1757671494266953.1073742016.150481478319304&type=1&l=f34e614efe.  To get the process started, submit an application at https://www.lastchanceanimalrescue.org/adoption-request-form/. Volunteers are needed to help with all aspects of this event; pre-event set-up, adoption counselors to animal handlers and so much more! To sign up, email your full name and phone number to volunteer@lastchanceanimalrescue.org.  Go to https://www.facebook.com/events/2081033861910880/.

20] – On Wed., May 2 from 4 to 5 PM, there is a World Bank Investigation & Prevention: Global Systemic Impact, hosted by the Center for Global Development, 2055 L St. NW, Fifth Floor, WDC 20036.  Tickets are available at www.cgdev.org. The World Bank Group committed nearly $60 billion for development projects and programs in fiscal year 2017. As the largest individual source for development finance in the world, the Bank frequently sets standards and adopts practices that spread both to other multilateral institutions as well as governments worldwide.

In 2017, the Integrity Vice Presidency (INT), an independent office within the World Bank Group that investigates and pursues sanctions related to allegations of fraud and corruption in World Bank Group-financed projects, opened 51 investigations and issued 52 reports covering 68 Bank Group projects, while also providing preventative services and undertaking internal investigations. Through its Integrity Compliance Office, INT plays a preventive role by actively engaging sanctioned entities in pursuing rehabilitative measures, such as the implementation of integrity compliance programs.  These activities helped safeguard the World Bank Group’s funding against misuse, but was there a broader impact beyond the contracts and contractors involved?

Pascale Hélène Dubois will discuss the global impact of World Bank investigation and prevention activities and then join a panel with Kathrin Frauscher, Deputy and Program Director, Open Contracting Partnership and Hasan Tuluy, Partnership for Transparency Board Director, former World Bank Vice President, to dive deeper into what more can be done at the World Bank and other international institutions to combat corruption.  See https://www.facebook.com/events/1554856351290178/.

21] –  On Wed., May 2 at 6:30 PM, attend the Maryland Legislative Agenda for Women's Legislative Wrap Up Happy Hour at HomeSlyce Pizza Bar, 9400 Snowden River Parkway, Columbia 21045.  Celebrate the successes in Annapolis! This year, four of MLAW's top legislative priorities passed the General Assembly, along with many other bills that benefit women and families. Register at https://www.facebook.com/events/852500881616877/.

22] – On Wed., May 2 from 6:30 to 8 PM, get over to the Greater Arlington Solar Co-op info session #1, hosted by Solar United Neighbors of Virginia at the Navy League of the United States, 2300 Wilson Blvd, Suite 200, Arlington 22201.  Tickets are available at secure.everyaction.com.  RSVP at https://secure.everyaction.com/PjbGDMwfKUe9ReRIr__tEA2.

Live in or around Arlington and want to go solar? Now's your chance! Neighbors have formed the Greater Arlington Solar Co-op with the help of Solar United Neighbors of Virginia to make it easier to save money on the purchase of solar panels, while building a community of local solar supporters. Learn about solar energy, as well as how the Greater Arlington Solar Co-op simplifies the process of going solar while providing a discount through its bulk purchasing power.  Visit https://www.facebook.com/events/195938534515649/.

23] – On Wed., May 2  from 6:30 to 9:30, Suzanne DiMaggio, New America Foundation; Bonnie Jenkins, Women of Color Advancing Peace and Security, Sue Mi Terry, Center for Strategic and International Studies, and Mira Rapp-Hooper, Yale Law School, will debate "Georgetown University and Intelligence Squared U.S. Debate: Negotiations Can Denuclearize North Korea," at the Newseum, 555 Pennsylvania Ave. NW, WDC. RSVP at https://www.cvent.com/events/georgetown-university-and-intelligence-squared-u-s-debate-negotiations-can-denuclearize-north-korea/registration-9c31825f3d3d4d1986e24e84fc961a07.aspx?fqp=true.

24] – The  Maryland Coordinating Committee of the Poor Peoples Campaign is inviting you to Joint Song Trainings and Art Builds on Wed. May 2 from 6:30 to 8:30 PM at the Oak Hill Center, 2239 Kirk Ave., Baltimore 21218.  Go to https://actionnetwork.org/events/joint-song-trainings-and-art-builds.  Email maryland@poorpeoplescampaign.org.  Needed are singers, musicians, media makers, artists et al. Through arts and culture, join forces to revive Dr. Martin Luther King's final campaign for a revolution of values. 

25] – On Wed., May 2 from 7 to 9 PM, head over to the Occupation Free DC Organizing Meeting, hosted by Jewish Voice for Peace at Petworth, WDC 20011.  Occupation Free DC is a local campaign that seeks to end DC Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) participation in US-Israeli "counter-terrorism" police exchanges of worst practices. Real safety means investing in our community, not in biased police trainings. If you're interested in attending the monthly organizing meeting, RSVP to info@occupationfreedc.org so you can get the address.  Learn more about the campaign at occupationfreedc.org. See https://www.facebook.com/events/675836565919961/.

26] – On Wed., May 2 from 7 to 8 PM, hear from Nomi Prins about “Collusion,” hosted by Politics and Prose Bookstore, 5015 Connecticut Ave. NW, WDC 20008. A former Wall Street executive with firms including Goldman-Sachs, Bear Stearns, and Lehman Brothers, Nomi Prins has an intimate understanding of how banking works. She revealed the close relationships between bankers and nineteen presidents in All the Presidents’ Bankers, and her latest book examines how public and private banks are increasingly working together to control global markets and dictate economic policy. Her exposé details how public institutions such as the IMF and the World Bank are growing dependent on funding from private banking, traces the roles of some of the major figures of finance, and explains what this means at both the local and global levels. Prins, a frequent commentator on the dangerous nexus between politics and finance, served on Bernie Sanders’s Federal Reserve Reform Advisory Council. Go to https://www.facebook.com/events/210474606212949/.

27] – On Wed., May 2 at 7:30 PM at Red Emma's Bookstore Coffeehouse, 30 W. North Ave., Baltimore 21201, discuss What’s at stake for Baltimore in the upcoming governor’s race? Baltimore can’t afford another four years of Hogan. But can we align and mobilize to support a candidate ready to fight for economic and racial justice, so that the winner of the Democratic primary in June is not yet another establishment hack but someone we’re genuinely excited about? Ben Jealous could be that candidate—what would it take for Baltimore’s grassroots movements to support his run for Governor? A panel of Baltimore activists will discuss what’s important for our movements and why the governor’s office matters. Call 443-602-7585. RSVP at http://www.redemmas.org. 

28] – On Thurs., May 3 from 8:30 to 10 AM, catch the discussion Climate Change and Public Lands, hosted by The Wilderness Society at the National Press Club, 1615 M St. NW, WDC 20036.  The Wilderness Society is excited to welcome influential voices on energy and environment to explore the impact public lands have on climate change and the role public lands can play in being part of the solution. RSVP at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/climate-change-and-us-public-lands-registration-44984287214.

Come at 8:30 AM for breakfast and networking. The event will begin at 9 AM. In this series of panel discussions, policy, political and journalism experts discuss how trends in environmental reporting may play out in 2018 and beyond -- and how they relate to public lands. One year into the Trump administration, it’s clear that public lands are at the crux of many of these issues and that's not going to change anytime soon. These events aim to give the information, resources and connections journalists need to continue telling in-depth powerful stories that explore the implications of current and future energy and policy changes. Contact Alex Thompson (alex_thompson@tws.org) with any questions. Go to https://www.facebook.com/events/241732549726529/.

29] – You’re invited to the kick-off event for the newest economic justice campaign!  Come to a rally for an Independent Inspector General for Baltimore City on Thurs,, May 3 from 10 to 11 AM at Baltimore City Hall, 100 Holliday St.

Six DPW employees and six commercial trash haulers defrauded the City in two separate schemes of bribery and fraud, costing Baltimore City $8 million. A technology contractor for the Mayor’s Office of Information Technology submitted fictitious timesheets, costing the City $162,520. The Parking Authority of Baltimore City’s parking pass process contained some weaknesses. As a result of the Inspector General’s investigation, the City realized a potential annual savings of $80,000.

This critical work – rooting out fraud, abuse, and malfeasance – is the job of the Inspector General. Baltimore City’s Office of the Inspector General was created in 2005. The Office of the Inspector General helps return money to our City – something we desperately need – and increases accountability and a culture of good governance among city agencies. According to the Association for Inspector Generals’ Directory there are at least 43 local Offices of Inspector Generals (OIGs) at the city, county, or local level. However, unlike many other cities such as Albuquerque, Chicago, Palm Beach, and New York among others, Baltimore’s Inspector General is not independent; the Inspector General currently serves at the pleasure of the Mayor. Baltimore’s Inspector General also lacks certain powers to fully investigate cases.

City Councilperson Ryan Dorsey has introduced legislation to create an independent Office of the Inspector General building off of recommendations from former OIGs contained in an Abell Foundation report. BCAT (Baltimore Coalition for Accountability and Transparency) is supporting the legislation but also to launch a grassroots ballot initiative campaign to make sure that Baltimore voters can support an independent watchdog that works for US. Sign up to attend Thursday’s event by emailing robyn@marylandconsumers.org.

30] – There is still time to sign up for the Nonviolent Moral Fusion Direct Action Training. Register at https://goo.gl/U3jzgC.  The trainings are on Thurs., May 3 from 5:30 to 9:30 PM and Tues., May 8 from 5:30 to 9:30 PM at UDC Bertie Backus Campus, 5171 South Dakota Ave. NE.  A training is essential if you wish to engage in the DC Poor People's Campaign: A National Call for Moral Revival day of action and any nonviolent moral fusion direct action that is planned.

31] – The Baltimore Museum of Industry is delighted to host Workin' It: Stories About Making a Living In Baltimore on Thurs., May 3 from 7 to 10 PM, as part of the Stoop Storytelling Series. Since 2006, this Baltimore-based live show series has been spotlighting "ordinary" people telling extraordinary, true tales of their lives. Each storytelling event features stories exploring a different topic such as immigration, heartbreak, the holidays, bad hair days, and more. Stoop stories are not memorized in advance. Ideas are submitted to a panel for review, and chosen storytellers are provided coaching to help narrow the focus to a short tale, resulting in an evening that brings communities together in an intimate way, often through laughter and on occasion, tears.  The stories shared at the BMI will focus on an evening of true, personal tales about what we do to "get paid"-everything from crazy careers to dirty jobs to passion projects. It will be an unforgettable evening of storytelling by locals, for locals. "Work is a commonality-it's a tie that binds us together. Some people love their work, some don't. Some people are paid well, others are not. But work is a shared experience, and I think everyone will find familiarity in the stories you hear," says Auni Gelles, Community Programs Manager at the BMI. The evening will include live music by Letitia VanSant, food trucks, and beer and wine for sale. And as always, free parking.

Seating is limited! Tickets are $25 for non-members, and $20 is for members.  Go to www.thebmi.org.  This is a 21 and over event.  

32] – On Thurs., May 3 at 7:30 PM, hear about “The Legend of the Black Mecca” with Dr. Maurice Hobson at Red Emma's Bookstore Coffeehouse, 30 W. North Ave., Baltimore 21201. For more than a century, the city of Atlanta has been associated with black achievement in education, business, politics, media, and music, earning it the nickname “the black Mecca.” Atlanta’s long tradition of black education dates back to Reconstruction, and produced an elite that flourished in spite of Jim Crow, rose to leadership during the civil rights movement, and then took power in the 1970s by building a coalition between white progressives, business interests, and black Atlantans. But as Maurice Hobson demonstrates, Atlanta’s political leadership--from the election of Maynard Jackson, Atlanta’s first black mayor, through the city’s hosting of the 1996 Olympic Games--has consistently mishandled the black poor. Drawn from vivid primary sources and unnerving oral histories of working-class city-dwellers and hip hop artists from Atlanta’s underbelly, Hobson argues that Atlanta’s political leadership has governed by bargaining with white business interests to the detriment ordinary black Atlantans.  Call 443-602-7585. RSVP at http://www.redemmas.org. 

33] – On Fri., May 4 from 9:15 to 11:30 AM., Senator Ed Markey (MA), Dr. Chung-in Moon, Special Adviser to the President for Unification, Foreign, and National Security Affairs, Republic of Korea, and other speakers, "2018 Atlantic Council-East Asia Foundation Strategic Dialogue," Atlantic Council, 1030 15th St. NW, 12th Floor (West Tower Elevator), Washington, DC. RSVP at http://www.atlanticcouncil.org/events/upcoming-events/registration/a080H00002WVMalQAH.

To be continued.

Donations can be sent to the Baltimore Nonviolence Center, 325 E. 25th St., 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

Pompeo sworn in/The Brief Origins of May Day

From: Sam Husseini [mailto:samhusseini@gmail.com]
Sent: Wednesday, May 2, 2018 1:06 AM

May 2 at 11 AM Secretary Pompeo is ceremonially sworn-in by Vice President Mike Pence, at the Department of State. President Donald Trump attends and participates in the Swearing-in Ceremony.

 (POOLED PRESS COVERAGE) 

(https://portside.org/)

---

The Brief Origins of May Day

https://portside.org/2018-05-01/brief-origins-may-day

By Eric Chase - 1993.

May 1, 2018

Industrial Workers of the World

   Most people living in the United States know little about the International Workers' Day of May Day. For many others there is an assumption that it is a holiday celebrated in state communist countries like Cuba or the former Soviet Union. Most Americans don't realize that May Day has its origins here in this country and is as "American" as baseball and apple pie, and stemmed from the pre-Christian holiday of Beltane, a celebration of rebirth and fertility.

   In the late nineteenth century, the working class was in constant struggle to gain the 8-hour work day. Working conditions were severe and it was quite common to work 10 to 16 hour days in unsafe conditions. Death and injury were commonplace at many work places and inspired such books as Upton Sinclair's The Jungle and Jack London's The Iron Heel. As early as the 1860's, working people agitated to shorten the workday without a cut in pay, but it wasn't until the late 1880's that organized labor was able to garner enough strength to declare the 8-hour workday. This proclamation was without consent of employers, yet demanded by many of the working class.

    At this time, socialism was a new and attractive idea to working people, many of whom were drawn to its ideology of working class control over the production and distribution of all goods and services. Workers had seen first-hand that Capitalism benefited only their bosses, trading workers' lives for profit. Thousands of men, women and children were dying needlessly every year in the workplace, with life expectancy as low as their early twenties in some industries, and little hope but death of rising out of their destitution. Socialism offered another option.

   A variety of socialist organizations sprung up throughout the later half of the 19th century, ranging from political parties to choir groups. In fact, many socialists were elected into governmental office by their constituency. But again, many of these socialists were ham-strung by the political process which was so evidently controlled by big business and the bi-partisan political machine. Tens of thousands of socialists broke ranks from their parties, rebuffed the entire political process, which was seen as nothing more than protection for the wealthy, and created anarchist groups throughout the country. Literally thousands of working people embraced the ideals of anarchism, which sought to put an end to all hierarchical structures (including government), emphasized worker controlled industry, and valued direct action over the bureaucratic political process. It is inaccurate to say that labor unions were "taken over" by anarchists and socialists, but rather anarchists and socialist made up the labor unions.

   At its national convention in Chicago, held in 1884, the Federation of Organized Trades and Labor Unions (which later became the American Federation of Labor), proclaimed that "eight hours shall constitute a legal day's labor from and after May 1, 1886." The following year, the FOTLU, backed by many Knights of Labor locals, reiterated their proclamation stating that it would be supported by strikes and demonstrations. At first, most radicals and anarchists regarded this demand as too reformist, failing to strike "at the root of the evil." A year before the Haymarket Massacre, Samuel Fielden pointed out in the anarchist newspaper, The Alarm, that "whether a man works eight hours a day or ten hours a day, he is still a slave."

    Despite the misgivings of many of the anarchists, an estimated quarter million workers in the Chicago area became directly involved in the crusade to implement the eight hour work day, including the Trades and Labor Assembly, the Socialistic Labor Party and local Knights of Labor. As more and more of the workforce mobilized against the employers, these radicals conceded to fight for the 8-hour day, realizing that "the tide of opinion and determination of most wage-workers was set in this direction." With the involvement of the anarchists, there seemed to be an infusion of greater issues than the 8-hour day. There grew a sense of a greater social revolution beyond the more immediate gains of shortened hours, but a drastic change in the economic structure of capitalism.

   In a proclamation printed just before May 1, 1886, one publisher appealed to working people with this plea:

• Workingmen to Arms!
• War to the Palace, Peace to the Cottage, and Death to LUXURIOUS IDLENESS.
• The wage system is the only cause of the World's misery. It is supported by the rich classes, and to destroy it, they must be either made to work or DIE.
• One pound of DYNAMITE is better than a bushel of BALLOTS!
• MAKE YOUR DEMAND FOR EIGHT HOURS with weapons in your hands to meet the capitalistic bloodhounds, police, and militia in proper manner.

   Not surprisingly the entire city was prepared for mass bloodshed, reminiscent of the railroad strike a decade earlier when police and soldiers gunned down hundreds of striking workers. On May 1, 1886, more than 300,000 workers in 13,000 businesses across the United States walked off their jobs in the first May Day celebration in history. In Chicago, the epicenter for the 8-hour day agitators, 40,000 went out on strike with the anarchists in the forefront of the public's eye. With their fiery speeches and revolutionary ideology of direct action, anarchists and anarchism became respected and embraced by the working people and despised by the capitalists.

   The names of many - Albert Parsons, Johann Most, August Spies and Louis Lingg - became household words in Chicago and throughout the country. Parades, bands and tens of thousands of demonstrators in the streets exemplified the workers' strength and unity, yet didn't become violent as the newspapers and authorities predicted.

   More and more workers continued to walk off their jobs until the numbers swelled to nearly 100,000, yet peace prevailed. It was not until two days later, May 3, 1886, that violence broke out at the McCormick Reaper Works between police and strikers.

  For six months, armed Pinkerton agents and the police harassed and beat locked-out steelworkers as they picketed. Most of these workers belonged to the "anarchist-dominated" Metal Workers' Union. During a speech near the McCormick plant, some two hundred demonstrators joined the steelworkers on the picket line. Beatings with police clubs escalated into rock throwing by the strikers which the police responded to with gunfire. At least two strikers were killed and an unknown number were wounded.

   Full of rage, a public meeting was called by some of the anarchists for the following day in Haymarket Square to discuss the police brutality. Due to bad weather and short notice, only about 3000 of the tens of thousands of people showed up from the day before. This affair included families with children and the mayor of Chicago himself. Later, the mayor would testify that the crowd remained calm and orderly and that speaker August Spies made "no suggestion... for immediate use of force or violence toward any person..."

   As the speech wound down, two detectives rushed to the main body of police, reporting that a speaker was using inflammatory language, inciting the police to march on the speakers' wagon. As the police began to disperse the already thinning crowd, a bomb was thrown into the police ranks. No one knows who threw the bomb, but speculations varied from blaming any one of the anarchists, to an agent provocateur working for the police.

  Enraged, the police fired into the crowd. The exact number of civilians killed or wounded was never determined, but an estimated seven or eight civilians died, and up to forty were wounded. One officer died immediately and another seven died in the following weeks. Later evidence indicated that only one of the police deaths could be attributed to the bomb and that all the other police fatalities had or could have had been due to their own indiscriminate gun fire. Aside from the bomb thrower, who was never identified, it was the police, not the anarchists, who perpetrated the violence.

   Eight anarchists - Albert Parsons, August Spies, Samuel Fielden, Oscar Neebe, Michael Schwab, George Engel, Adolph Fischer and Louis Lingg - were arrested and convicted of murder, though only three were even present at Haymarket and those three were in full view of all when the bombing occurred. The jury in their trial was comprised of business leaders in a gross mockery of justice similar to the Sacco-Vanzetti case thirty years later, or the trials of AIM and Black Panther members in the seventies. The entire world watched as these eight organizers were convicted, not for their actions, of which all of were innocent, but for their political and social beliefs. On November 11, 1887, after many failed appeals, Parsons, Spies, Engel and Fisher were hung to death. Louis Lingg, in his final protest of the state's claim of authority and punishment, took his own life the night before with an explosive device in his mouth.

   The remaining organizers, Fielden, Neebe and Schwab, were pardoned six years later by Governor Altgeld, who publicly lambasted the judge on a travesty of justice. Immediately after the Haymarket Massacre, big business and government conducted what some say was the very first "Red Scare" in this country. Spun by mainstream media, anarchism became synonymous with bomb throwing and socialism became un-American. The common image of an anarchist became a bearded, eastern European immigrant with a bomb in one hand and a dagger in the other.

    Today we see tens of thousands of activists embracing the ideals of the Haymarket Martyrs and those who established May Day as an International Workers' Day. Ironically, May Day is an official holiday in 66 countries and unofficially celebrated in many more, but rarely is it recognized in this country where it began.

     Over one hundred years have passed since that first May Day. In the earlier part of the 20th century, the US government tried to curb the celebration and further wipe it from the public's memory by establishing "Law and Order Day" on May 1. We can draw many parallels between the events of 1886 and today. We still have locked out steelworkers struggling for justice. We still have voices of freedom behind bars as in the cases of Mumia Abu Jamal and Leonard Peltier. We still had the ability to mobilize tens of thousands of people in the streets of a major city to proclaim "THIS IS WHAT DEMOCRACY LOOKS LIKE!" at the WTO and FTAA demonstrations.

   Words stronger than any I could write are engraved on the Haymarket Monument:

   THE DAY WILL COME WHEN OUR SILENCE WILL BE MORE POWERFUL THAN THE VOICES YOU ARE THROTTLING TODAY.

  Truly, history has a lot to teach us about the roots of our radicalism. When we remember that people were shot so we could have the 8-hour day; if we acknowledge that homes with families in them were burned to the ground so we could have Saturday as part of the weekend; when we recall 8-year old victims of industrial accidents who marched in the streets protesting working conditions and child labor only to be beat down by the police and company thugs, we understand that our current condition cannot be taken for granted - people fought for the rights and dignities we enjoy today, and there is still a lot more to fight for. The sacrifices of so many people can not be forgotten or we'll end up fighting for those same gains all over again. This is why we celebrate May Day.

---

Source URL: https://portside.org/2018-05-01/brief-origins-may-day

Donations can be sent to the Baltimore Nonviolence Center, 325 E. 25th St., 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

Under Trump, ICE Plans to Rip More Children Away From Parents

Under Trump, ICE Plans to Rip More Children Away From Parents

http://www.truth-out.org/news/item/44329-as-family-separations-at-the-border-skyrocket-officials-press-prosecution-of-parents-crossing-with-children

Wednesday, May 02, 2018

By Candice Bernd, Truthout | Report

A Honduran mother walks with her children next to the US-Mexico border fence as they turn themselves in to Border Patrol agents on February 22, 2018, near Penitas, Texas. (Photo by John Moore/Getty Images)

Help Truthout keep publishing stories like this: They can't be found in corporate media! Chip in now by clicking here.

Trump administration officials are seeking to accelerate a vicious policy of ripping children away from parents attempting to cross the southern border into the US.

Even as a new report details how 700 children have been torn from their parents while being processed at border stations since October, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officials are now pressing the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to begin detaining and prosecuting all parents caught with children -- a policy that would see thousands more separated.

The Washington Post obtained a memorandum addressed to DHS Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen outlining a harsher, "zero-tolerance" policy of threatening parents with criminal charges and prison time that ICE Director Thomas Homan, who recently announced his retirement, and other immigration officials argue would be the "most effective" way to reduce unauthorized crossings.

While the proposal, sent to Nielson last Monday, does not seek to prosecute asylum-seekers who turn themselves in at legal ports of entry, most families who are caught attempting to cross the border -- regardless of whether they are trying to evade capture -- are released pending civil deportation hearings.

The prosecution of parents would land them in immigrant detention jails where children cannot be held due to court rulings restricting the incarceration of children, thus rapidly expanding separations. But immigrant and human rights advocates are pushing back against the Trump administration's current separation practices at the border and ICE's new proposal that would escalate the procedure.

The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) has filed a federal lawsuit in California over previous separations at the border, including the case of "Ms. L.," a 39-year-old asylum-seeking mother who traveled with her 7-year-old daughter from the Democratic Republic of Congo to Mexico. Ms. L was separated from her daughter shortly after surrendering to immigration agents at the San Ysidro Port of Entry near San Diego in December.

Ms. L and her daughter were reunited in March, but the class-action lawsuit remains ongoing, and is scheduled for its first hearing in San Diego on May 4. The suit, which argues Ms. L's constitutional right to due process was violated and cites a government directive to keep families together, is seeking a nationwide preliminary injunction to halt separations and immediately reunite all families.

"We're hopeful that on May 4, a federal judge will put an end to this so these children don't become pawns in a larger public policy experiment," said Lee Gelernt, attorney and deputy director of the ACLU's Immigrants' Rights Project.

Homeland Security officials have maintained the agency does not separate families at the border as a deterrence policy, claiming instead that the agency is concerned about instances of fraud and "have a legal obligation to protect the best interests of the child" from drug smugglers or human traffickers, according to a DHS spokesperson.

But pediatricians and child psychologists have widely testified that the stress of family separation or detention in an immigrant jail only magnifies the traumas children may experience during their journey north to escape gang-related violence in Central America's northern triangle countries of Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador.

Katharina Obser is a senior policy adviser at the Women's Refugee Commission's Migrant Rights and Justice program, where she advocates for the rights of women, children and families seeking protection. Obser says the newly reported data on separations from the Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR), a division of the Department of Health and Human Services, "makes clear that this administration has no qualms about implementing a cruel and inhumane practice."

Further, she says, that while "DHS is trying to frame this as a matter of preventing fraud or child endangerment ... Make no mistake, DHS's practice of separating families continues to be a matter first and foremost of deterrence."

While serving as Homeland Security secretary last year, John Kelly, President Trump's chief of staff, suggested the idea of using the practice specifically as a deterrence policy, but then quickly walked his remarks back.

The Women's Refugee Commission and other immigrant rights groups also filed a complaint in December 2017 with the Office for Civil Rights and Civil Liberties and Office of the Inspector General highlighting more than a dozen incidents of family separations at the border, including cases of babies and toddlers as young as 1 and 2 years old. According to the newly reported data from the ORR, more than 100 separated children were younger than 4.

Once removed from a parent, separated children are taken to facilities operated by the ORR or by nongovernmental organizations. If social workers cannot identify a relative or guardian to take custody, children can languish in these shelters indefinitely. Indeed, that process is difficult for workers who say that, more often than not, separated children arrive without records that would allow them to locate a family member. Further, according to a Border Patrol official who spoke with The New York Times, there remains no procedure in place for reuniting families that were mistakenly separated.

To make matters worse, a top official with the Department of Health and Human Services told Congress last week that the department lost track of nearly 1,500 immigrant children it had placed with sponsors in the US.

Beyond that, separating parents and children complicates both party's asylum claims, making it more difficult to achieve their legal right to seek safe haven in the US. Family members often play a role in corroborating the experiences that serve as a basis for an asylum claim. Moreover, rendering very young children unaccompanied often forces them to navigate the US immigration system on their own.

Reacting to the newly reported data from the ORR, Sen. Tina Smith (D-Minnesota), has promised to introduce legislation "to help protect children whose families are swept up in immigration enforcement," and said she will reveal the bill in the coming weeks.

Ramping Up Border Crackdown

President Trump began tightening his grip on border region in April, asking state governors to deploy National Guard troops to assist the Border Patrol in apprehending undocumented border crossers, and erecting a 20-mile stretch of a new border wall prototype in Santa Teresa, New Mexico.

He also signed a second directive last month ordering the end of what his base refers to as a "catch and release" policy. The administration was forced to release about 100,000 parents and children from family detention jails after court rulings.

Following Trump's April directive, Attorney General Jeff Sessions ordered US attorneys along the border to prosecute all unauthorized border crossers referred to them by DHS "to the extent practicable." Last Monday's memo suggests DHS ramp up that policy by referring every adult held at the border for prosecution, "including those initially arriving or apprehended with minors."

Despite DHS Secretary Nielson's stated policy that the agency does not separate families as a deterrence strategy, the memo states immigration officials' "zero tolerance" policy was tested in New Mexico and West Texas for a five-month period last year, and suggests that a decrease in the amount of crossers in the region during that time shows a deterrent effect, writing, "This decrease was attributed to the prosecution of adults ... for illegal entry."

Immigration officials are hyping a recent rise in border crossings from last year, including crossings of parents with children, to urge Secretary Nielsen to crackdown on undocumented families. Nielsen herself has also recently exploited this year's increase before the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Homeland Security to press lawmakers to approve Trump's $47.5 billion budget request for her department -- including $18 billion for the border wall. Others are justifying the deployment of at least 2,400 National Guard members from Arizona, New Mexico, Texas and California to the border in recent weeks.

But even with the recent increase, undocumented crossings remain at historic lows, with the number of unauthorized border crossings at their lowest rate since 1971. According to a breakdown from Vox, Border Patrol agents caught 37,393 immigrants attempting to cross the border in March, almost three times fewer than when former President George W. Bush requested governors send National Guard troops to the border in May 2006, and one-and-a-half times fewer than when President Barack Obama requested 1,200 Guard troops in May 2010.

Alternatives Are More Humane -- and Rational

Advocates say alternatives to putting undocumented border crossers in immigrant detention jails that would instead keep families together and out of custody are not only more humane, but are also common sense -- proving both cheaper and more effective in terms of realizing compliance with immigration laws.

Models based on case-management for families in which programs provide community support, including legal and social services as well as support for vulnerable individuals such as asylum seekers, are less expensive than immigrant detention, which cost taxpayers at least $3 billion last year, and see higher rates of compliance with legal requirements and appearances for initial court proceedings.

Jennifer Podkul, director of policy for Kids in Need of Defense, an organization which works to provide legal representation and due process for unaccompanied minors in the immigration system, also points out that an influx of children rendered unaccompanied by the state has also taxed the resources of agencies tasked with their care.

"The absurdity of the separations ...  is also a matter of resources. ORR is traditionally an under-resourced agency for all the responsibilities they have to care for these kids, so the numbers of kids who are going into their care who otherwise wouldn't need to be in their care is really incredible," Podkul said.

Further, separating families adds to the backlog of 685,000 cases in the immigration courts, as parents and children's legal cases that would otherwise be processed together become severed and processed individually. "So at a time when adjudicators are overwhelmed ... the inefficiencies that are created, beyond the humanity of this, the separating kids, is really incredible," Podkul added.

The basic humanitarian principle behind policies of family unity is one that runs through US immigration and family laws, as well as international law, as laid out by the UN High Commission on Refugees.

"Parents seeking protection for their family should never have to fear that the price for lawfully seeking asylum is to be torn apart from their child," Obser said.

Copyright, Truthout. May not be reprinted without permission.

CANDICE BERND

Candice Bernd is an editor/staff reporter at Truthout. Her work has also appeared in several other publications, including The Nation, In These Times, the Texas Observer, Salon, YES! Magazine, Z Magazine, AlterNet and Earth Island Journal, as well as in Truthout's anthology on police violence, Who Do You Serve, Who Do You Protect? She received the Dallas Peace and Justice Center's "Media Accountability of the Year" award in December 2016. Follow her on Twitter: @CandiceBernd.

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Donations can be sent to the Baltimore Nonviolence Center, 325 E. 25th St., 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