The Progressive Maryland Weekly Memo for the coming week -- April 16 through 23 -- with statewide action and local chapter events from Frederick County to the Eastern Shore.
If you got the briefer, email version of the Memo you'll find the rest of the details here. Want to get that in your inbox once a week? Sign up here.
Progressive Maryland Weekly Memo for April 16-23 2018
PROGRESSIVE MARYLAND STATEWIDE ACTION
From Protest to Power April Canvass
From January through the fall elections of 2018, grassroots member-leaders from People’s Action organizations around the entire country will be knocking on hundreds of thousands of doors as we move from Protest to Power. On the fourth Saturday of every month, our people-powered organizations will be talking with voters about the issues they care most about and the candidates who will govern for and with our communities. We will connect with voters about the Protest to Power Platform, the candidates who support that platform, and the most important issues in voters’ lives.
How do we create the world we know we deserve? We have to organize. We are knocking on doors together for progressive candidates  and moving from #ProtestToPower!
APRIL 28 MASS CANVASS -- Saturday, April 28, 2018 at 10:00 AM Ceremony Coffee Roasters - The Warehouse in Annapolis, MD
Anne Arundel Canvass -- Annapolis, MD
Join Take Action Anne Arundel County in canvassing voters in District 30 of Annapolis. We are talking to voters about the issues they care about and about candidates who share our values. S (show all)
Donate Volunteer Find an Event
Sign Up to Phone Bank, Canvass, and More with the Movement Politics Team!
Progressive Maryland's Movement Politics Team has plenty of roles for people who want to volunteer with us!
Sign up below or with our Google Form!
 >>>If you are interested in canvassing:
Please make sure to bring something to drink, supportive walking shoes, and a fully charged smart phone with the MiniVAN application downloaded.
The MiniVAN app can be found at the iTunes store or in the Google Play Android Applications.
>>>Â If you are interested in phone banking:
You will need a charged WiFi-capable laptop and mobile phone, with charging cords as needed.
Please RSVP to receive the auto-dialer URL link to canvass remotely!
 Canvass? What’s that about? Now that I can spell it, what more is there to know? FIND OUT HERE.
Join our Movement Politics Team by clicking here!
What kind of opportunities for progressives are emerging in the Democratic gubernatorial primary? Check this excellent Baltimore Sun analysis.
OUR CHAPTERS AROUND THE STATE
April 18th Happy Hour at Nando's Peri-Peri
April 22nd Canvass in Montgomery County
Â
Thursday, April 19th, Rally in support of the public financing legislation CB-004-2018 at the Council Administration Building in Upper Marlboro 10-11 a.m. [Come to the clock tower at the back of the building.] The bill, specifically tailored to meet the our needs in Prince George's County, was introduced in January by Councilmember Mary Lehman and co-sponsors Councilmembers Mel Franklin, Obie Patterson and Deni Taveras. Â A briefing was held before the Public Safety and Fiscal Management committee in early March. We need 5 votes to pass the bill that will allow grassroots, community-supported candidates to run for council and executive seats. Let us make our voices heard. You can download a fact sheet here.
Report Back: Mental Health and the School to Prison Pipeline Listening Session
Over 30 people joined us last Saturday morning (photo at right) for a student-planned listening session on the mental health impacts of the school to prison pipeline. One major theme that surfaced during the listening session is that students facing mental health challenges are not taken seriously our supported. Notes from the breakout groups were captured. If you would like to receive these notes sign up here.
A big thank you to Progressive Prince George's student intern Anu A., School Board Member Raaheela Ahmed for co-hosting, the student panelists, our volunteers and Dunkin Donuts for their donut donation!
Tuesday, April 24th Court Watch Program
Court watch is a court monitoring program comprised of volunteers who observe and evaluate the justice system and outcomes. This program tracks pre-trial services, bail amounts, trends in sentencing and provides a forum for feedback to facilitate systems advocacy change regarding Prince George's County criminal justice system. This program serves as a reminder to courtroom personnel that the public is interested in what happens in the courtroom and will hold the justice system and themselves accountable fora fair and justice system in their community. The April 24 training will be hosted at 6:30 PM at 9221 Hampton Overlook Capitol Heights, MD 20743 – you can RSVP here
And save the date Thursday, May 3 for the Sheriff's Candidate Forum at 6PM, Reid Temple -- RSVP here
Â
Take Action Anne Arundel County
Â
Thursday April 19 at 7pm - Our monthly meeting, “Legislation & Elections: The Political Tango” at Edgewater Community Library
Join Take Action Anne Arundel County in a discussion of the dance between seeking legislative change and having the right legislators in power to make change happen.
Discussion topics will include
Recap of state legislative session and campaign by SEIU Local 500 to end the choke hold that the Senate President has on bringing legislation to vote in committee
Electoral Politics - the endorsement process and canvassing for candidates who share our values and priorities
School Board Elections - what issues do you care about as a parent or resident? Take Action Anne Arundel County is putting together a candidate survey for Anne Arundel School Board
Saturday April 28 at 10am - From Protest to Power Canvass in Annapolis
Do you care about strong public education, affordable healthcare, a living wage, clean water and clean air? Do you want to see candidates who share these values win in the primary? Then you are invited to canvass with us!
Meet at Ceremony Coffee Roastery at 90 Russell Ave. in Annapolis. RSVP here. We'll have a brief training over coffee and then head out to knock doors in the neighborhood. We are focused on talking about issues that voters care about and supporting candidates endorsed by Progressive Maryland, including Ben Jealous for Governor.
We will be canvassing in Columbia, MD to register voters. You can sign up for numerous future dates here:
Sunday, April 22 Candidate Forum  1 p.m. C. Burr Artz Public Library - Downtown
Frederick County Progressives will be hosting a candidate forum with State and County candidates who will be running in 2018 primary elections. More information, including candidates, will be posted soon. RSVP
Â
SAT April 21 Talbot Rising GENERAL MEETING -- Spring Into Action is the focus of our General Meeting on Saturday, April 21 from 10 am to 12 pm, location TBD. Come get plugged in to help progressive candidates’ primary campaigns, both our endorsed candidates – Ben Jealous for Governor and Mike Pullen for Congress – and Talbot County Council.  We will also discuss continuing voter registration efforts and preparing to get out the vote during early voting from Thursday, June 14 through Thursday, June 21.
Â
Lower Shore Progressive Caucus
Special Notes: Transportation
From the Prince George’s Sierra Club's newsletter: INFO SESSION: Beltway Toll Lanes
Last fall, Gov. Hogan announced a plan to add 4 express toll lanes to the Capital Beltway (I-495) in Maryland, I-270 between the Beltway and Frederick, and to the Baltimore-Washington Parkway. The part for widening of the Beltway and I-270 calls for a public-private partnership to design, build, and operate the express toll lanes and recoup the investment via tolls that would fluctuate based on congestion to keep the traffic moving. This Open House is an early step in a federally-required review to get input on the alternatives, concerns, and needs.
The Maryland Chapter of the Sierra Club has concerns with this proposal, in terms of its impact on air and water pollution, its impact on neighboring communities, and the availability of better alternatives. Widening roads to solve congestion encourages more people to drive, leading to further congestion. We hope you'll attend one of these sessions to learn about the proposal and express your concerns. More information: [email protected].
Â
Two "open houses" will be held in Prince George's County:
- Tuesday, April 17, 6:30-8:30 pm, Dr. Henry Wise, Jr., High School, 12650 Brook Lane, Upper Marlboro, MD 20772
- Tuesday, April 24, 6:30-8:30 pm, Eleanor Roosevelt High School, 7601 Hanover Parkway, Greenbelt, MD 20770
Special Notes: Workplace Sick Leave Outreach:
Tuesday, April 24th – Train the Trainers. Now is the time to make sure that over 700,000 Maryland workers who are covered by the new legislation (the Maryland Healthy Working Families Act) know their rights in the workplace. To do this, we need your help and the help of your networks. Public Justice Center and United Workers want to invite you to the first Train the Trainers event. By attending this training, your organization will be prepared to educate the members of your community, church, or union, as well as your clients if you are a service provider.  We appreciate all the work that each and all of you did to make earned sick and safe leave a reality and now we are asking you to be part of the next phase of the campaign. Train the Trainers is at 10 a.m., Public Justice Center (1 N. Charles St., Baltimore MD. 21201) Please RSVP by contacting Sulma or Luis. Find out from them or here how you can join us remotely if you can’t attend in person.
EVENTS FROM OUR ALLIES
Sunday April 22 Our Revolution Maryland Progressive Summit 9:30 AM - 4:00 PM Silver Spring Civic Building Veterans Plaza Silver Spring MD.
We will be discussing the future of our movement, and developing a plan for each of our chapters to mobilize for the 2018 Democratic Primaries.
Guests: Ben Jealous plus other endorsed candidates. Workshops on reform strategies and victories in the June primaries. Register/get tickets here  Please contact Bob Muehlenkamp, Chair of Our Revolution Maryland, at [email protected] with any questions.
Wed, April 18 Open public meeting on Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments Transportation Planning Board's long-range plan, 7 pm, College Park Airport Operations Building. More here.
Baltimore comrades, Check in on Max Obuszewski’s highly useful calendar and tip sheet at http://baltimorenonviolencecenter.blogspot.com/
To keep up with progressive events in and around DC consult the invaluable calendar at the Washington Peace Center, http://washingtonpeacecenter.org/alerts
It all happens for free… right? Not exactly. Organizing for change in our society and our high-maintenance politics requires both people and money. Keep change moving with a quick, secure impulse-buy contribution here. You know you meant to do it last week and now here you are again...
OUR BLOG POSTS IN THE PAST WEEK
Reading the Progressive Maryland BlogSpace: our blogs for the previous week are shown below, but if you want a handy way to keep track – and never miss a blog post – you can sign up to get this Weekly Memo by email. Remember this is your blogspace and your participation is heartily invited. See something going on that you don’t like – or that you do like and hope to see more of? Send us your thoughts; submit to the moderator at [email protected]
We recently published these blog posts:
April 13, 2018 UM grad assistants lose bid in Assembly for collective bargaining
The struggle for workplace rights happens across all parts of working Maryland. A requirement for paid sick leave finally won this year after many years of battle in the Assembly, overriding a veto from Gov. Larry Hogan. But others face further struggle. The UMD Diamondback reports here that UMD graduate assistants have lost -- at least for this year -- their attempt to get a law allowing them collective bargaining rights with the University system.
April 11, 2018 MoCo stormwater management: Fix problems, don't make new ones
Montgomery County doesn’t have a choice about proceeding full speed ahead to do active stormwater collection and infiltration, observes advocate Kit Gage. So why does County Executive Ike Leggett advocate stopping many projects and needlessly re-inventing the process?
April 10, 2018 It's partisanship, not ideology, that we must avoid
For a revolution against the 1% to succeed, ideology will be crucial, Hal Ginsberg argues. But partisanship must be strenuously resisted. Resisters must avoid the temptation to view every Trump voter as an unreconstructed ignorant, sexist, racist, xenophobe. Bernie backers will have to forestall the impulse to chastise Hillary Clinton at every turn for blowing the election and Clinton’s claque needs to acknowledge that it wasn’t her turn.
April 09, 2018 Progressive Maryland Weekly Memo for April 9-16 2018
Welcome to the Progressive Maryland Weekly Memo for Monday, April 9 to Monday, April 16 (and beyond). This is the full version of the Memo. If you subscribe to the email version of the Memo you get a trim, brief and easy to scan version with plenty of links leading you to the information you want (you can sign up to get that every week here.)
REMEMBER – these blog posts are expressions of political opinion from our wide-ranging membership and circle of allies. They are not expressions of opinion by Progressive Maryland. Don’t be surprised if they sometimes vary in their political content. You might even disagree with them – a good reason to contribute a blog of your own. Send it to the moderator, Woody Woodruff, at [email protected].
Keeping up with the blogs is easier with the index. The blogs published in the PM BlogSpace from June 2015 through December 2016 are all available with descriptions and links here. You can follow blogs for 2017-18 starting from here
Â
Â
Do you like this page?