Action items for the week: Push back against Trump-style attacks on working families; oppose predatory payday lending <> Act now to join our MOVEMENT POLITICS Training on Saturday, May 18 in Baltimore; learn how to build power in electoral politics from the ground up.
STATEWIDE ACTION AND UPDATES
Urgent TONIGHT Monday, May 13 demand an end to over-policing and racial profiling by Montgomery County Police – RALLY AND NEWS CONFERENCE – more in our Allies calendar below.
Remember that epic race for Maryland House speaker? It was just back at the beginning of this month, and came too close to ending with a corporate Democrat/Republican alliance.
This election underscores just how crucial it is that we elect candidates who reflect OUR values, not the values of their wealthy donors. If this sounds like it could be you, then join us this month for our Progressive Maryland’s Movement Politics Training on Saturday, May 18th in Baltimore, MD.
This training will cover a range of topics from the process and rules of filing to run for office and how to run a campaign, including fundraising, campaign strategy, endorsements, field operations, communications, and budgeting.
You'll also learn how the political system functions, why it’s currently failing Maryland voters, and what trainees can do to change that as we get ready for the next election cycle. We want to empower passionate folks like you to have the skills and tools you need to change the political landscape in Maryland. In just one day, you will learn the tools of the trade from experienced organizers and will leave with the skills needed to launch and WIN your own electoral campaign.
The training is $15 for members, $25 for non-members, and FREE for a small number of training volunteers.
If you can't make the training but still want to support building progressive power in Maryland, consider becoming a recurring donor today. We need your support to recruit and train more progressive champions in Maryland.
 In solidarity,
Larry Stafford, Progressive MD
PS If you have any questions feel free to reach out to Alexiss Kurtz, PM’s chief operating officer, at 301-684-6715 or by email at [email protected].Â
PREDATORY LENDING – YOUR VOICE CAN STILL BE HEARD
As of today, we are JUST TWO days away from the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) gutting the most important protection we have against predatory lending.
Back in 2017, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) released a rule to protect borrowers of payday and car title loans. The heart of that rule established that lenders could not give out loans to people who could not afford to pay it back.
And now the CFPB wants to gut that common sense rule. For many, these short term loans lead them into a cycle of never-ending debt. This is only going to make folks who are already in a tight spot financially fall prey to predatory lending practices. Â But you can help put a stop to this by submitting a comment to the CFPB today!
To tell the CFPB: Don’t shred one of our best protections against predatory lending. The deadline is May 15.
Progressive Maryland’s organizational response to the comment request states plainly
“The existing rule establishes the common-sense requirement, typical of other types of loans, that lenders should have to verify borrowers are able to repay a loan before issuing that loan. It is a response to years of harmful, predatory lending that has targeted communities of color in particular.”
Progressive Maryland’s complete response to the invitation to comment is here.
We won back in 2016 to get these protections because over a million people decided to speak up. Please help us in making an impact this time around, by raising your voice.
Lastly, if you have personally been impacted by predatory lending practices or want to get involved in this issue, please fill out this form.
To learn more, please visit our issue page at progressivemaryland.org/fairlending. Stopthedebttrap.org is also a great resource.
Our allies in the environmental movement are in the home stretch on urging Gov. Hogan to sign the Clean Energy Jobs Act, which would boost the state’s clean energy and fund jobs and training to match. It’s a real “just transition” bill – but Hogan could veto it, putting off important work until the veto can be overridden at the beginning of the 2020 Assembly session.  Find out more here, including how to easily contact Hogan’s folks and make your voice be heard.
OUR CHAPTERS AROUND THE STATE
Tuesday, May 21 PMD Montgomery Member Meeting
from 6:30-8:00 PM at the Aspen Hill Library. Here is the facebook event. Here is the direct link to RSVP.
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Take Action Anne Arundel County
Lower Shore Progressive Caucus
EVENTS FROM OUR PROGRESSIVE ALLIES
TONIGHT Monday, May 13 demand an end to over-policing and racial profiling by Montgomery County Police – RALLY AND NEWS CONFERENCE
This event will be at the White Oak Library from 6:30-7:30 pm  Tonight, Monday, May 13. It is being planned by the Silver Spring Justice Coalition,Â
This protest is in response to last week's news that police officers in Silver Spring detained, patted down, and handcuffed at least three young Black men, who stated they were simply waiting to get to work after purchasing food at a local McDonald’s. The video taken during the incident shows several police officers acting highly unprofessional, including when a white officer called the young men "N-----s" during the encounter.
Monday, May 20, the “Reel & Meal at the New Deal” features Blood on the Mountain, an historical account of the coal industry’s grip on workers and entire mining communities of West Virginia that also probes the rippling effect of environmental and economic injustice felt by many other American workers and regions. The free screening starts 7 PM, after an optional vegan meal priced at $14 and served from 6:30, all at the New Deal CafĂ©, 113 Centerway, Roosevelt Center, Greenbelt. The program is jointly sponsored with DC LaborFest. Representatives of EarthJustice and Maryland Sierra Club will co-lead a discussion of the film.Â
 Baltimore progressives, Check in on Max Obuszewski’s highly useful activist calendar and tip sheet at http://baltimorenonviolencecenter.blogspot.com/
 Reading the Progressive Maryland BlogSpace: our blogs for the previous weeks 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
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May 10, 2019 Time running out to stop CFPB from dropping regs on financial predators
The Trump wrecking ball may hit vital consumer financial protections unless we tell them no. Comments on a rollback of regulations on payday lending must be made within five days. PM makes it easy here; read on.
May 09, 2019 Prince George's Council pushes back on Hogan Beltway toll lane plan
The Prince George's Council joins MoCo's executive in urging a go-slow approach to the environmental and social cost of Hogan's galloping road show. Activists see the "public-private partnership" as a boondoggle for GOP-connected consultants that will eventually have to be bailed out by state taxpayers. A Maryland Matters article has details.
May 08, 2019 Prince George's teachers face struggle against local, state and national trends
Prince George's County teachers observe teacher "Un-Appreciation Day" today with a protest against the cascade of local, state and national obstacles to equity, teacher retention and restorative programs in school systems in historically African-American communities. And veteran Prince George's teacher and union activist Yvonne N. Baicich reminds us of the everyday challenges in the classroom, where all these trends converge.
May 06, 2019 Progressive Maryland Weekly Memo for Monday, May 6, 2019
Progressive activists made the Assembly's Democratic Caucus think twice or even three times about cavorting with the GOP minority to choose a new Speaker of the House of Delegates. Read more about how progressives outside the Assembly put some spine in the ones on the inside.
>>REMEMBER – these blog posts are frequently 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
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