Summer begins but our issues are no less urgent. Read about Gov. Larry's trickle of vetoes, a petition to stop private police forces, and news of our activities and those of our progressive allies.

Progressive Maryland Weekly Memo for Tuesday May 28 2019

STATEWIDE ACTION: GOV. HOGAN’S FINAL ROUND OF AGGRAVATING (BUT OVERRIDE-ABLE) VETOES

One of the eight bills vetoed by Gov. Larry Hogan just before Memorial Day Weekend was the “ban the box” law that prevents employers from using a criminal record to automatically disqualify applicants as soon as they fill out a job application with a check-box asking about criminal convictions. As Maryland Matters put it,

“Hogan … vetoed “ban-the-box” legislation, which would have limited the ability of many employers to make initial inquiries about a job applicant’s criminal record.

“Hiring the right team is one of the most critical activities a business does,” Hogan said in his veto message. “Employers have the right, and often the need, to know the criminal history of applicants they may hire.”

Yes, but not before they have met them or even looked at the rest of the application.

All but one of Hogan’s eight vetoes were bills passed with veto-proof majorities, including “Ban the Box,” so the Assembly can pass it next January (or even sooner). The above article includes links to Hogan’s veto message and the bills he allowed to become law without his signature.

Women Against Private Police

ARE YOU WITH US? Are you a registered Maryland voter who opposes giving private corporations the power to police public areas? Do you agree with the residents, faculty, staff, students, and visitors who don't believe Johns Hopkins University (JHU) should operate its very own law enforcement agency? Sign the petition being circulated by activists who see the very bad bill passed by the Assembly as an opening for private corporations to have the police powers, including lethal force, that should be reserved for public oversight. Sign it ASAP, please; it’s a paper petition that must be printed out and sent to arrive by Friday (May 31).

www.womenagainstprivatepolice.org

Summer officially began over the Memorial Day Weekend (summertime, for outdoor activism and agitation!) and the recent legislative Session fades into memory – but our issues are still on the front burner. We work for environmental justice (see below), reform of the criminal justice/policing system and cutting the school-to-prison pipeline, fair elections that loosen the grip of big money on our politics, and reform of the systems that keep our families trapped in poverty in the midst of wealth. Read more about our issues here.

OUR CHAPTERS AROUND THE STATE

Progressive Prince George’s

 PMD Montgomery

Frederick County Progressives

Take Action Anne Arundel County

Progressive Howard County

Talbot Rising

Lower Shore Progressive Caucus

PMD Baltimore

EVENTS FROM OUR PROGRESSIVE ALLIES

Sun, June 2, Reversing Global Warming: Introduction to Drawdown by Takoma Park Mobilization Environmental Committee (TPMEC) 2019,  2:30 PM – 4:00 PM EDT Takoma Park Community Center (Azalea Room) 7500 Maple Avenue, Takoma Park, MD 20912

Project Drawdown is a coalition of more than 200 researchers and other experts from 22 countries led by author, environmental activist, and entrepreneur Paul Hawken. Over the course of 5 years of rigorous scientific research, they identified and modeled the 100 most substantive, already existing solutions for addressing global warming and revealed astounding news: that it is possible not just to slow global warming, but to actually reverse it by 2050. https://www.eventbrite.com/e/reversing-global-warming-introduction-to-drawdown-tickets-62009056758

{{Monday, June 10 Reversing Global Warming: Introduction to Drawdown,  7:00 - 9:00 pm at the Connie Morella Library on Arlington Road, in Bethesda. The Environmental Sustainability Group at Bethesda Friends (Quaker) Meeting is sponsoring the workshop; see June 2 entry for details.}}

Thursday, June 6 – Progressive Cheverly Forum: “More Highway Lanes? Toll Roads?  Transportation Proposals and Alternatives” -- Nicholas Orrick, member of the Transportation Committee of the Sierra Club Maryland chapter will be speaking. ASL interpretation provided.  Light refreshments will be served. 7:00 - 9:00 PM Hoyer Education Center (cafeteria) 2300 Belleview Ave. (Parking available) Cheverly

Friday June 7 “Jazz Night at the ‘Lift – Funding In/fusion” Community Forklift fundraiser with music, food and drinks  6:00 - 8:00 PM Community Forklift 4761 Tanglewood Drive, Edmonston 20781

Sunday, June 9, “Toxic Contamination at Military bases: Another Threat to our Environment” 2:30 to 4:30 PM Presented by Pat Elder Adelphi Friends Meeting https://adelphifriends.org/directions/ 2303 Metzerott Road Adelphi, Maryland 20783

Saturday, June 15 United Democratic Women of Maryland Southern Region Luncheon -- Sartik's , 7670 Hawthorne Road La Plata, MD 20646. Guest speaker is Del. C.T. Wilson. Info and costs, email Karen Fennell.

 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 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:

 May 21, 2019 People's Wave next steps -- a plan for building power and winning
Whether you attended the People’s Wave (April 28-30), watched some or all on livestream or learned about it after the fact, it set a substantive agenda for progressive political action in the 2020 election cycle and beyond. And it's all at your fingertips right here.

May 20, 2019 Progressive Maryland Weekly Memo for Monday, May 20, 2019

Summer begins this coming weekend (time for outside activism and agitation!) and the recent legislative Session fades into memory – but our issues are still on the front burner. Get the picture here in the Memo.

>>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