
On Fri Jan 20th, Occupy Baltimore participants finished their week-long Schools Not Jails Occupation at the slated $104 million 120 unit youth jail site in East Baltimore by converging at War Memorial Plaza in front of City Hall for Public Recreation Day. Demonstrators made the plaza a temporary outdoor recreation center to critique the planned privatization of over 18 city recreation centers in 2012.

Wednesday, Jan.18th, 2012, marked the third day of the five-day "pop-up" occupation: Schools Not Jails. This demonstration strives to bring awareness and to protest the city's proposed youth jail. While the organizers' original gameplan had been to occupy the site of the proposed youth jail 'round the clock, from Monday-Saturday, by Wednesday the strategy had dramatically shifted.

On January 16th, Occupy Baltimore and the Baltimore Algebra Project, along with a enthusiastic crowd of supporters and allies, marched on the site of the proposed youth detention center in East Baltimore, and erected a wooden schoolhouse on the site to call attention to spending priorities that favor incarceration instead of education. Indyreader was on the scene to report:

Lila Kara's home at 1433 W. Lombard Street is the subject of a foreclosure proceeding. On Saturday, Jan. 8, 2012, a rally was held in front of her home. Her case is pending in the Maryland Court of Special Appeals. Nevertheless, the bank is pushing to have the Sheriff of Baltimore City evict her this Tuesday, January 10, 2012, at or around 10 AM.

An interfaith service was held on Wednesday evening, "We Remember the Homeless," December 21, 2011, at the Inner Harbor Amphitheater, in Baltimore, Maryland. The event memorialized the 111 homeless people who have died in 2011 in Baltimore City. (This video has a ten second delay in front.) Speaking on camera are: Adam Schneider, James Crawford Jr., Rev. Brian E. Murray, Rabbi Martin Siegel and Rev. Andrew Foster Connors.
On Wed. morning, Dec. 14, 2011, a press conference was called by concerned members of the African American Clergy. It was held in Washington, DC at the National Press Club. Speaking on camera, in this video, are: Rev. Dr. Jamal Bryant, David DeGraw, Dr. Benjamin Chavis, Jr., Sgt. Shamar Thomas and Kevin Zeese.

Stand With Us is a new public service announcement that takes aim at violence and discrimination against transgender people. It is the collective work of the Transgender Response Team (TRT), a stakeholder's group convened in Baltimore, Maryland and tasked with reducing HIV and improving wellness in the transgender community. Ending violence and discrimination are paramount to the success of this work. The TRT welcomes new members who share our vision for health, safety, and equality.
On Saturday, November 12, Leaders of a Beautiful Struggle, a local progressive think-tank, hosted its latest political forum called, "Local Hiring: How do we get Baltimore working?" Cory McCray, a member of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) Local 24, was one of the panelists. Here is what he had to say about the event.

On Tuesday evening, November 15th, 2011, approximately 60 participants from #occupybaltimore, convened at Johns Hopkins University to deliver the following public statement to Karl Rove, former aide to President George W. Bush, and current Republican strategist:
“Mic Check! Karl Rove is the Architect. The Architect of 'Occupy Iraq.' The Architect of 'Occupy Afghanistan.' The Architect of tax cuts for the 1%. The 99% think it's time to #Occupy the Architect. To #Occupy the Architecture. Occupy Wall Street. Occupy Baltimore. Occupy Johns Hopkins. Occupy America. Liberate America. Occupy everything. Occupy everywhere. Occupy together. We are the 99%.”