Monthly general meeting, Tue May 2 7-9pm, Albert Einstein HS

If you live in MoCo and are stricken with Post Trumpmatic Stress Disorder, the best cure is to join our growing coalition of your friends and neighbors who are passionate about civil rights and civil liberties. Please join us!

When: Tuesday, May 2, 7-9 pm
Where: Albert Einstein High School cafeteria
11135 Newport Mill Road, Kensington, Maryland 20895

Guest Speaker: Brandon Anderson, developer of "Raheem," a Facebook app to improve police accountability. Brandon will explain his chatbot, and how it could revolutionize police accountability in Montgomery County. There will be time for questions and discussion.

After hearing about "Raheem," we’ll break into working groups and get down to business!

Immigration: working to pass a Community Trust ordinance in Rockville.
Islamophobia: building a campaign against a county program that promotes Islamophobia.
Police reform: pressuring the county to add a civilians to police trial boards.
Surveillance: hosting a teach-in on personal digital security on May 9.
LGBTQ: organizing in Gaithersburg
Bystander Intervention Training: hosting workshops on the principles of nonviolence and de-escalation, followed by interactive scenarios for responding to community harassment.

Let us know you're coming at the Facebook event page and share the page with your friends!

Protect Yourself: Digital Security Workshop, Tue May 9

When: Tuesday, May 9, 7-9 pm
Where: The Nora School, 955 Sligo Avenue, Silver Spring
Facilitator: Jeff Lansdale (X-Lab, Penn State)
Cosponsor: Defending Rights & Dissent

You don't have to be a computer wizard to stay safe online. Come learn digital hygiene -- tools and techniques that take as much effort as washing your hands before you eat, and will protect you from common digital threats that activists and everyday people face. Don’t miss your chance to speak with technology experts about the newest threats to your digital privacy and learn practical steps to protect yourself.

Bring your fully-charged laptop and your phone. The workshop will be facilitated by cyber activist Jeff Landale, a privacy researcher and organizer at X-Lab at Penn State University. He believes that you should have privacy and online security without having to change your lifestyle, learn how to code, or wear a tin foil hat.

Space is limited so get your ticket now! Here’s what we’ll cover:

Policy Update: There has been huge news on the mass surveillance front, including:

Recent changes to the rules governing our internet service providers
Trump Admin attempts to force twitter to reveal the identity of a dissident twitter account
Searches of devices at the border
Demands for social media identifiers
Upcoming reauthorization of Upstream and PRISM.

Threat Modeling: How to identify and prioritize potential threats so you can make informed decisions about online activities and activism.

Easy steps to mitigate risks: we will get you hooked up with secure communications, encryption for phones and laptops, Virtual Private Networks (VPN), Secure commmunication, adblockers, and strong passwords you don't even have to remember.

A free ticket is required for entrance. Space is limited.
Let others know you're coming at the Facebook event page and share the page with your friends!

Keep standing up for Rockville sanctuary ordinance, Mon Apr 24, 7pm

The mayor and city council of Rockville are considering an ordinance that would prohibit most collaboration between local police and federal immigration authorities. It's important we keep showing up to remind them this has broad community support.

Your voice is needed. Three things you can do:

Show up in person at the next mayor and council meeting, Monday, April 24, and offer oral testimony during the "community forum." The anti-immigrant crowd is expected to turn up; we need to be there in larger numbers. If you want to speak, call the city clerk at 240-314-8280 to get yourself on the schedule. Let us know you're coming by RSVP'ing to this Facebook event, and share the event with your friends and family!
Email the Rockville mayor and council at mayorcouncil@rockvillemd.gov -- even if you've already done so. They need to know that you still strongly support this ordinance.
Let others know you're going at the Facebook event page, and share the page with your friends!

The Je'Nan Hayes Story, Sun Apr 23 2-430pm Rockville

As MCCRC's April meeting-goers know, Je’Nan Hayes was denied play time during regional basketball finals because she was wearing hijab. The rule that was cited is so rarely enforced that neither Je’Nan nor her coach had ever heard of it until the championship game. Je’Nan and her family lobbied the State of Maryland and last week successfully won the case to rescind this obscure rule! Now all student athletes that wear head coverings for religious purposes are allowed to participate!

The fight continues, however, because Je’Nan and her family are working towards having the rule rescinded on the national level.

The event will feature Je’Nan, who will share her story; her mother Salamah (Carlitta), who will share her experiences as a parent; and Jade Magnus Ogunnaike, Media and Economic Justice campaign manager at Color of Change, who led the digital campaign to support Je’Nan.

When: Sunday, April 23, 2-430 pm
Where: Rollins Congressional Club, 1621 Martha Terrace, Rockville, Maryland

The event is free but please register in advance, and then let people know about it at the Facebook event page!

Get to Know Your Muslim Neighbor, Sat Apr 22 11-230pm Gaithersburg Public Library

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Support our ally Defending Rights & Dissent - join their mailing list, and consider donating! Year in, year out, this organization shares organizing expertise, draft legislation, and news analyses that help citizens around the country defend our rights.

Thanks for all you do!

Check our calendar for details about our actions -- and check our "Progressive Montgomery" calendar for other important events around the area. We'll be in touch!