Compare The Mayoral Candidates
The Baltimore Green Party Primary is coming up May 1st and now is crucial time to learn about your candidates. We have a contested mayoral primary with three candidates vying for the Green Party nomination:Joshua Harris, Emanuel McCray, David Marriott This Saturday March 19th, from 4-7 PM we are hosting the Baltimore Green Party Meet and Greet at our office located at 100. E 23rd St, Baltimore MD.
Continue reading
Baltimore's Three Green Party Mayoral Candidates Agree To Participate In Two Forums Open Society Institute Reconsiders and Includes the Green Party
Baltimore, MD: Yesterday, the Open Society Institute and additional co-sponsors and hosts of two upcoming mayoral debates reversed themselves and decided to include the three Green mayoral candidates in their two forums. All three candidates, Joshua Harris, Emanuel McCray and David Marriott have agreed to participate.
"We applaud the sponsors decision to take democracy seriously and ensure that all candidates are heard. Democracy cannot work if closed debates are where only two parties are allowed to participate. The sponsors of these two debates, along with the sponsors of a previous debate the Mt. Vernon Belvedere Association looked at the law and reached the same conclusion -- all candidates must be included under the law," said Andy Ellis, co-chair of the Baltimore Green Party. "Baltimore is facing multiple crisis situations and the same old ideas of the Democratic Party will not solve them. We need new ideas and the Green Party will provide those."
The schedule of the debates is: February 24th, 7:00 PM at Pleasant Hope Baptist Church, 430 East Belvedere Ave. Hosted by Rev. Heber Brown and moderated by E.R. Shipp and Marc Steiner
March 16th, 7:00 PM at Union Baptist Church, 1219 Druid Hill Ave.
Hosted by Rev. Alvin C. Hathaway, Sr. and moderated by Karen Houppert and Lester Spence
The Green Party primary system is a combination of mailed ballots with in-person voting at a convention on May 1.
For more on the Baltimore Green Party candidates see Baltimore City Green Party To Hold Contested 3-Way Mayoral Election
Statement from 2016 Mayoral Candidate Joshua Harris on Political Party Change
Joshua Harris, Green Party candidate for Mayor of Baltimore has released a statement explaining why he changed his party affiliation and joined the Green Party. You can read the whole statement on Joshua's website.
Harris joins Emanuel McCray and David Marriott as candidates in the Baltimore Green Party primary process.
Harris will be having a community conversation Saturday 2/20/2016 at 11:00 AM.
Baltimore Green Party Press Release-Green Party US Senate Candidate, Margaret Flowers, Endorses Plan to Prosecute Wall Street
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION:
Brian Bittner, 443-449-3159
Green Party US Senate Candidate, Margaret Flowers, Endorses Plan to
Prosecute Wall Street
Dr. Margaret Flowers, Green Party candidate for U.S. Senate in Maryland, has become the first candidate
in the nation to endorse the action plan to end Wall Street corruption proposed by Bank Whistleblowers
United.
The group of financial fraud experts has drafted a 19-point plan that could be fully implemented within 60
days without any action by Congress required.
“The Bank Whistleblowers United plan comes at a critical time,” Flowers said. “The U.S. economy -- in
fact the global economy, too -- is on shaky ground. Since the beginning of this year, the stock market has
been faltering, the fundamentals of the economy are flawed and many economic experts say that a crash is
coming, which could be more devastating than 2008. It is just a question of when.”
Flowers and Green Party presidential candidate Dr. Jill Stein, who is the first presidential candidate to
endorse the plan, make the case for the financial fraud experts proposal in an op-ed for TruthDig. They
write, “To create a finance system that works for everyone, the next president needs to commit to taking
on Wall Street, restoring the rule of law and rooting out corruption. We invite all presidential candidates
to join us in endorsing the 19-point plan.”
Among the plan’s proposals are these:
Restore the mandatory criminal referral process and Criminal Referral Coordinators at every
financial regulatory agency
The FBI and the Department of Justice (DOJ) will publicly terminate their “partnership” with the
Mortgage Bankers Association
Ban DOJ from making deferred prosecution agreements with elite white-collar criminals
Reassign 500 FBI agents to the white-collar crime section
Revamp the federal treatment of whistleblowers and False Claim Act complainants to encourage
their efforts and use them to hold financial elites personally accountable
(The full 19 point plan can be found at http://neweconomicperspectives.org/2016/01/announcing-bank-
whistleblowers-groups-initial-proposals.html.)
“The reality is that there are no ethics on Wall Street. Everyone is playing against each other and using
whatever tools there are -- even some they do not fully understand -- to make money without regard to the
impact they will have on others,” Flowers and Stein argue. “This behavior occurs because those involved
are getting away with it and raking in millions, if not billions, of dollars as their reward. If fraud creates
wealth, people will engage in it until they are stopped.” (The full op-ed can be found at
http://www.truthdig.com/report/item/heres_a_way_to_hold_wall_street_accountable_20160213.)
Green Party U.S. Senate candidate Dr. Margaret Flowers is a Maryland pediatrician and co-director of
PopularResistance.org. Dr. Flowers is a board adviser to Physicians for a National Health Program and is
on the leadership council of the Maryland Health Care Is a Human Right campaign.
Baltimore Green Party Mayoral Candidates
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASEFebruary 15, 2016
FOR FURTHER INFORMATIONAndy Ellis 240-285-0843
Baltimore City Green Party To Hold Contested 3-Way Mayoral ElectionMeet the Candidates at Green Party Office Opening March 19, 2016
The Baltimore Green Party will be holding a contested “primary”* between three candidates for mayor, Emanuel McCray, Joshua Harris and David Marriott. The primary vote will occur through a combination of mail-in ballots and in-person voting on Sunday, May 1, 2016.
“We are pleased to have three qualified candidates running for mayor, all of whom have a history of community service. We look forward to their participation in debates and forums to introduce Baltimore voters to new ideas that will create a democratized economy to build community wealth throughout Baltimore, especially in historically neglected areas. Our candidates will also be putting forward plans to end police violence, reduce crime and ensure community participation in administering law enforcement.” said Andy Ellis co-chair of the Baltimore Green Party.
An opportunity to meet the mayoral candidates, and the Green candidates for US Senate, Congress and council districts will be on Saturday, March 19th at the new Green Party offices located at 100 E. 23rd Street.
The mayoral candidates each have a history of civic service and come to the primary with plans for a new economy and racial justice in Baltimore.
Joshua Harris, who resides in southwest Baltimore, is co-founder of the Hollins Creative Placemaking, which leads initiatives that foster urban revitalization by including the use of art and creative processes to foster an environment of belonging. His community involvement includes serving on the Charles Village Urban Renewal community board, Paul’s Place Community advisory board, Baltimore's Promise Mentoring Task Force, and he is the youngest board member for Baltimore’s Southwest Partnership. Harris served as a legislative aide for Delegate Charles E. Sydnor and assisted with the passing of police body camera legislation as part of his work to rebuild relations between police and communities. His top issues are turning 30,000 vacant buildings into functional assets as a foundation to a new Baltimore economy. Rebuilding will include job training for living wage jobs. He plans to address the many public health issues that plague the city and seeks a new energy economy with clean energy becoming a leading industry to spur job creation in Baltimore. He sees education and investing in our youth as a catalyst to stable careers in a 21st Century urban economy.
David Marriott came to Baltimore after he graduated from high school. He joined the US Marines where he went to engineering school. David became a managing partner at nineteen for one of Washington, DC's largest pizza franchises. He went on to become a police officer, resigning after five years because he saw a flawed system that was not serving justice and because of discrimination in the ranks. He later went on to open several successful businesses including a restaurant franchise which also doubled as a night club entertainment. He wants to improve the Baltimore police department with better training and tactics, stop abusive policing, and make citizens a partner in community policing. Reforming education is a high priority, including improvements to school facilities with among other things better heating and cooling systems. Education should serve youth in all of Baltimore’s zip codes and be a path to success.
Emanuel McCray is a long-time resident of Baltimore City who served in the U.S. Army and National Guard for 10 years. He has also served as a Leadership Organizer and member of the Leadership Council at United Workers since 2010 where he has worked on giving communities control over development and housing costs through land trusts as well as working on creating living wage jobs. He studied political science at Morgan State University. He will re-focus the Baltimore budget so that it will benefit all Baltimore communities not just wealthy developers. He wants to stop closures of recreation centers, firehouses and community schools; and make sure children do not have to travel long distances to go to school. McCray believes housing is a human right and will encourage community control of housing, through programs like Community Land Trusts. He wants to revamp the Vacant to Values program to benefit low income families instead of developers and put in place rent control laws so landlords cannot unfairly raise rents. McCray is an advocate for a living wage for all people of Baltimore of at least $15 an hour.
*Unlike fourteen other states, Maryland does not allow third parties to hold a tax-payer funded primary election. This exclusion is part of the unfair playing field the Democrats and Republicans create for third party candidates. The procedures for how the Green Party votes can be seen on their website, see: http://www.baltimoregp.org/bgp_primary_process_2016.
Candidate websites:www.HarrisForBaltimore.com
www.MarriottForMayor.wix.com/baltimore
www.MccrayForThePeople.com
Joshua Harris
David Marriott
Emanuel McCray
Baltimore Green Party Candidates
As of the 2/3/2016 filing deadline these are the candidates seeking the Green Party nomination to run in the general election November 8th.
Mayor- Emanuel McCray & Joshua Harris & David Marriott President of the City Council- Connor Meek City Council District 3- Andreas SpiliadisCity Council District 6- Richard T White City Council District 9- Jamie FriersonCity Council District 10- Amanda Maminski City Council District 12- Ian Schlakman
In addition to the Baltimore City races there are Green Party candidates for
US Senate- Margaret FlowersUS House of Representatives 3- Nnabu EzeUS House of Representatives 7- Myles Hoenig
Registered members of the Green Party in Baltimore City will have the opportunity to participate in our Baltimore Green Party Primary. Information can be found here http://www.baltimoregp.org/bgp_primary_process_2016
Help the Baltimore Green Party Grow in 2016
The Need
The Baltimore Green Party is growing fast and needs your support! 2016 provides us with tremendous challenges but also tremendous opportunity. People are ready for a new option and new solutions, and the Baltimore Green Party is well poised to build on that energy. We are focused on three main objectives for 2016:
The 2016 Election: Elections Matter- In the current election year, Baltimore City voters will participate in a general election in which Green Party candidates are listed all the way down the ballot. In a city where it is often said “The (Democratic) primary is the election,” we seek to transform that reality in races across the city. We will contest the dynasty that Democrats have in Baltimore with candidates who show voters that there is an alternative and that the general election matters. The Party will be supporting an election that includes the following offices: (*=pending)
o President of The United States
o United States Senator
o United States House of Representatives
§ MD 3
§ MD 7
o Baltimore City Mayor
o President of the Baltimore City Council
o City Council District
§ 3
§ 4*
§ 6
§ 7*
§ 9*
§ 10
§ 12
Issue Based Organizing: Elections matter, but so does organized pressure on elected officials. We want to build on a strong network and train a new generation of community organizers in order to create the kind of power that puts people over profit. Green Party values serve as an essential moral compass when addressing the many problems Baltimore faces. We want to organize for a better future around those values and build the political power to back them up.
Voter engagement: We need to foster a culture change in the way that Baltimore city residents are included in government. We want to create social, cultural, and educational events that invite all city residents to engage in the discussion about the future. We recognize that we are fighting against a powerful set of forces that have created a two(one?) party system. We believe that when we have the opportunity to explain Green values and Green solutions to Baltimore voters, many will join us in the fight for them.
The Ask
The Baltimore Green Party and our candidates only take donations from individuals, not from PAC’s or corporations. We need individuals like you to support us. We accept donations in two ways: recurring and one-time. The recurring donations sustain us and the one-time donations help us achieve specific goals quickly. Our main priority at this point is recurring sustainer donations of $10 per month. Funds go toward:
The Baltimore Green Party Headquarters- In order to build the kind of movement that can bring about real change in Baltimore, we need an office where we can hold meetings, welcome voters, work together, phone bank, train volunteers, and more. We have located a space that will allow all us to do all of this, but we need support in sustaining it.
Campaign and Election Materials- Visibility matters! We need signs, buttons, T-Shirts, pamphlets and stickers. Citizens in Baltimore need to know that the Green Party is not only an option but an agent of change. We will source our material needs locally and in accordance with party values and sustainer support helps us do it right.
Member Outreach- There are about 1100 registered Green voters in Baltimore City and we want to be able to reach out to each of them and let them know about the work the local party is doing. We will need at least one mailing in order to do this!
Social, Cultural, and Educational Events- Movements are not built just around the best candidates and the best issues; they also require a social element. When people spend time together doing things they like, the movement becomes stronger. We want to be able to bring in speakers, host meetups and happy hours, book spaces for art and cultural events, and more. Sustainers help us to be able to develop and expand this program.
Fundraisers- Throughout the election season and beyond we will need to do additional fundraising events and campaigns. On a shoestring budget these are hard to plan and develop effectively. Recurring payments from sustainers give us the ability to cover any costs that may be associated with fundraising.
Become A Baltimore Green Party Sustainer With A Monthly Recurring Donation of $10 or More
or
Give a one time donation to the Baltimore Green Party
The Offer
Monthly sustainers will receive:
Invitation to tour our new office and discuss the Baltimore Green Party
Invitation to a sustainers event at our new office
Thank you email and call
First notice about all Baltimore Green Party Events
Recognition in our office and on our website
One time donors will receive:
Thank you email and call
Invitation to tour our new office and discuss the Baltimore Green Party
Recognition on our website
Become A Baltimore Green Party Sustainer With A Monthly Recurring Donation of $10 or More
or
Give a one time donation to the Baltimore Green Party
Authority, Baltimore Green Party, Vincent Tola, Treasurer
Statement on Candidate Forums
The Baltimore Green Party is committed to an open and transparent election process in Baltimore City. We believe that candidate forums are an important means of engaging and educating voters. For many voters this is a first or even only impression of who is running and what they are about.
We believe organizers of these forums should be transparent in how the event is organized and who is invited to participate.If these forums represent themselves as “Candidate Forums” but only present one party’s candidates (Democrat) running in the primary, then these forums contribute to the notion that the Democratic Primary is the election.
We ask those organizing “Candidate Forums” to be explicit in their organizing and promotion. We believe that the following information should be public for any candidate’s forum:
1)Who have the organizers invited and why
2)Who is able to participate and how do they qualify
3)Which election(s) is the forum directed toward: the primary, the general, or both
4) If the forum is for candidates in a party primary, do you plan on hosting forums for a) other parties primaries b)a general election forum in which ALL parties (including Democrats) participate.
5)The questions asked
6)What factors led to the decisions in 1-5.
We respect the freedom of people and organizations to organize forums for candidates of one party in a primary election, or to set standards for which candidates are invited to participate. We ask that organizers of forums be explicit and public about who their event is for and why they have made that choice.
In the case that an organization holds a democratic primary “Candidate Forum” we believe that they should also host a general election candidate forum. The democrats running in the primary should commit to participate in the general election forums. General election forums that do not include the democrat are partisan pro democrat “Kids Table” debates and are disrespectful to voters.
While our immediate concern is the inclusion of Baltimore Green Party candidates, we also stand in solidarity with Republican,Libertarian, Unaffiliated, Independent, and even Democrat candidates who are excluded from Democrat only “Candidate Forums”. We want voters to be informed about all of the choices available to them
If you would like to include Green Party candidates in your forum please contact Vince Tola at [email protected] or 443-414-2425.
Regarding The Trials Of Officers Charged In The Death of Freddie Gray
Authored By: Andy Ellis
As Jury selection begins for William Porter, the first of the officers charged in the death of Freddie Gray, the Baltimore Green Party remains vigilant and committed to a just outcome. The process that is beginning in the courts will have ramifications not just for this case but for the future of policing in our city. As the trial proceeds the debate about policing and crime will heat up in the streets, the mainstream corporate media, and social media.
This will occur against a backdrop of the upcoming Baltimore City elections and every Democrat running will shape a large part of their campaign around what occurs in this and future trials. While the democrats tailor their positions to appeal to a small number of voters and a smaller number of influential donors, the Baltimore Green Party stands in solidarity with the people, communities and small businesses of the city.
We believe this trial is worthy of the attention of everyone in Baltimore, even if it is one instance of a set of larger issues, it occurs at a time when we all know change must come. The Baltimore Green Party will continue to seek coalitions which create a political opposition capable of implementing real community based solutions to the problems underlying this trial.
The power of people and communities have pushed the politicians to demand accountability for policing and we will continue to stand in solidarity with the people through this and the other trials.
Authors Note: This statement was originally entitled "Regarding Freddie Grey Trials". That title has been changed to more accurately reflect who is on trial and for what. It was not our intention to indicate that Freddie Gray is on trial, but our initial wording did that, and as the author I apologize. Thank you to the thoughtful activists and thinkers in Baltimore who pointed out the problem of the initial wording.
Green Party Candidate, Margaret Flowers arrested while protesting U.S Bombing of Hospital
For Immediate Release: October 6, 2015
Contact: 410-983-6895, [email protected]
Dr. Margaret Flowers - seeking the Green Party nomination for United States Senate from Maryland - was arrested this morning while attending a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing at the U.S. Capitol.
She was at the Capitol to demand an independent investigation of the U.S. bombing of the Doctors Without Borders hospital in Kunduz, Afghanistan that killed at least 20 patients and wounded dozens of others.
Dr. Flowers spoke to media before the hearing began. She began to leave the hearing before it was called to order but was ordered arrested by committee chair Senator John McCain before the gavel struck to call the meeting to order. Approximately a dozen individuals from Code Pink and other groups were present. Dr. Flowers was the only person arrested.
"Bombing hospitals is a war crime," said Flowers. Hospitals are generally immune from attack under the Geneva Convention. In 2014 the U.N. General Assembly passed a resolution reaffirming that hospitals and medical facilities should not be attacked during war.
After her arrest Dr. Flowers was told she would be given a citation and released to return for a court hearing at a later date.