Action Alerts – Week of Jan 8th – CNY Solidarity Coalition

CNY Solidarity members and supporters:
Please find below the weekly ACTION ALERTS from our legislative action team.

First, an announcement from our friends at the Syracuse Peace Council: SPC is hiring a staff organizer for 30-35 hours per week. Please check out the job description and application process at http://www.peacecouncil.net/job. Deadline for applications is January 22; anticipated start date is March.

And now, on to the ACTION ALERTS.

Today (Jan 8)

Two-part alert re: advocating for the Community Grid option for redeveloping Interstate 81

Part I, from our state legislative action team: Contact your NY State Assembly Member and your NY State Senator to advocate for the Community Grid and for removing the tunnel option from consideration by the NY State Department of Transportation. Tell your legislators that our state should not waste taxpayers’ money on an environmental impact analysis of the tunnel boondoggle!

Most of us are represented in the Assembly by Pamela Hunter (315-449-9536), Al Stirpe (315-452-1115), Bill Magnarelli (315-428-9651), or Gary Finch (315-255-3045); if you’re not sure whose district you’re in, click here or here and enter your address to find out. Likewise, most of us are represented in the State Senate by David Valesky (315-478-8745), John DeFrancisco (315-428-7632), or James Seward (607-432-5524), but those links will help you find out if you’re not sure.

Tuesday (Jan 9)

Two-part alert re: advocating for the Community Grid option for redeveloping Interstate 81

Part II, again from our state legislative action team: Following up on yesterday’s calls, please call Gov. Cuomo to tell him that our state should not waste taxpayers’ money on an environmental impact analysis of the tunnel boondoggle! Albany office: 518-474-8390. Local office (Colleen Deacon is the governor’s local representative): 315-428-4120.

Panel Discussion on Cash Bail Reform
Jan 9, 5:15am – Join us for a panel to discuss proposals for CASH BAIL REFORM in Onondaga County and New York State. Yusuf Abdul-Qadir of the NYCLU, Marsha Weissman, formerly of Center for Community Alternatives and Visiting Professor at SU, and Mike Hungerford of the Grace Project will be presenting. More information to come, but in the meantime, spread the word!

Wednesday (Jan 10)

Get ready to protect the Iran nuclear deal, and stop a war with Iran

Donald Trump is ratcheting up the rhetoric to sabotage the Iran nuclear deal negotiated by President Obama — a deal which successfully blocked Iran from getting a nuclear weapon and helped keep the United States out of war. Starting tomorrow (Jan 11), Trump will face legal deadlines to trash or continue the deal. Today, we’re calling Rep. Katko and urging him to issue a public statement supporting the deal and urging diplomacy, not war, with Iran. Click here to see the state of play on the Iran deal, and click here for some talking points when calling Congress on this issue. Katko’s numbers are 315-423-5657 (Syracuse), 315-253-4068 (Auburn), or 202-225-3701 (DC).

Thursday (Jan 11)

One phone call today, plus a health care organizing meeting in Albany

Demand voting rights reform THIS YEAR

Last week, Governor Cuomo gave the annual State of the State address outlining his legislative priorities for 2018. As a part of that speech, Cuomo announced the Democracy Agenda initiative and called for increased transparency in political advertising, greater defenses against cyber-related threats, twelve days of early voting, automatic or opt-out voter registration, and same-day voter registration. These are great ideas, but Cuomo has called for voting reforms before—in fact, in last year’s State of the State Address. But when it came time to put money behind his rhetoric, he preemptively declared these voting reforms non-budgetary issues, effectively thwarting any meaningful reform last year. In Albany, everything is a budgetary issue and if these reforms do not get into the budget, any related legislation is unlikely to pass during the legislative session. So today, please call Governor Cuomo and say you want him to make sure these reforms are in the budget this year. Call 518-474-1041, select 2 to speak with a member Cuomo’s staff.

Health Care Organizing Meeting

Health Care for All New York is holding its annual winter meeting from 10:30-3:30 in Albany. Anyone interested in carpooling, please contact ursula.rozum@gmail.com.

Friday (Jan 12)

Keep Telling Democrats that it’s time to FIGHT for Dreamers

In December, Senate Democrats passed up TWO big chances to use their leverage to pass a clean DREAM Act by withholding their votes on a pair of spending bills. Sen. Gillibrand stood strong and withheld her vote, but Sen. Schumer did not. (More details here.) In 2018, there are no more excuses. The next spending bill vote is January 19. Please call Sen. Schumer today and urge him to withhold his vote for the spending bill unless it includes a clean DREAM Act. Sen. Schumer is at 202-224-6542 or 315-423-5471.

Saturday (Jan 13)

Two training and coalition-building opportunities today, one in Cicero and one in Albany

Sat., Jan 13, 2-4pm: Flip NY24: Blueprint for Success, Comfort Suites Cicero, 5875 Carmenica Dr. 13039. Organized by our friends at Rise Up CNY; more details here. If anyone’s planning to attend, please contact thomas.m.keck@gmail.com so we can coordinate.

Sat., Jan 13, 10:15am-6pm: Statewide gathering of Indivisible groups in Albany, location TBD. If anyone is planning to attend, please contact thomas.m.keck@gmail.com so we can coordinate.

Sunday (Jan 14)

3-5pm: CNY Solidarity Coalition meeting, Bishop Harrison Center. More details here.

Save the date for these upcoming events:

Thur., Jan 18, 7-9 pm: “War and Racism”, a public educational event organized by the Beyond War & Militarism Committee of CNY Solidarity and SPC, will be at ArtRage Gallery (505 Hawley Ave, Syracuse, NY 13203).

Sat., Jan. 20: Women’s March Anniversary events in Syracuse(9:30am-2pm) and Seneca Falls (10am-2pm). If anyone is aware of other CNY-area Women’s March events, please let us know, and note that the Syracuse action is part of a full weekend of events (more details here).

Sun., Jan. 21, 3-5 pm: Please join our friends at the Syracuse Peace Council for their Membership & Visioning Meeting at ArtRage Gallery (505 Hawley Ave, Syracuse, NY 13203). More details here.

Tue., Jan. 23, 12-5pm: Let New York Vote Rally & Action Day in Albany. From our friends at Easy Elections NY; more details here. If anyone is interested in helping to organize a CNY contingent, please email jonah.zern@gmail.com.

Sat., Jan. 27: Plans are in the works for a National People’s March on Washington in support of impeachment (more details here and here). If anyone is interested in organizing a Syracuse contingent to DC and/or a solidarity event here in town, please let us know.

CNY Solidarity Coalition meetings:

Sunday, Jan, 28, 3-5 pm Location TBD

Sunday, Feb. 11, 3-5 pm “ “

Sunday, Feb. 25, 3-5 pm “ “

Tue., Jan 30, 5:30pm: Organizing meeting re forming local chapter of national Poor People’s Campaign, at University United Methodist Church, 1085 E. Genesee St. in Syracuse. A number of CNY Solidarity members/supporters are active w/ this effort, and more would be welcome.

Sun., Feb 4, 1-4pm: Our friends at Climate Change Awareness & Action are hosting a fund-raising party at The Spa at 500, 500 W. Onondaga St. in Syracuse.

Mon., Feb 12, 6:30 pm: Our friends at Indivisible Cayuga are holding a mock retirement party for Rep. Katko. More details soon.

Jun. 26: Election day (primaries for federal offices)

Sept. 11: Election day (primaries for state offices)

Nov. 6: Election day (general election for all offices)

Today and every day, be sure to follow us online and on social media!

Check out our website: www.cnysolidarity.org

Check us out on Flickr and Instagram, and subscribe to our YouTube channel.

In solidarity,

Tom