Dear CNY Solidarity Coalition members and friends,
The next week brings many opportunities to come together – to learn, to demonstrate, to celebrate successes, and to stand in solidarity.
In light of yesterday’s announcement that the DA will fail to charge an officer with assault of a student at one of our city schools, we hope that you will take full advantage to voice concerns you may have at one of several public police chief forums and that you continue to remain involved and engaged in the struggle for police accountability.
We hope that you will join us in learning about and engaging in antimilitarism from street heat to environmental justice, in learning in greater depth about poverty as we also extend a helping hand to those directly suffering its impacts, that you stand in solidarity for housing justice and immigrant and refugee rights, and learn alongside us as we delve into issues of gun violence and hear voices describing devastating impacts of Maria in Puerto Rico.
We celebrate successes, awards and music this week at the TedxOCC, Kharas and Seidenberg Awards and Ghana Be Great.
Lastly, we celebrate and engage in moving the needle with exciting new developments in the Green Light Campaign.
Now, on to your calendar..
COMMUNITY OUTREACH EVENT CALENDAR FOR APRIL 10 – 17
Syracuse Peace Council’s Street Heat
Tuesday April 10th4:15 PM – 5 PM Adams and Almond St. (Rt. 81 underpass)
Tuesday April 17th 4:15 – 5 PM Hancock Airbase, opposite main gate, 6000 E. Molloy Rd
The Syracuse area hosts Hancock Air National Guard base where the Guard’s 174th Attack Wing conducts drone assassination and target identification missions using MQ-9 Reaper drone in Afghanistan and probably elsewhere. Syracuse Peace Council’s Street Heat holds a monthly presence outside Hancock Airbase to call for an end to the illegal and immoral killing of human beings by weaponized drones, which are piloted remotely from the base.
Join us! Signs provided or bring your own progressive signs. Contact for questions (315) 478-4571
Community meeting on hiring police chief
Tuesday April 10th 5:30 PM – 7 PM at Syracuse City Hall 233 E. Washington St. Syr
Wednesday April 11th 5:30 PM – 7 PM at PEACE Frc Eastside S Beech 202 S Beech St.
Thursday April 12th 5:30 PM – 7 PM at OneGroupCenter 706 North Clinton St. Syr
Mayor Ben Walsh and his administration are soliciting public input into the hiring of a new Syracuse Police Department Chief. SPAARC encourages everyone to come
out and share their needs, concerns, and visions.
The Syracuse Police Accountability and Reform Coalition-SPAARC is a coalition of groups organizing around the need to hold SPD officers accountable and break
the school-to-prison pipeline in Syracuse City Schools. Like and follow SPAARC for the full list of forums April 3rd – April 30th.
Unite for Tenant Rights! Rally by Syracuse Tenants United
Tuesday, April 10th
Syracuse Tenants United is organizing a direct action and demand letter delivery for tenants in the East Genesee/East Fayette area who have been victimized and mistreated by an unscrupulous landlord. Previously, our collective action against this property owner has been successful, resulting in voided leases and reimbursement. Still the fight continues as more tenants experience dangerous and unclean conditions. We ask that you join us as we march for safe housing and decent living conditions.
Please email Syracuse Tenants United at syracusetenantsunited@gmail.com for event time and more information. Also, finds us on Facebook and Twitter @SyracuseTenants
A Conversation with Martin A. Gonzalez
Wednesday April 11th 6 PM – 7:30 PM at Las Casita Cultural Center 109 Otisco St. Syr
Martín Alberto González will be offering a talk and signing copies of his first book published earlier this year, “21 Miles of Scenic Beauty and Then Oxnard” a collection of counter stories and testimonies based on personal experience.
ABOUT THE BOOK:
Despite its wonderful everyday weather and beautiful surf-ridden beaches, Oxnard, California, has a reputation for being dangerous and demoralizing due to its gang presence. In his first book, Martín Alberto González takes this narrative head on through a series of stories loosely based on his experiences and observations growing up in Oxnard as a first-generation Xicano. Rather than focusing on everything that deems the city as bad, such as its overabundance of undereducated Brown people, Martín flips the script through counter-storytelling and testimonies that shed light on injustices directly impacting his community.
Gun Violence from Parkland to Sacramento // The Paris Commune
Wednesday April 11th 7 PM – 8:30 PM Eggers Hall 010 Syracuse University Campus hosted by the International Socialist Organization – Syracuse
What should our debates around gun violence look like? We face a reality in which death by gun is a likely end for many. We argue that guns are not the issue, but that systemic violence in our society is.
-Poor people and people of color are legally gunned down by police nearly daily (check out http://killedbypolice.net/).
-White supremacist groups are constantly attacking minority groups.
-White men are shooting up schools, abortion clinics, and Black churches.
-The US has been at war continuously for the past 16 years.
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The Paris Commune of 1871 was a workers’ revolt. From March to May, workers shut down Paris, and resurrected it in their favor. In these short months, they developed a true democracy in which the following changes were established:
-Right of employees to take over and run an enterprise
-Separation of church and state
-Remission of rents owed to landlords
-Abolition of commercial debts
-Prohibition of fines imposed by employers on their workers
Immigrant and Refugee Defense Network meeting
Thursday April12th 6:30 PM – 8:30 PM at 2013 E. Genesee St. Syracuse
We will be discussing, among other agenda items, action steps in regards to Agus Susanto’s detainment by Border Patrol at the RTC on Saturday.
Puerto Rico Post Maria– 205 DAYS at Las Casita Cultural center
Friday April 13th 6 PM – 7:30 PM at La Casita Cultural Center 109 Otisco St. Syracuse
A vital discussion about the current situation of Puerto Rico on APRIL 13, 2018 – precisely 205 DAYS from the time Hurricane María made landfall last September 20.
Panelists include:
Bea González, VP of Community Engagement at SU
Myrna García, Director of Latino-Latin American Studies at SU
Melissa Quesada, Esq., NYS Director of Latino Affairs
Elisa Morales, Executive Director of La Liga
Julio Urrutia, Esq.
This discussion will focus on the latest official and unofficial reports, as well as experiences shared by members who have visited PR in recent weeks.
Refreshments and Tapas will be served.
This event is FREE and OPEN TO THE PUBLIC. Free Parking
The 2018 Kharas and Seidenberg Awards Dinner: Defending Our Democracy
Friday April 13th 6 PM – 10 PM Marriott Syracuse Downtown 100 E. Onondaga St. Syr
This week, the ACLU of New York or NYCLU Central New York Chapter, is having two amazing events that we hope you will join: 1) a talk by the Executive Director Donna Lieberman, Friday April 13th, 2018 at 1pm in Eggers 032, and 2) The Kharas and Seidenberg Award Dinner. This year, we are honoring Ed Klein, a criminal defense attorney who has played such an invaluable role in addressing issues around indigent defense with the Kharas Award, Sally Santangelo of CNY Fair Housing for her work around discrimination in housing and segregation across Onondaga County, and Rebecca Fuentes of the Workers’ Center of Central New York for their work on farm workers’ and immigrants’ rights, and sanctuary city policy.
Poverty in Greater Syracuse: Discerning Our Elephant
Friday April 13th 6:30 PM at University United Methodist Church
The poverty level in Greater Syracuse is unduly high and affects us all. This teach-in will explore many facets of this complex problem, featuring Ocesa Keaton, Director of Greater Syracuse H.O.P.E., and Helen Hudson, President of the Syracuse Common Council. 6:30 snacks, 7:00 presentation.
Saturday April 14th 9 AM – 5:30 PM at Onondaga Community College 4585 W Seneca Tpk
This year’s TEDx event will have the theme of “We are…”
The event will be comprised of four sessions:
We are creative
We are community
We are brighter together
We are human
Tickets On Sale Now!
Sandwich Saturday If We Eat They Eat Campaign
Saturday April 14th 10 AM at Lincoln Middle School 1613 James St. Syracuse
Good news family! We have been approved to host Sandwich Saturday at Lincoln Middle School for the next 6 months!! This means more space, more activities and more importantly more lunch sacks. We are so excited about partnering with Lincoln but we are still looking for a permanent home. Do you have any big plans this Saturday? We would love to spend our morning with you! Rising early and joining other volunteers as we serve the physical and emotional needs of the less fortunate will create a sense of comraderie that you will find addicting. Bring the kids and meet at We Rise Above The Streets as a family! We welcome anyone who would like to volunteer and greatly appreciate any donations that can be made. We invite you to join us in making sack lunches for the homeless this Saturday at 10am.
If you would rather sleep in on Saturdays, we understand – that’s why we take donations too!
Click the Donate link on our website page Weriseabovethestreets.org
Ghana Be Great Fundraiser and Show hosted by Signature Soul and ArtRage
Sunday April 15th 4 PM – 6 PM at ArtRage Gallery 505 Hawley Avenue Syracuse
Signature Soul is invited to travel to Ghana this July with the Gage Foundation International Girl Ambassadors for Human Rights.
Please join us for two fundraising shows where we will share our poetry and our plans for cultivating creativity across continents!
All proceeds will go towards our travel costs and vaccinations.
Sliding Scale: $10-$25 At the door
Pre-sale tickets are available by emailing signaturesoul.love@outlook.com
If you are unable to make it to the shows, please consider sharing/supporting our GoFundMe campaign! https://www.gofundme.com/signature-soul-visits-ghana-2018
Protecting Our Environment From Militarism
Tuesday April 17th 7 PM – 9 PM at Artrage Gallery 505 Hawley Avenue Syracuse
In this Alternative Education event organized by the Beyond War and Militarism committee, we explore how weapons production and deployment, waste disposal, and the war budget devastate and contaminate our planet, and impede environmental restoration. Featuring commentary from Dr. Jack Manno, SUNY ESF Professor Emeritus.
The event is free and open to the public. ArtRage is an accessible facility. Beyond War and Militarism is a joint committee of the Syracuse Peace Council and the CNY Solidarity Coalition.
Please save the date: Work for Tips? Testify to End Tipped Wage
Monday April 30th 8:45 AM- 2 PM SUNY-ESF Syracuse
If you would like to be part of the WCCNY group that will have a presence on April 30’s hearing call 315-218-5708 or write to wccny@workerscentercny.org.
And a special message about an exciting development in the Green Light Campaign:
Yesterday Crespo introduced our legislation! The Bill number is A10237. Thank you to everyone who has been working so hard to push for it to be introduced. Especially everyone who made calls to Crespo’s office in the last few weeks. Now to the next step get co-sponsors, get in through the transportation committee and get it passed in the assembly!
On Wednesday 4/18 New York Immigration Coalition and allies and sister organizations are mobilizing to Albany from across the state to show the support and push the legislator to move forward with the Green Light legislation. In order to plan the event we need to know who is able to spend the whole day in Albany with us and where you are coming from. Please fill out this form to express your interest in going to Albany and let us know how many people you can bring with you!
If you would like to add your event or fundraiser to the weekly community outreach event calendar, please email the information in 100 words or less to Marianna.kaufman@gmail.com by Monday mornings at 9am.
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