From CNY Solidarity Coalition:
Next Meeting: Sunday, March 21, 2021, 3-4 PM. Zoom Link to come.
March 7 Meeting: What’s Up with the County Leg? Mary Kuhn, John Deer, Dustin Czarny, Heather Waters
§ Learn more at: www.Fliptheleg.com and donate at https://secure.actblue.com/donate/countyleg
§ Sign up for petition drives Here
Upcoming Meetings: 4/11, 4/25, 5/9, 5/23. Committee meetings will take place, after announcements, at our second meeting each month: 3/21, 4/25, 5/23
Announcement:
The Syracuse Center for Peace and Social Justice is accepting applications for their Board of Directors. The Center is a non-profit organization that houses Syracuse Peace Council, Workers Center of CNY, Public Citizen, Black Lives Matter, AGREE, Unchained, and NY Immigration Coalition. We also offer low cost meeting spaces for progressive organizations. We are a fully volunteer board seeking to expand our skill base. Applications can be found on our website at syracusecenter.org.
Invest in Our New York
Updates: The Senate and Assembly are still working to complete their one-house budgets. These could be completed any day now. Therefore, it is still important to keep contacting our legislators and urging them to support the Invest in Our New York bills. (Read more about the budget process, here.)
Depending on the timing, we may want to shift to calls and emails to Andrea Stewart-Cousins, the Senate Majority Leader and Carl E. Heastie, Speaker of the Assembly. They will take the one-house budgets into negotiations with the Governor. And it is still unclear what the effect of Governor’s weakened status will be.
NOTE There was an error in Monday’s Action Alerts from CNY Solidarity Coalition. The following two events WILL NOT take place – they were part of an earlier tentative plan.
Tuesday (March 9) Rally at Al Stirpe’s North Syracuse office to support the Invest in our New York Campaign –
Tuesday (March 9) Rally at William Magnarelli’s downtown office to support the Invest in our New York Campaign
Coming Event: Rally for the Invest in Our New York campaign!
Saturday, March 20, 1 PM. Location TBD: State Office Building? Watch for updates!
This is a critical time to call, write or email, tweet or text your representatives.
· Pamela J. Hunter, 128th District: HunterP@nyassembly.gov. Co-sponsoring all six of the IONY bills. Please thank her!
· Rachel May, NYS Senate Dist. 53: may@nysenate.gov; 315-478-8745. Senator May is co-sponsoring 4 of the 6 IONY bills – Please thank her! She is working on different approaches to the other two issues.
· John Mannion, NYS Senate Dist. 50: mannion@nysenate.gov 315-428-7632 His office says he is supportive of increasing taxes on the wealthy but so far he has not so-sponsored any or made a public endorsement. Some, but not all, of his constituents have received a paper survey in the mail. Constituents please call him and ask him to cosponsor and vote for the six IONY bills!
· William B. Magnarelli, 129th District: MagnarW@nyassembly.gov. AM Magnarelli has made a number of public statements in the past justifying why not to raise taxes on millionaires His constituent survey is now closed. He held a Community Information night on March 4, at which her repeatsd his Constituents please call him.
· Al Stirpe, 127th District: StirpeA@nyassembly.gov: Constituents please call him and please complete his new Online Survey today!
Next IONY Planning Team Meeting: March 14 at 3 PM.
Contact Peter (pmccar1100@gmail.com) or Keller (Keller.shelton@gmail.com)
Sign the petition at http://investinourny.org This gives the statewide campaign evidence of broad support
To Learn more:
o https://www.cnysolidarity.org/2021/02/02/invest-in-our-new-york/
o http://investinourny.org (scroll down past the petition to the slideshow, or keep going to the Act Summary)
Articles of the Week:
For I-81 And Environmental Justice, Details Matter More Than Words (Commentary)
Lanessa Chaplin, assistant director of the New York Civil Liberties Union’s Education Policy Center.
“But the hard truth about this project to replace the crumbling portion of I-81 is this: The largely Black and brown residents living in the shadow of the viaduct will bear the burden of this redevelopment. And if what the New York state Department of Transportation has proposed goes through unchanged, the residents in this community will be forced to live through five to seven years of construction with few protections. Children’s education will be disrupted and many residents may ultimately be displaced from their homes.”
This is a critical and often neglected part of the history of government suppression:
50 Years Ago Today, Activists Burglarized the FBI and Exposed Its Undemocratic Abuses
“Fifty years ago today, a group of New Left activists executed a daring burglary of an FBI field office in Pennsylvania, exposing the bureau’s COINTELPRO operations against the Civil Rights Movement, anti-war activists, and socialists. We should remember these activists today as heroes.”
Millionaires to NYS: Tax Us, Please Link
Since 2009, the number of millionaires in the Empire State has increased by more than 60%.
NEW YORK — More than four dozen New York millionaires have signed a letter to state lawmakers with a proposal to help the state recover from the economic impact of the pandemic: tax the rich.
The COVID pandemic has cost millions of New Yorkers their jobs and will leave an estimated $63 billion gap in the state budget over the next four years.
In their letter, the millionaires say the state should enact the taxes that are part of the proposed Invest in Our New York Act.
Mike Lapham, director of the Responsible Wealth project at United for a Fair Economy, said raising taxes on high incomes, billionaires, large inheritances, corporations, stock sales and capital gains could close that gap.
EVENTS/ACTIONS CALENDAR:
Syracuse City residents only: Please complete this Syracuse Community Views on Policing Survey. From SPAARC and collaborating community groups.
It should take about 8-12 minutes to complete. It consists of mostly multiple-choice questions with a few short answers questions.
The Overseas Military Base Empire
Webinar by Leah Bolger, sponsored by the Beyond War & Militarism Committee
Tuesday, March 9 at 7:00pm-8:00pm Eastern Time Click here to register for the Zoom link!
Did you know that the United States has over 200,000 troops stationed on more than 800 bases in more than 80 countries and all seven continents? The CNY Beyond War & Militarism Committee invites you to join us for a webinar on March 9 on “The Overseas Military Base Empire” by Leah Bolger, President of the Board, World BEYOND War and retired U.S. Naval officer. Sharing from her personal experience of being stationed on bases around the world, Leah will present on the social, environmental, and economic impact of U.S. bases — and how to close them.
Indivisible-RISE & Common Cause: For the People Phonebank
Wednesdays, 2pm EST
We’ll be calling voters in targeted districts and connecting them to their Senators to support the For the People Act (S1).
Justice For Judson
Wed. Mar. 10 AT 6 PM EST
Firefighters Memorial Park on South State Street, followed by a procession and silent vigil at the entrance to St. Joseph’s Hospital on Butternut and Prospect (CPEP- Comprehensive Psy Emergency Program)
(Event will be streamed live for participants who cannot attend in-person.)
#JudsonAlbahm was a 17 year old child with Aspergers and ODD (oppositional defiant disorder) who was in mental health crisis; he should have never been antagonized or pursued with deadly force.
DeWitt Police, Onondaga County Sheriffs, and NYS Troopers responded on a pick-up order issued by CPEP when Judson fled from their Mobil Crisis Unit. They were asked to help… or at least do no harm.
Now a teenager has been killed, just ahead of his 18th birthday, and his little sister heard it all happen. The trauma on our families and communities are too much.
Along with justice for the family we will be asking for a comprehensive #UseOfForceLaw through federal intervention for state-wide abuses of power against citizens, children, individuals with special needs, minorities, Muslim families, and communities of color. It’s time they come up with better ways to respond to #MentalHealth and #BeingHuman than by brutality, excessive, or lethal force.
Please bring a candle to light for Judson (Wear a mask, and respect social distancing from other participants.)
Reforma Migratoria 2021 / Immigration Reform 2021
Reforma Migratoria 2021 / Immigration Reform 2021
Event by Workers’ Center of CNY
Wed., Mar. 10; 7 PM EST – 8:30 PM EST
What are the current immigration policy reforms under discussion? What are the challenges to winning a just immigration reform and what are available strategies to overcome those challenges and win. / Cuales son las reformas de la política migratoria actual en discusión? ¿Cuáles son los desafíos para ganar una reforma migratoria justa y cuáles son las estrategias disponibles para superar esos desafíos y ganar?
Sara McDowell, Attorney, Onondaga County Volunteer Lawyers Project / Abogada, el Proyecto de Abogados Voluntarios del Condado de Onondaga.
Andrea Ortega, Attorney, Farmworker Law Project / Abogada, El Proyecto Legal para los Trabajadores Agrícolas.
New York Immigration Coalition / Coalición de Inmigración de Nueva York
Coming Events: People’s Agenda for Policing Community Forums.
3/18 and 3/25; 6 PM. Details to come.
Registration link
Progress on Blueprint 15
Friday, March 19 at noon (12:05 p.m.)
FOCUS Forum
Blueprint 15 is a new not-for-profit working collaboratively with the Syracuse Housing Authority to advance a bold vision for holistic redevelopment of the East Adams neighborhood in Syracuse bordered by I-81. Panelists for the next FOCUS Forum are Syracuse Deputy Mayor and Blueprint 15 Board Chair Sharon Owens, Vice President of Purpose Built Communities Mikki Anderson, Syracuse Housing Authority Executive Director William Simmons and Stephanie Pasquale, who is Interim CEO of Blueprint 15 and Director of Neighborhood Advancement for the Allyn Family Foundation.
Join in the next free virtual FOCUS Forum noon (12:05 p.m.) on Friday, March 19. Register for the Zoom webinar by computer AT THIS LINK or call 315-448-8731 for FOCUS staff to register you. Registrants get an email with a Zoom link and can pose questions in advance. You can join in the webinar by computer or phone.
ONGOING EVENTS:
DEADLOCKED AND LOADED: Disarming America Curated by Karen M. Gutfreund
February 11 to April 18, 2021
ArtRage Gallery – https://artragegallery.org Make your reservation for in-person gallery viewing HERE!
The need to address gun violence is more urgent than ever and in response, artists from across the United States have used their artistic voices to address issues related to our culture of gun violence particularly how it affects women, children and marginalized peoples.
Deadlocked and Loaded: Disarming America is a “locked and loaded” conversation through art, showcasing art in all media that addresses the culture of violence, systemic racism, police brutality and gun issues in the United States—particularly in how it affects women and children with lasting impacts.
This exhibition is presented in collaboration with Community Folk Art Center and Point of Contact Gallery in Syracuse. A catalog representing all 36 artists exhibiting in the three galleries can be viewed HERE.
Street Heat – Weekly Protests are back with Physical Distancing!
HANCOCK: our decade-long protests against Hancock’s piloting killer reaper drones over the Islamic oil lands continue. 6000 East Molloy Rd from 4:15 to 5 p.m. For the winter months, we will reduce our schedule: the first Tuesday of every month: same time 4:15 to 5 p.m. Dec 1; Jan 5; Feb 2; March 2; April 6.
DEWITT: Weekly protest against IDF terrorism, maiming and killing of Palestinians. Fridays NEW TIME: 4:00 to 4:45 p.m. at Erie Blvd E and E Genesee, Dewitt. Park in the nearby mini-mall parking lot.
REGIONAL FARMERS MARKET: Protests are off until April.
From ArtRage: SERRV international spring sale fundraiser
Since 1949 Serrv International has been fighting global poverty through fair and ethical trade. One of the first fair trade organizations in the world, SERRV International began its mission by helping displaced European refugees trade their handcrafts for income after the Second World War. Since then, they’ve extended their reach to 24 countries worldwide, working to empower over 8,000 artisans and farmers every year by selling their beautiful handcrafts.
You can support these artisans and ArtRage this spring by shopping fair trade at SERRV International!
Shop from https://www.serrv.org/?a=artrage, and we’ll earn 20% for our organization.
PLUS: Use promo code SESPRING21 for FREE SHIPPING on orders $50+ when you place your order March 3-17*.
Save the Cayuga SHARE Farm: Support the Sovereignty of Native Nations
Our friends at NOON (Neighbors of the Onondaga Nation) forwarded this appeal, last week: From the letter: “We hope this announcement finds you well. You are invited to support an online fundraiser to save the Cayuga SHARE Farm in the interest of the traditional people of Cayuga (Gayogo̱hó꞉nǫʼ- People of the Pipe), a sovereign nation of the Haudenosaunee confederacy. It is an urgent need to ensure that Gayogo̱hó꞉nǫʼ traditional leadership of chiefs and clan mothers can keep SHARE Farm, the only land which they currently have stewardship rights to within their people’s homeland. Donations made through Groundswell Center for Local Food & Farming will be used to ensure the farm continues to be a place for education, healing, and Haudenosaunee culture….” Continue reading. See also the website, the GoFundMe page or the Facebook page.
—
Peter McCarthy
pmccar1100@gmail.com