From CNY Solidarity Coalition:
Next Meeting: (Note Date change)
Sunday 8/8/21, 3-4;30 PM. At Bishop Harrison Center.
Agenda: Activating our membership to engage in the final Rte. 81 process: specific actions we can all take now.
Upcoming Meetings:9/12/21, 10/3/21, 10/17/21, 10/31/21, 11/14/21.
Committees will meet on their own for July and August.
Announcements from our Committees:
To sign up for the mailing lists of each of the committees, email your request to the contact person listed.
Indivisible NY24: Contact: Deborah Rose: dcurryrose@gmail.com Our principal focus remains on supporting the democracy reform efforts in Congress: S.1: For the People Act, the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act, etc.
Climate Justice: Contact: Kitty Burns – otiscohills@yahoo.com
SLAT (State/Local Action Team) Contact: Peter McCarthy – pmccar1100@gmail.com Current priority: Rt 81/Community Grid. See below.
Beyond War and Militarism. A joint committee of CNY Solidarity Coalition and the Syracuse Peace Council.Contact: Ron Van Norstrand; ron@vannorstrandlaw.com
Rt. 81 Project Update:
CNY Solidarity Coalition’s August 8 meeting will address how to take specific actions to support the community’s needs: submitting comments live and online, public forum, letters and phone calls, etc.
On July 18, we heard Lanessa Chaplin of NYCLU present current news on the Rt. 81/Community Grid project.
(watch it Here).
Sign up for alerts from UJTF here: DEIS action alert sign-up form
And save the date: UJTF/NYCLU Press Conference/March for Justice in the Rt. 81 Project
August 14 at Noon; Location TBA
CURRENT INFORMATION ON the Rt. 81/Community Grid PROJECT:
NEW: visual simulation overview of a drive entering the city from the south and then an aerial view of the changes. 5 minutes. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wDdDmJYym6g&t=2s
NEW: Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS): dot.ny.gov/i81opportunities,
Individuals may submit comments until September 14, 2021. Responses to substantive comments will be included in the Final Environmental Impact Statement.
FHWA (Federal Highway Administration) and NYSDOT will hold virtual and in-person hearings.
Virtual hearing sessions via Zoom:
Tuesday, August 17, 2021, 11 AM & 5 PM: To submit oral comments, please register here. You will be given a link to the Zoom hearing where you can make a public comment.
In-person hearing sessions:
Wednesday, Aug. 18
What: Public hearings and open house (this is newly added)
When: 4 and 6 p.m. for the public hearings. The open house will run from 3:30 to 8:30 p.m.
Where: Oncenter, 800 S. State St., Syracuse
To submit comments, you may submit publicly or dictate to a stenographer. This event will also be live-streamed.
The Oncenter, 800 South State Street, Syracuse
To learn more about the project and the public hearings: https://www.dot.ny.gov/i81opportunities [dot.ny.gov]
And here is a recent presentation from Newhouse at SU with some good history: Revisiting and Revisualizing Syracuse’s 15th Ward. http://visualizing81.thenewshouse.com/#story-intro
Articles of the Week:
How America lost its commitment to the right to vote
The Supreme Court isn’t even pretending that it’s bound by legal texts in its voting rights cases.
The Supreme Court, Justice Elena Kagan lamented in a dissenting opinion earlier this month, “has treated no statute worse” than the Voting Rights Act. Read the article on Vox
The Authoritarian Instincts of Police Unions
They condition their members to see themselves as soldiers at war with the public they are meant to serve, and above the laws they are meant to enforce. Read it in The Atlantic
Black Syracuse Officer Who Went Viral for Working with Neighborhood Kids Was Up for Promotion by His Supervisor. He Says Seven White Officers Have Since Taken ‘Extraordinary Steps’ to Prevent It. Read the Article in The Atlanta Black Star
Two articles on a disturbing new technology in policing:
Republicans’ vaccine refusal is about more than just sabotaging Joe Biden
The GOP has a long history of undermining Democratic presidents at precisely the worst moments for the nation. Read it on Salon
One of the Republican Party’s go-to strategies to counter a Democratic president’s campaign promise to bring the country together is to obstruct everything the president attempts to do, working night and day to keep their people as angry and unhappy as possible so they can call the Democrats a failure for being unable to fulfill their promise. Such a promise is a bit of a sucker’s play by the Democrats, to begin with, but it’s a natural impulse since Republican administrations so often leave office having put the country through an overwhelming trauma with the nation yearning for healing.
Have you been reading Heather Cox Richardson’s Letters from an American?
You can sign up for a short daily dose of history, context, and analysis of what’s happening with the federal government. With a consistent touch of optimism.
EVENTS/ACTIONS CALENDAR.
| Climate Change Awareness & Action Call to Action re. Support for Solar Farms in Town of Manlius! Wed., July 28 at 6:30pm, 301 Brooklea Drive, Fayetteville The Town of Manlius (which includes the village of Manlius, Minoa and Fayetteville), is looking to set a six month moratorium on new solar projects. There is a public hearing on Wed., July 28 at 6:30pm, 301 Brooklea Drive, Fayetteville to discuss the proposed moratorium. CCAA, www.climatechange-action.com is looking for residents from the Town of Manlius who would be willing to speak in support of solar farm development. At previous meetings those opposed to solar development have voiced their opposition with the goal of delaying and defeating two proposed new projects. Projects previously approved are also at risk. Teenagers are also encouraged to participate. Contact Elena Pacheco <elpaccamon@gmail.com> for more information. Potential speakers should contact Gavin Landless at <gavinvolunteer@protonmail.ch> or Peter Wirth, pwirth2@verizon.netIf you live in the Town of Manlius help us hit our goal of 100 signatures. Please sign our petition at https://actionnetwork.org/petitions/support-for-solar-townofmanlius |
Flip the Leg with Pam Hunter, Bill Magnarelli and Al Stirpe!
WEDNESDAY, JULY 28, 2021 AT 6 PM EDT – 9 PM EDT
Beer Belly Deli & Pub 510 Westcott St, Syracuse, NY
Event by Flip the County Legislature
Join Onondaga County’s Assembly Delegation in a special event with a purpose: Put the Democrats in the Majority in the Onondaga County Legislature!
Live music by: Colin Aberdeen, William Nicholson, and Joe Driscoll
VIP TICKET: $. Onondaga County Democratic Committee Ticket: $50. Sponsor: $250
Rally to Support Democracy Reform
Saturday July 31, 2021. 11AM
InivisibleNY24’s weekly #DeadlineForDemocracy action is on for July 31 at 11am on the public sidewalk outside Wegmans Dewitt:
The Onondaga Nation’s Walk for Justice is also that morning, so many of us will be heading downtown to Columbus Circle after we rally for democracy reform:
Every Child Matters: Walk for Justice for Our Ancestors
SATURDAY, JULY 31, 2021 AT 10 AM EDT
Rally at 2 pm with speakers and singers at Columbus Circle
Starting at 10am from the Onondaga Nation, and walking to Columbus Circle.
(Gather at the parking lot at Tsha’ hoñnoñ yeñh dahkwa’ at)
Please wear orange and bring child’s shoes or an item to place on or around the statue
Wear comfortable foot wear, bring water bottles.
Within the last couple of months over 2500 unmarked graves of Indigenous children have been located on the grounds of the Institutions of Genocide aka “Residential schools ” throughout Canada and the United States.
We will walk in honor of them and the thousands of survivors who endured unspeakable inhumane treatment by hand of priests, nuns and anyone else who were mandated by the United States Government to “kill the Indian and Save the man “.
The dark untold history of these two countries aren’t Isolated from the rest of the world. Every single Indigenous/ Aboriginal person can share the painful truth of what the Catholic church has done to native children for generations.
Donations needed and greatly appreciated
SAVE THE DATES:
NY Independent Redistricting Commission Public Hearings
Aug. 5 and Aug. 9
Last Monday, the NY Independent Redistricting Commission announced a series of 8 virtual public hearings, each focused on a specific region. The hearings begin July 20th and conclude on August 12th; the dates for each region’s hearing are below as well as on the IRC website:
- Thursday August 5th: North Country/Mohawk Valley regions at 2pm
- Monday August 9th: Southern Tier/Central NY regions at 2pm
From https://nyirc.gov/meetings: The Independent Redistricting Commission of New York State is holding a virtual public hearing to solicit input from your community. As the IRC embarks on the process of drawing the future district lines of New York State, feedback and guidance from the residents of New York is of the utmost importance and at the core of the Commission’s goal to fairly and equitably redraw Congressional and State Legislature lines.
These hearings are the best opportunity for residents to participate in this process. By submitting your community of interest to the IRC, and presenting it at your local hearing, New Yorkers have the chance to contribute to the redistricting process.It’s critical that we get as many NYIC (New York Immigration Coalition) members as possible to testify. If you can help, please contact Kayla at kkelechian@nyic.org
UJTF/NYCLU Press Conference/March for Justice in the Rt. 81 Project
August 14 at Noon; Location TBA
The revised Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) is out, and hearings and comment schedules have been announced. CNY Solidarity Coalition will support this effort. More info to come!
Westcott St. Cultural Festival
Sunday, Sept. 26, 2021 Info here
VERY BUSY? BUT WANT TO DO YOUR PART? JOIN STREET HEAT!
STAND FOR PALESTINE — expose IDF terrorism, Occupation and apartheid in Gaza and West Bank…
intersection of Erie Blvd E and E Genesee in De Witt…
4:15 to 5 p.m EVERY TUESDAY AND FRIDAY
BRING YOUR OWN JUSTICE OR ANTINUCLEAR, KILLER DRONES etc. SIGN*…
Park St. opposite the Regional Market main entrance… every SATURDAY 9 to 9:45 a.m.
*or use one of ours. (Ann or Ed 315 478-4571 home)
***Social distancing***Legal***No meetings, no obligation, no cost***Easy parking***Rain or shine***
CNY Solidarity Coalition: Today and every day, be sure to follow us online and on social media. Check out our Website and our Instagram. Follow us on Twitter: @CNYSolidarity and @IndivisibleNY24 and Facebook: www.facebook.com/cnysolidarity/ and
www.facebook.com/groups/IndivisibleNY24
—
Peter McCarthy
pmccar1100@gmail.com