From CNY Solidarity Coalition:
Previous CNY Solidarity Coalition Meeting – Sunday, Dec. 11. on Zoom. Watch the meeting on YouTube
The I-81 Project: Current Status and What Happens Next? With Lanessa Chaplin of NYCLU.
Note: The recording is about 90 minutes. For a short wrap-up, find Lanessa’s closing remarks at 1:20.
Annual Membership Meeting:
Jan.8, 2023, In Person: 2 PM at Bishop Harrison Center
Our plan for the winter months, dependent on health warnings:
- We will schedule one in-person meeting per month.
- An additional Zoom meeting each month will likely be scheduled, depending on issues.
- Meetings will start at 2 PM, and Committee Meetings at the in-person meetings will start around 3 PM.
- In case of inclement weather or other issues, a notification and a Zoom link will be sent no later than 10 AM on the day of the meeting.
Coordinating Committee needs members! Normally 2 phone meetings per month, with a few tasks in between. If you’ve been wanting to get more involved, here’s your chance! Respond to this newsletter email with your interest.
ARTICLES OF THE WEEK:
Fossil Fuel Industry Dupes Media, Quietly Funds Non-Profits To Block Renewable Energy
“… the Biden administration faced lawsuits from resident groups in every coastal state from Maine to North Carolina. Some groups sued over endangered whales. Others argued that the turbines would hurt their property values or the local fishing industry.
If you only read the news stories about these lawsuits, you might think this was yet another example of wealthy residents blocking clean energy development. Or you might see a familiar story of environmentalists getting in the way of environmental progress. But you’d be missing the most important part of the story. Nearly every story neglects to mention these groups are being funded by a far-right think tank that receives funding from fossil fuel companies and billionaires.” Read it Here on https://popular.info/
NY State Investigation Finds Racial Disparities In Syracuse Mortgage Lending
“A new state study suggests that mortgage lenders are discriminating against minorities in Syracuse, putting up barriers to home ownership among people of color. About 18.7% of the Syracuse metropolitan area’s population is non-white but lenders on average made 8.7% of their loans to borrowers who identify as people of color…”
Read it on Syracuse.com
200 Organizations Push Hochul To Electrify New Buildings In Executive Budget Proposal
Hundreds of organizations are pressuring Gov. Kathy Hochul to require new buildings in the state be built to use electricity for heat, rather than fossil fuels like gas or oil, in her executive budget proposal to be released next month. Read it Here on Spectrum
Rebecca Solnit: Why Climate Despair Is A Luxury
Those facing flood and fire can’t afford to lose hope. Neither should we.
“A 2021 study by the Indigenous Environmental Network and Oil Change International (on whose board I serve) documents that, in North America, indigenous-led efforts have in the past decade stopped or delayed what amounts to at least a quarter of US and Canadian greenhouse gas emissions.” Read it in The New Statesman
7 Things I Learned by Collaborating with Indigenous Wisdom Keepers
“…U.N. climate scientists have affirmed that giving back the land is one of the most important things we can be doing right now to overcome the climate crisis.” Read it at www.yesmagazine.org
ACTION ALERTS:
Important Onondaga County Legislature News!
All 17 County Leg seats are up for election in 2023. Several Democrats are retiring. In a majority Dem county, Republicans have dominated all branches of government. They have decimated social services and public health, continue to eliminate Union jobs, gerrymander our Districts and underfunded our County Board of Elections, thus showing their similarities to the MAGA Republicans.
Democrats must declare their candidacy by January 5 to be eligible for Party designation. For more information, call or email Mary Kuhn, retiring County Legislator. mtkuhn@gmail.com or 315-476-6509
See the current gerrymandered maps Here for the city and Here for the county. You can fight gerrymandering in Onondaga County as well as set a precedent to help all communities in New York by supporting the Dems’ lawsuit. Read Dustin Czarny’s important message Here and Help with this effort by donating Here
Push Governor Hochul to Sign the SIGH Act! (from NYCLU)
Over 200,000 New York youth attend schools within 500 feet of a major highway. Almost 90% of these schools teach primarily Black or Brown students. Students as young as 4 years old are forced to breathe in toxic air pollutants while they try to learn, affecting their health outcomes and academic performance.
The Schools Impacted by Gross Highways Act, also known as the SIGH Act, would end the practice of building new schools within 500 feet of a major highway. The SIGH Act is a crucial step in the fight for environmental justice.
The bill lead by Senator Rachel May and Assemblymember Latoya Joyner passed in both legislative houses. Now Governor Hochul has until December 31st to sign the SIGH Act into law. Join us in demanding Governor Hochul end this environmentally racist practice and protect the health and well-being of New York’s youth.
The SIGH Act must be signed NOW! #CleanAirCantWait
Sign our petition and send a message to Governor Hochul.
Send a tweet to Governor Hochul: Sample Tweets
Support The Invest In Our New York (IONY) Campaign Calling For $40 Billion In Public Investments To Transform New York. See Teach-in 12/23, below.
Invest in Our New York’s 2023 agenda will tax New York’s millionaires & billionaires to fund public programs that benefit working-class families, Black and Latinx communities, youth, and many others. The IONY Campaign is calling on Governor Hochul and the Senate & Assembly to pass a budget in April that puts our communities first by funding public education, childcare, increased access to housing and health, solutions to the climate crisis, and more.
If you represent an organization that can endorse the campaign, use this link.
Volunteer needed: Help the CNY Solidarity Coalition add events to our Google Calendar! We are looking for a volunteer to enter the events listed in our weekly newsletter to our google calendar once a week. To volunteer, send an email to cnysolidarity@gmail.com with the subject Calendar Volunteer.
Volunteer needed: Help keep CNY Solidarity’s website up to date! We are looking for a volunteer to post our weekly newsletter to our website once a week. No experience needed, we will train you. To volunteer, send an email to cnysolidarity@gmail.com with the subject Website Volunteer.
Tell your Senators to vote YES on the Yemen War Powers Resolution!
Bernie Sanders is bringing the Yemen War Powers Resolution (WPR) to a vote in the Senate in a matter of days.
Write to your Senators now and tell them to vote YES! Passing it would mean an end to US involvement in Yemen. This vote comes at an important time because the truce in Yemen has not been renewed, meaning the Saudi-led coalition can restart hostilities whenever they feel like it. …Hundreds of thousands of Yemenis have died since the beginning of the war. Not only was the Saudi-led coalition conducting airstrikes that killed Yemeni civilians, but they are also imposing a multi-year blockade on Yemen. For years now, the U.S. has provided direct support for the Saudi-led coalition’s policies. Urge your Senators to vote YES on the Yemen War Powers Resolution!
EVENTS/ACTIONS CALENDAR
Community Listening Session by Syracuse Citizen Review Board
Wednesday, Dec. 13; 5:30 – 7:30 PM – Victory Temple Fellowship Church, 817 E. Willow St.
Have your interactions with the Syracuse Police Department been positive or negative? Share your experiences with the Citizen Review Board.
We are seeking open, honest commentary from the community to ensure the Citizen Review Board is effective in its service to the public and responsive to changing concerns. Your statements will help guide future recommendations regarding specific policies and procedures including but not limited to for Officer conduct, community policing strategies, department culture shifting initiatives, technology utilization, and other areas of concern from these sessions.
NY Health’s Celebration in Honor of Assembly Member Richard Gottfried and the NY Health Act
Tuesday, December 13, 2022 at 7:30PM
Free, virtual event. All are welcome! Closed captions in English will be available.
Assembly Member Richard Gottfried; dedicated champion, author, and sponsor of the New York Health Act, will be retiring this year after more than fifty years of service in the New York State Assembly, where he has championed progressive healthcare bills that have transformed the legislative landscape for the health justice movement. We will gather with supporters from across the state to celebrate his illustrious career and share some updates of what’s to come for our Campaign for New York Health. RSVP today to join us!
Utility Debt Relief & Energy Affordability
Thursday, December 15th, 2022, 5:00pm-7:00pm
Beauchamp Branch Library, 2111 S. Salina St., Syracuse, NY 13205, 2nd Floor Auditorium
Assemblymember Pamela Hunter, Alliance for a Green Economy, and the Public Utility Law Project will help you learn how to eliminate utility debt owed through May 1st, 2022, and connect with other programs to reduce energy bills this winter. There will be free enrollment assistance and Spanish translation services available, thanks to participation by the NYS Department of Public Service, the Workers’ Center of Central New York, National Grid, Onondaga County Office for Aging, Syracuse Financial Empowerment Center, and Syracuse United Neighbors
NY State’s utility bill forgiveness program ends Dec. 31 2022
Sign up for your utility’s Energy Affordability Program to qualify!
RSVP appreciated. Also, printable event fliers in English and en Español are available here, as well as a list of materials need for your application: https://actionnetwork.org/…/utility-debt-relief-energy…
Micron and the Community – December FOCUS Forum
Friday, December 16 at 12:05 p.m.
FOCUS Greater Syracuse is excited to host a free, virtual FOCUS Forum with Onondaga County Executive J. Ryan McMahon, II. Join us as we discuss how Micron is likely to impact Central New York over the next several years and how you can help shape that impact. REGISTER HERE
For more about the Forums and FOCUS go to www.focussyracuse.org/focus-forums
Syracuse Community Choir Winter Solstice Concert: Resilience
Saturday, December 17, 2022 At 7 PM
St. Paul’s Syracuse, The Downtown Episcopal Church, 220 E. Fayette 13202
Syracuse Community Choir Winter Solstice Concert: Resilience
Event by Syracuse Community Choir
Masks and rapid-testing are encouraged. Learn more about COVID-19 guidelines
Sliding Scale Tickets: $0-$25 (No one turned away), children free
This concert will honor ACTS (Alliance of Communities Transforming Syracuse) by giving them the People’s Peace Prize, which we award each year to a person or organization working for peace in Syracuse. ACTS is a “local grassroots interfaith network that seeks to address systems of oppression and exclusion and make real local change”. They have worked to end solitary confinement for youth, eliminate food deserts, interrupt community violence and more.
Interpreted for the Deaf. Live-streamed to Facebook and recorded, for those who can’t attend.
Invest In Our NY 2023: Campaign Teach-In
Monday, December 19, 2022. 6 – 7pm EST
Organized by Empire State Indivisible. Please join the Invest In Our NY coalition for a 2023 campaign teach-in. At this virtual forum, we will be sharing the critical background and political context for our campaign priorities and ensure you have the necessary information to help us build a winning campaign. Register Here
SAVE THE DATES
THE SUM OF US: What Racism Costs Everyone and How We Can Prosper Together
Heather Mcghee Virtual Speaking Event
Tuesday, January 17, 2023 7:00pm – 8:00pm EST
CNY Community Foundation
You’ll hear from Heather McGhee, New York Times best-selling author and one of today’s most insightful and influential thinkers. McGhee reveals the devastating true cost of racism — not just for people of color, but for everyone. Join folks from across the state to hear what McGhee learned from interviewing Americans of all races during her journey across the country. This virtual event is free. Registration is required.
ONGOING EVENTS:
Looking For Flexible — No Meeting, No Committee — Opportunity To Oppose War And Oppression And Work For Peace And Social Justice?
We call it STREET HEAT: an easy, uncomplicated way –in solidarity with a handful of others — to stand up and out for what we stand for. Greeting passing traffic at rush hour with hand-held signs, we want to get them thinking about the day’s crucial issues.
First Tuesday Of The Month…4 to 4:45 p.m.: Killer drones
Hancock AFB (home of the 174th Attack Wing of the NYS National Guard), 6000 East Molloy Rd.
across from the main gate. Park on the south shoulder.
Every Friday…4 to 4:45 p.m.
West sidewalk of the broad intersection of Erie Blvd East & East Genesee St. in De Witt (across from the Fire Dept.)
For years our focus has been on solidarity with the people of Palestine; while the invasion of Ukraine persists, we also address that tragedy.
Our current stalwart team: Julienne, Les, Leslie, Geoff, Ed, Ann, Peter…. To learn more: Ed or Ann 315 478 4571
CNY Solidarity Coalition
Check out our Website and our Instagram.
Sign up for this newsletter Here
Twitter: @CNYSolidarity and @IndivisibleNY24
Facebook: www.facebook.com/cnysolidarity/ and
www.facebook.com/groups/IndivisibleNY24
Mailing Address: CNY Solidarity Coalition, 2013 E. Genesee St., Syracuse, NY 13210
To contribute: Donate Here through PayPal. Or send checks to mailing address above
Our Committees: To sign up for each of the committee mailing lists, contact the person listed.
Indivisible Onondaga County (Formerly Indivisible NY24): Contact: Deborah Rose: dcurryrose@gmail.com
Climate Justice: Contact: Dick Kornbluth dick@dickkornbluth.com
SLAT (State/Local Action Team) Contact: Peter McCarthy – pmccar1100@gmail.com
Beyond War and Militarism. A joint committee of CNY Solidarity Coalition and the Syracuse Peace Council. Contact: Ron Van Norstrand; ron@vannorstrandlaw.com
CNY Solidarity Coalition contributes regularly to local progressive organizations: Syracuse Peace Council, National Action Network, and Urban Jobs Coalition, as well as to our mailing list provider, RiseUp. We also make occasional donations as needed to other local groups. We depend on our supporters’ contributions for this.
To contribute: Donate Here through PayPal. Or send checks to the mailing address above.