From CNY Solidarity Coalition
CNY Solidarity Zoom Meeting, 2/26/23, 2PM-3:30 PM on ZOOM
Invest in Our New York (IONY) 2023 Facebook: https://fb.me/e/3gX1nF6pL
Becky Saletan of IONY, Presenter
It is time to push our NYS legislators to demand a fair tax system to meet the needs of all New Yorkers.
- New Yorkers are being crushed by rising costs and an uneven COVID-19 recovery.
- Corporate landlords have driven up the cost of housing (40% in the last two years), essentials like food & energy are more expensive than ever, and employers continue to deny workers fair wages despite historic profits.
- We must fund programs that will put money back in people’s pockets in the short term and ensure that the state invests long-term in our communities.
Demand that Governor Hochul pass a budget that funds $40 billion in new investments, and makes the wealthiest people and corporations pay New York what they owe. https://www.investinourny.org
See the proposed tax reforms and take action on the IONY website.
Also see the articles below.
Watch your email for the agenda and Zoom link
3/12/23 CNY Solidarity Coalition In-Person Meeting, Bishop Harrison Center
3 PM- 5 PM. Note the return to our 3 PM start during Daylight Savings Time
Facebook: https://fb.me/e/2b3CSwDoR
Please come, attend a session with one of our committees, then hear updates from all the committees!
New members and all interested people are welcome to come and learn about our efforts.
3/26/23: (Tentative) Zoom meeting 3 PM
Current plan for meetings, dependent on health warnings:
- 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 until the time change on 3/12, followed by in-person Committee Meetings
- 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.
- Please wear a mask, and practice reasonable social distancing.
ARTICLES OF THE WEEK:
This week: Focus on wealth inequality and fair taxation.
Please read and attend your NYS legislators’ events below!
Progressive Lawmakers Renew Calls For Higher Taxes On Wealthiest New Yorkers
Advocates contend that a slate of bills that are being pushed this session would go a long way toward closing New York’s wealth gap, which is among the highest in the nation, according to the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy. Lawmakers and activists behind the push say that the progressive tax reform they propose would raise $40 billion in new funds that could be used for policies like free tuition to state universities or investments in overhauling the state’s buildings to make them climate-resilient… Read it Here
“Governor Hochul Fails To Meet The Moment:” Invest In Our New York Responds To Governor’s Executive Budget Presentation Read it Here
To no one’s surprise, Governor Hochul’s budget proposal presentation continues to prioritize corporate giveaways while failing to sufficiently invest in the services and programs that keep all New Yorkers safe and thriving.
Don’t let them tell you the governor has made up her mind and we are powerless:
Democrats Reject Hochul Chief Judge Pick Lasalle In Full Senate Floor Vote
It’s the first time in state history that a governor’s pick for chief judge has been rejected by lawmakers since the current process has been in place since 1977. Read it Here
Repeated from January in case you missed it:
Time Magazine: The Top 1% of Americans Have Taken $50 Trillion From the Bottom 90% — And That’s Made the U.S. Less Secure
“…According to a groundbreaking new working paper by Carter C. Price and Kathryn Edwards of the RAND Corporation, had the more equitable income distributions of the three decades following World War II (1945 through 1974) merely held steady, the aggregate annual income of Americans earning below the 90th percentile would have been $2.5 trillion higher in the year 2018 alone… At a recent pace of about $2.5 trillion a year, that number we estimate crossed the $50 trillion mark by early 2020.” Read it on www.Time.com
It’s Time to ‘Railroad’ the Oligarchs
Some lessons from the (almost) Great Railroad Strike of 2022. Read it in The Progressive
“While worker wages have stagnated in the past four decades, chief executive officer compensation has skyrocketed. From 1978 to 2021, it increased by 1,460 percent, according to an analysis by the Economic Policy Institute. Concurrently, the average worker’s compensation package has grown at literally 1 percent of that rate.”
ACTION ALERTS:
Please subscribe to our CNY Solidarity YouTube channel! We need 25 subscribers! Use this link:https://www.youtube.com/@cnysolidaritycoalition2242
You can provide important input for CENTRO’s efforts to reshape its public transit system!
Whether a bus rider or not, take the “Exploring Tomorrow’s Transit” Survey NOW: https://smtcmpo.org/centroett/
Moving People Transportation Coalition is pleased to partner with CENTRO and Syracuse Metropolitan Transportation Council in the promotion of the survey that will provide valuable data as CENTRO moves forward with its plans to overhaul and to innovate routes and modes of transport.
CNY Solidarity Coalition needs a volunteer to help with our Facebook postings!
Training provided. Respond to this newsletter or to cnysolidarity@gmail.com
Help for earthquake victims in Syria and Turkey
Two of the most reputable organizations doing this work: www.oxfam.org www.doctorswithoutborders.org
Syracuse Cultural Workers Seeks Jill of All Trades More Info Here
SCW is a peace and justice publisher selling retail and wholesale. SCW’s 12 person staff is caring, creative, hardworking and committed to making a difference. If you are a person of integrity looking for a challenge, apply now.
EVENTS/ACTIONS CALENDAR
Public Hearing on Closing Jamesville Correctional Facility
Wednesday, February 22 at 10AM in the Mulroy Civic Center (14th floor) on a local law to change the county charter “for closure of the county penitentiary facility.” This local law was passed by the Onondaga County Republican Legislators on February 9th against the Sheriff’s recommendation, NYS Commission of Correction concerns and public concerns for safety for people who are incarcerated and County employees. View the local law here on page 48.
Can’t make the 10AM public hearing? Send your comments to the County Executive at ryanmcmahon@ongov.net or call (315) 435-3516.
Cherokee Nation Author Brandon Hobson reading at Syracuse University
Raymond Carver Reading Series
February 22, 2023, 5:00 p.m. Gifford Auditorium at SU
Preceded by Q&A session at 4:00 p.m. Open to the public.
Dr. Brandon Hobson is a 2022 Guggenheim Fellow. He received his PhD from Oklahoma State University. His novel, Where the Dead Sit Talking, was a finalist for the National Book Award, winner of the Reading the West Award, and longlisted for the Dublin Literary Award, among other distinctions. He is an enrolled citizen of the Cherokee Nation Tribe of Oklahoma.
Senator Rachel May’s 2023 Budget Town Hall
Wed., Feb. 22 AT 5:30 PM – 7 PM
Northside Learning Center, 501 Park St, Syracuse, NY 13203-1524
Senator May will discuss her budget priorities and answer questions. Open to the public.
Rob Boston on the Separation of Church and State in American Life
February 22nd at 7 pm on Zoom. Strathmore Speakers Series & Onondaga Free Library
An important discussion of the role the separation of church and state continues to play in American life.
Rob Boston, Senior Adviser at Americans United for Separation of Church and State will provide a historical overview and highlight the ways in which Americans have sought to defend or compromise this uniquely American ideal. A brief Q&A will follow. Register Here
Syracuse Immigrant and Refugee Defense Network
Feb. 23 and more:
Register now for phone banking to advocate for the Unemployment Bridge Program #ExcludedNoMore
Utility Debt Relief & Energy Affordability Program Enrollment Workshop
Thursday, February 23, 2023. 5 Pm – 7 Pm, Beauchamp Branch Library
Alliance for a Green Economy. Info/registration: RSVP here
Struggling to afford utility and winter heating bills? You’re not alone. Millions of New Yorkers cannot afford their energy bills due to inflation, financial impacts from the COVID-19 pandemic, inefficient homes and volatile fossil fuel prices. We will help you determine eligibility for debt relief and connect you with other programs. Free application assistance and Spanish translation services available.
Notes on Ukrainian Cinema: From Shadows of Forgotten Ancestors to The Earth is Blue as an Orange
Thursday, February 23, 2023, 7-9pm
ArtRage – the Norton Putter Gallery 505 Hawley Avenue, Syracuse, New York.
Mišo Suchý, Professor of Film at Syracuse University, with host an evening sharing and discussing Ukrainian Cinema. He will share excerpts of the 1965 Classic Soviet Era Film Shadows of Forgotten Ancestors which was filmed in Krivorivnya, the same village Lida Suchy photographed in our current exhibition, “Portrait of A Village, Ukraine”. He will also screen the contemporary Ukrainian documentary The Earth is Blue as Orange, filmed mostly in Krasnohorivka in the Donetsk region. It won the Directing Award in the “World Cinema Documentary” category at the 2020 Sundance Film Festival.
2/28 – Save the Date: Invest in Our NY Albany Day of Action (more info soon!)
Save the Dates
Nicole Terez Dutton Reading at Syracuse University
Raymond Carver Reading Series
March 1, 2023, 5:00 p.m. Gifford Auditorium at SU
Preceded by Q&A session at 4:00 p.m. Open to the public.
Nicole Terez Dutton’s work has appeared in Callaloo, Ploughshares, 32 Poems, Indiana Review and Salt Hill Journal. Nicole earned an MFA from Brown University and has received fellowships from the Frost Place, the Fine Arts Work Center, Bread Loaf Writers’ Conference, and the Virginia Center for the Creative Arts. Her collection of poems, If One Of Us Should Fall, was selected as the winner of the 2011 Cave Canem Poetry Prize. She teaches in the Solstice Low-Residency MFA Program and is the Editor of the Kenyon Review.
Budget Town Hall Meeting With Assembly Member Al Stirpe
Wed., Mar. 1, 6;30-8 pm – Clay Town Hall, 4401 Rt. 31, Clay, NY
https://www.facebook.com/AssemblymanAlStirpe
Budget Town Hall Meeting With Assembly Member Al Stirpe
Thurs., Mar. 2, 6;30-8 pm – Cazenovia Free Library, 100 Albany St., Cazenovia, NY
https://www.facebook.com/AssemblymanAlStirpe
Community Information Night: Assembly Member Magnarelli
Thursday, March 2 • 6 p.m. Lakeside Fire Department, 1002 State Fair Boulevard
Exploring Ukrainian Literature: Ukraine Beyond the Headlines
March 2, 3023 from 6-7:30pm
Register for this free event by emailing info@artragegallery.org. After registering you will receive a collection of short readings to read before the event. Pat Burak, a part-time assistant professor at Syracuse University of Ukrainian heritage, welcomes you to an evening exploring Ukrainian literature.
As a contribution to the deeper background of Lida Suchy’s current exhibition “Portrait of a Village Ukraine” Burak will talk about Ukrainian culture as it has been presented and preserved in literature for centuries
More info at https://fb.me/e/3pJ6w6SDW or https://artragegallery.org/ukraine-beyond-the-headlines-exploring-ukrainian-literature/
How the Ultra-Rich Avoid Taxes, and Why It Matters for Our Democracy
Friday, March 3 | 4 PM EDT | Maxwell Auditorium. Campbell Public Affairs Institute
Jesse Eisinger is a senior editor and reporter at ProPublica. Before joining ProPublica, he was a columnist for the Wall Street Journal, covering markets and finance. He is the author of “The Chickenshit Club: Why the Justice Department Fails to Prosecute Executives.” Eisinger won a Pulitzer Prize for National Reporting, for a series of stories on questionable Wall Street practices that helped make the financial crisis the worst since the Great Depression.
More recently, he was the lead reporter on “The Secret IRS Files,” a series that explored the tax avoidance techniques of the ultra-wealthy. It won the Selden Ring and the Barlett & Steele prize.
A live stream link will be available from our website on the day of the event at Campbell Public Affairs Institute.
Communications Access Realtime Translation (CART) will be provided. Parking is available for a small fee in the Irving Garage. For additional accommodations and information, contact jjnocevs@syr.edu or 315.443.5850.
Communities Not Cages Virtual Advocacy Day – March 6
Communities Not Cages is a statewide campaign building the power of people and families impacted by mass incarceration to overhaul New York’s racist and unjust sentencing laws. Join us on March 6th, 2023 for a virtual #CommunitiesNotCages advocacy day. We’ll have a press conference, rally, power hour and meetings with dozens of lawmakers. On March 6, we’ll meet with lawmakers on Zoom to demand passage of the Eliminate Mandatory Minimums Act, Second Look Act, and Earned Time Act.
RSVP here to join us on March 6 to advocate for Communities Not Cages and invite friends, family, and colleagues. You can forward this email or post on social media using this social media toolkit. If you’re new to the campaign, learn more at the Communities Not Cages website here.
Worker Solidarity Day of Action
March 8th – Albany, NY
Workers and allies: Join us for a day of action in Albany to advocate for the Unemployment Bridge Program and Raise Up NY campaigns!
In 2023, we are holding New York lawmakers responsible for the treatment of workers across the state.
The WCCNY will gather in Albany on March 1st with the Raise Up NY Coalition.
Transportation will be provided from Syracuse for the mass mobilization to Albany on 3/1 and 3/8.
Anyone interested in attending these events please contact:
Mina Aguilar, maguilar@workerscentercny.org, (315) 218-5708 ex. 5
Housing Justice for All #OurHomesOurPower Albany Day of Action, 3/14 -. RSVP here!
Save the Date: Invest in Our NY Albany Day of Action, 3/21 – (more info soon!)
Syracuse Citizen Review Board (CRB): Acknowledging 30 Years!
April 5, 2023
10:30 AM Assembly @ Dunbar Center and Hopps Memorial Church
11:oo AM March to City Hall
12:00 PM Speakers: City Hall Steps
5:30 PM @ Nancy Cantor Warehouse: Reception; Discussion of the CRB’s past, Present, and Future
“Listen to the Elders” Speaker Series
April 13, 6-7:30pm Nonviolent Action from Civil Rights to Climate Justice, Peter Graham Scholarly Commons, Bird Library Room 114. Activist and author George Lakey discusses his work with the Earth Quaker Action Team (EQAT), a mostly youth-led coalition, which he co-founded to pursue ecojustice at the intersections of race, class, queerness, and the climate crisis. See below to register.
“Listen to the Elders” Speaker Series
April 14, 9am-12pm Climate Justice Nonviolent Direct Action Training
Community Folk Art Center (CFAC), Civil rights leader and author George Lakey works with community leaders and university students, faculty, and staff to think carefully about how they can craft nonviolent social change campaigns to be inclusive, powerful, and successful. See below to register.
Election Day: November 7, 2023 County, town, and village elections. More information can be found on the NY State Board of Elections page and at the Onondaga County Board of Elections Primaries will be in June.
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.
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Twitter: @CNYSolidarity and @IndivisibleNY24
Facebook: www.facebook.com/cnysolidarity/ and
www.facebook.com/groups/IndivisibleNY24
Mailing Address:
CNY Solidarity Coalition
P.O. Box 6137
Teall Post Office
226 Teall Ave.
Syracuse NY 13217
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.
Peter McCarthy
Coordinating Committee
CNY Solidarity Coalition