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“Working class people around the world have no innate desire to go to war with each other. They have to be conned into it by the sociopaths who will profit from it.”

– John Lennon –

CNY Solidarity & Indivisible Onondaga County

We had a nice community check in on zoom yesterday where we had space to share what we are concerned about. How what is happening at the federal level impacts our local communities and how we will continue to show up, be visible and speak out. Thank you everyone who attended and shared.

A few of the concerns raised were the budget bill that was signed into law on July 4th that allocates about $150 billion to immigration enforcement through 2029. The devastating Texas flooding, the decimating of federal jobs, standing up for the LGBTQIA+ community, the climate crisis, the lead crisis here in Syracuse and the environmental impact of the Micron project.

Please subscribe to receive updates from NYIC, SIRDN & Workers’ Center of CNY as they provide important training and need our support. As we continue to call out the cuts to social services, we need to call out what is being expanded as our military budget is now over $1 trillion dollars ($1,000,000,000,000), the most it’s ever been.

Recommendations for staying up to date can be found here on our website. Reminder that what you are all doing matters. Every action adds up when we all take action together. Keep it up. Make a public comment on Micron’s DEIS, find a local candidate running this year to support, continue to be visible so others know they are not alone and so the far right sees they are outnumbered.

Upcoming Protests, Meetings and Campaigns

Every State Must Pass a No Secret Police Act

After public outcry, Congress was called to investigate ICE’s secretive and abusive tactics, masked arrests, hidden badges, and warrantless raids. Now, California is taking bold action, and every state needs to follow its lead. This comes after disturbing reports of federal agents kidnapping residents off California streets, hiding behind tactical gear and ski masks, actions that one mayor rightly called “state-sanctioned intimidation”.

California’s No Secret Police Act is a model for the nation.

Use this link to demand that your state leaders introduce and pass their own versions of this legislation now.

Don’t Fund Private Prisons!

Check out Prison Free Funds to help you find out if your money is invested in these economic systems of oppression and exploitation. By using this free online tool and our prison industrial complex-free action toolkit, you will be able to harness your economic power to shift your hard-earned savings away from these systems and support the movement for true equality and liberation for all people.

Visit prisonfreefunds.org to learn more. 

Sign the Petition: Fix the Lead Crisis in Syracuse

There is an ongoing lead crisis in Syracuse. The city has known about it since at least the summer of 2024, when officials announced water test results with more than double the levels of lead found during the Flint water crisis.

Tell the Environmental Protection Agency to require Syracuse to declare a lead water emergency

Defend and Protect NY Farmworkers

Under the current administration, one of the most fundamental sectors of our economy is under attack: food production. 73% of our farmworkers are immigrants, with undocumented immigrants making up 50% of the farm labor workforce. We must recognize and protect the workers that perform this strenuous, dangerous, and repetitive work. From the apple fields to the dairy farms, immigrant labor is essential to New York. All workers, regardless of status, deserve dignity and stability.

See this Action List from the Workers Center of CNY

Help us raise funds for a digital billboard during the NY State Fair!

In one week, we have raised 50% of our goal!! Let’s keep the momentum going so we can get this billboard up and running during the month of August. With a digital billboard we will be able to cycle through different messages. If you have any idea what message to display, email us your ideas. Should be less than 8 words. 

Learn More & Donate Here

Letters to the Editor

CNY Solidarity Coalition encourages letters to the editor regarding issues affecting us locally and nationwide. We also recommend that letters are written in response to recent articles; these are more likely to get published. Links to these articles will be included each week.

If you’re looking for a subject to write about, here are this week’s suggestions:

• An Upstate NY village gets a surprise visit from ICE: Why would they come for Mr. Zhang?

Guidelines for writing Letters to the Editor, with a link to previously submitted letters, can be found on our website.

If you’ve written a Letter to the Editor, whether it’s been published or not, consider  forwarding  a copy to cnysolnews@gmail.com, so that it can be added to our website’s “Opinion” section.

Syracuse police ‘inadvertently’ exposed driver data to thousands of cops around the country

The Syracuse Police Department this week confirmed to Central Current that it had opted into sharing driver data from its license plate readers with law enforcement across the country. The department opted in “inadvertently,” a spokesperson said.

Central Current

New York wants clean energy. Is nuclear energy the answer?

Gov. Kathy Hochul announced plans for the state’s power authority to develop another nuclear reactor to provide more energy to the state. The announcement touched off debate among renewable energy advocates.

Central Current   |  Big Tech Wants to Bring Back Nuclear. From Food & Water Watch

“Worst Thing I’ve Ever Seen”: U.S. Surgeon Describes Mass Starvation, Injury and Death in Gaza

A few days ago, Haaretz, the Israeli newspaper, reported that Israeli soldiers, IDF soldiers that they’ve interviewed, said that they were ordered to fire on unarmed crowds near food distribution sites. There’s been over 500 Palestinians killed since May at these food distribution sites.

Read it on Democracy Now!

‘Blatant misinformation’: Social Security Administration email praising Trump’s tax bill blasted as a ‘lie’

An email sent by the US Social Security Administration (SSA) that claims Donald Trump’s major new spending bill has eliminated taxes on benefits for most recipients is misleading, critics have said.

The Guardian

A July 4th Reflection: There are more of Us than Them

As the nation celebrates its 249th birthday, it’s hard not to wonder about the future of the American experiment. We ought to keep in mind a fundamental fact: There are more of us than them. More Americans reject the cruelty of Trump’s mass deportation crusade than accept it. More Americans oppose the profoundly unfair billionaires-enriching-Medicaid-slashing-deficit-busting tax-and-spending mega-bill than embrace it. More Americans disdain the Trump presidency than hail it.

Mother Jones

The Grand Opening of an American Concentration Camp

Dubbed “Alligator Alcatraz” by Republican officials because of the predators living in the surrounding swampland, it has been built to cage thousands of people rounded up by ICE and allied law enforcement agencies as part of President Trump’s mass deportations.

The New Republic

Obergefell at 10: Americans Support Marriage Equality, Religious Right Working to Destroy It

The U.S. Supreme Court ruled ten years ago today that the Constitution protects the right of same-sex couples to get married. A supermajority of Americans supports marriage equality, but anti-LGBTQ religious-right groups and their allies are determined to dismantle it.

People For the American Way

Plastic Free July Webinar

Tuesday, July 8, 12-1 pm

Please join Citizens Campaign for the Environment and their partners in the Coastal Watershed Network, including The Nature Conservancy and Save the Sound, for an educational webinar to kick-off Plastic-Free July. The free webinar will address plastic pollution on the shoreline and in our oceans, microplastics in our soils and food system, and the use of visual art to communicate the issue of plastic waste.

Register

Climate Change 101: What You Need to Know

Tuesday, July 8, 7:30 pm

Red, Wine & Blue Zoom event

Climate change is an existential threat to the world, but did you know that women bear more of the brunt of climate change harms than men do?

It’s true: Whether it be reproductive health risks, rise in domestic violence, or scarcity of food and water, women and girls are much more likely to be hurt as a result of climate change. That’s why climate change is a women’s issue!

Register

New York Immigration Coalition 2025 Central New York Roundtables

Wednesday, July 9, 4:30-7:30 pm in Syracuse, NY

Monday, July 14, 12-3 pm in Watertown, NY

Locations will be provided after registration

NYIC’s Regional Roundtables seek to collectively harness our power, foster collaboration, and increase our capacity as advocates, non-profit service providers, and immigrant and allied leaders working with immigrant communities.

Join us as we once again convene in person to check-in, recap the 2025 NYS legislative session, discuss emerging needs and brainstorm our 2026 statewide agenda. COVID-19 vaccination is required to attend these events and masks are strongly encouraged. Food will be served.

Register

Community Meeting – Syracuse Lead Crisis

Wednesday, July 9 at 5:30 – 7:30pm

S’Marie Photography Gallery & Creative Hub, 618 N. Townsend Street , Syracuse

We deserve safe drinking water regardless of our race, income, or zip code. Join us for a community meeting to learn about the fight to require Syracuse and New York State to address the lead emergency in our neighborhoods.

Share on Facebook  |  Sign Petition Here

Virtual “Know Your Rights” Training

Wednesday, July 9, 6-7:30 pm

Sponsored by the Syracuse Immigrant and Refugee Defense Network, and New York Immigration Coalition

For volunteers & employees and held by Mohammad Ali Seraji. Participation in a Know-Your-Rights Training is a requirement for joining the SIRDN Rapid Response efforts.

 For anyone who is trying to join SIRDN as an active volunteer, please take advantage of these opportunities, and let us know that you attended by emailing us at sirdn315@gmail.com.

Register

Syracuse Immigrant and Refugee Defense Network Orientation Training

Thursday, July 10, 7 pm

Required training for all new volunteers.

Register

GOOD TROUBLE LIVES ON – National Day of Action planning sessions

Thursday, July 10,   7-8 PM

Tuesday, July 15,   7-8:30 PM

Good Trouble Lives On is a national day of nonviolent action to respond to the attacks posed on our civil and human rights by the Trump administration and to remind them that in America, the power lies with the people. On July 17, the anniversary of Congressman John Lewis’s passing, we’re taking action across the country to defend our democracy and carry forward his legacy of Good Trouble.

Register

Pop-Up Rally – Indivisible Onondaga County

Friday, July 11, 5-5:45 pm

Intersection of Taft Road and Brewerton Road in North Syracuse, NY 13212

Bring your signs and join Indivisible Onondaga County for a weekly protest!  This week we will be  at  the intersection of Taft Road and Brewerton Road in North Syracuse.  A new location will be announced every Monday. Raise your voice with a community of protectors of the Constitution and human rights by peacefully assembling together to exercise our First Amendment rights!

Sign up for updates here

Rally for Lead-Free Water

July 12, 2025 @ 12-1 P.M.

Steps of City Hall, 233 E. Washington St., Syracuse, NY 13202

The Syracuse lead water crisis deprives community members of our right to clean and safe drinking water. Join us for a community rally to urge the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to require Syracuse and New York State to address this emergency.

Share & Spread the Word |  Sign Petition Here

Sunnking Sustainable Solutions Free Drive-Thru Electronics Recycling

Saturday, July 12, 2025 – 8:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.

NYS DMV – North Syracuse – 5801 E Taft Rd, North Syracuse, NY 13212

Free up room at home while supporting a cleaner planet. Bring your old electronics and let us handle the rest.

Register and Check our Acceptable Materials List.

Syracuse Immigrant and Refugee Defense Network General Meeting

Monday, July 14, 5:30-7 pm

Call for agenda items will go out on Sunday. Zoom link will go out Monday afternoon. General Meetings are held on the 2nd and 4th Monday of each month.

One Million Rising: Strategic Non-Cooperation to Fight Authoritarianism

Wednesdays July 16, July 30, August 13

Indivisible and allied national organizations are launching an effort to train one million people to engage in strategic non-cooperation to fight authoritarianism. Let’s try to get a good showing of folks from CNY.

Session 1: The Moment & Your Mission – July 16 Get oriented to making meaning of this moment and the role you can play in coordinated strategic action.

Session 2: How to Make it Happen – July 30 This train-the-trainer session is how we get to one million. Learn not just our strategy, but how you can train others and get them on board. You’ll host your first community resistance gathering after this session.

Session 3: What Now? – August 13 You’ll be onboarded to basic campaign design and learn how to implement it locally as well as get plugged into our next national campaign work. Your second community resistance gathering will move this action forward.

Sign up and spread the word Here

Fair Housing Conference

Thursday July 17, 9 am – 4 pm

Dineen Hall of SU Law School, 950 Irving Avenue, Syracuse, NY

Join CNY Fair Housing and the Housing and Homeless Coalition of CNY for a one-day conference on addressing housing needs in unprecented times. Connect with other housing and human services experts to strategize on actionable paths forward as we grapple with record levels of homelessness, increasingly unaffordable housing, and an administration that threatens to exacerbate the existing housing crisis.

The “U3” conference will include a panel discussion, morning and afternoon breakout sessions with your choice of workshops, as well as a film screening and discussion to conclude the day. A light breakfast and lunch will be provided.

Register

GOOD TROUBLE LIVES ON – National Day of Action

Thursday, July 17,  5:30- 7 PM

Clinton Square, Syracuse NY

John Lewis was a great American who stood for justice, liberty, the rule of law, civil rights and, most notably, voting rights. July 17th is the anniversary of his passing and there will be a national outpouring of protest against the current administration’s aggressive rollback of everything he stood for.

Register

Green Bag Lunch: The Micron DEIS Review or, Do they really expect anyone will read this 20,000 page report?

Friday July 18, 12-1:30 pm

GreeningusA Zoom event

A discussion about the general nature of commenting on SEQRA and NEPA reviews. What makes for a good comment?

Topics covered may include some or all of the following: cumulative growth impacts; NEPA and SEQRA legal framework for effective commenting; Energy consumption, Climate and nuclear power; Chemical uses, PFAS and discharges to water and air; Water resources impacts; Wetlands and endangered species; Employment and employee related issues; Community organizing, submitting comments, and time extension.

Register

July Banned Book Club: The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness

Wednesday July 23, 7:30 pm

Red, Wine & Blue Zoom event

The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness is a groundbreaking account of the modern criminal justice system and how it has created a new caste-like system that has resulted in the imprisonment of millions of Black Americans and making them second-class citizens. This book has been banned in prison systems in North Carolina and New Jersey and later allowed after the ACLU protested the bans. Liz Komar from The Sentencing Project will be our guest speaker.

Register

Puerto Rican Festival Syracuse NY

Saturday July 26, 1-9  pm

Sharkey’s Bar & Grill, 7240 Oswego Rd, Liverpool, NY

Get ready for an unforgettable celebration of Puerto Rican culture! Join us on Saturday, July 26th, starting at 1 PM at Sharkey’s Event Center. Come enjoy the vibrant rhythms, flavors, and community spirit! Don’t miss out—bring your family and friends! 

More Information

Erie Canal Songfest!

Wednesday July 30 at 6:30 – 8:00 PM

Erie Canal Museum, 318 Erie Boulevard East, Syracuse

Michael Messina-Yauchzy’s “An Erie Canal Trilogy” will premiere, telling the history of the canal through Syracuse and reflecting on its many social justice impacts, including those on the Onondaga Nation. Performed by Colin Aberdeen, Donna Dennihy, Colleen Kattau, and Jon Peterson, who add relevant songs of their own. Jack Manno plays his haunting Irving Powless flute, and Merlyn Fuller (Merry Mischief) sings favorite traditional canal tunes. Deputy Mayor Sharon Owens opens with a welcome; the concert ends with Michael’s loving ode to Syracuse, “Crystal of a City” (flawed but dear). Free concert (donations welcome). Limited seating, so advance tickets are encouraged. 

Reserve A Ticket Here

Syracuse Street Heat is just one, very unencumbered way to work for peace and social justice. We’re part of a decades-long grassroots tradition here, in Ithaca and elsewhere. We stand out and stand up for what we stand for. 

A handful of us stand at busy intersections, for 45 minutes at rush hour, pivoting to the traffic with hand-held signs. We want to get the public thinking about issues often underrepresented in the media. We’re there weekly in almost all of Syracuse’s weather (we seldom cancel). Bring your own sign – or use one of ours. No meetings or committees, so participation time is minimal (yay!) Our Team:  Ann, Dick, Ed, Geoff, Jim, Julienne, Les, Leslie, Peter…. 

To learn more, call Ann or Ed: (315) 478 4571.      

2025 Spring, Summer, And Fall Schedule

Year round: Every  Friday afternoon. 4   to 4:45 pm   justice for Palestine; no more U.S.  funding Israeli genocide;  U.S.: stop terrorizing  families in Gaza; and so on.

West sidewalk of the intersection of Erie Blvd. East Genesee St, Dewitt (across from the Fire Dept.)

Beginning first Saturday in April: 4/5/25

Every Saturday 9 to 9:45 am with a variety of issues : anti-militarism, racism, Palestine genocide, Anti-nuke, climate disaster, etc.

Across from the main entrance to the Syracuse regional market, 2100 park st    

Stay in touch for anti-killer drone actions at Hancock National Guard Base

upstatedroneaction.com                           spc@peacecouncil.Net 

Watch past meetings about Micron, Good Jobs Town Hall, Rallies and more on our YouTube Channel.

Donate to the CNY Solidarity Coalition

CNY Solidarity Coalition contributes regularly to local progressive organizations: Syracuse Peace Council, National Action Network, & Urban Jobs Coalition. We also make occasional donations as needed to other local groups. We depend on your donations for this. Please note donations are not tax deductible.

Donate Online through PayPal

Mail donations to:

CNY Solidarity Coalition

P.O. Box 6137, Teall Post Office, 226 Teall Ave., Syracuse NY 13217

Our Committees

To sign up for each of the committee mailing lists, contact the person listed. 

Indivisible Onondaga County: Contact: Tom Keck

Climate Justice: Contact: Dick Kornbluth

SLAT (State/Local Action Team) Contact: Peter McCarthy  

Beyond War and Militarism: A joint committee of CNY Solidarity Coalition and the Syracuse Peace Council. Contact: Ron Van Norstrand

Elaine Denton

Peter McCarthy

Coordinating Committee

CNY Solidarity Coalition