Community Newsletter & Events
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CNY Solidarity & Indivisible Onondaga County
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Our next monthly meeting will be Sunday, January 11 at All Saints Parish Center – Syracuse Mayor Sharon Owens will be our special guest speaker. RSVP Here
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2025 was a year filled with Protests and Rallies of all sizes, Election Victories, and Issue Advocacy. Here are some of the highlights.
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From the start of the year, our Protest Team organized and co-organized multiple actions in Central New York. We held protests of Trump administration actions at the Hanley Federal Building in Syracuse. We also hosted multiple #TeslaTakeDown protests at the dealership in Fayetteville.
When national calls for large-scale protests picked up in the spring, we stepped up to draw the line when democratic norms and bodily autonomy were under attack. We helped organize Hands Off in April, May Day in May, No Kings in June, John Lewis Day in July, and No Kings 2 in October.
The turnout kept growing. About 2,500 people came out for Hands Off, 7,500 for No Kings 1, and 11,000 for No Kings 2. Each action built more visible solidarity, and helped turn our work into a movement focused on protecting democracy.
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In addition to the special large protests, we also held recurring actions:
- Monthly Overpass Bridge Brigades have been appearing for the past three months
- We hired a Billboard Van to display our messages during the NY State Fair
- And starting Memorial Day weekend, weekly Pop-Up protests have appeared throughout Central New York. Each week, 30-40 (or more) dedicated sign-wavers have been met with enthusiastic honks, waves and thumbs-up from passing cars.
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On Election Day, all of that organizing energy sent us into the voting booth, as CNY joined the nationwide “Blue Wave”:
And these results are reflected in nationwide trends: Progressives are being elected even in Red areas, MAGA representatives are retiring or resigning, judges are halting many of the worst right-wing excesses, etc.
Much of this is certainly due to the work of millions like us in thousands of groups across the country who are showing up, calling, writing, and talking to people about what’s gone wrong and what we can do about it.
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We allied ourselves with the Workers Center of CNY and the Syracuse Immigrant Refugee Defense Network , to raise awareness of the illegal actions of ICE and the plight of its victims. We publicized Know Your Rights training and information, and encouraged Coalition members to become actively involved in support of immigrants in our community.
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The rotary on the coming Business Loop 81 was moved away from the initially proposed spot at Martin Luther King School to several blocks north at Van Buren St.
Also the NYS DOT has agreed to unprecedented levels of health and safety monitoring and support for residents affected by the 81 removal and reconstruction.
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We supported the Alliance for a Green Economy (AGREE) in their advocacy for removing the “100 Foot rule” which subsidized climate-damaging gas line installations for new construction. Gov. Hochul recently announced that the rule will be removed saving taxpayers nearly $600 million annually.
In addition, we helped save the EmPower+ program by making calls and writing letters. This state program enables low and moderate income residents in our communities to improve their homes and live cleaner, greener, healthier, and more affordable lives.
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The MICRON project was on our radar, and we initiated the formation of Sustain CNY , an alliance of local environmental organizations to focus on it. We brought attention to the short timeframes for comments, lack of transparency, and other questionable actions.
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We conducted a Fundraiser for the Food Bank of CNY that was extremely successful. 210 Donors raised over $16,000 for the Food Bank. With the Food Bank buying power and distribution network, that is enough to provide 48,000 meals to our neighbors in need! Congratulations to all who participated!
Donations are still being accepted here.
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Our mass rallies and consistent public presence have encouraged Congressman John Mannion to continue publicly criticizing the authoritarianism of the MAGA regime. Although we have significant differences with him on a number of issues, this consistent outspoken criticism of MAGA is hardly the norm among Congressional democrats.
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And, through our monthly meetings, committee work, and communications, we brought attention to a range of local issues, including:
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2025 showed what we can do together, We saw a strong coalition come together around shared values. We planned together, shared messaging, shared the risk, and shared the joy.
2026 will bring challenges, but we’re in a better position locally and nationally than we were a year ago:
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So, starting next week, regular Coalition activities will resume:
- Pop-up Protests will resume on Saturday, January 10 (location TBA)
- Our next monthly meeting will be Sunday, January 11 at All Saints Parish Center – Syracuse Mayor Sharon Owens will be our special guest speaker. RSVP Here
- Overpass Bridge Brigades will start up again (location TBA)
- And all of our committees, subcomittees and special issue teams will continue to meet and refine their efforts; we’re a work in progress, and always welcome newcomers!
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Special Note about the Newsletter:
Starting next week, the Newsletter content will be evenly divided between Tuesday and Thursday editions, to try and make the overall length more resonable. Protests and Action Alerts will be in the Tuesday edition, and Events and Articles will be sent out on Thursday.
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Watch past meetings about Micron, Good Jobs Town Hall, Rallies and more on our YouTube Channel.
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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 Here
Mail donations to:
CNY Solidarity Coalition
P.O. Box 6137, Teall Post Office, 226 Teall Ave., Syracuse NY 13217
Sign up for one of Our Committees
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Elaine Denton
Peter McCarthy
Coordinating Committee
CNY Solidarity Coalition
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