RG&E RATE HIKE COMMENT DEADLINES - MOVEMENT ASSEMBLY SATURDAY NOV 8 - NO KINGS MARCHES TOMORROW - MEMBER POTLUCK THIS SUNDAY - COMMUNITY FORUM ON HOUSING, BANKING, LIVING WAGE - A NOTE FROM A CHICAGO COLLEAGUE

Here are Metro Justice news and events for the week of 10/17/25

RG&E Rate Hike Comment Deadlines

MOVEMENT ASSEMBLY SATURDAY NOV 8! 

By now you've heard that RG&E is trying to get approved for ANOTHER round of 34% rate hikes and raising their rate of profits. We can't let them force more than half of Rochester into energy poverty while shutting down 5 walk in centers, and sending more money out of the country and subsidizing data centers. We say Hell No! 

Here's how you take action: 

• Register by the end of TODAY, Fri Oct 17, for a Virtual Hearing to oppose the rate hikes next Tues Oct 21 - at either 1pm or 6pm. If you have registered, please also drop a note to [email protected] that you'll be testifying! 
• Comment online by Oct 24 (next Friday!) against RG&E rate hikes! A sample testimony you can copy and paste or adapt will soon be added at this link, so keep your eyes peeled for that, early next week.
• Come to our Movement Assembly on Saturday November 8, from 1-4pm, location tbd - as a space for allied organizations and new people to get informed on the rate hikes, the public power  campaign and plug into planning for a December action opposing the hikes, as RG&E continues to gouge and shut off its Rochester customers. 
• SAVE THE DATE: Sat Dec 6 at noon - Public Action to Drop the Hikes! 

All the information on commenting - online or registering for the virtual hearing, and talking points for both, are on our overview page!

RSVP for the Movement Assembly here! 

NO KINGS MARCHES TOMORROW

Tomorrow we continue the gradual collective process of remembering, post-pandemic, that getting out of the house and onto the streets is an exhilarating way to claim the power of the people. There are rallies and marches planned across the Rochester metro area. The nearest are listed below; click here for the full list, from the Democrat and Chronicle.

• Rochester: Genesee Gateway Park, noon-3 p.m.
• Brighton: 1900 Monroe Ave., noon-3 p.m.
• Fairport: West Church Street and South Main Street, 10 a.m.-noon
• Henrietta: Henrietta Town Hall, 2-4 p.m.
• Gates: Corner of Buffalo Road and Pixley Road, 10 a.m.-noon
• Webster: NY-404 and Hard Road, 3-5 p.m.

At the Genesee Gateway Park event Metro Justice members will be moving around in the gathered crowd signing people up to join in more focused organizing around some of our core campaigns, the New York Health Act and Rochester for Energy Democracy (replacing RG&E). RED campaign volunteers should all have their clipboards already - if not contact Michi for help! For people volunteering to help with sign-ups for the New York Health Act, Alice will text you the precise meet-up location - it will be the spot where shuttles from the Sister Cities Garage (28 N. Fitzhugh St., free parking) will let people out at Gateway Park. Alice will also have the signs created at our Thursday art potluck, to hand out. It's not too late to sign up if you are interested!

MEMBER POTLUCK THIS SUNDAY

This Sunday at 6:30 is our second monthly Potluck Dinner! Fresh from flexing our collective muscle at Saturday's rallies, we will celebrate each other's company at a shared meal. While there will be no featured speaker (except all of us), we do have a topic for dinner conversations - how we each are set for healthcare now, how the Trump cuts will affect us, and how New York has an opportunity to reverse the damage by passing the New York Health Act - and how we can help make that happen! Please join together for dinner Sunday at 6:30, bring a dish if you can, but don't worry if you can't - there's always enough!

One last question regarding our new potlucks: the Metro Justice office can only be reached by climbing stairs at this time. If you would like to attend a potluck but the stairs would be an issue for you, click here to let us know we should prioritize seeking a more accessible location.

COMMUNITY FORUM ON HOUSING, BANKING, LIVING WAGE

Spiritus Christi and Citizens Action of NY are cosponsoring a Community Outreach Forum highlighting four specific ways the City of Rochester can mitigate the racist funding cuts made by Trump and his mega-wealthy cronies. They aim to channel the justifiable rage of those affected into pushing the Rochester City Council toward constructive action - regulations here in Rochester that will counter the vicious federal actions and cuts coming from the fascist elite in Washington. These are:

• Bank of Rochester Act - The development of public banking in Rochester would inform the community to what extent the City government seeks to improve the lives of its residents. The Bank of Rochester would create a revenue stream in the community that does not currently exist, developing services for small business folks and entrepreneurs.  This economic engine in the community ultimately creates more competition for services for these small businesses and entrepreneurs ensuring more lending opportunities as these businesses grow and develop.
• Living Wage - Too many folks are working more than one job to make ends meet.  Too many people are working customer service, child care, and other manual/median jobs that barely support subsistence living.  With the loss of Snap, health and housing benefits, there will be many more homeless and unemployed people, spiraling the City into chaos. Supporting a Living Wage ordinance would permit the City Council to get ahead of the economic downturn Rochester is facing.
• Housing Vouchers - We all know there is a housing crisis in Rochester. How many know it is due to the AMI structure for the threshold of poverty that excludes many Rochesterians from purchasing housing at fair market value? Increasing the amount and accessibility of Housing Vouchers will reduce the unhoused population, and ultimately pressure corporate interests to reconsider the need for, and economics of, affordable housing.
• Recalculate AMI (Area Median Income) - Reducing the threshold for poverty from $96,000 to $49,000 for City residences would be a game changer for the City of Rochester. This recalculation would result in reducing displacement of neighborhoods (gentrification), and further strengthen community development by making home ownership a viable option for lower income residents.  

Citizen Action believes it is within reason to consider these four issues as a City stimulus package for communities most in need of economic stimulus that would ensure Rochester becomes self-sufficient and self-sustainable as the federal government disrupts New York's economic health. At the Outreach Forum, this Monday 10/20, 7-9 pm at Spiritus Christi Church, 121 Fitzhugh Street, we will hear from a panel of activists and experts on these four issues, and learn ways to focus our energy into pressure for change.

A NOTE FROM A CHICAGO COLLEAGUE

While some of our fellow Metro Justice members are quietly beginning work together and with allies across Rochester already in this work to increase the coordination and reach of Rapid Response for immigration defense against ICE abductions, this seems a good time to share an extraordinary account from Chicago, detailing the effort, the risks, and the facts on the ground surrounding their community opposition to the intense ICE raids in that city. They Came For Our Neighbors. We Showed Up. Check it out, and think about how you might want to show up. While the initial background work goes on, you can already sign up here to get on the contact list for alerts as the multi-organizational system comes together.

UPCOMING EVENTS

• Every Friday through October 7:30 at the George Eastman Museum the Rochester Labor Film Series. 
• Saturday, October 18th, 12-3 pm Rochester Gateway Park, 151 Mount Hope Ave., the next Rochester No Kings Rally. If you can help at our table at the rally, click here 
• Saturday, October 18, 2 pm A Celebration of Life Service for Jamie Whitbeck, long active in Metro-Act and LGBTQ rights, will take place at First Unitarian Church , 220 Winton Road South, Rochester, with a reception following. To watch the service livestreamed on YouTube, go to https://youtube.com/live/XBNcm8logm0?feature=share. For the obituary, please visit www.anthonychapels.com.
• Saturday, October 18th, 3-5 pm Downtown United Presbyterian Church, 121 N Fitzhugh, Generational Engagement Matters presents Addressing Gun Violence. Meal provided, tickets $40.
• Sunday, October 19th, 6:30 pm at Metro Justice, 389 Gregory Street, Approaching the Healthcare Cliff; Member Potluck Discussion of Trump's healthcare cuts and how we can respond in New York. 
• Wednesday, October 22 2:00-4:00 pm Special informational meeting.  2025 will go down as the year of trampling of the rights of nursing home residents,  who suffered financial exploitation and loss of their community as their assisted living facilities and services abruptly ended. Two special speakers will join us to discuss Discharge Rights, what happened to residents and how they were helped during a very difficult time, and problems with the requirements under the  current law..[email protected].

• Thursday, October 23rd 5:30 pm at 30 N. Union Street, Ste 100, hear labor leader Bill Fletcher Jr. speak on American Fascism and its Opposition
• Thursday, October 23 (time) 30 Church Street, Room 302-A Zoning board HEARING
  ZPAC, Zoning and Permitting Accountability Coalition is submitting an appeal of an illegally issued document that the Director of Zoning submitted for a smoke shop in a low density residential neighborhood. This use is not allowed this close to homes and is a known nuisance. This permit process is one of the many ways marginalized residential neighborhoods are disinvested from and oppressed without public knowledge. Join us at City Hall. You can watch and learn or come speak up in support of our appeal. Speaking prompts can be provided if desired. Click here to learn more.
• Monday, October 27th, 1:30-2:30 pm Demonstration and call to action against the ongoing abuse at the Waterview Heights residential facility at 135 Meridian Street in Charlotte. People living here are dying in misery, and the Department of Health has yet to act. It’s time to bring this situation to light and demand a response. For more information, contact [email protected].  
• Tuesday October 28th at 7:30pm PNHP Student-Led Forum: Socialism in the Fight for Universal Healthcare, RSVP Here
• Saturday, November 8th - save the date for the Movement Assembly to widen the fight against RG&E
• Ongoing: If you are between jobs, good on the phone, and would like to learn about organizing, contact [email protected] about helping with a service workers organizing project. Speaking a language other than English is a plus!

DESKTOP ACTIONS: 

• Comment online by Oct 24 (next Friday!) against RG&E rate hikes! A sample testimony you can copy and paste or adapt will soon be added at this link, so keep your eyes peeled for that, early next week.
• Tell Stream Data Centers and Apollo Global Management: NO STAMP DATA CENTER! Protect our waters, our woods, and our way of life. This is quick to do, will show our solidarity with indigenous neighbors - and help us all avoid environmental degradation and increased climate change
• If you represent an organization, sign onto the Organizational Sign on Letter opposing a data center at the STAMP site here, by Oct 28. 
• Check out the info about the USMCA trade deal review and click here to make your comment at TradeJusticeEdFund.org 
• Repost/tweet the New York Health posts at the Campaign for New York Health Facebook page every Tuesday and Thursday noon
• Uphold Tonawanda Seneca Nation sovereignty and the CLCPA! No new NYS funds or permits to WNY STAMP, tell NYSDEC to protect the Oak Orchard Watershed. This is a quick and easy one, so let’s get their numbers going up!
• Get a "Replace RGE" yard sign! Be the envy of your neighbors!  
• Join Metro Justice or renew your membership - in these dark times we need to stick together, and to plan to support ourselves as much as possible.