THE WEEK IN REVIEW

"A lot going on" is becoming the new normal. That may not feel like a good thing - but when it is activism going on, it is! Trump and crony capitalism are doing incalculable damage both nationally and locally. One unfortunate collateral casualty is our collective peace of mind, with new demands and annoyances daily from emboldened corporations to add to our smoldering existential fears. Life was never easy and never will be, whatever the marketing campaigns and addictive algorithms are telling us, but our best lives are lived with other real people, fighting for what is right for all of us. That will be our route toward both a more equitable future and to greater personal peace amid the chaos of the present. 

On the healthcare front, there was a Lobby Day last Tuesday in Albany, crowded with people and office visits. Legislators shared that they need us to give them concrete next steps toward bringing the bill to a vote, so we in Western NY are inviting them (and their schedulers) to collaborate to set dates, promote and attend Healthcare Town Halls in Rochester and Buffalo to help build the groundswell that will convince Hochul, Heastie and Stewart-Cousins that voters of both parties are fully engaged in this issue. We held a planning meeting earlier this evening, and are beginning outreach to potential ally organizations in Rochester and Buffalo; click here if you are interested in helping out!

At Wednesday's Rochester for Energy Democracy meeting, the Metro Justice office was full to bursting as we were joined by many MSW (Masters of Social Work) students from SUNY Brockport and Nazareth University. Keep your eyes peeled for an upcoming spring rate hike potluck! 

STOP VERIZON OPENING RESIDENTIAL STREETS TO BROADBAND TOWERS

Meanwhile, a new and imminent threat has emerged. Cell carriers are planning to add whole-house broadband service to the cell phone services they offer now, and Verizon wants to lead the way, and has re-submitted a previously denied application to place a 6-story 5G high intensity broadband cell tower on the corner of a residential street in North-East Rochester. They make this sound like a good thing, "adding broadband service in an under-served area." But Rochester (unlike rural areas where the service could be helpful) is already fully served with broadband through an extensive fiber-optic network now reaching all neighborhoods, including low income areas. It is affordability, not availability that is the issue in poor neighborhoods and across the city. Broadband service is extremely profitable, and cell carriers simply want in on the action. 

Verizon's proposed tower is far taller than is safe, or permitted under Rochester zoning rules, for a residential neighborhood. And the health effects of RF radiation at the intensity needed for reliable 5G broadband service are still poorly understood. The reason Verizon chose Portland Avenue for their proposed site is that the neighborhood is lower income and under-resourced, so they think they can easily sway the Planning Commission to bend the rules for them. But FCC law says the City Planning Commission may not favor one carrier over others. This means if Verizon succeeds in planting a dangerously oversized tower in a residential neighborhood, T-Mobile and AT&T will soon be asking for theirs. This is a precedent we must not allow to be set. Sign up here for information about how to send a comment to the City Planning Commission, and to attend the 5 pm CPC meeting and 6 pm hearing on Monday, May 30, at City Hall Rm 223B.

COUNCIL HIGHLIGHTS

This will be a new monthly newsletter segment, the week after the Council meeting that occurs on the third Monday of each month 

• At last week's meeting, members of the new Council began with introductions. The prompt for the round robin was "what strengths can you offer?" and responses included public speaking, vision and focus, record keeping, meeting moderation, and financial skills, consistency, and engaging people both in general and in specific partner organizations.
• George then led a brief Nationbuilder training session, and reports were heard from campaign committees. Much of that material is covered elsewhere in this newsletter, but there were also reports from the Workers Assembly and the Sanctuary Committee.
• The Workers Assembly of Rochester is an association of labor activists for whom Metro Justice acts as a fiscal sponsor, handling their accounts until they establish their own non-profit status. Their current project is the Rustbelt Rising Conference, weekend training conference scheduled August.
• The Sanctuary Committee, still in the process of formation, promoted and signed onto a letter to the University of Rochester administration supporting stronger policies against cooperation with ICE. Current university policy does not specifically ban the use of administrative warrants on campus, or take other necessary steps to assure student privacy and safety. The U of R has failed to respond within the deadline in the letter, so further action will be forthcoming.
• Discussion around Metro Justice's longstanding history of antiwar activism and the fact that a timely statement on the current outrageous new war in Iran has not come out led to the 4/12 potluck discussion found on the calendar below, as well as mention of the fact that Metro Justice will have a table at the Gateways No Kings event, and should also have a speaker there as well.
• The Fundraising Committee is now very focused on the Annual Dinner, and the need (not previously understood by committee members) to contact labor unions about table sponsorship with sufficient notice to allow for board decisions. That matter is now in hand, and the ticket purchase link is fully operational. 
• The Finance Committee report notes that an unexpected grant in December means that we are on track to finish the year in the black but does not resolve an ongoing structural deficit or the continuing dependence on grants to supplement member dues. In order to continue to support resistance at heightened levels, and avoid the potential of subversion by grantors, we need to continue to grow our dues-paying membership base.
• Carlton, in his first Organizer Report, described how he has been meeting with Metro Justice leadership and allies, orienting himself to the technical work of the role, and developing campaign plans.
• For Fundraising & Membership, George reported on a membership phonebank and a new member/volunteer engagement meeting, both of which went well. Volunteers have stepped forward both to work with Carlton on the web site design and for the fundraising committee, as well as interest in campaigns. George recommended that committees post their regular monthly meetings more visibly to prospective volunteers. We are gradually increasing in membership and dues are tracking well, nearly meeting the monthly goal last month ($4,841/$4,900) plus a substantial and appreciated single donation.

UPCOMING EVENTS

DAILY 5:30-6:30 pm West Main and West Broad Streets (by Nick Tahou's) Stop for an hour at the NO ICE TERROR camp, to help raise awareness of the ICE detention center the federal government wants to locate in the Keating Federal Building (Click here for Brian Sharp's article on WXXI News.) This is a great opportunity to meet like-minded people!

Monday, March 23, 7-8 pm Healthcare Committee zoom meeting to plan upcoming Rochester and Buffalo Healthcare Town Halls.

Monday, March 23, 6-8:30 pm Screening sponsored by Upstate Drone Action of "Earth's Greatest Enemy" Irondequoit Public Library, 1290 Titus Avenue, Rochester NY, Parking Available

Tuesday, March 24, 4:30-6:30 pm Member and Volunteer phonebanking, at the Metro Justice office and over zoom. Help us make calls to grow our membership and engage volunteers. We are in an all hands moment both locally and nationally — so we need to engage everyone we ca in the fight for justice here in Rochester. No prior experience is required and phone banking is a tremendous help to us as an organization — we'll set you up with everything you need. 

Thursday, March 26th, 7-8:30 pm Protecting Human Rights 2026, a gathering at First Unitarian Church, 220 S. Winton Rd., sponsored by the GRCC Faith in Action Network and The Interfaith Alliance of Rochester

Friday, March 27, 1-2 pm at the Genesee Co-op Federal Credit Union, 395 Gregory Street, the Climate Solutions Accelerator is holding a press conference to demand that our legislative leaders Defend the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act (CLCPA) against Governor Hochul's attempts to weaken the act before it can be fully implemented. Register at the link to join.

Saturday, March 28 is the next No Kings Rally Day, in 3 Rochester locations: 9:30-11:30 am at Pittsford Village Four Corners;  10-11 am in Gates, on the sidewalk near Home Depot; 12-3 pm Genesee Gateway Park, Mt. Hope & Alexander. Pick a time and place that works for you, to be heartened by seeing just how many of our fellow Rochesterians are ready to rise up together!

Monday, March 30, 5-7 pm Protest Verizon's proposed broadband tower at the City Planning Commission's 5 pm meeting and 6 pm hearing, at City Hall, 30 Church Street, rm 223B. Use this link both to sign up to attend and for information on how to send a letter of comment to the Planning Commission, along with useful talking points. 

Wednesday, April 1, 4:30-7 pm Metro Justice Union Happy Hour at Three Heads Brewing This one's for union members! Ring in better weather with us over beers and snacks on a weekday afternoon. Consider this a chance to get to know Metro Justice's 2026 Council (many of whom come from the world of organized labor here in Rochester) and our new Staff Organizer, Carlton Huff — as well as comrades from different sectors of the union world! This is distinct from our past happy hours that have been part of our Labor Advisory Council — so no dues required! We'll have another of those soon, but this one is strictly a social event.

Wednesday, April 8, 2-5 pm Screening sponsored by Upstate Drone Action of "Earth's Greatest Enemy" Henrietta Public Library, 625 Calkins Rd, Rochester NY, Parking Available

Sunday, April 12, 5:30-7:30 Metro Justice Sunday Potluck This month's discussion topic: How can our anti war history inform our actions today?

Saturday, May 9, 5-8 pm Metro Justice Annual Dinner, AFSCME Hall, 1956 Lyell Ave (just east of 390 Lyell Ave. exit). Our Annual Dinners have for many years been a mainstay of our annual fundraising, supporting our outreach and organizing work. Please use the link to sign up for tickets today, so that our fundraising volunteers are not madly scrambling to keep up with tickets and tables at the last minute. Thank you!

DESKTOP ACTIONS

NEW

Protest Verizon's proposed broadband tower Use this link for information on how to send a letter of comment to the City Planning Commission, along with useful talking points. 

Can't get out on Friday's press event to help Defend the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act? You can also help protect this crucial climate legislation by joining all or part of a phone bank event from home! This Wednesday from 9 am to 1 pm, you can join from anywhere to make calls. Click this link to RSVP for a script and phone numbers to call.

Ongoing

Add your name to the letter to New York Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie to bring the Packaging Reduction & Recycling Infrastructure Act to a vote! This Act would greatly reduce the amount of single-use packaging that we pay for - in money, health and climate. 

Help end federal violence against Cayuga Nation in central NY: information link and gofundme link

Tell Governor Hochul to pass NY4All with this one-click email tool. And call her office regularly at (518) 474-8390. NY4All would prohibit both formal and informal collusion between local police and ICE/CBP in perpetuity. Hochul has proposed her own legislation which only covers formal collusion for the next 3 years: Hochul’s proposal is weak and irrelevant, New York must pass NY4All into law.

The Campaign for New York Health is doing ongoing work with collaborators to push for passage of the New York Health Act, the best response our state could make to the disastrous healthcare cuts by the Trump administration. Sign our petition to legislative leadership here, and use this tool to email your Senator and Assemblymember.

Governor Hochul wants to roll back critical parts of NY’s climate law. But you can’t change the rules because you’re losing the game. We know that weakening the law will undermine our climate commitments and force New Yorkers to pay higher and higher energy costs. NY Renews has provided a 1-click letter to State Senate and Assembly leadership demanding that they hold firm in protecting the climate law and New York communities!

Do you know where your birth certificate is? Three voter suppression bills (the SAVE Act) in the federal House and Senate would force Americans to present a passport, birth certificate, or other citizenship papers in order to register to vote in federal elections, and are clearly designed to deter millions of people from casting their ballot in our democracy. Click here to thank your Democratic senators for holding the line, and encourage them to continue, or encourage Republicans to rethink their support.