Militarization is growing both locally and globally, from ICE deployments domestically, to ongoing occupation in Palestine, to threats of war in Iran. The Rochester Beacon reported that an estimated 10,000 people showed up for the “No Kings” protest in October 2025, and the demand for action has only grown since then. What can new Metro Justice activists learn from their predecessors?
Around 2004, several Metro Justice members began an antiwar campaign addressing George W. Bush’s war on terror and his invasion of Iraq. They called it the Peace Action & Education task force (PA&E). The task force met regularly and began collaborating with college anti-war groups, military veterans within the Iraq Veterans Against the War, and Military Families Speak Out. This collaboration evolved into RAW, the Rochester Against War coalition. RAW organized local protests against growing US militarism while arranging bus caravans to New York and Washington DC to join nationwide actions organized by the ANSWER (Act Now to Stop War and End Racism) coalition and other groups.
RAW also campaigned against military recruitment in schools and colleges, and informed schools about the details of the No Child Left Behind Act, which mandated that secondary schools provide military recruiters access to students’ contact information unless the family opted out. RAW encouraged the Rochester School Board to refuse to share information with the Department of Defense despite the risk of losing federal funding. When military recruiters went to campuses, administrators notified RAW. The coalition set up tables that provided students with information about the content of the military contracts they were being asked to sign (Macaluso, 2006).
Meanwhile PA&E set up an anti-war storefront, officially known as the Antiwar Storefront Crisis Center. The group converted a storefront on Monroe Ave. into a library of anti-war literature and a venue for various events. The space hosted weekly debates, served as a call center, and drew ordinary people off the street who were inspired by signs like “U.S. Out of Iraq” (DeToro, 2007). This physical space attracted an array of people, educated them, led to impromptu discussions, and drew national attention. This earlier activism highlights the importance of personally inviting people to events, the value of physical meeting spaces, and the power of coalitions.
Now again, seasoned activists have noticed increased public action, like anti-ICE movements spurred by recent events in Minnesota. But Trump’s growing foreign militarism has not received the same attention. Metro Justice has the opportunity to learn the lessons from its past to educate the community about issues of national importance, including US involvement in Palestine and threats of war internationally (Greenland, Latin America, Iran, etc.). As it continues to further its local campaigns, Metro Justice now needs to step up to these latest dire threats and global challenges.
Find ways to take action at MetroJustice.org and on social media @metrojustice. Sign up for our weekly newsletter for updates!
References:
Rochester Beacon Oct. 2025 - https://rochesterbeacon.com/2025/10/23/a-rising-tide-of-activism/
CITY Magazine interview 2006 - https://www.roccitymag.com/news-opinion/we-have-to-get-involved-2131805/
Reporting on Anti-War Storefront Crisis Center 2007 - https://socialistworker.org/2007-1/634/634_12_Storefront.php#:~:text=Rochester%20Against%20War%20(RAW)%2C%20one%20of%20the,tremendous%2C%22%20says%20Brian%20Lenzo%2C%20a%20facilitator%20in
Robert Reich “Sunday thought: Green Shoots?” 2026 - https://robertreich.substack.com/p/sunday-thought-green-shoots