PROTECTING OURSELVES FROM OUR GOVERNOR

Direct action heats up New York’s budget season this year as we approach Hochul's bid for reelection. On Tuesday March 25, about 100 activists blockaded the State St entrance to the NYS Capital, demanding the passage of NY4All, a bill which would protect our immigrant neighbors. After blocking traffic on State St, activists and politicians took the party indoors and chanted, sang, and salsa’d in front of security and their turnstiles. “State Police were told not to arrest protesters that day, and the demonstrators left a few hours after the rally began.” (Told by who? Traditional knowledge suggests that the Governor’s office - even Hochul herself - has a hand in directing the behavior of State Troopers operating within the Capital Complex.) Read the rest!

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STAMP DATA CENTER PUBLIC HEARING

This is just a boost for one of the upcoming events! The STAMP Data Center would be a terrible and expensive thing for all of us, as we know. Who wants to pay one and a half billion dollars of public money to destroy forest and wetland and help huge corporations take over our lives even faster than they are? There has been enough public outcry that a new public hearing has been set, for the afternoon of Thursday, April 16, 4 pm at the Town of Alabama Fire Hall. That's nearly an hour, so if you work you'll need to take a bit of time off. But this is one that's worth it. We need to stamp this one out. For some of these public hearings the invitation has only gone out to residents in the immediate area, but this one is for all of us! Click here to register for the event, and the address is 2230 Judge Rd, Basom, NY 14013.

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!

TODAY Monday, April 6, 7-8:30 pm States at the Core is presenting am on-line training labeled "Creative Action - How to Build and Amplify Actions That Have Impact". Sign on at the link and you can still make it!

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

Thursday, April 9, 7-8 pm New York Health Campaign Statewide Hub meeting (monthly zoom on 2nd Thursdays) Check in for the latest news about passing universal healthcare in New York!

Saturday, April 11, 1-3:30 pm Washington Square Park Hostile Architecture Hike Join ROC DSA for an urban hike exploring hostile architecture in Rochester. We’ll break down how these designs impact our community, then head out on a scavenger hunt to spot examples across the city. Prizes included.

Sunday, April 12, 3-7 pm Flying Squirrel Community Space, 285 Clarissa St., Fairy Tea Party Fundraiser Indulge your whimsy and dress up like a fairy at the Flying Squirrel, 3pm-7pm on April 12. $20 tickets go towards Nourish the City and the Free Art Collective.

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

Tuesday, April 14, 6 pm Bill and Bob’s, 298 Monroe Ave., Presentation & Workshop: Reviewing City Council President Report on Homelessness Dig into the City Council President’s Report on Homelessness and join a real, solutions-focused discussion.

Wednesday, April 15, 6-8 pm Join RED (Rochester for Energy Democracy) for their biweekly meeting at the Gregory St Office, where we’ll discuss items for the week in our quest to replace RG&E. 

Thursday, April 16th 3 pm Online session about joining the International Solidarity Movement to answer the Palestinian call for solidarity presence in the West Bank

Thursday, April 16 4pm Town of Alabama Fire Hall (2230 Judge Rd, Basom, NY 14013, 50-minute drive from Rochester). Public Hearing on STAMP data center RSVP here to let us know you’re coming: all allies are very much welcome. Then tell all your neighbors, friends, and family. We want an even bigger turnout this time! Read the March 19 hearing transcript here. 

Monday, April 20, 8 pm Eyes on ICE Train-the-Trainer event. This session will equip participants to train others on core Know Your Rights topics such as the right to remain silent, the right to refuse to consent to searches, and the right to record ICE and other law enforcement officials. We will also cover best practices for reducing risks when exercising rights.

Saturday, April 25, 10 am-noon Monroe County Safety Marshals is offering training in how to become a marshal for events and rallies, along with purchase of the necessary equipment (vest, radio, etc.). This is the first of several trainings to be held in Gates, Fairport, Henrietta and on line. Click here to sign up for any of them. 

Monday, April 27, 7-8 pm Join our monthly (4th Mondays) zoom meeting of the Western NY Hub for the Campaign for NY Health, working to pass universal healthcare in New York state. We need this now more than ever! And legislators now privately agree - they just need our political backing to fight down the insurance lobby and bring it to a vote. 

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

Demand Progress invites us to sign their petition urging Congress to block Paramount's deal to buy Warner Brothers. The merger violates antitrust laws, would hurt consumers and artists, and poses serious ethical concerns, including allowing Trump and allies to increase their control of news media.

With student loans now being moved from the Department of Education to the Treasury Department, the system is clearly in transition. Borrowers shouldn’t pay the price for that chaos. Sign the petition demanding an immediate payment pause so the government can get this right and put Americans first.

The League of Women Voters invites us to sign their petition to our federal representatives telling them to reject additional funding for ICE; investigate ICE, CBP, and the Department of Homeland Security's (DHS's) use of force; impose additional DHS guardrails and accountability measures on immigration enforcement; and take steps to protect the constitutional rights of civilians to peacefully protest and assemble without having their lives threatened or taken.

Ongoing

Deadline extended to 4/15 to protest the massive AI data center in Genesee County at the STAMP site, which abuts Tonawanda Seneca land. The proposed project wants $1.44 billion in subsidies, would have a massive environmental impact, and create very few jobs, all while impinging on the human rights of the Tonawanda Seneca Nation and using water from the Monroe County Water Authority. Please submit comments using these tools to stop this poorly thought-out proposal:

1. Submit written comments on the requested financial incentives and environmental review
2. Demand that the GCEDC Board of Directors extend the Data Center Comment Period
3. And tell Kathy Hochul to come out in opposition to the Monster Data Center and STAMP!

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. Our goal is 10,000 letters sent; 1,669 sent as of 3/31/2026. 

Help end federal violence against Cayuga Nation in central NY: information link and gofundme link ($6,405 raised of $9,000 goal as of 3/31/26)

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. (2,278 messages sent of 3,000 goal as of 3/31/26)

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.

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.