Action Newsletter: July 16 – July 23

CNY Solidarity Coalition Upcoming Meeting Schedule: 

(No meeting in July)

Sunday, August 11

(NOTE: CNY Solidarity Coalition is a founding member of SustainCNY, along with other local organizations with an environmental focus.)

Wetlands Permitting Action Needed for Micron Plant, Clay, NY

The deadline is fast approaching to submit written comments to the Army Corps of Engineers (ACOE) on the federal wetlands permit related to the proposed White Pine Commerce Park Chip fab development (the Micron plant). Public comments, and requests for a public hearing, must be in writing and received by 4:30 pm on July 31, 2024.

Micron is going to build on 200 acres of wetlands, plus destroy over a mile of an existing stream.  Surrounding wetlands will likely be impacted because the hydrology will be altered, and the development will increase the risks of non-point source pollution. Three endangered species, the Sedge Wren, Indiana Bat, and Northern Long-Eared Bat, will be affected.

If these impacts concern you, please submit comments clearly referencing “Application No: LRB-2000-02198 (Section: NY)” to: US Army Corps of Engineers Buffalo District

File via email to: celrb-micron.public.comments@usace.army.mil

SustainCNY urges you to comment on your own, or to use this template letter and send it to the ACOE so that at a minimum, these three demands are made:

1. If Micron/OCIDA has to build on this site, they should be required to construct or rehabilitate between 300 and 400 acres of wetlands in the vicinity to offset the loss.
   
   

2. That, in addition to this written comment period, a public hearing be held to obtain public comments because it is necessary to assure the public has adequate opportunity to be heard.
   
   

3. The review of this permit be subject to the NEPA EIS, and the permit is not issued until the NEPA prescribed process, including adequate public review and comment on all aspects and details of the mitigation plans for this action as well as other aspects of the proposed development, are completed.

Further information: contact us at info@sustainCNY.org.

SustainCNY is volunteer-driven. You can help us grow our work by donating through the GreeningUSA website – please note the donation is for Sustain CNY.

Organizations: to join Sustain CNY, contact us at info@sustaincny.org or use this Google Form.

Individuals can participate through a member organization– we recommend joining GreeningUSA, which has reasonable dues at $40 per year.  

Please use and share these valuable resources on our website!

• Directory of Local Organizations – Advocacy and Direct Services

• Find your Representatives – Federal, State, and Local

• Events Calendar

• Issues – Micron, Election 24, 81…

Some veterans (I was in the Army, infantry in the U.S. war against the people of Viet Nam — yes, it’s two words) who have been in war zones make it through the weekend by sleeping in the basement, or wearing earplugs, or sedating themselves. It’s not a pleasant experience.

…Do we have “equality”? Do we have “unalienable rights to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness”?

This country has plenty of noise. What we need is dialogue, especially with “others,” about our issues and what can be done to make the words of the Declaration of Independence a reality.

Read it on Syracuse.com

Commonsense guardrails are needed to protect taxpayers dollars from wasteful stock buybacks and excessive CEO pay. Computer chip companies who have been awarded $30 billion in subsidies spent more than $41 billion on stock buybacks between 2019 and 2023, underscoring the need for strong rules to ensure new subsidies improve the semiconductor manufacturing base and don’t merely enrich shareholders and CEOs, according to a new study. Stock buybacks increase share prices (benefiting top executives) without creating jobs or spurring innovation.

The report from the Institute for Policy Studies and the Americans for Financial Reform Education Fund, Maximizing the Benefits of the CHIPS Program, analyzes the distribution of the $39 billion in subsidies for semiconductor manufacturing under the 2022 CHIPS and Science Act.

Read the Report’s Key Findings & Recommendations  |  Read Article

Now is the time for action, not distraction! Project 2025 threatens our democracy. While we know that Project 2025 will destroy civil rights, reproductive freedom and turn our country towards extremist Christian Nationalism – too many of our friends and family are completely unaware. But we can change that together! No one is better equipped to help us meet this challenge than our favorite historian Heather Cox Richardson. Join us to hear from Heather on what we can do together to win this battle in November.

This YouTube video with HCR is from July 15. Watch on YouTube.

Wednesday, July 17. 11am – 12pm EDT

James M. Hanley Federal Building, 100 S Clinton St

See Headline above

42 years ago, Dik Cool, Karen Kerney, Jan Phillips, Linda Perla and Jack Manno decided to continue publishing the Peace Calendar which Dik had started 11 years earlier at the Syracuse Peace Council. Although there really isn’t an actual “birthday,” Dik Cool, who loved celebrating birthdays, chose July 17.

This is our first anniversary without Dik, and we just sent the 2025 Peace Calendar to the printer.

Syracuse Cultural Workers History

Thu, July 18, 5pm – 6pm

Immigrant Tea Time is an online community discussion group hosted by the New York Immigration Coalition. Participation is free and open to everyone, whether you are an immigrant, refugee, family, friend, or ally. If you are interested in learning about social issues, community organizing, current events, and more, please join us! Questions? Please contact Bryan Lee (blee@nyic.org)

The New York Immigration Coalition, a state-wide, member-led coalition of immigrant and refugee organizations, works to transform the lives of all New Yorkers by strengthening and building our members’ power, organizing and educating our communities and the public, and using our collective voice to advocate for opportunity and justice.

Sign up

July 18, 2024 – 7:00 PM to 9:00 PM

ArtRage Gallery, 505 Hawley Avenue, Syracuse, NY 13203

As a closing event for our current exhibition, “Ben Altman: I Own This Stolen Land” we welcome poets Kahsenniyo Kick and Kenzie Allen to perform at ArtRage. Footage from their 2023 performance in Danby, NY (on the site of the “Stolen Land” project) has been on view as part of this exhibition.  Sarah Buffet, Project Manager of the Gayogohó:nǫˀ Learning Project will lead a discussion after the poetry reading. 

More Info Here

Friday, July 19, 12:05 pm to 1:00 pm

Join us for a FOCUS Forum on People’s Equal Action and Community Effort, Inc. (PEACE, Inc.), its pursuit of Community Action in Onondaga County, and its recently released Community Needs Assessment. 

The forum will discuss community action, share findings from PEACE, Inc.’s report, and spur discussion about the necessary steps to ensure everyone within our community can benefit from the potential socioeconomic renewal offered through Micron, the I-81 project, and more.

During this free, virtual FOCUS Forum, a moderated Q&A session will follow the presentation. We will alsobe taking questions submitted during registration.

Access the PEACE, Inc.’s Community Needs Assessment here. It is free and all are encouraged to read/use it.

Panelists from PEACE, Inc.

• Maribel Arce, Director of Grants and Planning

• Carolyn Brown, Executive Director

• Todd Goehle, VP of Operations & Strategy

 This online forum will be conducted via Zoom. Registration is free and open to everyone.

Register Here 

Friday, July 19 at 4:00pm – 5:00pm

Corner of Erie Blvd & E. Genesee Street, Dewitt

Since 2008 Street Heat has dedicated Fridays to Gaza! 

Join us every Friday from 4 to 5 pm at the corner of E. Genesee and Erie Blvd for STREET HEAT!

Come join us. Bring your own sign or use one of ours.

For more information contact spc@peacecouncil.net

Follow Syracuse Peace Council on Instagram

Saturday, July 20^th; 6 PM

Syracuse Center for Peace and Social Justice | 2013 E Genesee St, Syracuse

Get ready for an exciting evening as we screen the powerful classic, THE BATTLE OF ALGIERS (1966)! This gripping film dives into the intense and dramatic Algerian War for Independence from France, bringing history to life with raw, captivating storytelling.

New to Syracuse DSA? You’re more than welcome to join us! Meet our awesome members, learn about our organizing, and discover how you can join us in our important Palestine Solidarity work. Plus, we’re serving dinner to keep you fueled for discussions after the movie.

As for all our indoor events, masking is strongly encouraged and we will have some to spare. Hope to see you there!

Details on Facebook

Sunday, July 21 at 2 pm – 4 pm. Oakwood Cemetery 

Presented by Historic Oakwood Cemetery Preservation Association

Central New York was a hotbed of the Abolition movement and many of its participants are buried in Oakwood.  

Use the Oakwood Main Entrance on Comstock across from the Islamic Society of CNY. Look for the Tour Sign and follow the arrows to the parking and tour meeting place.

Wear comfortable shoes. All tours are free, but donations are accepted. We tour, rain or shine, but not during thunder and lightning. Oakwood souvenirs will be available for purchase at the tours.

July 24, 2024.   7 – 8 P.M.

Info & Registration for Link 

Beyond Plastics

Stop at the Syracuse Peace Council Booth and visit CNY Solidarity Coalition

Help CNY Solidarity at the table: Fill out Google Form to Volunteer 

Friday, July 26: 10:00 am – 6:00 pm
Saturday, July 27: 10:00 am – 5:00 pm
Sunday, July 28: 10:00 am – 5:00 pm

Arts & Crafts – The 2024 Syracuse Arts & Crafts Festival will feature around 150 artists and crafters representing 19 U.S. States and Canada. Visitors can shop and browse among the art and craft exhibits showcasing an exceptionally wide selection of contemporary arts and crafts, from functional to decorative.

Performing Arts – The festival also features the performing arts. A full schedule of free continuous entertainment will include street performances by musicians, costumed ethnic dance groups, and local singers/songwriters.

Syracuse Arts and Crafts Festival

Syracuse Peace Council at the Syracuse Arts and Crafts Festival 

Join us and table at the Festival! We will be part of the Montgomery Street Arts Collective. Founded by Alberta Pepin and Walt Shepperd, the collective provides grants to organizations whose youth art programs support underserved communities. 

Each vendor makes a donation of their profits which are then donated to youth programs like the YMCA’s Creative Writing Programs, the Onondaga Nation School Art Dept., La Casita Cultural Center, The Community Folk Art Gallery and the Westcott Community Center afterschool art program on the Eastside. 

We need you to come and help us out over the 3 days. Please click the link here to find a volunteer form. 

Friday, July 26, from 5:00-7:00 PM. Opening reception.

Exhibition runs May 31 to August 16, 2024, in Lightworks Kathleen O. Ellis Gallery.

316 Waverly Ave, Syracuse

Black Artist Collective member and photographer Will Stith’s (@willdabeast215), work is on view in the group exhibition at Light Work titled “According to the Laws of Chance.” The artists in this exhibition—Cheryl Miller, Claire A. Warden, Jaclyn Wright, Josh Thorson, Kyle Tata, Louis Chavez, Will Stith, and Light Work’s collection artists Cecil McDonald, Jr., James Welling, Peter Finnemore, and Rita Hammond—explore and define chance as a core element of their diverse practices.

Will Stith’s photography practice involves constant engagement with the camera, capturing spontaneous and intricate body language at events and in city centers. His readiness to photograph moments as they unfold reflects the themes of chance integral to his work. Stith has frequently used his lens to make images of Black Artist Collective events, lending his talents to archiving the collective’s vibrant activities and cultural contributions.

July 27, 2024, 8:30 A.M. – 12 Noon

CNS High School, 6002 Rt. 31, Cicero, Ny 13039

Info & Registration

Saturday & Sunday, July 27-28 @ 10 AM – 5 PM
Ganondagan State Historic Site

7000 County Road 41 (Boughton Hill Road) Victor, NY 14564

Ganondagan’s annual Indigenous Music & Arts festival showcases Haudenosaunee and Indigenous cultures through dance, music, storytelling, traditional craft demonstrations, an Indigenous Arts Market, children’s activities, Indigenous food, and more.

This year welcomes Māori artists and performers. The event will feature artist demonstrations, dance performances and collaborative opportunities with Haudenosaunee artists, performers, and culture bearers. Artists will also be selling their work.

More Info

July 30, 2024 07:00 PM 

According to Meteorologist Peter Hall, yesterday (July 15) Syracuse TIED the record high for that date, and Syracuse has never had this many 90° days (16) thru July 15. In light of these heat waves, the NY Assembly’s and Governor Hochul’s failure to pass the NY HEAT Act during the legislative session are even more appalling. 

Join Renewable Heat Now for our monthly virtual power hour! These meetings are a great place to learn, get plugged in, and take quick and easy but impactful actions with us. 

We’ll be sharing summer actions to build power to pass the NY HEAT Act and share how you can plug into other RHN initiatives.

We’re fighting for policies and funding to phase fossil fuels out of buildings to fight climate change, lower utility bills, create good green jobs, and make New York healthier! 

Register to Receive Link

Aug. 6, 7 PM BH

Bishop Harrison Center, 1342 Lancaster Ave., Syracuse, 13210.

The Syracuse Peace Council will sponsor a screening and discussion of the award-winning 20-minute documentary Appreciation: The Tomiko West Story, a survivor’s story of Hiroshima, with Director Michael Dwyer. 

Jeremy Love, National Field Organizer of the Back from the Brink Campaign to Prevent Nuclear War will lead a discussion about escalating tension between nuclear-armed nations and actions citizens are taking to prevent nuclear catastrophe. 

Free and open to the public (donations accepted). Refreshments will be served.

August 10, 2024. At Bread and Roses Collective,  405 Westcott St., Syracuse, NY 13210

3:00 – 3:30 p.m., Free garden tour open to the public.

3:30 – 5:30 p.m. Cooking class. REGISTRATION REQUIRED (Space Limited). 

By:  Climate Change Awareness and Action and Bread and Roses

Sign Up Here

This cooking course will go over vegan recipes using locally sourced and home-grown ingredients while discussing the effects of food and agriculture on our climate. The event has two parts: a short 30 minute garden tour that is free and open to the public, then a cooking class that REQUIRES registration as space and supplies are limited. Attendees will receive a recipe booklet of the dishes that they will be creating that evening.

Syracuse Street Heat is just one, very unencumbered way to work for peace and social justice. We’re part of a decades-long grassroots tradition here, in Ithaca and elsewhere. We stand out and stand up for what we stand for. 

A handful of us stand at busy intersections, for 45 minutes at rush hour, pivoting to the traffic with hand-held signs. We want to get the public thinking about issues often underrepresented in the media. We’re there weekly in almost all of Syracuse’s weather (we seldom cancel). Bring your own sign – or use one of ours. No meetings or committees, so participation time is minimal (yay!) Our Team:  Ann, Dick, Ed, Geoff, Jim, Julienne, Les, Leslie, Peter…. 

To learn more, call Ann or Ed: (315) 478 4571.      

FIRST & THIRD TUESDAYS OF THE MONTH…4 TO 4:45 P.M. (Killer Drones)

Across from the main gate of Hancock AFB, home of the 174th Attack Wing of the NYS National Guard  training Reaper drone operators. 6000 East Molloy Road.

EVERY FRIDAY…4 to 4:45 p.m. (“CEASE FIRE NOW”, etc./ Palestine solidarity)

A handful of us disperse along the sidewalk with our signs at the very busy intersection of Erie Blvd East and East Genesee St. (across from the DeWitt fire station; park in the nearby mini mall lot.)

EVERY  SATURDAY…9 to 9:45 a.m. 

(range of issues: racism, Palestine solidarity  anti-war, anti-war, etc.)

Across from the Syracuse Regional Market, 2100 Park  St. at the 81N Liverpool/Park St. exit. Park in the Market lot on the north side of Park. You can use one of our signs or bring your own.

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. 

Donate Online through PayPal

Mail donations to: 

CNY Solidarity Coalition

P.O. Box 6137, Teall Post Office, 226 Teall Ave., Syracuse NY 13217

Our Committees

To sign up for each of the committee mailing lists, contact the person listed. 

Indivisible Onondaga County: Contact: Tom Keck

Climate Justice: Contact: Dick Kornbluth

SLAT (State/Local Action Team) Contact: Peter McCarthy  

Beyond War and Militarism: A joint committee of CNY Solidarity Coalition and the Syracuse Peace Council. Contact: Ron Van Norstrand

Elaine Denton

Peter McCarthy

Coordinating Committee

CNY Solidarity Coalition