Central New York Chapter of the New York Civil Liberties Union - NYCLU

This November, New Yorkers will get a chance to vote on Prop 1 — the New York Equal Rights Amendment — but first we need to make sure the language on voters' ballots is clear and understandable.

The Board of Elections has put out draft language that’s confusing, and even more concerningly, doesn’t mention explicitly that it protects abortion and LGBT people. Voters deserve to know how this amendment works and that it protects the people and issues they care about.

Please take a minute to fill out the link urging more clear and concise ballot language.

Help Voters Understand Prop 1 Please take action!

A step in the right direction to begin to rebuild the Citizens Review Board.

Community input is valuable and needed.

Despite veto, Syracuse lawmakers aren’t done trying to address police watchdog problems Common councilors don't try to override mayor's veto that would have removed power from Citizen Review Board

Seeing new and familiar faces at CNY PRIDE this weekend was a blast!

Great convos and you all had great questions about the Equal Rights Ammendment and the SIGH ACT.

A huge thank you to our members and volunteers who walked in the parade and tables throughout the day, your energy and enthusiasm for social Justice and rotecting civil rights and liberties is infectious!

HAPPY JUNETEENTH!

Syracuse celebrated all around town with multiple events for the entire community.

ATTENTION:*TIME SENSITIVE*
There will be a Public Safety Committee Hearing this coming Tuesday (June 18) at 11:00am in the Common Council Chambers.
On the agenda there will be the Citizens Review Board and it is important that the community and stakeholders are present to hear about the any plans that are developing as it pertains to the CRB.

Unfortunately, yet again this is being announced with limited time to notify the public being that we are just becoming aware of this meeting.
Please share this information with your networks to spread the word.

Stop by the NYCLU tent at the Syracuse Juneteenth Festival, June 15 and 16 from noon to 6pm.

Our tent will be on the South Salina side 📣

The Schools Impacted by Gross Highways (SIGH Act) passed both houses of the legislature! A special thank you Rachel May and member Yudelka Tapia the true champions for this bill!

A piece of legislation that all started at one community meeting by one parent saying in regard to the I-81 project “It shouldn’t be this hard to stop a state agency from placing a major on/off ramp 100 feet away from an elementary school.”

We did our research and realized, not only was she correct, it shouldn’t it be this hard, but 23 other states had already, in many cases for over a decade- already regulated that action. And so in 2020, with Senator May's Zeliff and Van der vort the the advocacy began!

We are more than halfway there! But we have been here before! The SIGH Act was vetoed by the Governor at the request of NYC Mayor Adams. But this year, will be different! We are going to continue to put the pressure on the Governor and NYC Mayor Adams to sign this bill into law!

Special thank you to all of our coalition partners, especially our environmental justice coalition, who meet every week to push this bill, our CNY local coalitions who sent letters, shared in their newsletter and/or shared our e-action.

See full press release

NYCLU Calls on Governor Hochul to Sign the SIGH Act - NYCLU ALBANY – Today, the New York State Legislature passed the Schools Impacted by Gross Highways (SIGH) Act (S4550B/A8998B) — a bill co-authored by the New York Civil Liberties Union (NYCLU) which would address environmental racism and protect students’ health by prohibiting the future constructio...

The State Assembly Must Pass The SIGH Act Before Lawmakers Leave Albany

Tell your Assembly member to pass the SIGH Act Today!

Protect Students from Highway Pollution Please take action!

LEARN MORE ABOUT JOB OPPS WITH THE I-81 PROJECT!

Knowledge is POWER!

This past March the official ERA campaign launched across the state of New York.

Many gathered and connected with community members and partners to kickoff the ERA in the CNY region.

If you would like to learn more about the ERA or grab your friends and colleagues and volunteer please reach out via email to [email protected]

🚨 Equal Rights Amendment Campaign NY 🚨

“The ERA would protect millions of New Yorkers from discrimination.” www.NYCLU.org

Read more on the ERA here…

https://www.nyclu.org/commentary/what-you-need-know-about-new-yorks-equal-rights-amendment

What You Need to Know About New York’s Equal Rights Amendment - NYCLU The state legislature took the first step in passing an Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) last month that would safeguard the rights of millions of New Yorkers. The legislature passed the bill shortly after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, threatening abortion as a right and paving the way....

For over a decade the EPA and CDC have warned about the dangers of having children attend schools in such close proximity to major highways. Data proves not every student is being exposed to such awful toxins. Over 80% of the schools have predominantly Black and Brown students and 100% of these schools are in low income areas.

This is an issue of race and class, that the Sponsor and leaders and seek to remedy. By advocating for the SIGH Act. This bill will stop future construction of schools near major highways, with some necessary exemptions.

Show your support by sending clicking the link and signing on to support the passage of this bill.

Protect Students from Highway Pollution Please take action!

CRB Pubilc Hearing Mayors Vote:
“Mayor Walsh has about three weeks to deceide whether to sign or veto the legislation…”

“The idea there was never a public hearing or public meeting to discuss these amendments or the problems before legislation was introduced is abominable and anti democratic," Gewanter said.

Deka Dancil with the CNY Chapter of the New York Civil Liberties Union expressed a similar sentiment.

“I just think that this happened way too fast," Dancil said. "The Citizen Review Board as we know was designed to be a citizen led initiative. Therefore, there should be no fundamental changes to the legislation without citizen involvement.”

Two dozen turn out for mayor's hearing on measures increasing oversight of Citizen Review Board Most expressed frustration over the lack of engagement from the common council, which narrowly approved the changes last week. The charter requires the mayor to hold a public hearing on any local law.

CALL TO ACTION
Wednesday MAY 1, 2024
10:30am @ CITY HALL

TELL the MAYOR to STRENGTHEN The Citizens REVIEW BOARD.

We urge the mayor to listen to community input through a series of public hearings and for the common council and city administration to work in partnership to identify solutions to strengthen the CRB.

"Whether intended or not, the perception is that this proposed legislation undermines both the integrity and independence of the CRB as an important community institution." - The Law Offices of Allen Rosenthal

The Citizen Review Board (CRB) was created to ensure an open citizen-controlled process for reviewing grievances involving members of the Syracuse Police Department. (https://www.syr.gov/Departments/Citizen-Review-Board-CRB)

Syracuse University students attend a lunch and learn complete with a robust conversation about the NYS Equal Rights Amendment.

Interested in learning more? Volunteering? GOTV?

If you are in the Central New York area and would like to schedule a presentation in-person or virtual for your group or org please inbox or email [email protected] for more info.

‼️‼️CALL TO ACTION ‼️‼️

On Monday 4/22 at noon the Syracuse Common Council is scheduled to vote on an amendment to the legislation that outlines the governance of the CRB.

Contact your district councilor NOW and demand that the Common Council vote NO to this proposal, and show up to the study session on Monday to hold a sign!! We will not stand for a weakened CRB!

ALARMINGLY, the Common Council is planning to do this without first providing citizens any opportunity to provide their input through a public hearing, this is unacceptable.

IF PASSED, this proposal will limit the independence of the Citizen Review Board as it revokes the power to hire, fire, and supervise the CRB.

Our Common Council should be seeking to strengthen and protect our CRB, NOT THE REVERSE!!

Please call your common counselor

STUDENT AMBASSADOR SPOTLIGHT

Today the NYCLU Student Ambassador’s had the pleasure of having a phenomenal presentation on the zoning history in Syracuse, NY from our public health intern, Sydney.

Sydney is a Public Health major from Syracuse University and brings a wealth of knowledge and innovation to the Syracuse NYCLU team!

The NYCLU believes to have an equitable New York, we must address the past. We must address slavery and the impacts that linger today. We understand that these impacts although historically have directly targeted Black people, are affecting all New Yorkers and we cannot achieve equity without repairing those harms.

Addressing the many harms slavery caused is no simple task. But we are strongest when all our communities have the resources they need to thrive. We are in full support of the formation of the Reparations Taskforce and hopeful the commission will put us on a path towards understanding the legacy of slavery and building a shared appreciation across all communities of both the need for and the righteousness of reparations.

This is critical for building a more equitable and stronger New York. To learn more about our position, read a blog that I had the pleasure of co-authoring with the incomparable Executive Director of New York Civil Liberties Union, Donna Lieberman

https://www.nyclu.org/en/news/what-are-reparations-and-what-could-they-look-new-york

What are Reparations and What Could They Look Like in New York? Some New Yorkers may not fully understand the impact of slavery in New York. The truth is, slavery has played a tremendous role in making New York a premiere economic and cultural hub of the world.It is well-past time to reckon with that history.

New Yorkers for Equal Rights officially launches today across the state!

EQUAL RIGHTS for ALL NEW YORKERS

Come learn more about this IMPORTANT ballot initiative that aims to protect rights in the area of disabilities, age, gender, s*x, age, reproductive, national origin and ethnicity...

Come out and learn more about the New Yorkers for the Equal Rights Amendment on Wenedsday, March 27 from 5:30pm to 7:30pm.

Dinner will be served at 5:30pm

RSVP https://mobilize.us/s/RpCKNs

FREE AND OPEN TO THE PUBLIC

On Saturday, March 23rd I'll be co-moderating the Centering Resident Voices: A Conversation on the Future of our Southside Community with Pam Hunter at Dr. King Elementary School from 10AM to Noon. All are welcome to join in the conversation!

For more information, please visit: https://secure.everyaction.com/87yXcpRlUUmV7sfXm5hahw2

New Yorkers for Equal Rights!

www.NYEqualRights.org

CNY NYCLU hosts monthly volunteer convening dinners which are an opportunity for attendees to learn more about local and statewide priorities.

Attend and network with fellow community activists, leaders and residents.

Attendees are also welcome to share any social justice wins or concerns that they may have.

In very similar fashion- no one in Syracuse should be surprised by this, but our neighbors in Buffalo are facing a similar uphill battle with achieving accountability and justice on their highway redevelopment plan.

When we talk about the "state of the Black community" we have to talk about the actual state of New York contribution and intentional acts that have led us here.

Is the Environmental Racism of the Past Repeating Itself in Buffalo’s Kensington Expressway Project? Beginning in 2018, the NYCLU and its supporters began sounding the alarm about the I-81 construction project in Syracuse. More than 50 years ago, the construction of the I-81 viaduct in Syracuse destroyed the Black working-class community known as the 15th Ward, displacing thousands of residents. In...

Dinner TONIGHT - All are welcome

Calling all SOCIAL JUSTICE WARRIORS!

JOIN US tonight to learn more about NYCLU CNY local and statewide priorities…

Focusing on issues that impact the quality of life and civil liberties of New Yorkers!

5:30pm

OneGroup
706 North Salina St
Syracuse, NY 13204

PUBLIC ACTION ALERT

2/16 THIS FRIDAY 4pm to 6pm

TRANSPORTATION AVAILABLE
Please contact Jackie Lasonde @ 315-991-9203

A much needed open discussion will take place at the Dunbar Center on Friday, February 16 from 4pm to 6pm for a community conversation with the purpose to:

To preserve public affordable

To engage and inform the residents of SHA at the point of development ideation not at the point of contract negotiation.

Equitable development that considers the needs and interest of all community members, especially those historically marginalized.

This project has ALWAYS been about improving the lives of the community- removing the highway- and restoring and repairing the harm the federal, state, and local government committed on Syracuse's largest Black neighborhood!!!

The decision on how to redevelop the land after the viaduct is gone has to be GIVEN to the community that lost it! The Decision-making power must be in the hands of the residents!

Creating plans behind closed doors, hiring consultant firms that were not vetted and chosen by the community- and offering crumbs-- is unacceptable.

The conversation HAS to be about land OWNERSHIP and affordable housing or what are we even talking about!

🚨🚨TODAY, SATURDAY FEBRUARY 3, 2023 at NOON 🚨🚨

This is NOT a NYCLU event - SUPPORT THE RESIDENTS OF SYRACUSE HOUSING

Urgent action, today! This $125 million proposed project is falsely advertising that it will create opportunity, when it will actually only create around 20 jobs - that’s not a community benefit! An optometry school that benefits its STUDENTS more than the LIMITED residents it will serve with its LIMITED SERVICES is not a community benefit! Losing 92 housing units when we are in a housing crisis is not a community benefit! The residents are asking to keep their housing! They are asking this city to protect affordable housing because they are some of the ones who will be IMPACTED THE MOST! Stand with them!

Thanks ACLU for uplifting such an important part of history!

Racism by Design: The Building of Interstate 81 | ACLU

Syracuse and allies, pull up Tuesday at noon at the steps of state office building (333 E.Washington st.) To rally for the NYSDOT to protect residents from displacement!

Now that the viaduct is being demolished, we must hold all parties responsible. That means residents must reap the benefits of the project. Including restoring the land to a healthy state and ensuring resident can stay in their neighborhood!

We don't need promises, we need action! Read the article and click the link at the bottom to tell NYSDOT to protected impacted residents from displacement.

A New Plan Could Worsen the Housing Crisis for Black Families Near Syracuse’s I-81 Syracuse is home to some of the highest rates of segregation and concentrated poverty in the nation. Yet the city’s recently passed zoning plan – which will determine where residential and commercial buildings can be constructed – fails to provide any protections for Syracuse’s Black low-inc...