Annual Event DONATIONS NEEDED!; Women’s March + Early Voting

The WNY Peace Center’s 53^rd Annual Fundraiser: An Evening with Dr. Cornel West is now less than a month away! Please join us – visit bit.ly/wnypeace_cornelwest for all of the details and to purchase your theatre and/or Zoom tickets! As with our previous annual events, we are also planning to hold our auction and basket raffle – only this year we are going virtual! We are in need of items for both the auction and baskets, so please contact office@wnypeace.org if you would like to donate! (Please note that to accommodate the school year, our new office hours have changed and are M/T/R from 2-4pm.)

We would also like to make a note about the upcoming WNY Women’s March on October 17^th. With health and safety being our top priority, we may consider splitting into smaller simultaneous gatherings across downtown if the main group becomes too large at Niagara Square. We hope you will join us for this rally to stop violence against women, BIPOC, and the planet! We will feature speakers, musical performances, and more! We welcome and appreciate your input – email assistant@wnypeace.org if YOU are interested in being a peace keeper/marshal or cosponsor.

We will also emphasize early voting at the Women’s March. Just a reminder that all active registered voters in Erie County are eligible to cast an early voting ballot – you do not have to do anything more! Starting 10/24, there will be 37 early voting locations in Erie County which you can just walk into to cast your vote (bring your ID just in case). If you are concerned about voting in person, please see more details here on requesting an absentee ballot – there is still time! And if you or someone you know is interested in becoming a poll worker, find more information here.

We also want to mention that the deadline for the 2020 Census has again changed. If you were not able to complete it by the 5^th of this month, it’s not too late – you (again) have until the end of the month*! Please take advantage of the return of this extension, and let your friends and family know! (*Note: The Trump administration has filed an appeal to try to halt this latest extension, so please get your responses in ASAP!)

Lastly, two of the Kings Bay Plowshares 7 (Fr. Steve Kelly and Patrick O’Neill) are scheduled to be sentenced on October 15^th and 16^th this week. Please sign the petition here to dismiss the charges against against these antinuclear activists facing 25 years! Four others were granted continuances until November 12^th and 13^th due to COVID-19 – you can follow the updates here.

Please see details and much more below, including special and regularly scheduled events this week, plus campaigns, fundraisers, and more at wnypeace.org, on our Facebook page, Twitter (@wnypeace), and Instagram (@wnypeace)!

Peace, thanks, solidarity, and yes – love!

<3 <3 <3 <3 <3

Victories, Correction, & More Events!

October 6th, 2020

Dear Friends,

We are writing again to announce two amazing victories already this week:

1. The WNYPC received Buffalo Spree’s Best Activist Group award! We couldn’t be more grateful and proud; thanks to all allies and friends! Harambe/Juntos/Together! See details and more Best of WNY 2020 here.
2. State Supreme Court Justice Frank Sedita denied the request by police and fire unions to protect certain disciplinary records from release! Read more here.

We also want to share a corrected location for two events mentioned in the most recent WNYPC Weekly News. Both Cariol’s Celebration (12 PM) and the Collective Nonviolent Direct Action (CNDA) Study (3 PM) on Saturday, 10/ 10 will take place at MLK Jr. Park, Buffalo – not at Niagara Square. We hope you will be able to join us for a full afternoon of celebrating and learning together!

Lastly, we want to take this opportunity to highlight a few additional events and campaigns. ***Please be sure to check the Event Calendar regularly as we add events as we hear of them – often the day prior or even day of! ***

1. The WNYPC is proud to participate in Cellino Plumbing’s October Nonprofit Contest! Click here to nominate us once daily until Thursday, 10/15 at 4PM. Then vote once per day between Friday, 10/16 at 8AM and Friday, 10/23 at 4PM EST. Please nominate & share!
2. Wednesday, 10/7 at 1 PM – Emergency Press Conference re: March 2020 Eaton Case. At the Erie County District Attorney’s Office (Erie County Court), 25 Delaware Ave, Buffalo. Show up and tell John Flynn to charge the three BPOs involved in the crimes committed against Mark Eaton. Read more details about the injustices of this case here.
3. Thursday, 10/8 at 1:30 PM – Webinar: World Says No to War on Yemen. On Zoom – register here. October 8 marks the 4-year anniversary of a Saudi-led coalition airstrike on a funeral ceremony in Sana’a, Yemen, killing at least 100 people and wounding more than 500. Recently the bombing and blockade of Yemen — with western participation — has only gotten worse. As we all deal with the pandemic, which has exacerbated the suffering of people in Yemen, now is the time to connect and recommit ourselves to stopping participation in this disastrous war. Co-Hosted by National Action War, Yemen Alliance, Voices for Creative Non-Violence, Code Pink, and Western New York Peace Center.
4. Thursday, 10/8 at 6:30 PM – Free the People Open Meeting. At the Belle Center, 104 Maryland St, Buffalo, 14201. With masks and social distancing, please join us for an open discussion of issues related to the criminal justice system. There may be special attention to committees working on issues in the City of Buffalo; in the County of Erie; and in the State of NY. Free the People is a statewide group and has had a number of victories, including in Buffalo. Join us for a learning and brainstorming session.

As always, please see much more at wnypeace.org, on our Facebook page, Twitter (@wnypeace), and Instagram (@wnypeace)!

Peace, thanks, solidarity, and yes – love!

<3 <3 <3 <3 <3

#UNITEtheStruggles | #OneLove | #WeShallOvercome | #SiSePuede

We need LEAD!!

Dear Friends,

We have just heard that a shooting has taken place today, apparently by the BPD of a person with mental health issues, now in critical condition. We desperately need changes that will come through the LEAD program (Law Enforcement Assisted Diversion). This cannot be put off! The program must start now!! See below with much more to follow. We must make those changes for the good of all before there is more tragedy in our community! No time to lose!

We also want to thank everyone who contributed to the Father Joe Bissonette Fund for the Western New York Peace Center. Due to your collective support and generosity, the grant was almost tripled – generating $14,485!! We are so grateful for the legacy of Father Joseph A. Bissonette (1932-1987), who was known for his work advocating for the poor and disadvantaged throughout WNY; and for the generosity of his remaining family/fund administrators! In these challenging times, activism and advocacy are now more critical than ever. We at the WNYPC are proud and grateful to be able to carry on this important work, thanks to the Fr. Joe Bissonette Fund and all of you generous donors! We appreciate your contributions and support!

We want to confirm that the WNYPC will continue our biweekly series First Steps: Collective Nonviolent Direct Action Study. These will be hybrid events, now shifting to every other Saturday at 2pm (the next session is 9/19) taking place in person at Niagara Square with masks and physical distancing. This will include shared learning, principles, tools, strategies, planning and more in collaboration with other local organizations. The sessions will occasionally be livestreamed – if you missed it, you can find the recording of the initial session on 8/23 on our Facebook page and our updated event page. Please review those resources and the previous session to prepare for the upcoming session.

We are also excited to announce that next week we will begin selling tickets for our 53rd Annual Event, An Evening with Dr. Cornel West (SAVE THE DATE – November 9th at 7pm)! For more details and to check back for ticket sales, please visit our event page.

Please see details and much more below, including other special events this week (frequently updated, often with last minute info!), regularly scheduled events, campaigns, fundraisers, and more at wnypeace.org, on our Facebook page, Twitter (@wnypeace), and Instagram (@wnypeace)!