08 April 2020
We hope the start of April has been treating you relatively well considering these challenging times. We know that you are continuing to practice good physical distancing, especially during these peak virus weeks in NYS, and we hope for all to be safe(r) and healthier than ever – and grieve, too, with those who mourn… This sacred time of year we celebrate new and renewing life. Accordingly, here’s a video on faith communities’ responses to COVID-19, featuring a variety of religious leaders (including WNYPC’s 2020 Annual Dinner keynote speaker, Dr. Cornel West!).
Tomorrow is another National Day of Action, highlighting the importance of our reverence for life. Please join us tomorrow as we Fast for Yemen from sunrise to sunset in solidarity with the people of Yemen. Together, we will abstain from food and water to call attention to the millions of Yemenis facing starvation, thirst, disease, and political violence. Visit fast4yemen.org to pledge to fast and/or donate to “share” a meal with a Yemeni. Share your video pledge using hashtags #Fast4Yemen and #YemenCantWait, and call upon others to act with us.
Please also refer to this CALL TO ACTION from the Fair Fines + Fees Coalition. Considering the national health crisis, we must shift our focus to the immediate needs of our communities. This includes not only water and housing, but also transportation. Cars are still being ticketed and impounded, so we are asking you to help us protect Buffalo residents still on the road.
Three of four of the weekly vigils are going on, while taking great care to observe physical distancing. Please join Prisoners’ Rights, Environmental Justice, and Women in Black every Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday, respectively. Please see regularly scheduled events below for more details.
Helping others – especially those most vulnerable – is vital right now and we will continue to share opportunities each week in this Weekly Helping Hands news. Erie County has faced recent blood shortages, and blood donors are consistently needed. Please consider donating if/when you can! ConnectLife and the American Red Cross each offer easy-to-schedule appointments in order to take all safety precautions for their staff and donors.
And most importantly, don’t forget to take care of yourselves. While there is a lot of work to be done, we want to remind you to please pace yourselves. New York State, which has been hit hard by the current global health crisis, has recently partnered with the meditation and mindfulness app Headspace to offer free tools to help you practice self-care. You can also continue to find support at the Buffalo Mutual Aid Network, as well as great tips and resources from WNYCOSH and the International Institute.
Please see much more below, including virtual events and campaigns this week, 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
01 April 2020
As we start a new month, we hope you are still coping with “social”/ that is, *physical distancing. We know we have more of this ahead of us, so now is the time to focus on taking care of ourselves and others. We are also learning that we still have work to do. We hope this update serves as a source of both information and support.
Tonight is the premiere of the NOVA program “Cuba’s Cancer Hope” on PBS. Roswell Park medical staff are featured, who have shared with us and the world their gratitude for the Cuban medical personnel! More information below – don’t miss it!
Today and tomorrow we will be out in support of those who are detained. This is more important than ever considering the current public health crisis! There are two different opportunities: First, please join us this evening for our weekly vigil at the Erie County Holding Center, while remembering to adhere to physical distancing guidelines (at least 6 ft). We also hope to see you tomorrow afternoon for our driving rally around the blocks of the local ICE field offices (see below). Please put signs and streamers on the outside of your car so that your participation is visible, and join us in honking so your participation is audible. You can find our route map on Facebook and our website. #DETENTIONISDEADLY
Please also refer to our website for a CALL TO ACTION by the Fair Fines + Fees Coalition. Considering the national health crisis, we must shift our focus to the immediate needs of our communities. This includes not only water and housing, but also transportation. Cars are still being ticketed and impounded, so we are asking you to help us protect Buffalo residents still on the road.
And most importantly, don’t forget to take care of yourselves. You can find support at the Buffalo Mutual Aid Network, as well as great tips and resources from the WNYCOSH here and IIB here. You’ll also see other opportunities to help others out!
Lastly, today is Census Day! Participating in the 2020 Census is a form of civic engagement and is good for our communities; it is used to determine the allocation of healthcare, housing, education, and transportation funding, as well as how legislative districts are drawn. In the current public health crisis, we know just how important it is to protect people over profits – individuals and families over corporations and industries – and this is a way to help do that. A few important points about the Census:
1. It can be completed by mail, phone, or online.
2. When completing the census, include everyone living in your home as of 01 April (today!). This includes all children born as of today!
3. The Census Bureau will not email or text people for the 2020 Census – beware of scams!
4. The deadline to complete the census has been extended to mid-August.
5. The 2020 Census is safe! The data is protected by federal law and cannot be shared with law enforcement agencies, local housing authorities, or other federal agencies.
6. The census is available in 12 non-English languages by phone and online, and has 59 non-English language guides to walk you through the process step-by-step. Guides are also available in Braille and large print English.
28 March 2020
Dear Friends,
We know that these past few weeks have not been easy and expect that the next few will continue to be a challenge. We hope that in these stressful times you are taking care of yourselves, both physically and mentally. Please remember that you are not in this alone, but that we are #AloneTogether. Of course the City of Good Neighbors has come through, and there are plenty of resources to help one another, including the Buffalo Mutual Aid Network.
In this spirit of community building, let us keep in mind that on every level the priority should be people, not profits. Bailouts must focus on individuals and families, not corporations. To ensure our say in this, we must complete the Census and safeguard our elections. Voting should not be a public health risk; it is time to implement a national system of voting by mail.
This week we highlight a few events in the spirit of community action. Please join us for:
- A NuclearFree Future in preparation for Peace-On-and-with-the-Earth Month! With Dr. Ira Helfand, two-time Nobel Peace recipient, key scientist, and truth-teller. Sunday, 29 March via Zoom Meeting and Facebook Live.
- WNED-TV showing of the NOVA program on the Cuban medical contributions to and connections with Roswell Park. Wednesday, 1 April at 9 PM.
- #FreeThemAll driving rally at the Buffalo ICE field office (Delaware North building). Thursday, 2 April at 12:30 PM. Organized by the Immigrant & Refugee Justice taskforce (IRJ).
We also want to let you know that our dear Board Co-Chair, Welcomer, Water Protector and liaison to Nekanęhsakt: Friends of Ękwehęwę – Kelly Maracle – needs our help. Kelly has been in the hospital for the past two weeks and is suffering from complications related to medication and surgery. She has not been able to work during this time and will not for some time after she returns home, where she lives with her family including an elderly aunt, two grandchildren, and her daughter who has lost work due to COVD-19. Kelly is a caring mother, grandmother and tireless warrior for the planet, the water, her family and Indigenous Sovereignty.
- This fundraiser is being put on and sponsored by Nekanehsakt. Please join us today and make any donation you can, small or large. You can make a contribution via Paypal or send a check or money order to: Kelly Maracle, 13967 Route 438, Gowanda, NY 14070
- When you donate, know that 100% of the donation will go directly to Kelly and family. If you can’t send any money send love, prayers and healing her way for a strong speedy recovery! Nya:wëh, thank you so much!
Please see much more below, including great online events this week, 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
UPCOMING EVENTS
SUN, 29 MAR: BACK FROM THE BRINK WEBINAR WITH DR. IRA HELFAND
Participate online at 7 PM. In place of his Upstate NY in-person tour, Dr. Ira Helfand is offering a webinar on the Back from the Brink Campaign to prevent Nuclear War (BFTB), as well as asking whether COVID-19 may save us all! (yes, Crisis = Opportunity). This will include 1. the dangerous state of current nuclear brinkmanship; 2. an overview of the campaign, demands, structure, bills in Congress, and successes so far; 3. ideas for connecting BFTB with work you are already doing, and 4. opportunity for your questions to be answered.
SUN, 29 – TUES, 31 MAR: VIRTUAL SPRING LOBBY WEEKEND
Join the Friends Committee on National Legislation (FCNL) Virtual Spring Lobby Weekend, where hundreds of students, recent grads, Quakers, and young adults will gather online to learn and virtually lobby Congress on one critical issue: climate change. The climate emergency requires urgent action by individuals, companies, investors, and communities. We need to push Congress to adapt ambitious federal laws to reach net-zero emissions by 2050. Join FCNL online and make your voice heard!
WEDS, 1 APR: “CUBA’S CANCER HOPE” – PBS NOVA PROGRAMMING
Premiering on WNED-TV at 9 PM. When the U.S. trade embargo left Cuba isolated from medical resources, Cuban scientists were forced to get creative. Now they’ve developed lung cancer vaccines that show so much promise, some Americans are defying the embargo and traveling to Cuba for treatment. In an unprecedented move, Cuban researchers are working with U.S. partners to make the medicines more widely available. This includes Roswell Park medical staff, who’ve shared with us and the world their gratitude for the Cuban medical personnel! Don’t miss it!
THURS, 2 APR: #FREETHEMALL DRIVING RALLY AT DELAWARE NORTH
From 12:30 – 1 PM. Join the Immigrant & Refugee Justice taskforce (IRJ) and drive around the block of the ICE field offices at the Delaware North building. Route: North on Delaware Ave, left onto N Johnson Park, left onto S Elmwood, left onto Chippewa. Please put signs and streamers taped onto the outside of your vehicle and be ready to honk away! (Thanks, SURJ, for this great protest idea!) The people detained in Batavia are truly in danger due to people congestion, poor medical treatment, inadequate nutrition, and overall unhealthful conditions for people whose health may very likely already be more vulnerable. #ReleaseThemNow #DetentionIsDeadly #FreeThemAll
THURS, 2 APR: FREE FRED BROWN! WATCH PARTY
At 7 PM via Facebook Premiere. Free Fred Brown! explores themes of community, resilience and solidarity in the midst of social crisis. For years, PUSH Green has worked with local communities to make them more sustainable and resilient in the face of climate change. As the COVID-19 crisis unfolds, Ujima Company, Inc. and PUSH Buffalo invite community members to join in a screening and discussion of Free Fred Brown!
REGULARLY SCHEDULED EVENTS – continuing with physical distance guidelines fully followed:
WEDS, 1 APR: ECHC VIGIL – NO MORE DEATHS!
At the Erie County Holding Center, Delaware Ave between Church & Eagle Streets, Buffalo. Join the Prisoners’ Rights taskforce for their weekly vigil/protests on Wednesday from 4-5:30 PM. The ECHC has significantly higher deaths than similar facilities. The Sheriff’s Department has misreported and been determined to have committee homicide by medical neglect per the DOJ! The Sheriff’s Administration is a public health emergency! *** All are welcome; please bring signs. *** Also, please call Governor Cuomo at 518-474-8390 to urge him to remove Sheriff Howard as he is clearly not up to the job.
FRI, 3 APR: ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE TASKFORCE VIGIL
At Front Park (Vermont & Busti), Buffalo. Join the Environmental Justice taskforce every Friday from 2-3 PM to protest shipments of VERY dangerous radioactive liquid transported bfrom Canada over the Peace Bridge. Due to the public health emergency, please bring your own signs. You can also call Governor Cuomo’s office to DECLARE A CLIMATE EMERGENCY! Phone: 518-474-8390, press 1 when the recording begins. Script: “Governor Cuomo, please declare a climate emergency for the state of New York, which means an immediate ban on all new fossil fuel infrastructure. I’m calling from zip code xxxxx.”
FRI, 3 APR: WNY YOUTH CLIMATE COUNCIL #DIGITALSTRIKE
Due to the public health emergency, the WNYCC had to cancel their in-person Buffalo Climate Strike on 20 March. The goal of the strike, to ask our Common Council members of Buffalo to Declare a Climate Emergency, is to pass a Climate Resolution. The strike has now become a weekly (every Friday!) digital strike – please join them by sharing seflies and pictures with your rally signs and posters for the Buffalo Climate Strike to Declare a Climate Emergency on social media, and use the hashtags #DIGITALSTRIKE #WNYYOUTHCLIMATE #DECLAREACLIMATEEMERGENCY
SAT, 4 APR: WOMEN IN BLACK
Nonviolence vigil at Bidwell & Elmwood; Saturdays, noon – 1 PM. All are welcome; you don’t need to be a woman or dress in black. Please bring your own signs due to the current public health emergency.
CAMPAIGNS
TELL CONGRESS TO DOUBLE THE CDC BUDGET
The spread of COVID-19 has exposed a rot at the center of American society: that we siphon 55% of our discretionary budget into the Pentagon — $738 billion — while we allocate only 1.5% of that — $11 billion — to the Centers for Disease Control. Tell Congress to double the CDC’s budget by cutting money to the Pentagon.
PEACE AND DIPLOMACY LOBBYING
Demand peace, diplomacy, and sane domestic and foreign policies from your Senators and/or House Representatives.
END SANCTIONS: #SANCTIONSKILL
At least 1,800 Iranians DEAD. Over 23,000 INFECTED. AN ESTIMATED 3.5 MILLION MAY DIE. Urge Congress to introduce COVID19-related legislation to lift sanctions on Iran. #SanctionsKill #SanctionsSpreadCOVID19
#DEMANDJUSTICE #HOUSINGJUSTICE
Hold District Attorneys across New York accountable to ending mass incarceration, plus fight against tenant abuse, homelessness, environmental violence, and racist housing policies.
LET MY PEOPLE GO
Support the campaign to free our immigrant and refugee neighbors from detention facilities during the current public health crisis.
FFJC Policy Recommendations and Reform Tracker on COVID-19
Support evidence-based policies that jurisdictions around the country should take to help stem this public health and economic crisis.
#UNITE | #OneLove | #WeShallOvercome | #SiSePuede!
