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Beloved Syracuse Beacon

“Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that."

 

Martin Luther King Jr. 

ARCHIVE ENTRY: June 27, 2017

Action Alerts

This week in our work to transform Syracuse, eliminate poverty, and create equality:

ACTS Offers Alternatives to Violence Training For Free in Syracuse

July 14, 2017

Where: Dunbar Center, 1453 South State Street, Syracuse NY 13205, FROM JULY 14th-16th

Alternatives to Violence Project (AVP) is a life-changing training program which teaches participants to transform conflict through methods of non-violence. AVP also inspires participants to pass their knowledge along to others in their lives, sometimes spurring first-timers to become leaders in the movement.

AVP’s participants often include inmates, gang members, social workers, and activists. Timothy Kirkland, a leader in this first Syracuse training, is himself a former-inmate who changed his life thanks to the AVP workshops he completed while at Attica prison. 

For more information, click the button below:

Healthcare is a Civil Right: Call Your Senators Today!

July 04, 2017

CALL BEFORE JULY 4TH

The Senate is gearing up for a vote on their own version of the American HealthcareAct (AHCA) that passed the House last month, and advocates across the country are calling their Senators to make sure that Medicaid, protections for people with pre-existing conditions, seniors, kids, people with disabilities are protected!  We must protect the underserved and most vulnerable in our communities.

 

ACTS and its partners at the National Action Network therefore urge everyone to call their senators before July 4th to tell them "healthcare is a civil right."

CALL: 866-426-2631

"How CNY Moves" Forum by the Moving People Transportation Coaltion

June 29, 2017

Where: Frensdorf Room at Temple Concord, from 12:00-1:30 PM, Address: 910 Madison St, Syracuse, NY 13210

“There is a clear tie-in between the social justice advocacy work of ACTS and the problems disadvantaged people are having getting to/from work. This is all part of the big picture in terms of alternative transportation modes other than an interstate through the center of city,” wrote the ACTS Convener for the Moving People Transportation Coalition.

The Moving People Transportation Coalition will host a forum that is free and open to the public. Businesses, social justice activists, and residents all share a common fate when it comes to the infrastructure decisions of Syracuse—for better or worse. Thankfully, there are several initiatives and partnerships that should help create a better transportation network for all. At the Forum, Aaron McKeon from Syracuse Metropolitan Transportation Council will discuss the “Work Link” project, which aims to provide transportation options to those without vehicles. A spokesperson from Lyft will discuss their ride-sharing project in Upstate New York, which should give people more options in their commute to work, school, or other destinations. For more information, please contact the Moving People Convener  at: movingpeoplecny@gmail.com

ACTS Co-Sponsors More Candidate Forums for the Month of July

July 10, 2017

Monday, July 10th, at 7:00 pm, AND, Monday, July 17th, at 7:00 pm, LOCATION TBA

ACTS and its partners are sponsoring two more candidate forums for upcoming elections in the Syracuse area. The offices up for grabs are spots on the School Board, seats on the Judge’s bench, and places in the County Legislature. All these elections will have broad impacts on our livers here in Syracuse, and those of our children. Therefore, ACTS urges concerned citizens to attend these forums to help inform responsible voting decisions. 

The previous Forums held for the Mayoral Candidates and County Council Candidates were terrific successes. On both occasions, Syracuse citizens learnec how each candidate will address important issues, such as poverty. On July 10th and the 17th we gather to ask candidates of several positions about their stance on Syracuse’s future. With this knowledge, Syracuse will make the right choice. Details of location for each forum are still being determined. We'll see you there!

Spirit of America: Liberty. Diversity. Dignity.

June 30, 2017

When: June 30th-September 4th

"As the United States prepares to observe Independence Day, InterFaith Works of Central New York invites the public, organizations and faith communities to participate in its Spirit of America: Liberty, Diversity, Dignity project to celebrate the diversity of our country. The project will kick off the weekend of Friday, June 30 through Sunday, July 2; however, organizations that are unable to celebrate the Spirit of America that weekend may participate until Labor Day"~InterFaith Works

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Weekly Community Events

If you are an ACTS Member Organization and have an upcoming social justice event please email Ryan Ivers at rivers2@oswego.edu

Weekly Stories

Together we came closer to our goals. Let's reflect on the vital work we have done:

ACTS and Allies Score Major Victory Against Youth Solitary Confinement

ACTS and its allies at the New York Civil Liberties Union and Legal Services of CNY recently announced a settlement with the Onondaga County Sheriff’s Office that ends the routine practice of 23-hour-a-day isolation of youth at the Syracuse Justice Center. The settlement is the accumulation of two years’ worth of work by ACTS and its allies against the abhorrently unjust system of youth solitary confinement.

 

Activists in the Grace Episcopal Church, an ACTS Member Organization, alerted ACTS in 2015 that youth were being held in solitary confinement for weeks at a time. This practice first was noticed in the Onondaga County Justice Center and the Jamesville Corrections Facility, but transferred with the youth to the Syracuse Justice Center. The landmark settlement obtained recently does not end solitary confinement, even within the Syracuse Justice Center, but it does drastically limit its usage in terms of 16 and 17-year-old youth. This is another important step in our mission to end the inhumane practice of solitary confinement, and to dismantle Mass Incarceration in all its forms. To learn more, click the button below and read the press release from the New York Civil Liberties Union:

Video footage shows Minn. traffic stop that ended with Philando Castile’s death

"Castile was among 963 people fatally shot by police officers last year, according to a Washington Post database tracking such shootings."

 

ACTS suggests an article about the routine traffic stop that ended in Castile's death. Although our country is served by many police officers trying to do the right thing, there is clearly a systemic problem within law enforcement that allows dangerous or unhinged officers to act outside their prescribed duties. It is time for our community to salvage the discussion over the responsibilities of police and the rights of the citizens they serve. Please comment below to share your thoughts, or share the post to spread the discussion. Please send your opinions and feedback to Ryan Ivers at rivers2@oswego.edu

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