Rochester Area Residents Rally in Support of Planned Parenthood
On February 25, a cold and snowy day, over 100 Rochester area residents rallied in response to the Republican lead US House voting to cut Title X funding for Planned Parenthood. Planned Parenthood provides women health services including pap smears, family planning, education and STD testing. Without these funds, most of these services would no longer exist.
Photos: JW1 | JW2 | AB1 | AB2 | AB3 | AB4 | AB5
Video: Rochester Area Residents Rally in Support of Planned Parenthood
Additional Information: Statement by Cecile Richards, President of Planned Parenthood Federation of America, on Passage of Pence Bill to Eliminate Federal Funding for Planned Parenthood | Mike Pence and Title X Legislation | Coordinated Anti-Choice Attacks on Planned Parenthood: Frequently Asked Questions | Sign Planned Parenthood's Open Letter to Congress | Indy TV #26: Motherhood By choice, Not Chance | Students and Community Members Halt Anti-Choice March
"We got sold out; they got bailed out!" Anti-Eviction Rally on S. Goodman Street
On February 21, Take Back the Land - Rochester called on the community to protest Fannie Mae's move to evict five people from a house in Rochester and render them homeless.
Despite many attempts, the government-backed corporate bank has refused to negotiate with the tenants of 820 South Goodman Ave. Despite Fannie Mae's $90 billion bailout from the government to help keep people in their houses, Fannie Mae is still putting people out on the street. For the past 7 months the residents, all formerly homeless people, have been making improvements (roof repair, dry-wall repair, painting, etc.) to a house which would have otherwise fallen into complete disrepair due to Fannie Mae's neglect. Enjoy Rochester Indymedia's video report-back!
Anti-Eviction Protest on S. Goodman Street!
Photos: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9
Additional Information: Take Back the Land - Rochester | Rochester Housing Rights Organizers Hold Truth Commission | Corporate Media Coverage: Channel 13 WHAM News | CNN Money | Financial Times of London | CBS Channel 8
94.6% No Confidence and the Following Storm
The latest here in Rochester, NY in our “war for the soul of our schoolsâ€. The teachers’ ballot vote of no confidence for Superintendent Jean-Claude Brizard passed overwhelmingly with 94.6% of those who voted stating that they had no confidence in Brizard. The numbers broke down to the following:
Of the 2868 votes cast, 2713 indicated that they do not have confidence in Superintendent Brizard while 140 indicated that they do have confidence in his leadership. 15 ballots were disqualified. This is the first time in the history of the Rochester City School District that a vote of no confidence in the superintendent has been conducted.
Following the vote last week, there was an onslaught of dismissive, distracting, dishonest media diversions intended to insert confusion and delegitimize the vote.
Take Back the Land Rochester Calls for Protest against Eviction by Fannie Mae
Take Back the Land Rochester is calling on the community to protest Fannie Mae's move to evict five people from a house in Rochester and render them homeless. Despite many attempts, the government-backed corporate bank has refused to negotiate with the tenants of 820 South Goodman Ave. Despite Fannie Mae's $90 billion bailout from the government to help keep people in their houses, Fannie Mae is still putting people out on the street. For the past 7 months the residents, all formerly homeless people, have been making improvements (roof repair, dry-wall repair, painting, etc.) to a house which would have otherwise fallen into complete disrepair due to Fannie Mae's neglect.
Where: 820 South Goodman Street, Rochester, NY 14620
When: Noon Monday, February 21, 2011
Rochester Braves Cold In Support Of Egypt
On Wednesday February 8, Activists in Rochester braved freezing temperatures and a sub-zero wind chill to show their support for protesters in Egypt. Egyptians have been demanding the resignation of President Hosni Mubarek since January 25. The Egyptian demonstrators finally won their chief demand on Friday, When Mubarak stepped down.
The rapidly-formed local group Friends of Egypt displayed banners renaming the Liberty Pole "Liberation Square" after Tahrir (Liberation) Square in Cairo. The demonstration lasted from noon to 6pm with demonstrators working in shifts. There were at least 10 people at the event at all times. In all attendance was estimated at 40 people. Rochester Police kept a close watch from their cars and horses. There were no incidents.
Coverage from other IMCs
Buffalo Bans Fracking in Groundbreaking Vote
Citizens and clean water advocates heralded the Buffalo Common Council’s move to become the first city in New York State—and the second major city nationwide—to ban hydraulic fracturing for natural gas. The Common Council passed “Buffalo's Community Protection from Natural Gas Extraction Ordinance†today by a 9-0 vote, following months of citizen lobbying by Frack Action Buffalo, a local grassroots group.
Rochester Activists Rally Against FBI Harassment
Rochester, NY joined with 50 other American cities on January 25, 2010 to speak out against Government harassment of Anti-war and International Solidarity activists.
On September 24, 2010, homes and offices of activists in Minnesota, Illinois and Michigan were raided by the FBI. No one was charged with any crime, but agents served subpoenas to activists to testify before a Federal Grand Jury. These proceedings have been compared to McCarthy era witch hunts. They are conducted in secret and those testifying are not allowed legal representation. The US Attorney controls everything including juror selection. Fourteen people refused to participate. No action was taken during election season, but the subpoenas were reactivated shortly thereafter. Nine more people received additional subpoenas in November and January. They were Palestinian solidarity activists and most were Arab-Americans.
Additional Coverage: Chicago Indymedia: FBI targets Chicago activists amid Midwest sweep; activists push back | FBI Delivers Subpoenas to More Activists in Chicago, Pushback Continues | Indymedia US: Anti-war & Social Justice Organizers Nationwide Resist FBI "Terrorism" Investigation
Victory for Community Organizing: Schools 2 and 6 Stay Open
Community organizing and protest proved to be successful at last Thursday's school board meeting, where commissioners decided against voting to close Schools 2 and 6. "They didn't even bring that to a vote because they knew it would be voted down. That's a victory for 2 school and 6 school together with parents, students, community, organizing that was put in to push back on that issue." said Mark Friedman of the Community Education Task Force.
Click "more" for an in-depth report with lots of interviews from those present.Community Organizes Protest, Study Sessions, around the State of our Schools
Last week was quite busy for community members looking to change the direction of the Rochester City School District. Before Superintendent Jean-Claude Brizard gave his "State of the Schools" address, between 400 and 600 teachers protested outside of the School of the Arts. The protest, organized by the Rochester Teachers Association, focused on many issues, but the thread that tied them all together was that teachers see Brizard as running the schools with a heavy-handed, top-down approach, rather than reaching out to teachers and listening to their expertise.
Earlier, the Community Education Task Force organized a study session at the Phylis Wheatley public library titled, "What IS the plan for our schools?" (video reportback) The plan was to investigate several initiatives in the RSCD and think about what they really mean for students, teachers, and the larger community. The night was a way for the CETF to take matters into their own hands regarding the lack of communication from Brizard and his administration — if we aren't going to be told the plan for the schools, then we need to figure it out. We highly recommend watching the video if you want a quick synopsis on where Rochester city schools could be headed.
Rochester Schools: The No Confidence Vote
In the last month, the teacher’s union in Rochester, New York, the Rochester Teacher’s Association (RTA) has built up to and started the process for a vote of no confidence in the Rochester City School District Superintendent, Jean-Claude Brizard.
The build up to this has been a long time coming, as rank-and-file teachers within schools have long expressed frustration with the none too subtle hostility and disregard received from Brizard’s administration, policies, and overall agenda. As a Broad Superintendent’s Academy alumni Brizard has brought the Broad-agenda full court press style that many have increasingly found familiar.
Having been within schools and reached out to the community locally I have communicated extensively with teachers, parents, and community members, especially given the important work we at the Community Education Task Force are building. Several revealing conversations with various concerned parties have proved insightful during our outreach.