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Genesee Valley GuardianVol 2, Issue 5 – February 3, 2026 |
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“STAND UP, FIGHT BACK!” RALLY REPORT |
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GVI’s “STAND UP, FIGHT BACK Saturday” series continued in Caledonia on January 31st, emphasizing the themes, “ICE OUT FOR RENEE GOOD” and “REMEMBERING ALEX PRETTI”This was the third rally in this series, and over 100 protesters faced single digit temperatures to protest ICE’s murderous acts. Over half of those attending wore black arm bands in memory of Alex and Rene, and all of the others harmed by CBP & ICE. |
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Caledonia, NY, with its deep roots in conservation, was originally part of the Seneca Nation territory. It was a stopping point for Senecas traveling between Canandaigua Lake and the Niagara River. Scottish immigrants settled in the area, which is home to the oldest known fish hatchery in the western hemisphere. The hatchery continues to operate as part of the NYS Deptartment of Environmental Conservation (DEC) Fish Hatchery program. It is open to the public year-round, 7 days/week. Plan your visit. Caledonia features extensive protected natural areas. The “Mackay Wildlife Preserve,” managed by the Village of Caledonia, features trails, landmarks, and local fauna habitats. Read the enthusiastic review from VisitGeneseeValley.com. The “Christine Sevilla Wetlands Preserve” is a cattail and wooded tranquil wetland preserve managed by the Genesee Land Trust. Plan a hike! Genesee Valley Indivisible and friends were honored to stand on historic Seneca land last Saturday, to raise our voices in defense of democracy, and in resistance to authoritarianism. |
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From Gary Koplun, Caledonia, NY On November 5th, 2024, something unimaginable happened in the United States of America. A presidential election was won by the candidate who incited a violent insurrection after his loss of the previous election. This confuses me and worries me in a way that is hard to describe. I do not know what is wrong or how to fix it. But it is clear we must come together, act together, and stand together for our Country. |
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| Stand up and make your voice heard at the Stand Up, Fight Back Saturdays honk-and-wave rally in Lima, NY, co-hosted by Genesee Valley Indivisible and 5 & 20 Alliance Indivisible. Join us at the Lima crossroads on Saturday, February 7th as we come together to say ICE OUT – Justice for Alex Pretti, Justice for Rene Good! RSVP |
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| Town Hall ForumFebruary 15, 2026 12:00–3:00 PM Candidates invited: Alissa Ellman (D) — confirmed
Ken Estes (I) — confirmed
Diana Kastenbaum (D) — confirmed
John McDairmant (R) — tentative
Claudia Tenney (R), Incumbent — unconfirmed |
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Marshal Training & a Trip to Albany! |
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| Transportation and meals provided by Alianza Agrícola if you Register above. |
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Weekly Geneseo Wednesday and Friday Protests Wednesdays and Fridays — 3:00–4:00 PM (Winter Schedule)
Gateway Corner Park in Geneseo, NY (across from Wegmans) Join the ‘Genesee Valley Visibles’ – all are welcome, even if you can only stay for 10 minutes! |
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Weekly Hemlock Protest Wednesdays — 3:30–4:30 PM (Winter Schedule)
Southeast Corner of Rt 15A and Rt 20A (aka “Dollar General Corner”)
Organized by Hemlock Rising Indivisible (hemlockrising8@gmail.com) |
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Good Food NY Advocacy Day in Albany! February 9th, 2026 |
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Primary Elections – June 23, 2026 |
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NYS holds Primary Elections in June for Governor, Congress, State Legislature, and Municipal offices so that the Democratic and Republican parties can select their candidate for the General Election in November. To vote in the Primary Election, a person must: Be registered to vote Confirm your registration at vote.org, at voterlookup.elections.ny.gov, or Livingston County residents may contact the County Board of Elections at 585-243-7090 or 585-335-1705.
Be registered to vote as a member of the Democratic or Republican party If your voter registration shows your party affiliation is “BLANK,” or if you are registering to vote for the first time, you must select a political party and the Livingston County Board of Elections must receive your Voter Registration Form by February 14, 2026.
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NATIONAL INDIVISIBLE NEWS |
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GVI Weekly Community Meeting |
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2/5 – Postcarding plans this month; Team Meetings
2/12 – Starts at 6:00 PM; Bring your own dinner; Write postcards; Team Meetings Thursdays, 6:30 PM – 8:00 PM
Location: St. Michael’s Episcopal Church, Geneseo, NY Welcome. No RSVP required. Address & map Enter through the red door in the back of the church. Weather cancellations will be emailed to all GVI members by 3:00 p.m. on Thursday. Join our member email list.
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REPORT FROM LAST WEEK’S COMMUNITY MEETING |
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The “Advocacy Team*” gives us the tools to Resist-Insist-Persist*formerly the “Research/Elected-Officials-Writing” team Jen and Nick Pavio spoke at the GVI Weekly meeting on January 29th. They described how three formerly distinct teams were merged in late 2025 because of their overlapping work. Writers need to do research to write; researchers need to write up findings on issues like the county budget or ICE/DHS; and the elected officials’ group needs to research what to say to office holders. The team leads of all three groups feel that merging will be more efficient. This larger team will be led by Jennifer and Nick Pavio. We will see if they (and the group) accept Walter’s suggestion to rename them the “Advocacy Team”! The other development for this collection of GVI members is that January 2026 brought not only a focus on ICE and the Department of Homeland Security, but interest among many GVI members to fight in Albany for NYS legislation that will improve the lives of all New Yorkers. The result: 3 topics that the “Advocacy” Team will pursue in 2026: Immigration & Migrant Rights
– Tactics used by ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) and Customs & Border Patrol (CBP)
– NY4ALL New York for All Act (S2235/A3506). NYS legislation from previous years that limits how local law enforcement works with federal law enforcement like ICE and CBP.
– Local Cops, Local Crimes Act announced by Gov. Hochul last Friday, 1/30/26, is her version of legislation to accomplish the same purpose as the NY4All Act. Read a summary and analysis from NY Focus.
New York Health Act (NYHA) – This NYS legislative proposal aims to resist the harm of Trump and Repbulican cuts to the ACA (Obamacare). The proposal is for a universal, single-payer healthcare system for NYS.
Anti-Tenney Campaign – GVI has not endorsed any of the candidates running against Tenney, because we believe everyone should participate in the primary election process. But we will use our voices to let voters know why she should be replaced!
Only 6 GVI members are working on these 3 topics so far. We are asking members of the former Research, Elected Officials, and Writing teams to coalesce into project groups working on these topics. In other words, ideally, we will find one or more researchers, writers, and elected officials strategists working on each topic. We may expand the list of topics if we have enough people to do so. And, we welcome anyone else who is interested in any of these topics to join in! Contact Jen Pavio by email. |
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Additional details and pickup options available. Use the button below to request postcards. Recommended BUT NOT REQUIRED donation: $5 for every 10 cards. |
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SUPPORT GENESEE VALLEY INDIVISIBLESupport our work with an online donation below or contact us to volunteer! |
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