Genesee Valley Guardian

Volume 2, Issue 8 – February 24, 2026

“STAND UP, FIGHT BACK!” RALLY REPORT

Almost two dozen hardy residents of Livingston County joined more than 200 activists at the Federal Building in Rochester, NY, for the “End ICE Terrorism” rally and march, organized by Indivisible Outreach and co-sponsored by several other Rochester groups. The march began at the Federal Building on State Street and proceeded to the Main Street bridge over the Genesee River, led by a symbolic white coffin and 39 participants, each carrying a tombstone sign with the photo and date of death of a person who had died due to ICE or CBP action or neglect since the start of the Trump administration.

At the bridge, an activist read each victim’s name aloud, and as each name was spoken, the volunteer carrying that person’s image placed a white carnation into the coffin while the crowd chanted, “Justice for Renee,” “Justice for Alex,” “Justice for Geraldo,” and others. Thank you to all our LivCo neighbors who made the trip into the city to rally against ICE and to mourn the lives lost in ICE custody or at the hands of ICE and CBP.

VIEW FULL GALLERY

GENESEE VALLEY VOICES

The morning after she heard that a Board of Supervisors Committee voted for a resolution to rescind Local Law 4-2026 (the “No Bid Property Sales” Law), Cindy Pond wrote to a friend:

It was an impressive example of how a small group of concerned young people, led by Brody Metcalfe of Lakeville, could come together and organize a petition drive through social media. Brody also approached Genesee Valley Indivisible collaboratively, which encouraged older voters to write or call their Town Supervisors. It is important to recognize that, in the end, we had responsive Town Supervisors in Livingston County!

KEEP THE MOMENTUM GOING

Successful Fight Against Local Law 4-2026 (aka B-2026)

If you do not already know the context of this week’s Genesee Valley Voices contribution, above, here is a story of successful grassroots organizing and public pushback in the face of local government overreach.

On Wednesday, 2/11/26, the Livingston County Board of Supervisors passed Local Law 4-2026. The law was approved by a vote of 10 yeas, 5 nays, 2 Supervisors were absent. Local Law 4-2026 gives Livingston County the power to lease or sell public property without the public advertisement that’s required by New York State Law.

This decision was not etched in stone. It could be reversed. In fact, it was reversed by the Board of Supervisors at their regular meeting on February 25, 2026. This reversal was driven by the public’s reaction to the new law in three ways:

Social media discussion and comments about the new law “blew up” and were overwhelmingly negative. For example, see The LCN’s Facebook page where the original article about the new law and a follow-up article each have hundreds of comments, many of them opposed to the law.
Coordinated pressure on elected officials was initiated by members of Genesee Valley Indivisble’s Advocacy Team. The team posted a Toolkit on our website, that gave residents a plan for contacting individual Town Supervisors about how they voted on LL 4-2026. Dozens of GVI members and non-member residents sent emails to Town Supervisors, either thanking them for voting against the law or sharing concerns about the law if the Supervisor had voted for it. Some residents went a step further, contacting their own Town Supervisor to advocate for retraction of the law.
A petition drive, launched within a week of the law’s passage, was organized and promoted through social media. (See additional details in this week’s Genesee Valley Voice feature, above.) The organizers launched the drive with at least a dozen “signing events” scheduled around the county during the following two weeks.

Congratulations to everyone who spoke out, signed up, sent emails, and organized! We succeeded in shining light on a local law that was poorly conceived, written, and communicated. The sign I carry to rallies this month says, “The power of the people is stronger than the people in power.” This week, Livingston County residents proved this to be true.

– Walter Pond

“Standup, Fight Back” Saturday – Dansville, NY

Dansville 2/28/26 Noon, across from Tops Market

Theme – Epstein Files

VIEW DETAILS

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)

NOTE: Summer Schedule, 4:00-5:00 PM, begins March 11th!

Join the ‘Geneseo Visibles’ – all are welcome, even if you can only stay for 10 minutes!

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)

NYS ACTIONS

WXXI News reports, “Detainments by ICE have reached a record high. Criminals are not fueling the surge.” The article reports that at the immigration detention center in Batavia, the average daily count of detainees reached a peak this fiscal year. But that figure came as non-criminal detainees increased by 60%, and now make up 83% of the total population.

Day of Action – DEFEND NEW YORK!

On March 10th, New Yorkers from across the state will rally in Albany to demand accountability from Governor Hochul as communities face rising costs, new fossil fuel projects, attacks on immigrants, and cuts to essential services—while corporations continue to profit. Climate, housing, immigrant, health, and economic justice movements are uniting to demand a New York that is sustainable, affordable, and safe for all. Buses will travel from multiple regions to Albany—because when we move together, we win together. More information on bus departure locations coming soon; register to stay updated.

NATIONAL INDIVISIBLE NEWS

What’s the Plan Zoom Meeting

Weekly, national, interactive Zoom with Indivisible co-CEOs.
LIVE – Thursdays from 3:00–4:00 PM (2026 registration link)
PODCAST – Available to listen on Fridays

UPCOMING EVENTS

RSVP NOW

Wyoming County’s No Kings 3.0 Event

Perry, NY 10:00–11:00 AM
38 Main Street (NY Rte 39)

Organizer: Wyoming County Indivisible
RSVP link: coming soon

Livingston County’s No Kings 3.0 Event

Geneseo, NY 12:30–1:30 PM
132 Main Street (NY Rte 39)

Organizers: Genesee Valley Indivisible, Genesee Valley Citizens for Peace

The Separation of Powers – GVI’s Constitution Lecture Series

Monday, March 2, 2026
Geneseo, NY 10:00–11:00 AM
St. Michael’s Church

The third presentation in GVI’s Constitution Lecture Series, postponed from January 26, will continue in March. “The Separation of Powers” will be presented by Dr. Jeffrey Koch, Professor of Political Science at SUNY Geneseo.

RSVP NOW

GVI Weekly Community Meeting

Thursdays, 6:30–8:30 PM
St. Michael’s Episcopal Church, Geneseo, NY

Weekly meeting to share news, plans, and collaborations as we resist the imposition of autocracy in the USA, and affirm the principles of democracy upon which this nation was built.

2/26/2026 Agenda

SAVE Act Overview (presentation postponed from last week)
Short update on campaign against Local Law 4-2026
Team Time
- Sign-making for the Dansville Rally (add color to signs stenciled by the Artist’s Team OR bring your own supplies and make your own sign — why wait until Saturday morning!?)
- Postcarding Activity (new regular, weekly activity); Sign-up REQUIRED, See the red “Choose Your Postcards” Button, below
- Events Team — Discuss “Increasing Rally Effectiveness and Messaging” with Jim Allen, Professor of Psychology, SUNY-Geneseo.

GVI CALENDAR

SUPPORT GENESEE VALLEY INDIVISIBLE

Currently, we are looking for:

Schedule keeper for publicity activity
Social Media Team Member (post & curate on Facebook, Instagram, Threads, BlueSky)
Writer to convert research team information to Social Media posts

Local Postcard Campaign

Additional details and pickup options available. Use the button below to request postcards.

Recommended BUT NOT REQUIRED donation: $5 for every 10 cards.

CHOOSE YOUR POSTCARDS

Questions, Comments, Suggestions?

Email: info@GeneseeValleyIndivisible.org