Genesee Valley Guardian Vol 2, Issue 17 — April 28, 2026
Genesee Valley Guardian
Vol 2, Issue 17 — April 28, 2026
RALLY REPORT: ICE OUT & STOP WAREHOUSE DETENTION
Members of Genesee Valley Indivisible and allies rallied in Mt. Morris against the authoritarian actions of ICE and Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) officers. This rally was one of hundreds across the country focused on those Disappeared in America.
Using the slogan “Communities Not Cages,” these rallies point to the intolerable conditions in ICE and CBP detention centers. This is not a one-day effort!
Our ongoing actions:
- Support passing NY4All in Albany. It restricts ICE actions and the ability of local law enforcement to act on behalf of ICE.
- Work with Alianza Agricola, a local immigrant-run group providing support to fellow immigrants in detention and in the community.
GENESEE VALLEY VOICES
Cindy Pond responds to the call from GV Voices to share what she wants during or after the mid-term elections:
“Going forward after the midterms—and feeling committed that Democrats can take back their united power, I am looking for candidates who: 1) can communicate hope with some clarity about potential plans to solve problems; 2) candidates who will protect our democracy, our rule of law and voters’ rights; 3) pursue working members of the Trump administration to be held accountable for their greed and grift; 4) candidates must be held to the highest standard of integrity, honesty and moral decorum; 5) candidates must be able to repair broken relationships and find common ground on all levels.”
KEEP THE MOMENTUM GOING
May Day 2026: A National Call To Action
“No Work. No School. No Shopping.”
Recognizing that “no work” and “no school” are not practical options for everyone, here are good alternatives:
- Consumers shop local
- Business owners donate part of their income on May 1st to a local non-profit
- Write a Letter to the Editor about being a worker
- Explain to your neighbor or co-worker why you support “Workers Over Billionaires”
- Students may work this theme into a school assignment any time in May
- Perform random acts of kindness!
At rallies and marches, our message is “Workers Over Billionaires!”
“Stand up, Fight Back” FRIDAY — May Day — Geneseo
FRIDAY, May 1st · 4pm to 6pm
Geneseo Gateway Corner Park
Intersection of NY Rte 20A and Volunteer Road
Organized by “Geneseo Visibles”, Genesee Valley Citizens for Peace, and Genesee Valley Indivisible
Our Demands for May 1st:
- Tax the rich so our families, not their fortunes, come first.
- No ICE. No private army serving unchecked federal power.
- No War.
- Expand democracy, not corporate power.
- Hands off our vote.
Parking: Local retail plazas (lots downhill to the north eliminate need to cross Rte 20A). If parking south of Rte 20A, use crosswalks at traffic light.
We are leaving our “No Kings” signs at home and joining the call for Workers Over Billionaires as well as the other demands below, including peace, not war, in Iran.
Constitutional Crisis Call-Out — 1 Year Anniversary
Wednesday, April 29 · Noon
Federal Building
100 State St., Rochester, NY 14614
No RSVP needed — Bring signs — Bring a friend & carpool
Parking: Street parking & Sisters City Garage, 28 N. Fitzhugh Street, Rochester, NY 14614 ($4 for 2 hours, $10 daily max)
WEEKLY RESISTANCE ACTIVITIES
GVI Weekly Community Meeting
Thursdays, 6:30 PM – 8:00 PM
St. Michael’s Episcopal Church, Geneseo, NY
Enter through the red door in the back of the church.
- Welcome. No RSVP required.
- New Format: Agenda arrives in member email inboxes on Thursday mornings.
- Weather cancellations emailed to all GVI members by 3:00 PM Thursday.
- Address & map
- Join our member email list
Geneseo Visibles — Twice/Week Rallies
Wednesdays and Fridays · 4:00–5:00 PM
Gateway Corner Park in Geneseo, NY (across from Wegmans)
All are welcome, even if you can only stay for 10 minutes!
Hemlock Weekly Meeting & Protest
Protest
Wednesdays · 4:30–5:30 PM (Summer Schedule)
Southeast Corner of Rt 15A and Rt 20A (aka “Dollar General Corner”)
Organized by Hemlock Rising Indivisible
Meeting
Tuesdays, 7:00pm – 8:30pm
Main Floor Community Room
Little Lakes Community Center
4705 S Main St, Hemlock, NY 14466
Parking information, questions, agenda – email hemlockrising8@gmail.com
Wyoming County Indivisible Meeting
1st and 3rd Mondays, 6:30 pm
Amber Lantern Pub
44 N. Main St., Warsaw, NY
Questions – Join WyCoNY Indivisible on Facebook
Listen to What’s the Plan? — Weekly Zoom & Podcast
Weekly, national, interactive Zoom with Indivisible co-CEOs Leah Greenberg and Ezra Levin.
NEW YORK STATE ACTIONS
New York State Access to Representation Act – S141/A270
The ARA (S141/A270) would establish a right to counsel in immigration court under a universal representation model, ensuring that anyone facing deportation who cannot afford a lawyer will be provided one.
Take action: Call your representatives and ask them to prioritize funding for this bill in the budget.
Dignity Not Detention Act (S316A/A4181) & NY4All Act (S2235/A3506)
Together these bills provide the protections that families, workers, and communities need, by ending our state’s entanglement with ICE both on the detention and collusion front. We are over halfway done with the legislative session and time is running out to meet this moment.
If Albany is serious about protecting New Yorkers from ICE, then it must:
- Stop the State from helping ICE arrest people, and
- Stop profiting from locking them up
How to take action:
- Call your Town Supervisor or County Legislator and ask them to support the NY4All Act.
- Call your state Assembly and Senate representatives and ask them to support the NY4All Act.
- Call your state Assembly and Senate representatives to demand accountability for the death of Nurul Amin Shah Alam, a blind man released by Border Patrol agents outside of a closed Buffalo coffee shop in February. (Make two separate calls on different days.)
Protect NY from Large AI Data Centers – S9144/A10141
This new proposed law would impose a moratorium on data center permit issuance, but the legislation is stuck in committee.
What’s happening locally: The Stream US Data Center (funded by an even bigger megacorporation whose CEO has ties to Jeffrey Epstein) wants to build a “monster” data center (the size of 40 football fields) on land directly adjacent to the Tonawanda Seneca Nation in Genesee County. This project would have extremely detrimental environmental and community impacts.
Learn more: The Applied Economics Clinic has studied this project and released their key findings in a report released on April 9. View a video of a news conference held by Allies of Tonawanda Seneca Nation.
Take action: Write or call the state Senate and Assembly Environmental Conservation Committee Chairs to demand they move these bills out of committee and to a vote.
Senator Pete Harckham
NYS Senate Environmental Conservation Committee Chair
Legislative Office Bldg., Room 310
198 State Street, Albany, NY 12210
(518) 455-2340
Assemblymember Deborah J. Glick
NYS Assembly Environmental Conservation Committee Chair
Legislative Office Bldg., Room 621
198 State Street, Albany, NY 12210
(518) 455-4841
LOCAL ACTIONS
Voter Engagement Squad
A Genesee Valley Indivisible Project. If you’ve been waiting for us to move into this phase of 2026 actions, the time is now!
Check Your Voter Registration Status
Visit Vote.org to confirm your current status or register to vote in New York State.
Genesee Valley Indivisible’s Postcarding Project
You can pick up postcards to write at home OR write them at GVI’s Thursday meetings. There will be a table for a “postcard station” during the second half of the meeting. We have pens!
Please order in advance by Wednesday each week.
Marshal Training
Several new sessions have been added for marshal training. This is a critically important volunteer role at all area events, big or small, and many more marshals are needed in Livingston and Wyoming Counties.
Questions? Speak to a current Marshal about their experience. Register here.
Support Alianza Agricola
Learn how local immigrant farmworkers organized a mutual support group that serves their needs and recruits allies from the larger community as supporters and friends.
- Become an Ally
- Donate to Alianza Agricola
- Register for monthly Ally meetings — In Geneseo, NY, on the 3rd Friday of the month
SUPPORT GENESEE VALLEY INDIVISIBLE
Volunteer Opportunities
- Voter Registration Drive
- Tabling at Summer Events
- Membership Squad
- Bridge Visibility Project
- Safety Marshal Team
- Social Media Activism
- Other — Let us know how you want to contribute!
Questions, Comments, Suggestions?
Read more about WHO WE ARE
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