🇺🇸 GENESEE VALLEY GUARDIAN Vol 2, Issue 28 — July 14, 2026
Genesee Valley Guardian
Vol 2, Issue 28 — July 14, 2026
This week — three things to do
- Wednesday, July 15, 6–8 PM: Complete the GVI Rapid Response Network training — required to receive ICE activity alerts (see Local Actions, below)
- July 17–19: RSVP Today for an event near you during “Good Trouble Lives On,” Weekend, including a “Stop the Build” rally in Batavia on July 19.
- Call Schumer & Gillibrand: Medicaid work requirements take effect July 31 — Schumer · Gillibrand
Stand Up, Fight Back Saturday Report
Geneseo turned out this Saturday for Stand Up, Fight Back at Gateway Park — timed to coincide with the Geneseo Summer Festival and National Warplane Museum airshow, so our signs reached crowds from well outside the county.
The message was Elect Ellman, Defeat Tenney, and the coalition behind it keeps growing: one sign in the crowd read “York-Leicester Republicans for Ellman.” Alongside it, “Hands Off Our Vote” signs carried the election-protection message national Indivisible is pushing this summer (see Reach In, below).
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ICE Expands in Batavia — Good Trouble Lives On Responds
ICE confirmed this month that it’s building a second detention facility next to the existing Batavia Detention Center. As some observers have said, most of the detainees at the current 650-bed Batavia Detention Center have no criminal record and should not be detained in the first place.
Genesee Valley DSA and the GLOW Alliance are answering with a rally at Batavia City Center on Sunday, July 19, Noon to 2:00 PM, as the Batavia stop on the national “Good Trouble Lives On” weekend. GVI stands with them — see the full weekend lineup below.
Good Trouble Lives On — July 17–19
The national weekend of Good Trouble has three phases, Friday Teach!, Saturday Reach!, Sunday Preach!, that honor the legacy of Georgia Congressman John Lewis. Events in Western New York and the Finger Lakes include:
Friday, July 17 · Virtual (Zoom) · 7:30 PM–9:00 PM, “Voting Rights: The Struggle to Be Counted 1619–2014.” 36 minute film & discussion. Details & RSVP
Saturday, July 18 · Ovid, NY · 11:00 AM–Noon, Intersection Rtes 96 & 96A · RSVP
Saturday, July 18 · Auburn, NY · 5:30 PM–6:30 PM, 2 South Street · RSVP
Sunday, July 19 · Batavia, NY · Noon–2:00 PM, Batavia City Center · RSVP
Sunday, July 19 · Seneca Falls, NY · 1:00 PM–3:00 PM, Women’s Rights Park · RSVP
Weekly Inspiration
The Supreme Court just wrapped its term, and the tally isn’t close. Since last spring, a string of unsigned emergency orders has let Trump freeze education grants, fire NLRB members, strip protected status from immigrants, and block lower courts from issuing nationwide injunctions against him. This spring the same court gutted the Voting Rights Act, clearing the way for former Confederate states to dismantle Black and Latino voting districts with little pushback. Mail-in ballots survived. Birthright citizenship survived — barely, on a 5–4 vote, for a right written plainly into the Constitution.
“This is a political body making political decisions to achieve political goals. It expands Trump’s power except where it conflicts with protecting capital.”
— Ezra Levin, Indivisible, July 6, 2026
Stand Up, Fight Back Saturdays
Saturday, July 25 · Noon to 1:00 PM
Elect Alissa Ellman to Congress — Defeat Tenney
Lima Four Corners
Main Street & Rochester Road, Lima, NY
Co-organized with the 5&20 Alliance. Last day of the Hemlock Fair.
Saturday, August 8 · Noon to 1:00 PM
Elect Alissa Ellman to Congress — Defeat Tenney
Traffic Circle at Rtes 36 and 20
Caledonia, NY
This event is on the same day as the Lima Crossroads Festival.
Saturday, August 22 · Noon to 1:00 PM
Elect Alissa Ellman to Congress — Defeat Tenney
Exact location TBA.
Mt. Morris, NY
This event coincides with the Livingston County Summer Fest.
Have an event you’d like on the GVI calendar? Submit it here and we’ll get it added.
Reach In — Learn, Train, Volunteer
Immigrant Justice Summer — What to Do When ICE Surges
When ICE surges in your community, what does your group do? Indivisible’s training series gives you a concrete three-step plan: align with immigrant-led organizations, define your group’s role, and build a network ready to respond.
Nationally, Temporary Protected Status (TPS) work authorization for hundreds of thousands of immigrants ended on June 25, 2026. Locally, ICE is building a new detention center inside the Rochester, NY, Federal Building on State Street, and as noted above, Batavia’s detention center is now expanding for the second time this summer.
The five-part training series continues through August. Use this button to sign up for the remaining sessions. (Also, see the GVI Rapid Response Network project in the Local Actions section below.)
Hands Off Our Vote — Election Protection
Trump and Republican state legislators are working to restrict who can register and vote this November. Indivisible’s Hands Off Our Vote program trains volunteers, watches for voter suppression tactics, and makes sure every eligible ballot gets counted.
Get Involved with the Ellman Campaign
The campaign needs volunteers to knock on doors, make calls, attend rallies, and send texts — whatever you can give, wherever you are in the district. Or come meet Alissa in person at the Dansville town hall, August 4 (see below).
‘Lightworkers’ Film and discussion
Thirty-seven diverse men and women confront the problem of saving their democracy from fascism. Director Bobby Roth interviewed activists and “do-gooders” to find out what motivates them and how they make it happen. Get ready to be inspired and galvanized. This event includes viewing the movie (about 83 minutes), followed by a Q&A and discussion.
- Thursday, July 23 — 7:00 PM to 9:00 PM · First Unitarian Church of Rochester, 220 S Winton Rd, Rochester, NY 14610
Phonebanking Opportunities
Call voters in NY-17 with Citizen Action of New York. Make calls to residents of Rep. Mike Lawler’s Hudson Valley district about federal policy and what’s at stake for them. (This phone bank program used to be available twice per week. As of July 14, 2026, it is available only once per week on Tuesdays.)
Sign Up — Citizen Action of New York on Mobilize
Call with the Environmental Voter Project. The project has identified 11.2 million environmentalists who didn’t vote in 2024. They’re working to turn them into consistent voters — a bloc too big for politicians to ignore.
Sign Up — EnvironmentalVoter.org
Become an Election Inspector — November 3 General Election
New York Counties’ Board of Elections need trained inspectors for the November General Election. It’s one of the most direct ways to support a fair election from the inside.
- Sign up — Livingston County
- Sign up — Monroe County
- Sign up — Ontario County
- Sign up — Wyoming County
Outreach — Call or Email Your Representatives
Federal contacts for Livingston County · NYS contacts
Medicaid Work Requirements Take Effect July 31
Seventeen days from now, Medicaid work requirements from the One Big Beautiful Bill take effect. Enrollees between 18 and 64 will need to document 80 hours a month of work, volunteering, study, or caregiving — or lose coverage. The Congressional Budget Office estimates 4.8 million people will lose Medicaid not because they stopped working, but because they couldn’t keep up with the paperwork.
Livingston County enrolls a higher share of residents in Medicaid than the state average, with fewer resources to help people comply. Farmers, caregivers, and seasonal workers face the most exposure.
Who to contact: Sen. Chuck Schumer · Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand
Script format: “Medicaid work requirements take effect July 31. These documentation barriers will cause millions of low-income Americans including working people, caregivers, and rural residents to lose their health coverage. Please use every tool available to block implementation and fight for full repeal of these provisions.”
Stop the Blank Check for Trump’s Iran War
Trump launched a war with Iran without Congressional authorization, and is now asking Congress for $87 billion of our tax dollars to pay for it. Congress has already passed War Powers Resolutions rebuking the administration over this war — that vote means little if lawmakers turn around and fund it.
Email your Members of Congress and urge them to hold the line and reject the funding request.
Local Actions
Town Hall with Alissa Ellman · Tuesday, August 4 · 6:00 PM
Meet Alissa Ellman (Congress NY 24), Michael Mills (NY Senate 54), Gladys Flores Garcie (NY 133 Assembly)
Dansville Town Hall,14 Clara Barton St., Dansville, NY
Organized by the Dansville Town Democratic Committee, Details & RSVP
GVI Rapid Response Network — Protect Immigrant Neighbors
GVI is building an Immigrant Rapid Response Network for Livingston County, modeled on Rochester’s RRRN. When ICE operates in the area, network members get emergency alerts and a plan. This Wednesday is the first training — sign up now.
Rapid Response Training: Wednesday, July 15 · 6–8 PM · Online
You must complete this training to receive alerts. Contact GVI with questions.
Defeat Tenney Yard Signs
Genesee Valley Indivisible, with other Indivisibles and allied groups in NY-24, is putting “Defeat Tenney” yard signs across the district. Email Phil at paj12147@gmail.com to reserve yours. Suggested donation: $7.
Register to Vote — or Confirm Your Registration
The general election is November 3. In New York, you must be registered by October 24 (received online or in person) or October 29 (postmarked by mail). If you’ve moved, changed your name, or haven’t voted recently, check now.
Visit Vote.org
Monthly Meeting – Allies of Alianza Agrícola
Friday, July 17 (and every 3rd Friday) · 7–8:30 PM · Zoom · Register
WEEKLY RECURRING EVENTS
GVI Weekly Community Meeting
Details
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
Weekly Geneseo Wednesday and Friday Protests
Wednesdays and Fridays — 4:00–5:00 PM
Gateway Corner Park in Geneseo, NY (across from Wegmans)
Join the ‘Geneseo Visibles’ — all are welcome, even if you can only stay for 10 minutes!
Weekly Hemlock 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
Livingston Bridge Brigade
Once a week, we raise our signs over Route 390, alternating between the 7 a.m. morning commute and the 3:45 p.m. return. It’s safe, it’s fun, and it gets our message in front of the people who need to see it.
We are part of the GVI Artists Group. To join us, send an email to info@GeneseeValleyIndivisible.org with your name, phone number, and email address.
What’s the Plan?
Find out Indivisible’s plan in a weekly, national, interactive Zoom with Indivisible co-CEOs Leah Greenberg and Ezra Levin. You don’t have to attend every week. But give it a try live, or at a time of your choosing on the podcast.
Prefer a Newsletter? Sign up at Indivisible.org. Look for the Stay Connected box in yellow.
LOCAL POSTCARD CAMPAIGN
You can pick up postcards to write at home OR write them at GVI’s Thursday meetings. The Artist’s Team is setting up a table to serve as the “postcard station” and can provide pens. Order in advance by Wednesday each week.
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