Genesee Valley Guardian — Vol 2, Issue 18 — May 5, 2026

Genesee Valley Guardian

Vol 2, Issue 18 — May 5, 2026

May Day Rally Report

Genesee Valley Indivisible joined millions across the country this May Day to say it plain: the economy works for the people who do the work — not for a handful of oligarchs hoarding wealth while wages stagnate, healthcare gets gutted, and public services get sold off for parts.

Thank you to everyone who showed up. Your signs, your voices, your neighbors-standing-next-to-neighbors energy — that’s how movements get built. Every rally, every postcard, every conversation at the co-op compounds.

May Day isn’t a one-off. It’s a reminder of who actually built this country and who keeps it running. Workers. Teachers. Nurses. Farmers. Care workers. The folks billionaires couldn’t last a week without.

View May Day Gallery

GENESEE VALLEY VOICES

David Duel, an active member of Genesee Valley Indivisible, shares his recent letter to Livingston County Sheriff, Thomas J. Dougherty:

Sheriff Dougherty,

I am writing to extend a very sincere and heartfelt thank you for not participating in the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement 287(g) Immigration and Nationality Act. I also want to thank you for requiring that any federal prisoners held in the Livingston County Jail are there under a judge issued criminal judicial warrant. I am asking that you firmly stay this course of action in the future.

The immigrants in our country today are just like our ancestors. They came to this great land for one singular reason, for the opportunity to…

Note: This is longer than our usual GV Voices entries. See full letter

KEEP THE MOMENTUM GOING

“Stand Up, Fight Back”

This Saturday, May 9, 2026, organize your own “Stand Up and Fight Back” event! What fits your personality?

Quiet but Fierce
Pouring yourself a cup of coffee or tea then let your representatives know how you feel about all of this by phone or email.

Almost Super Bowl
Gather your resistance fans, break out the snacks and (soft) drinks. Create a phone-a-thon, share email scripts, swap names of books and videos before anyone leaves.

Outta the House, But Getting It Done
At the local coffee shop or in a library study room (reserve in advance). Draw straws. The short one gets to make the phone calls. The long one has to write the emails. The middle one works the social media accounts!

Immediately below are two categories of activities, but scroll down because there are many other choices under the New York State Actions and Local Actions sections of this Newsletter.

Two Ways to Take Action

Outreach: Make phone calls (even on the weekend; there is voicemail) or send emails to US and NYS elected officials. Some possible issues and topics appear below.

Reach In: Spend some time reading, watching videos, signing up for training, or volunteering to take action. Opportunities with links appear below.

OUTREACH

Call or Email Our Federal Representatives and NYS Elected Officials

Funding for ICE and Border Patrol

The GOP is working on a reconciliation bill that could give ICE and Border Patrol up to $140 BILLION more to fund concentration camps and militarized deployments to US cities. It’s vital they hear from constituents now.

Tell our Congressional Representative, Claudia Tenney, you don’t want more of your taxpayer dollars going to ICE and Border Patrol. Calls are most important, but you can use email too.
Tell our Democratic State Senators, Chuck Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand, to fiercely oppose the new GOP effort to shovel billions more dollars to ICE and Border Patrol.

The Illegal War in Iran

The Trump regime breezed through the 60-day deadline for getting congressional authorization for the attack on Iran, compounding the illegality of this disastrous war. Trump is brazenly defying congressional authority, and it’s time for Congress to take their power back, uphold their constitutional duty, and use the War Powers Resolution to end this war.

Tell your Members of Congress (Rep. Claudia Tenney, Senator Chuck Schumer, Senator Kirsten Gillibrand) to end the illegal war on Iran.

Throw a Wrench Into the Works

Trump nominee Justin Smith still is being considered for a lifetime seat on the US Court of Appeals for the 8th Circuit.

Continue to call our Senators, Chuck Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand, asking them to block this abominable nomination.

REACH IN

Sign up for Training, Education, or Volunteering

On Tyranny by Timothy Snyder

If you have not read, or it has been a while, take a few minutes to read or view this short book that is a foundational text for our resistance movement.

Local Elections

Learn more about the candidates asking for your vote as the NY 24th Congressional Representative. (There are also competitive races at the state and local level. We will add those names and links in the coming weeks.)

Election Protection

At Indivisible NYS’s virtual meeting on 4/28, Susan Lerner, Executive Director of Common Cause NY, gave an informative Election Protection webinar that was chock-full of helpful information about the history of voter suppression, how it still manifests today, and what Election Protection volunteers do. She also provided a messaging guide about how to talk to people this year about “hands off our vote.”

The Board of Elections Needs YOU

Become an election inspector in your county of residence.

Combating Misinformation on Social Media through Crowdchecking

May 12, 6:30 – 7:30 pm, via Zoom

The League of Women Voters—Rochester Metro Area is hosting this session with Adam Shenxiong Li, a third-year Ph.D. student at the Simon Business School at the University of Rochester. His research, supervised by Professor Huaxia Rui, focuses on misinformation on social media platforms and crowd-based fact-checking mechanisms. His work explores how online communities can be leveraged to identify and counter the spread of false information in digital environments. Register here.

Become a Democracy Defender with the ACLU

Join a growing community of ACLU activists organizing to protect voting rights. Our Democracy Defenders network will plug you into timely actions, training opportunities, and state and national activations as they unfold. Sign up now.

Red, Wine & Blue Offers Easy Actions

Easy actions for you to take in five minutes, and also explanations, such as how local government affects our daily lives, and what is gerrymandering. Take a look!

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.
Weather cancellations emailed to all GVI members by 3:00 PM Thursday.
Address & map | Join our member email list | Questions or suggestions?

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”)

Meeting: 1st & 3rd Tuesdays, 7:00pm – 8:30pm
Main Floor Community Room, Little Lakes Community Center
4705 S Main St, Hemlock, NY 14466
Organized by Hemlock Rising Indivisible

Wyoming County Indivisible Meeting

1st and 3rd Mondays, 6:30 pm
Amber Lantern Pub
44 N. Main St., Warsaw, NY
Join WyCoNY Indivisible on Facebook

Listen to “What’s the Plan?”

Weekly Zoom & Podcast
From Indivisible National, a weekly, interactive Zoom with Indivisible co-CEOs Leah Greenberg and Ezra Levin.

LIVE — Thursdays, 3:00–4:00 PM (Register)
PODCAST — Available Fridays (Listen)

NEW YORK STATE ACTIONS

Raising Taxes on the Wealthy

Please take a moment to advocate for raising taxes on the wealthy.

New York Budget Urgency

The state budget is still being negotiated, let Albany hear your voice on the following bills, by calling Gov. Hochul and your local legislators ASAP:

NY4All Act (S2235/A3506)

Continue to call our New York state legislators to pass New York for All, the legislation that would prevent local and state resources from being used for federal immigration enforcement.

Dignity Not Detention Act (S316A/A4181)

This act gets New York out of the business of for-profit immigration detention by prohibiting New York entities and private persons from entering and renewing contracts with ICE.

NYS Access to Representation Act (S141/A270)

Immigrant New Yorkers face increased risk, including judicial proceedings and deportation hearings, yet are not guaranteed legal counsel. This act 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.

Other Important State Bills

Expand support for those with mental health and substance abuse issues; include the $15 Million Daniel’s Law Crisis Response Programs in the FY27 Budget!
Protect New York’s Climate Law from back-room budget negotiations that appear to be stripping out hard-won protections for New Yorkers.
SNAP for All (or SNAP4All); S9033/A6632 — Establishes a state-funded food assistance program, similar to SNAP for those excluded from the SNAP program due to their immigration status.

LOCAL ACTIONS

Allies of Tonawanda Seneca Nation – Update re: STAMP

Local residents, citizens, and leadership of the Tonawanda Seneca Nation, as well as regional and statewide allies, have said a resounding NO to the STAMP data center. Read their full statement to see the widespread and growing opposition to this monster project.

Voter Registration Crew

We are working on Voter Registration this spring and summer. (Later in the year we will focus on Voter Turnout.) Join this Genesee Valley Indivisible project to register as many new voters as possible before the General Election.

Join the Voter Registration Crew | Check Your Own Voter Registration Status at Vote.org

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

Help Alianza Leader Alma Salinas support the Advocacy Institute at their “More Than 3 People in a Room” annual fundraiser, on June 25th at 6pm in New York City. Alma’s personal goal is to raise $500. You can support Alma by purchasing a ticket or making a donation of only $35. All proceeds go directly toward continuing this important work and supporting advocates across the state. (Important Note: select or enter Alma’s name when asked who to credit for your support.) Questions?

Since 2013, the Advocacy Institute has supported social justice organizations across New York State by providing training, coaching, and tools to strengthen advocacy and win meaningful policy change. Their work has contributed to major victories in immigrant rights, criminal justice reform, public transit, economic justice, and more.

CONTACT US

The Genesee Valley Guardian newsletter is assembled throughout the week by volunteers and published on Tuesdays. We’d love more help with collecting information, light writing, and proofreading! To submit content or get in touch to volunteer, please use our website contact form.

Genesee Valley Indivisible strives to shine light on the dangers of authoritarianism by holding our elected officials and civic institutions accountable. We support democratic representation and decision-making. We support due process, equal rights, freedom of speech and assembly. We advocate for equitable government policies that will meet the needs of all Americans.

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