Local News

Original article: https://janitorqueer.com/2016/04/14/changing-peoples-minds-about-transge...

It can happen, and the most effective way it can happen is through personal anecdotes and connecting emotionally with someone (one reason I write this blog!).  It’s going to happen through one-on-one conversations, as opposed to  on a mass scale (although you never know… things do tend to snowball after a certain point!), and (unfortunately) it’s most likely not going to happen by pointing out facts and statistics to someone.

A study was just published in last week’s issue of Science Magazine.  I heard about it through This American Life‘s most recent episode called For Your Reconsideration.  If you want to hear the pertinent content, click on the link – there’s a player right on that page, and just skip ahead to the times between 22:20 and 29:00.

It’s about canvassers going door to door to talk to people about transgender issues, and the data was recorded and processed.  The canvassers (who were both transgender themselves, and allies – and both were equally effective!) utilized a persuasion technique that’s been developed for close to 50 years by the LGBT Center in California.  It’s called analogic perspective taking:  “By inviting someone to discuss an experience in which that person was perceived as different and treated unfairly, a canvasser tries to generate sympathy for the suffering of another group—such as gay or transgender people.”

This morning (April 5, 2016) over 20 officers from both the Rochester Police Department and the Monroe County Sheriff's Office arrived at Liz McGriff's house, along with a Uhaul truck, a crew with lots of plywood, and lots and lots of crime tape. The street was blocked off to traffic while they seized the home, removed whatever belongings were in the house, and boarded up the windows and doors. A crowd of over 20 supporters gathered to voice their disapproval, and two protesters were arrested.

Ryan Harvey in front of a screen showing debris on a Greek beach left by refugees.

Friday summit flyer draft5.pdf

On November 13, 2015, the administrator of Syracuse, NY's Citizen Review Board, Joey Lipari, was invited by Rochester's Coalition for Police Reform to give a presentation on how their board works.

What makes the Syracuse model interesting, is that a) it's close to Rochester and within New York State, b) it has administrative subpoena power, which it can use without going through hoops, and c) it conducts a parallel and independent investigation, next to the police investigation, of all complaints.

Rochester's current Civilian Review Board, or CRB, lacks subpoena power, independent investigations (the police conduct the only investigation), and the final determinations of complaints and disciplining of officers is vested in the hands of the chief of police--regardless of findings from the Civilian Review Board. In short, our Civilian Review Board was built to fail to the people of Rochester.

Watch Mr. Lipari's presentation below:

Feb. 3, 2016 - At the Monroe County Board of Elections, local supporters and delegates of the Bernie Sanders campaign filed petitions to get their candidate on the Democrat Party ballot. Only WXXI was there to cover the event. Local supporters collected 3 times the amount required to help get Sanders on the ballot.

This is the press release from Raliek Redd's attorney Elliot Dolby-Shields. It tells the story of Mr. Redd's false arrest on February 22, 2016 by the Greece police as well as being racially profiled and detained by security at Macy's.

Press Release re RALIEK REDD 2.22.16 Arrest at Greece Ridge mall.pdf

A copy of the Monroe County Sheriff's Department General Order regarding the searching of persons. The document was attained by Elliot Dolby-Shields, attorney for Raliek Redd, who was stripped searched, along with two other high school athletes, after they were arrested while waiting at a school bus stop to take them to a basketball game on November 27, 2013.

MCSD G.O. - Searches of Persons.pdf

Link to original article: https://cico3.com/2015/11/18/the-apocalypses-apocalypse-and-post-apocaly...

This posts stems from a conversation with Kyle Johnson after we watched Mad Max: Fury Road together. Thanks to Linda Quiquivix , Zoé Samudzi and William Copeland for feedback on the idea and draft to help make it vaguely coherent. In thinking about worlds I leaned heavily on Frantz Fanon’s Wretched of the Earth and Frank Wilderson’s Red, White and Black even where not cited directly. None of the above can be blamed for what follows. After completing the draft a couple of friends put me onto this great recent CBC conversation which also covers parts of what is below. Special thanks to Cass Chen who was a wonderful friend, host and conversationalist while I scribbled.