Families and Individuals Struggling with Housing Insecurity, Substance Use Disorder, and Justice-Related Issues Must Not Be An Afterthought Rochester, NY--On Tuesday afternoon, Rochester-area grassroots and civil rights groups held a virtual “State of the City”...
Rochester City School District Must Not Cut Social Workers
Rochester, NY--In response to the proposed cuts to the Rochester City School District, Citizen Action of New York and the Alliance for Quality Education have issued the following statement: “We are in the midst of a global pandemic of unimaginable proportions. While...
Community Organizations Call on Rochester Gas & Electric to Halt Utility Shut-Offs and Cancel Rate Hike
Rochester, NY--Local community organizations call on Rochester Gas & Electric to halt all utility shut-offs indefinitely and cancel the planned May rate hike. Iberdrola, the Spanish corporation that owns Rochester Gas & Electric, posted a record profit of $3.8...
Citizen Action calls on legislative leaders to immediately pass small donor matching system for elections
Albany, NY—In response to the court ruling released today relating to the Public Financing of Elections Commission, Jessica Wisneski, Co-Executive Director of Citizen Action of New York, said: “This ruling checks Governor Cuomo’s power to abuse his office by taking...
We Won’t Return to a Pretrial System that Preys on Black, Brown and Low-income Communities
Albany, NY — In response to State Senate Republicans calling for repeal of New York’s bail reform law, Jim Anderson, Vice President of Citizen Action of New York, released the following statement: “We know exactly what “dangerous” means to State Senate Republicans and...
Tax the Rich, Invest in Our Communities
Albany, NY – In response to Governor Cuomo’s 2020 State of the State Address, Rosemary Rivera, Co-Executive Director of Citizen Action of New York issued the following statement: “In the nine years that Governor Cuomo has been in office, he’s made it clear who his...
Citizen Action Rejects Calls to Amend the New Pre-trial Laws
In response to calls to amend the new pre-trial laws and return to a pretrial system that will continue to prey on Black, Brown and low-income communities, Ivette Alfonso, President of Citizen Action of New York, released the following statement: “For far too long,...
Citizen Action Statement in response to Mayor de Blasio’s attacks on NY’s new pretrial laws
New York City—In response to New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio’s recent push to rollback New York’s new bail reform law that will ensure fewer legally innocent people are arbitrarily jailed because they cannot afford their freedom, Stanley Fritz, Political Director...
Citizen Action of New York Celebrates Enactment of Pretrial Justice Reforms
Albany, NY — In response to the January 1, 2020 enactment of historic pretrial justice reforms, Amy Jones, Community Organizer, Citizen Action of New York, said:“Today, New Yorkers across the state are celebrating enactment of our new bail, discovery and speedy trial...