Springville Action - 5/18/25 #20

What would you do with a $400 million private plane?

Author

Springville Action
May 18, 2025

Inspiration 🦄

The Boss - Bruce Springsteen - shared his take on current events at a recent concert. “He stopped the concert to give his talk and it was powerful and heartfelt. I was so proud of him!”

From a reader in Holland

And - “We are in a persuasion window. People's assumptions about "the way things are" have gone up in smoke. If we can do the work of organizing them to know WE MAKE THE FUTURE, we can not merely defeat this regime but the billionaires that brought it into being.” - Anat Shanker-Osorio

🧟‍♂️ Nightmare Fuel

We face a breathtaking triad of existential threats: pandemics, climate change and disinformation. Which keeps you up at night the most? Climate change will intensify weather-related disasters, destroy infrastructure over time and all at once, force human and animal migration, create shortages of basic resources especially water, and disrupt governments and general order. Pandemics thrive in sick populations. It’s just really messed up, y’all, a literal nightmare that we get the privilege of trying to survive through.

To do ✅ 

📺 Something to watch: Friday’s press conference with County Exec Mark Poloncarz and Social Services Commissioner Karen Rybicki.

📚 Something to read: 10 actions each of us can do to defend democracy. Some overlap with our giant list below!

News & Media

👩 WNY Women’s March: coverage from WGRZ, WIVB. Can someone explain why we still need to march for this basic shiz?

🤓 Erie County - fiscal threats. Press release link. Read the whole thing but this is the summary: Tax Cuts for Billionaires Projected to Cost Erie County $12.3 million in 2026, Over $100 million by 2028; House GOP Budget Cruelty Targets Poor, Elderly, Sick, Hungry Americans to Benefit the Wealthy. And you might like this as the presentation heading: This isn’t about Fraud, Waste and Abuse; their lies will cost Erie County.

Mayors races. New York State’s biggest cities, Buffalo and NYC, will choose new leadership this year. As large urban centers they are also a focal point for state tax dollars, so it’s reasonable to stay informed about what’s happening there. Each city has a cast of characters running. NYC has ranked choice voting in the Democratic primary, and the [insert your most appropriate adjective here] Andrew Cuomo is looking to secure a win, virtually ensuring a win in the general election. For Buffalo, the Democratic primary winner has a good chance of winning the general, but stranger things (Byron Brown’s write-in win) have happened. These are likely to turn into messy, sordid affairs as we get closer to primary day so pay attention.

Events

🧶 Crafters/Fiber Artists - lots of opportunities to come together! Concord Library, first Sat. of the month, 1-3; Concord Mercantile, second Sat. of the month, 10-1; Art’s Cafe, Wednesdays, 5:30pm. You’ll see your people.

5/19, 7 pm - Village of East Aurora board meeting. WNYSSB friends in East Aurora are facing a tree-saving-emergency. We need people from the towns along the Scenic Byway to show up to support them in East Aurora. Questions: Holly Maciejewski at [email protected].

5/19, Unheard Voices, the Fight for the Tonawanda Seneca Nation’s Way of Life at the Buffalo History Museum

5/20 - School board and budget elections

5/24, 10am - Pop Warner Trail Clean Up, meet at the Springville Depot

5/27, 5:30pm - Rally for Democracy in East Aurora at the Library. Bring signs (respectful, but creative) and noisemakers if you wish.

5/28, 6-9pm: Nonpartisan Community Conversation. What federal policies do we want to talk about? Meet up at the Ellicottville Town Center (near arboretum) to discuss federal policy impacts and potential action plans to present to congressional representatives.

5/31, 10 am - NYS Citizens Preparedness Corps, Concord Senior Center. Free. Register.

6/1, 11am start - Buffalo Gay Pride Parade, starts at Elmwood and Forest Avenue and ends at Elmwood and Allen Street

6/7, 11am - 2 pm - Gay/Straight Alliance Event at East Aurora Town Hall. Email [email protected] to be connected to this event's volunteers.

6/7, afternoon and evening - Springville Art Crawl. The place to be for an unofficial start to Springville’s summer.

6/10, 6-7:30 pm: Legislator Lorigo office hours, Springville Village Hall

6/14 - No Kings action. Details about a Buffalo event will be included here when known.

[remainder of content repeats (mostly) from last email]

To Do ✅

😷 Medical checkups. Get a printout of your vaccination record and check with your doctor about recommended vaccines, including MMR, based on your age and other risk factors.

🐝 Citizen Scientists, Unite! Download the Inaturalist app on your phone; upload pictures of nature (animals, plants, trees) for identification and help out the environmental community.

📰 Letter to the Editor. Pick a topic, drill down to 1 key message and write your heart out. There are local people who will help zazz up your letter and get it ready for publication. Email [email protected].

📱 5 Calls - Download the app to your phone; enter your ZIP code; follow the prompts to call U.S. Senators and your local Congressional rep. EXTRA CREDIT - ask your local elected officials what the impact of general federal nonsense will have on local projects, and what they are doing to protect your community.

📮 Postcards - Explore the Postcards for Democrats web site and support Democratic candidates in swing states. Organize for Action is local, find them on Facebook.

😊 Meet a Neighbor: How well do you know your neighbors? Start small but make a point to find one new acquaintance in your area this week!

🗳️ Go to a government meeting. These are open to the public and people rarely attend. See your government at work and pay attention to the decisions they’re making.

At a loss for what to do?

Are you sick of hearing “there’s nothing I can do about everything that’s happening”? There’s plenty you can do - big or small, just try to do SOMETHING each day.

  • Public Displays of Connection

    • Guerilla Gardening and Yarn Bombs! There is a slightly subversive and very fun tactic of guerilla gardening and placing handmade knit pieces in public places. Be creative.

    • Plant a garden or support a local CSA

    • Plant a homemade lawn sign - it doesn’t have to be political - paint a one word message like “Hope", ”Love,” “Peace.”

    • Maintain little free libraries or start your own

  • Basic Needs

    • Donate blood

    • Learn first aid and basic medical skills

    • Participate in local Buy Nothing groups

    • Donate to Little Free Pantries or your local food pantry

    • Participate in a seed exchange, like the one at Hulbert Library in the Town of Concord

  • Organized Volunteering

  • Neighbor Support

    • Help people with phone calls and forms - like Social Security, health appointments and insurance paperwork

    • Give neighbors rides, assist with basic needs

    • Provide a meal to a struggling family or neighbor - see lasagnalove

    • Offer babysitting or respite care - especially during meetings

    • Teach a skill or coordinate a training - sewing, gardening, cooking, car repair, how to fix a toilet or bike.

Misc.

Content welcome: Initially this newsletter was going to be sent weekly. Now it's sending as soon as it feels like there is enough content to let it fly - probably 2x/week. Your contributions are welcome. Email [email protected].

This newsletter will always be free, but if you like what you're reading and can find it in your budget, kick a few bucks to support your local food pantry, an abortion fund, or an elected official who has demonstrated common sense and decency.

Past Newsletters