Noelle E. C. Evans

An alternatives to violence program with the city of Rochester is working through the pandemic to reach at-risk youths and communities affected by cycles of violence. 

After fights broke out around Rochester on Memorial Day, Raymond Mayoliz with Pathways to Peace said their program workers were on the ground the next day where one such fight took place between two girls.

Mayoliz said he had seen a striking detail in a video shared on social media of that incident.

The Gandhi Institute for Nonviolence has launched an ad campaign on buses and billboards encouraging residents to make choices to keep the peace during the ongoing public health crisis.

Kit Miller with the Gandhi Institute said nonviolence is a tool to help people communicate truthfully without causing harm. The ads aim to help residents resolve conflicts without resorting to violence, especially at a time when social inequalities are exacerbated by the pandemic.

About 29 years ago, Chris went to his first Alcoholics Anonymous meeting. It’s anonymous, so: first name only. 

Since the New York state PAUSE order went into effect in March, AA meetings and other support groups have had to transition to virtual meetings.

Chris, now in his 70s, said that it was odd and off-putting at first when AA meetings shifted to Zoom and phone conference calls, but it’s become something of a habit now. In some ways, he said, the AA community has broadened.

A Rochester-based organization wants Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials in Batavia to allow a donation of hygiene supplies in order to protect detainees from coronavirus at their facility. 

ICE officials say they can’t accept the donations and that detainees have sufficient access to soap and water for sanitary purposes. 

The Rochester Public Market is preparing for a busy Saturday with the Memorial Day weekend. 

Market staff are advising shoppers to wear a mask, keep their visit short and send only one member of a household to shop.

Jim Farr, Director of the Public Market, said on Friday that they were painting arrows on the ground to help direct the flow of foot traffic, as a further precaution for social distancing.

The Wilmot Cancer Institute at the University of Rochester Medical Center is resuming postponed procedures and turning more to telemedicine amid the pandemic. Treatments are still ongoing.

According to URMC, some cancer surgeries were postponed during a ban on elective surgeries. That ban was lifted on April 29.

As for Roslyn Goldman, 82, she’s been receiving treatment for lymphoma throughout the pandemic. So far, she said, she feels good. 

The Rochester City-Wide Tenant Union is calling on New York state and local governments to cancel rent and mortgages because of the current public health crisis. 

The group is asking for unpaid rent or mortgage payments to be forgiven for up to 90 days after the state of emergency is lifted.  

“Part of our demand around cancelled rent is to put more protections in to really prevent homelessness occurring as this crisis continues to develop,” said Allie Detinger, who is with the Tenant Union.

The New York Civil Liberties Union filed a class-action lawsuit against Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials at the Buffalo Federal Detention Facility in Batavia on Monday. 

The lawsuit calls for ICE to protect all detainees who are considered at risk of complications related to COVID-19 as outlined by the Centers for Disease Control.

The Golisano Foundation announced Thursday that it is distributing $426,300 in a first round of COVID-19 response grants. 

Just over $400,000 will go to organizations serving people with intellectual and developmental disabilities with urgent needs resulting from the pandemic.