Stop the Hate Rally | Soldiers Field

The racism in Rochester has reached an intolerable level. When a white woman feels entitled to chase down a young Black autistic child in a park over applesauce—hurling racial slurs without consequence—we are beyond a line that should never have been crossed.

This is not an isolated incident. Our children are being targeted. Our communities are being disrespected. And we cannot—and will not—allow this hatred to continue unchecked.

At Journie, many of us and the community members we serve have personally experienced hate crimes—violence that echoes back to the very colonization and genocide of this land’s Indigenous peoples. We are no longer marching just to be seen. We are demanding justice.

We demand:

A special session and the immediate drafting and passing of the Stop the Hate bill to address racially motivated violence.

Investment in the DAP Platform so we can collect and control our own evidence-based data to drive systemic change.

Full accountability, including criminal charges, for individuals who target our community through violence, injustice, discrimination, and inequity.

This is a moment that demands action—not just promises. We will not allow hate to become normalized. We are watching. We are organized. And we are demanding real, sustained change.

Asking all allies, don’t meet us there, beat us there. In solidarity