Urban Action 4/10

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This week's calls to action include the following events and activities. (All are free and open to the public, unless otherwise noted.)

Ending solitary confinement

The College at Brockport will host a program titled "Cruel and Unusual Punishment: Solitary Confinement as Torture in the US Prison System" on Thursday, April 18.

Melanie Funchess, director of community engagement for the Mental Health Association of Rochester, will moderate a discussion on the use of solitary confinement, its impact on inmates, and its role in structural racism. The event, which is sponsored by several social justice organizations, will be held at the college's downtown Rochester campus, 161 Chestnut Street, from 6 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.

Guns repurposed

Activists Shane Claiborne and Michael Martin conclude their 35-city "Beating Guns Tour" in Rochester on Thursday, April 18.

In their program, Claiborne and Martin give an overview of the history of guns in the US, discuss gun marketing, and share stories of people impacted by gun violence. The show culminates with an invitation for the audience to take hammers and transform guns into garden tools. The event will be held at Greece Baptist Church, 1230 Long Pond Road, at 6 p.m.

Assessing the Supreme Court

Timothy Kneeland, history and political science chair at Nazareth College, will review "The Most Dangerous Branch: Inside the Supreme Court's Assault on the Constitution" on Tuesday, April 23.

Journalist David Kaplan interviewed dozens of judges and Supreme Court watchers and concluded that both liberal and conservative Justices are undermining the role of the other branches of government, and that the current court is among the most ideological in recent history.

The book discussion is part of the Friends and Foundation of the Rochester Public Library's Books Sandwiched In series, and will be held at the Central Library, 115 South Avenue, from 12:12 p.m. to 12:52 p.m.