December 17, 2020

To our Dear Friends, our Elected Representatives, and All Our Community Leaders:

             Greetings! We wish a safe and healthy holiday season for you and your families, and a blessed and Happy New Year that, despite the troubles and sadness of the year gone by, brings the light of joy and hope into your home and family.

            Indeed, during this holiday season we want to take a moment to reflect upon the possibilities of the moment – the potentialities and possibilities that fire the imagination of so many of our precious children, and their families, during the holidays.

            One of the popular phrases today in common use is “All I Want for Christmas….”

This phrase refers to the opportunity we all have to do some “wishing for our world” in the New Year.

And so, through this letter, we thought we would respectfully call for your attention to a Holiday Wish List that comes from an important group of families in the community who are, nonetheless, suffering dearly from the effects of childhood lead poisoning. A suffering that, no matter how much we wish it were not so, cannot be wished away.

            Still, we have hope! A hope that comes, in part, from our relationship with every one of you. And in that deeply felt spirit of hope, we offer you, for your consideration, our answer to the popular phrase during this multi-cultural, multi-religious holiday season….

 All I Want for Christmas…

by

Families for Lead Freedom Now!

         Best of health for you, and your family;

         Additional federal funding for the City of Syracuse’s HUD Lead Hazard Reduction grant program. We appreciate the work of Senators Schumer and Gillibrand to restore a round of funding that started last year;

         Obtain Federal, State, County, and City funding to make the Syracuse Lead Ordinance more than merely words on paper. We wish for the necessary funds early (not later) next year so the community can look forward to:

   the swift hiring and training, in Spring 2021 (not Autumn), of the needed City of Syracuse Codes officers;

   the swift on-boarding of a new Syracuse Director of Lead Hazard Reduction in early 2021;

   the commencement of Lead Ordinance-based housing inspections and lead remediation in mid-2021 (not late 2021);

         Greater recognition by our elected and community leaders that Freedom from lead poisoning … that the active presence of Environmental Justice … that the fierce pursuit of Lead Justice… is, surely, the pursuit of Racial Justice;

         Public access to the Syracuse Rental Registry, so the public knows which landlords are complying with the law and which are willing to keep their houses safe from lead hazards;

         That our non-profit institutions that declare their dedication to Racial Justice do more to stop Childhood Lead Poisoning;

         An immediate stop to evictions! Evictions in the winter months especially put a terrible burden upon all families already touched by the tragedy of childhood lead poisoning;

         Renewal of an easily accessible childhood lead-testing program in Syracuse. Without widespread blood lead testing in Syracuse, we cannot easily prevent even higher levels of poisoning due to repeat exposures;

         Meetings throughout 2021 to discuss our concerns with:

   Syracuse City Councilors

   Onondaga County Legislators

   NYS Senators and Assemblymembers

   NYS Federal Representatives and Senators

         Continued focus by Mayor Ben Walsh, who sat down with us earlier this year, on making an end to the lead crisis in our community among the highest priorities on the Public Agenda.

                Lastly, in the spirit of the season, we wish a healthier, happier, more hopeful year ahead to all, and thank every one of you who has worked in solidarity with us for Lead Freedom, Lead Justice, and a brighter tomorrow.

             May all your dreams and wishes come true.