On January 31st, 2024, the Monroe County Democratic Committee (MCDC) held its Candidate Designation Meeting for the 17th, 21st, 23rd, and 24th Legislative Districts at James Monroe High School in the Pearl-Meigs-Monroe neighborhood. Joe Morelle – the sole Congressional candidate on the ticket – intended to attend this event.

Plans changed at the last minute. The Candidate Designation Meeting was originally open to registered Democrats, whether party functionaries or ordinary individuals who had ticked a particular voter registration box. Once the higher-ups got word of a planned protest, however, this supposedly democratic event was revealed to be the gathering of party insiders it always has been. Invited guests and lay-Democrats alike were turned away at the door due to “security” concerns.

The concerns? Several dozen protesters who planned to gather, enter the meeting, and demand answers of Joe Morelle. Like far too many Democrats (not to mention folks of other political persuasions) in these so-called United States, the Rochester Congressman stands with Israel in its genocidal campaign against the people of Palestine. Participants aimed to tell Morelle that his constituents want a ceasefire in Gaza and ask him why he does not represent us. Assuming security forces did not brutally eject them from the event, the plan was to follow up with queries about just how much money L3 Harris and AIPAC have given the Congressman in exchange for his moral compass.

Instead of engaging in the democratic process, Joe Morelle decided to hide from the event. Protestors gathered anyway to demand an end to American support for the heinous crimes being committed against the Palestinian people. After chanting and holding space in front of the high school, protestors entered the lobby of the building to have their voices heard – if not by Morelle, then by his political cronies.

Attendees report that Anthony Plonzynski, a lackey of Adam Bello (and, by proxy, Joe Morelle), was there when security guards attacked the demonstrators. A particularly virulent individual among the ranks of these wannabe policemen went so far as to flip over a table upon which a brave protestor was taking a stand against the demolition of Gaza. One imagines other functionaries in attendance, including ex-police chief Jim Sheppard, cheering the violence against protestors – to say nothing of that done to Palestinians.

In the face of popular dissent against unpopular policies, the political class of Rochester showed its true face. Bought and paid for by special interests, party insiders twisted a “democratic” process and nominated Joe Morelle behind closed doors. Like unpopular feudal lords in a dying system, they shut down dissent by the People by manipulating the rules of the game to suit their own interests. The whole affair reminds one of the United States vetoing resolution after resolution against the slaughter of innocents in Gaza in the face of overwhelming global opinion.

It’s no surprise that Joe Morelle sided with his donors. A well-known machine politician, Morelle long ago parted with his integrity. He has signed on to a resolution decrying South Africa’s case before the International Court of Justice while offering nary a word of support for the innocents facing bombing and starvation in the Gaza Strip. Perhaps it’s also unsurprising that such a man would choose to skip his own coronation in the face of popular protest.

Despite the best efforts of the Establishment, the People of Rochester will be heard. We demand an end to the bloodshed, an end to the cronyism, and an end to “democratic” processes that serve elite interests. We do not take donations from merchants of death or political action committees dedicated to safeguarding genocidal projects. Joe Morelle, We Charge You with Genocide.