Fracking

The upstate New York secede movements have embraced hydro-fracking as a path to energy independence and an alternative source of income. However, below are some alternatives voices from activists who oppose fracking.

Josh Fox, the director of the documentary Gasland, which documented environmental problems with hydro-fracking in Pennsylvania, spoke for the bill that would eventually ban fracking in the state of New York. Unlike some upstate New York separatist and free energy activists, Fox claims that “there is no safe fracking” and that fracking presents a threat to New York communities.

Marchers gather in Albany in 2012 to urge the government to ban fracking, citing problems in Pennsylvania and other environmental concerns. Protests such as the one above were a vital part of New York State passing a bill to ban fracking in 2015.

Gun Laws

Strict state-wide gun laws are often cited as a reason upstate New York wants to secede from New York City, where gun laws are the strictest in the nation. Below are the voices of activists who support strict gun control laws and their reasoning.

Protestors gather outside of Trump Tower, former residence of President Donald Trump, who has previously made jokes about gun violence. The protestors are staging a “die in” to represent all the lives lost to gun violence in America.

Families come out in New York City to support the Safe Act of 2013. At the rally, mothers who have lost children to gun violence speak about their experiences and seek comfort. Aptly named Leah Gunn Barrett, of the New Yorkers Against Gun Violence, reminds the protestors that more Americans have died as a result of gun violence since the 1980s, than were killed in all of America’s wars.