Rock Against Gun Violence Coalition will move off-city platform after council retirement, leaders say

Council Member Willie Lightfoot told attendees at the August Rock Against Gun Violence Coalition meeting that he will retire from the Rochester City Council in December and will continue to lead the coalition in a new capacity outside the city platform.

"The Coalition will, go with me, and it will not stop," Lightfoot said, describing a transition that will move the group’s livestreaming and some web hosting off the city council’s YouTube channel. He said other social platforms — Facebook, Instagram and Twitter — will remain under current accounts.

Lightfoot said he has had ‘‘extensive conversations’’ with the mayor, the president of the city council and legal staff and that city leaders approved the coalition’s move to a different umbrella organization. He said the new host will be more faith-based and that the organizational name, mission and structure will largely remain the same. He added the shift is meant to reduce conflicts that previously limited the coalition’s ability to receive city funds.

The coalition’s media change is scheduled as a soft transition beginning in October or November so the group can fully move platforms before the new year. Lightfoot told members the group expects to keep meeting online until it secures a new physical space and that the coalition’s partnership with the city will continue.

No legislative action or vote was taken during the meeting. Lightfoot said the coalition’s leadership will deliver a detailed plan and strategic direction for the group’s next one to three years, and that he intends to expand fundraising and program capacity under the new umbrella.

Participants asked how the shift would affect continuity; Lightfoot repeatedly emphasized the work would continue and that the city has committed to remain a partner. He also said the coalition aims to secure financial support in the new structure that was previously constrained by his status as a council member.