City Council Must Pass the Ceasefire Resolution and Protect Free Speech
Since January, residents of Richmond have campaigned for City Council to adopt the resolution supporting a ceasefire in Gaza. This demand has emerged in the context of expansive violence against Palestinian civilians, leading to the deaths of more than 30,000 Gazans, more than 14,000 of them children. I grieve the 1,200 lives lost on October 7, 2023 and condemn all forms of violence against innocent civilians. I also believe deeply that it is impossible to process the events of October 7th, 2023 and not condemn — in the strongest possible terms — the devastating collective punishment and the incitement of genocide that we are all witnessing.
Council asserts this is an international issue beyond the scope of local government, but such abuses of human rights necessarily concern all of us. Like those residents who have sat in protest in Council Chambers, like a growing movement of people globally who are speaking out — I disagree.
Both my children and I have grown up in a country where intervention and military spending abroad has increased exponentially. Our government has invested billions of dollars in conflict abroad while people here are denied affordable healthcare, fully-funded public schools, and vital social services. We have seen hundreds of thousands of lives lost and hundreds of billions of dollars wasted while our government perpetuates deadly, failed, and endless conflict abroad. That should concern all of us.
As a school board member, a City Council candidate, and a Richmond community member, I am proud to stand in solidarity with the Palestinian people — including our neighbors here in Richmond and their families in Palestine — and with the multifaith, cross-generational movement calling for an end to this unnecessary violence and add my voice to those demanding an immediate ceasefire.
Finally, I am disappointed by the actions taken by City Council who have acted to suppress the voices of residents by increasing enforcement of council rules on public comment. I myself have sat through many Council meetings where folks on both sides of an issue were allowed to speak multiple times in a short period, were able to stand to show support and hold banners, and were able to enter the chambers without issue. Rules against these legitimate forms of free expression should never have existed, and the uneven application sows distrust. This does not simply affect one group. It could diminish the voices of every neighborhood association, political organization, advocacy group, and workers organization that tries to give public comment to our Council to demand our leaders work for us. All Richmonders have a shared interest in trusting that our governing bodies will hear our voices and respond to our concerns.
Therefore, I call on Richmond City Council to pass the proposed resolution calling for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza and to repeal the rules that limit public input during council meetings.
Read the full PEACE AND JUSTICE RESOLUTION SUBMITTED ON JANUARY 8TH, 2024 here…
