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Agenda Item
1 23-0935 Subject: Affirming Oakland's Support For The Congressional And Worldwide Calls For Immediate Ceasefire In Gaza
From: Councilmember Fife
Recommendation: Adopt A Resolution Affirming Oakland's Love Life Commitment And Support For The Congressional And Worldwide Calls For An Immediate Ceasefire In Gaza
This resolution is the opposite of Life Loving.
Where was City of Oakland 50 days into the Russia – Ukraine war? According to the Closed Session Archives on Oaklandca.gov, there is no Russian ceasefire resolution on the docket. To date, there have been over 27,000 Ukrainian civilian casualties + injured, and 70,000 KIA Ukrainian soldiers.
Maybe then Oakland is life loving for its own citizens? Crime and gun violence has been on a meteoric rise. Highland Hospital treated 502 gunshot victims in 2022, up from 283 in 2019. Homicides rose to 123 in 2021 and are at 108 as of November 12. Disturbingly, 6% of victims and 14% of suspects in nonfatal shootings were 17 years old or younger (i.e. children). All this ironically under Oakland’s own Ceasefire program, aimed at preventing gun violence.
At least Oakland’s fantastic public schools are showing our children love? OUSD champions a 75% graduation rate. However, of 683 Black students who entered OUSDs 9th grade, only 206 of them met UC requirements (a 30% rate). For Latinos, 1,301 entered 9th grade on only 465 grads had A-G requirements, while 461 did not graduate at all. In fact, Oakland has entire public schools in which not a single Black or Latino graduate is college eligible.
Until Oakland can get its own “Ceasefire” in order, the city has no right to demand it of others.
The genocide that is being committed by Israel in Gaza right now is completely tied to our own community here. The violence what we see and condone by not doing anything and turning a blind eye to, trains our own community to turn away from violence and atrocity which is being committed here. We must take a stand and not let this continue for the people in Gaza that are fighting for existence, sovereignty, and basic humanity as we maintain Oaklands long history of fighting injustice and putting people first.
I am in full support of a resolution calling for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza and other areas of the Middle East (Lebanon, West Bank, Syria) and for the full liberation and freedom of the Palestinian people. Too many innocent lives have already been lost as we debate a ceasefire and resolutions (174 Palestinian children killed/day for the past 7 weeks, 8,176 children killed as of 2 days ago). If we do not take a stand and condemn this violence, ethnic cleansing, and genocide, we are complicit in these crimes against humanity. This is not of question of over there or here, them or me, but purely of the importance of international solidarity against all forms of oppression. Love for humanity and all non-human relatives, all life.
The resolution does not acknowledge the terrible action by Hamas on October 7, nor the continuing threat on Israel by Hamas that needs to be subverted. It also does not acknowledge the danger that Hamas has placed on the people living in Gaza by their actions and by the fact that they intentionally locate their sources of attack and threat among normal residents, effectively sacrificing them upon retaliation for their actions and defense for their threats. Hamas is an ongoing ruthless threat to Israel as well as an effective threat to the people of Gaza themselves. The fact that they are spurred on by those in power in Iran, who are no friends of Jews or Israel or Arabs or Sunni Muslims, is even more evidence that allowing Hamas to continue and regroup is a threat to all.
I feel that calling for a ceasefire without explicitly considering these matters is not responsible and can cause more harm than good. If someone is pointing a gun at you and has shown no hesitance to shoot, your only choice is to remove the threat. If that someone is pointing that gun from your neighbor's house, they are also putting your neighbor at risk. That is also wrong and that matter also needs to be acknowledged.
Our safety in Oakland is inextricably linked to the safety of the people of Gaza. Oakland has a proud history of standing up for justice globally and now is a time to stand up for Gaza.
I, as an Oakland resident, support the immediate call for a ceasefire in Gaza! With the resolution passing as-is. Failure to do so will leave an unforgettable & unforgivable stain on this city.
Guns are being pulled on or citizens on College Ave and I can’t park my car with a backpack in it in any part of our city without knowing my window will be smashed and my belongings stolen.
Please keep your attention focused on Oakland and don’t pass resolutions on world issues you do not understand.
More than 20,000 Palestinians in Gaza have been killed and more than 1.7 million displaced, superseding the Nakba of 1948. Supporting a ceasfire is to support the sanctity of human life and to take a position against genocide and collective punishment. How many more civilian Palestinian lives taken and bombs dropped are needed to atone for the violence of Oct 07? Where was the outrage for the ongoing violence against Palestinians before Oct 07 and the egregious perpetual violations of international law by israel and it's occupation forces? Oakland has a responsibility to take a stand right now and prevent further loss of life, injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.
I support the ceasefire and demand that Oakland takes steps toward helping the Palestinian people. Every day the news gets worst and it is because our so-called leaders are not standing up to the injustices. Help us take steps toward the right side of history.
Genocide on the Palestinians is not going to resolve the challenges in the middle east. as a trauma therapist to those who have come to the US as refugees and asylum seekers, I can see how this genocide in Palestine is having a traumatic impact on many communities with ties in the Middle East , including Jewish, Muslim and Arab communities. End this genocide. ceasefire NOW to protect all communities.
As a Jewish Oakland resident, I urge the City of Oakland to pass this resolution as is. My Jewish values of protecting life and repairing the world lead me towards only one direction - to have a permanent ceasefire in order for this devastating siege and bombardment to stop, for the people of Gaza to have the ability to grieve and honor their many dead loved ones, for a step towards life with water, food, dignity, access to medical care, and sovereignty.
My values as an Oakland resident of community care and resisting systems of oppression lead me to the exact same place. CEASEFIRE NOW!
I’m in favor of a resolution to support a cease fire in Gaza. It is imperative that we stand up against injustice in Oakland and globally, as the same systems of oppression that have allowed this genocide to occur also impact us locally. Please support a cease fire now!
There are no two sides to genocide. I unequivocally support this resolution. Everyday without a ceasefire means more children, teens, men, women, animals are being killed. Please choose life. Please choose humanity.
There was a ceasefire on October 6. Hamas unilaterally destroyed it by coming into the sovereign nation of Israel, butchering, beheading, raping, and killing more than 1000 civilians, taking over two hundred hostages, and starting a war. Generally speaking, local governments should focus on their local issues. But if you do want to take a stand, wake up, and put out a statement calling for the immediate return of innocent Israeli hostages as well as those of other nationalities along with the immediate surrender of Hamas, a death cult and terrorist group sworn to the destruction of Israel -- read their charter. As soon as Hamas surrenders, there will be a ceasefire. Israel has the right and responsibility to defend itself against evil. Hamas has said they will do this again and again. I support the right of Palestinians and Israelis both to live peacefully. But I also support the right for Israel to defend itself against terrorists. Hamas is committing war crimes with every rocket it shoots at civilians, with every innocent civilian it uses as a human shield, with every weapon it hides in schools, mosques, and hospitals, with every civilian it killed on Oct 7th, and with every hostage it took. End Hamas war crimes. Have Hamas surrender. Free the Palestinian people FROM Hamas. All reasonable positions. There's no love embedded in a ceasefire. It's a backdoor way to call for the destruction of Israel via Hamas, and it's a very dangerous lie.
As an Arab American who remembers the anti-Arab sentiment after 9/11, I urge the council to support an immediate and permanent ceasefire in Gaza. There has been an increase in violence against Arab Americans in the United States as a result of the explicit US support for Israel's campaign in Gaza, most recently with the unprovoked shooting of three Palestinians students in Vermont yesterday night. In addition, I am against my tax dollars being used to financially and militarily support Israel's occupation in Palestine, which is genocidal in nature and has been since before 1948. Let us not forget that the violence in this region did not begin with October 7th; it began when Britain allowed some people in the region to have rights over others, and to ethnically cleanse the region with the support of Western colonial powers. This fundamental injustice continues today, most recently with the current events we are seeing unfold in Palestine.
This resolution is the opposite of Life Loving.
Where was City of Oakland 50 days into the Russia – Ukraine war? According to the Closed Session Archives on Oaklandca.gov, there is no Russian ceasefire resolution on the docket. To date, there have been over 27,000 Ukrainian civilian casualties + injured, and 70,000 KIA Ukrainian soldiers.
Maybe then Oakland is life loving for its own citizens? Crime and gun violence has been on a meteoric rise. Highland Hospital treated 502 gunshot victims in 2022, up from 283 in 2019. Homicides rose to 123 in 2021 and are at 108 as of November 12. Disturbingly, 6% of victims and 14% of suspects in nonfatal shootings were 17 years old or younger (i.e. children). All this ironically under Oakland’s own Ceasefire program, aimed at preventing gun violence.
At least Oakland’s fantastic public schools are showing our children love? OUSD champions a 75% graduation rate. However, of 683 Black students who entered OUSDs 9th grade, only 206 of them met UC requirements (a 30% rate). For Latinos, 1,301 entered 9th grade on only 465 grads had A-G requirements, while 461 did not graduate at all. In fact, Oakland has entire public schools in which not a single Black or Latino graduate is college eligible.
Until Oakland can get its own “Ceasefire” in order, the city has no right to demand it of others.
The genocide that is being committed by Israel in Gaza right now is completely tied to our own community here. The violence what we see and condone by not doing anything and turning a blind eye to, trains our own community to turn away from violence and atrocity which is being committed here. We must take a stand and not let this continue for the people in Gaza that are fighting for existence, sovereignty, and basic humanity as we maintain Oaklands long history of fighting injustice and putting people first.
CEASEFIRE!
I am in full support of a resolution calling for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza and other areas of the Middle East (Lebanon, West Bank, Syria) and for the full liberation and freedom of the Palestinian people. Too many innocent lives have already been lost as we debate a ceasefire and resolutions (174 Palestinian children killed/day for the past 7 weeks, 8,176 children killed as of 2 days ago). If we do not take a stand and condemn this violence, ethnic cleansing, and genocide, we are complicit in these crimes against humanity. This is not of question of over there or here, them or me, but purely of the importance of international solidarity against all forms of oppression. Love for humanity and all non-human relatives, all life.
The resolution does not acknowledge the terrible action by Hamas on October 7, nor the continuing threat on Israel by Hamas that needs to be subverted. It also does not acknowledge the danger that Hamas has placed on the people living in Gaza by their actions and by the fact that they intentionally locate their sources of attack and threat among normal residents, effectively sacrificing them upon retaliation for their actions and defense for their threats. Hamas is an ongoing ruthless threat to Israel as well as an effective threat to the people of Gaza themselves. The fact that they are spurred on by those in power in Iran, who are no friends of Jews or Israel or Arabs or Sunni Muslims, is even more evidence that allowing Hamas to continue and regroup is a threat to all.
I feel that calling for a ceasefire without explicitly considering these matters is not responsible and can cause more harm than good. If someone is pointing a gun at you and has shown no hesitance to shoot, your only choice is to remove the threat. If that someone is pointing that gun from your neighbor's house, they are also putting your neighbor at risk. That is also wrong and that matter also needs to be acknowledged.
Thank you for considering my thoughts.
Our safety in Oakland is inextricably linked to the safety of the people of Gaza. Oakland has a proud history of standing up for justice globally and now is a time to stand up for Gaza.
I, as an Oakland resident, support the immediate call for a ceasefire in Gaza! With the resolution passing as-is. Failure to do so will leave an unforgettable & unforgivable stain on this city.
Oakland is in a state of crisis.
Guns are being pulled on or citizens on College Ave and I can’t park my car with a backpack in it in any part of our city without knowing my window will be smashed and my belongings stolen.
Please keep your attention focused on Oakland and don’t pass resolutions on world issues you do not understand.
More than 20,000 Palestinians in Gaza have been killed and more than 1.7 million displaced, superseding the Nakba of 1948. Supporting a ceasfire is to support the sanctity of human life and to take a position against genocide and collective punishment. How many more civilian Palestinian lives taken and bombs dropped are needed to atone for the violence of Oct 07? Where was the outrage for the ongoing violence against Palestinians before Oct 07 and the egregious perpetual violations of international law by israel and it's occupation forces? Oakland has a responsibility to take a stand right now and prevent further loss of life, injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.
Permanent ceasefire now!
Pass the ceasefire resolution AS IS. It is imperative Oakland takes its place on the right side of history.
I support the ceasefire and demand that Oakland takes steps toward helping the Palestinian people. Every day the news gets worst and it is because our so-called leaders are not standing up to the injustices. Help us take steps toward the right side of history.
Genocide on the Palestinians is not going to resolve the challenges in the middle east. as a trauma therapist to those who have come to the US as refugees and asylum seekers, I can see how this genocide in Palestine is having a traumatic impact on many communities with ties in the Middle East , including Jewish, Muslim and Arab communities. End this genocide. ceasefire NOW to protect all communities.
As a Jewish Oakland resident, I urge the City of Oakland to pass this resolution as is. My Jewish values of protecting life and repairing the world lead me towards only one direction - to have a permanent ceasefire in order for this devastating siege and bombardment to stop, for the people of Gaza to have the ability to grieve and honor their many dead loved ones, for a step towards life with water, food, dignity, access to medical care, and sovereignty.
My values as an Oakland resident of community care and resisting systems of oppression lead me to the exact same place. CEASEFIRE NOW!
Support if amended with language that calls out Hamas as an obstacle to long-lasting peace and calls for its removal from power
I’m in favor of a resolution to support a cease fire in Gaza. It is imperative that we stand up against injustice in Oakland and globally, as the same systems of oppression that have allowed this genocide to occur also impact us locally. Please support a cease fire now!
There are no two sides to genocide. I unequivocally support this resolution. Everyday without a ceasefire means more children, teens, men, women, animals are being killed. Please choose life. Please choose humanity.
I support the resolution and demand it pass as is. Ceasefire is the only way to begin to restore humanity. End the siege on Gaza now!
There was a ceasefire on October 6. Hamas unilaterally destroyed it by coming into the sovereign nation of Israel, butchering, beheading, raping, and killing more than 1000 civilians, taking over two hundred hostages, and starting a war. Generally speaking, local governments should focus on their local issues. But if you do want to take a stand, wake up, and put out a statement calling for the immediate return of innocent Israeli hostages as well as those of other nationalities along with the immediate surrender of Hamas, a death cult and terrorist group sworn to the destruction of Israel -- read their charter. As soon as Hamas surrenders, there will be a ceasefire. Israel has the right and responsibility to defend itself against evil. Hamas has said they will do this again and again. I support the right of Palestinians and Israelis both to live peacefully. But I also support the right for Israel to defend itself against terrorists. Hamas is committing war crimes with every rocket it shoots at civilians, with every innocent civilian it uses as a human shield, with every weapon it hides in schools, mosques, and hospitals, with every civilian it killed on Oct 7th, and with every hostage it took. End Hamas war crimes. Have Hamas surrender. Free the Palestinian people FROM Hamas. All reasonable positions. There's no love embedded in a ceasefire. It's a backdoor way to call for the destruction of Israel via Hamas, and it's a very dangerous lie.
As an Arab American who remembers the anti-Arab sentiment after 9/11, I urge the council to support an immediate and permanent ceasefire in Gaza. There has been an increase in violence against Arab Americans in the United States as a result of the explicit US support for Israel's campaign in Gaza, most recently with the unprovoked shooting of three Palestinians students in Vermont yesterday night. In addition, I am against my tax dollars being used to financially and militarily support Israel's occupation in Palestine, which is genocidal in nature and has been since before 1948. Let us not forget that the violence in this region did not begin with October 7th; it began when Britain allowed some people in the region to have rights over others, and to ethnically cleanse the region with the support of Western colonial powers. This fundamental injustice continues today, most recently with the current events we are seeing unfold in Palestine.