Ceasefire Resolution Reintroduced
Two weeks ago, we asked you to help us oppose a resolution before St. Pete City Council calling for a ceasefire in Israel’s defensive war against Hamas.
You sent emails to the Council, you showed up, and you spoke out – and it worked. Councilmembers received over 100 emails opposing the resolution, many of you came to the meeting in person, and the resolution was withdrawn by its author, Councilmember Richie Floyd, before it was introduced.
That result testified to one of the most important lessons of the Holocaust: the power of our collective voice and the importance of action. Unfortunately, it was a temporary victory.
The resolution (page 185) will be reintroduced on Thursday, and we need an even stronger showing this time.
While it has been tweaked slightly, the resolution remains rife with implicit and explicit antisemitism. As you may recall, we pointed out many of them in our prior communication, which can be found here.
Notably, the new resolution still holds Israel to an antisemitic double standard not required of other countries, cites the “both-sides” HR 786, uses casualty figures provided by Hamas, and cites data from organizations with known antisemitic bias.
As history has taught us, fighting antisemitism takes consistent effort. Thursday is another opportunity for the community to show that we don’t get tired of being a coalition of Upstanders. It is essential that our community help keep St. Pete’s moral compass aligned.
Please join us at the meeting, 1:30pm at City Hall. In the meantime, we urge you to write the Council to express your opposition. Contacting them is no empty gesture; members have repeatedly shown that they respond to our voices.
Copley Gerdes – copley.gerdes@stpete.org
Brandi Gabbard – brandi.gabbard@stpete.org
Ed Montanari – ed.montanari@stpete.org
Lisset Hanewicz – lisset.hanewicz@stpete.org
Deborah Figgs-Sanders – deborah.figgs-sanders@stpete.org
Gina Driscoll – gina.driscoll@stpete.org
John Muhammad – John.Muhammad@stpete.org
Richie Floyd (resolution sponsor) – richie.floyd@stpete.org
Thank you for standing up. It’s not always easy or convenient, but it’s always worth it. We will continue to succeed if we continue to work together.