Meeting Time: November 07, 2023 at 4:00pm PST
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  • Default_avatar
    Joseph Bear 11 months ago

    My name is Joseph Bear, and my husband and I are residents of District 3. I am calling on you to sponsor and pass a resolution in support of the Palestinian people and against the genocide which the government of Israel is carrying out in Gaza. It is deeply disturbing to know that the U.S. government is directly funding this genocide and that most political leaders in this country are lending open support to Israel's ethnic cleansing. I am a Jew, and this horrifying situation is made even more painful by the fact that Israel and its apologists in the U.S. and elsewhere claim that these actions for the sake of the Jewish people. This is a vile and insulting claim. To stand against the Israeli government is to stand on the side of justice and is not antisemitic. Moreover, no country can use "self-defense" as an excuse for ethnic cleansing.

    We are watching a genocide unfold. Please think of how history will look back upon those who stood against it, and those who did not. Thank you.

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    Christina Gut 11 months ago

    District 1 resident demanding my council member and all of city council take immediate action to pass a resolution calling for an immediate ceasefire, allowing humanitarian aid into Gaza, and an end to Israel’s settler colonial genocidal regime. Our tax dollars should be paying for our residents to access safe housing, for our youth to access meaningful paid job opportunities. As a city employee I have first hand witnessed the way city resources are funded to the police department while real community safety solutions go egregiously underfunded. The theft and misuse of our tax dollars fund Israel’s genocide campaign against Palestine, and locally, fund OPD to criminalize and terrorize Black and brown and homeless and poor residents.

    We elected our council members to serve the people and the people demand immediate action calling for a ceasefire. If you do not stand with the people, if you do not serve the people, we will make sure you are out of a job next election cycle!

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    talia lowery 11 months ago

    Talia, Oakland, District 1 Resident: I support the following:
    1. A ceasefire
    2. Ending the nearly 2-decades long blockade on Gaza
    3. Ending Israeli settlers and military committing violence against and displacing Palestinians in the West Bank
    4. Ending US funding of Israel (at the federal, state, local level which includes divestment)
    5. Ending both Israel's apartheid system and the ongoing genocide against Palestinians

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    Mara Schechter 11 months ago

    Hello! I'm Mara, a Jewish resident District 3. I support a ceasefire, an end to the blockade on Gaza (from the past month and the past 16 years), an end to Israeli settlers and military committing violence against and displacing Palestinians in the West Bank, and an end to US funding of Israel (at the federal, state, local level which includes divestment). We must end the genocide against Palestinians, and end Israel's apartheid system that treats Palestinians as sub-human.

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    Neda Said 11 months ago

    My name is Neda Said and I am a resident of District 4. I represent one of many community members who support Oakland city Council in sponsoring a resolution calling for an immediate ceasefire of Israel's violence and genocide against the Palestinian people, ending United States funding toward weapons, and the facilitation of humanitarian aid to Palestine. I have been an Oakland resident for over 10 years, I am also the child of an Afghan refugee. I have seen Islamophobia and racism effectively fan the flames for a military occupation that lasted decades, with rampant murder and rape of innocent civilians. Because I have this understanding, I am horrified to see the ongoing genocide in Palestine, and American weapons sales and financing of this genocide. I can’t help but notice how much money we have in this country dedicated to destruction, but how little we seem to have to support things like education, healthcare, housing, fair pay, and protection of the environment. I am so tired of being surrounded by poverty and inequality in this country, while knowing billions of dollars go to other countries to kill people with names like mine. Rep Barbara Lee recently supported Resolution 786 for a Ceasefire. She was also the only representative that opposed the invasion of both Afghanistan and Iraq. While she received hate mail and death threats, years later it is documented that she did the right thing. I hope Oakland City Council will also take a stand and do the right thing.

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    Evelyn Carmack 11 months ago

    My name is Evelyn Carmack and I am a constituent residing in District 2. I support Oakland City Council in doing the following:

    Sponsor or co-sponsor an advisory resolution, following Richmond’s model, affirming solidarity with Palestinian people against genocide. Condemn Israeli leadership’s ethnic cleansing and collective punishment.

    Call for a special meeting to pass this resolution with extreme urgency. More than 8,000 Palestinians have been killed in the last three weeks. Following the usual three-week procedure for introducing new agenda items is unacceptable while genocide is escalating.

    Post information and updates regarding the above actions on all of your platforms (including social media, website, and email lists) so that we, your constituents, know that you are accountable to us and transparent in your communications.

    As a Jew, I know that genocide is forever. For 75 years, Israel has escalated violence against Palestinians through displacement, discrimination, dehumanization, and persecution. The past 3 weeks show us that Israeli leadership is determined to complete the 9th and 10th stages of genocide: extermination and denial. We are complicit in the murder of over 8,000 and counting Palestinians through our government funding. We are complicit in the denial of their genocide when we are silent.
    Please do the right thing!