About 60 people from Alameda Friends and Families for Ceasefire (AFFC) packed City Hall for the City Council meeting on December 19. During the public comment portions of the meeting, AFFC members called for a ceasefire resolution from the City of Alameda, arguing that such a resolution is a local issue. They are the same group who previously held ceasefire vigils outside City Hall.
There were few empty seats in the third floor Council Chambers on Tuesday evening. As the clock struck 7 p.m., Mayor Marilyn Ezzy Ashcraft reviewed the protocols for public comment. No clapping, snapping, or booing following remarks. Keep signs below your head. Many people have a fear of public speaking, she pointed out to those in attendance, so the goal is to remain respectful of every speaker. Those in attendance adhered to the public comment rules. After an AFFC speaker gave remarks, the group silently stood and lifted their signs.
“It was at Alameda schools that I was taught to stand up and speak out against injustice, never to stay silent, or lose hope for the possibility of a better world,” said Samantha Zimmerman, who attended Alameda schools from kindergarten through 12th grade. “So today I am here with my Alameda community to call upon the Council of the City of Alameda to stand fearlessly on the side of justice by passing a resolution in support of a ceasefire in Gaza. I call upon you to show the children growing up in Alameda right now what it means to refuse silence and complicity, to believe in a better world and to act on that belief.”
AFFC member Lean Bayle Arcega Deleon said calling for a ceasefire affects Alameda residents.
“Ceasefire is a safety issue for Alameda residents,” Deleon said. “We have talked to so many Palestinian and Arab and Muslim community members who are scared to come to actions and scared to come to City Hall meetings.”
In a press release sent out prior to the meeting, AFFC member Hilda Poulson also noted how she feels ceasefire is a local issue.
“We know Alameda has a history as a military base and we know that Alamedans would prefer turning our swords into ploughshares by using our tax money to help our struggling families, improve our schools, build needed housing and climate resiliency rather than continue this horrendous assault on innocent people,” she said.
As soon as the first public comment portion of the meeting wrapped, AFFC members stood together and walked out of the Council Chambers. They reconvened on the second floor to go over how the public comments went.
”I want to lift up everyone who spoke for the first time tonight,” said Deleon. Then, Deleon told the crowd of about 50 they were welcome to stick around and watch the meeting play out or come back at the start of the second public comment section. AFFC leaders stayed to text other speakers when it was time to return.
During the later public comment section, Claire Valderama-Wallace and her young son stood at the podium.
“We want our children to live in a community where social justice is a living, breathing practice, where courage and justice far outweigh fear, hesitation, and discomfort,” she said. “Which is why I’m thankful to be here with Alameda Friends and Families for Ceasefire asking you to agendize and pass a ceasefire resolution at the very minimum and better yet an end to apartheid and the occupation of Palestine.”
Rabbi Cynthia Minster from Temple Israel of Alameda provided an alternate point of view.
“I am here to remind you that the silent majority of our community respects political differences including the distinction between items within the purview of the City and beyond it,” she said. “I urge you to continue working on the local issues that belong on the Council agenda. Citizens should advocate at the federal level on foreign policy. The only thing local resolutions accomplish is increasing division within our community.”
Prior to the meeting, AFFC put out a call to action on their Instagram account asking people to sign their resolution. It was entitled, “Resolution Affirming Alameda’s Support for the Congressional And Worldwide Calls for an Immediate and Permanent Ceasefire in Gaza.”
A portion of the resolution stated: “WHEREAS, Alamedans are paying federal tax dollars that, instead of returning to the city for needed services, are being used to support military attacks and indiscriminate bombardment of the Palestinian people; and […] WHEREAS, the City of Alameda seeks to be a place where ‘everybody belongs’ and there is ‘no place for hate.’”
Kelsey Goeres is a contributing writer for the Alameda Post. Contact her via [email protected]. Her writing is collected at AlamedaPost.com/Kelsey-Goeres.
