By NYC 4 Ceasefire, April 16, 2024
Nearly 100 City Councils Have Passed Resolutions Around the Country .
NEW YORK, NEW YORK — Dozens of organizations in New York City that build power in local communities and fight for social justice have come together to call on Speaker Adrienne Adams and the New York City Council to speak out as a body and pass a resolution calling for an immediate and permanent ceasefire in Gaza and an end to U.S. supply of arms to Israel.
The letter below states that, “[t]he principles which are foundational to our fight for justice in our city also lead us to call on you now to take action as a Council and call for an immediate and permanent ceasefire in Gaza and an end to U.S. supply of arms to Israel. The ongoing genocidal assault on Gaza has already taken the lives of over 33,000 people and is causing massive famine.”
This letter follows an action on February 28th by NYC 4 Ceasefire, which launched a 24-hour vigil outside of New York City Hall to call on the Council to join an unequivocal call to Congress and President Biden to execute an immediate and permanent ceasefire.
April 16, 2024
Dear Speaker Adrienne Adams and the New York City Council:
We are grief stricken by what has unfolded in Palestine and Israel since October 7th and we stand firmly with people around the world who share the conviction that all life is precious and that no human being is disposable. The current crisis in Gaza is taking place in the context of a decades-long occupation, ethnic cleansing and state violence.
We write to you as organizations in New York City that build power in communities facing economic exploitation, eviction and displacement, disparate health outcomes, police brutality, incarceration and deportation. We are committed to social and economic justice here in NYC, throughout our country and around the world. The principles which are foundational to our fight for justice in our city also lead us to call on you now to take action as a Council and call for an immediate and permanent ceasefire in Gaza and an end to U.S. supply of arms to Israel. The ongoing genocidal assault on Gaza has already taken the lives of over 33,000 people and is causing massive famine.
This is taking place thousands of miles away, but it has a direct connection to our local communities, including over 50,000 Palestinian New Yorkers. New York City should play a leadership role nationwide. We are home to the headquarters of the United Nations, where on March 25 the Security Council voted 14-0 in favor of a resolution demanding a ceasefire in Gaza for the rest of Ramadan.
Nationally, two-thirds of voters and at least 77% of Democrats, support an immediate and permanent ceasefire. Around the country, nearly 100 city councils (including Chicago, Atlanta, San Francisco, and Oakland) have voted in support of resolutions calling for an immediate and permanent ceasefire in Gaza. Yet, our Council has yet to act.
We thank the 18 members of our City Council who have called for a ceasefire and sent a powerful message to our Members of Congress, the White House, and to our local communities. We now call on the remaining members of our Council to do the same.
We also call on Speaker Adams to make a public commitment by the next stated meeting on April 18th to introduce a resolution.
This is a pivotal moment in history and you have the power and responsibility to speak out. History demands that we act, that we act now and that we act together.
Signed,
NYC 4 Ceasefire
Alliance for Quality Education
Altruisa
Arab American Association of New York
Bangladeshi-Americans for Political Progress (BAPP)
Bronx Neighbors 4 Palestine
Brooklyn for Peace
Council on American-Islamic Relations, New York (CAIR-NY)
Dancers for Palestine
Doctors Against Genocide
DRUM – Desis Rising Up & Moving
Families for Freedom
HCW for Palestine NYC
Hindus for Human Rights
IfNotNow NYC
Immigrant Defense Project
Jewish Elders Affinity Group
Jews for Racial and Economic Justice
Judson Memorial Church
Majlis Ash-Shura: Islamic Leadership Council of New York
Make the Road NY
Malikah
Mamas 4 A Free Palestine
MAS Brooklyn
MAS Youth Center
MAS Sheepshead Bay
MAS New York
Mekong NYC
Middle Church
MORE-UFT
Move the Money-NYC
Muslim Community Network Inc
New Economy Project
New York Collective of Radical Educators
New York Communities for Change (NYCC)
New York Progressive Action Network (NYPAN)
New York Young Communist League
NY 10 Neighbors in Solidarity with Palestine
NYC Democratic Socialists of America
NYC Educators for Palestine
NY District CPUSA
Protect Palestine
Raising Imagination
Release Aging People in Prison (RAPP)
Rise and Resist
Rockaway for Ceasefire
Rockland for Palestine
Shoresh US
Southeast Asian Defense Project
Staten Island 4 Palestine
Teachers Unite
Theatre of the Oppressed NYC
VOCAL-NYC
Working Families Party – Queens Chapter
World BEYOND War
