From: Sophia Ritchie
To: City Clerk
Subject: [EXTERNAL] The Children of Gaza
Date: Tuesday, February 6, 2024 9:18:36 PM
My name is Sophia and I am a resident of Alameda and a member of Alameda Families and Friends for Ceasefire. I am writing to encourage the council to reconsider supporting Mayor Ashcroft's ceasefire letter OR passing the ceasefire resolution that AFF4C has written.
I am writing this with the children of Gaza on the top of mind. Children everywhere, whether Palestinian, Israeli, Arab, Muslim, Christian or Jewish deserve safety and love.
The number of Palestinians in besieged Gaza who have been killed, in particular the number of children, is staggering:
Know Their Names - A List of Palestinian Children Killed by Israel and a video list of Palestinian children’s names killed by Israeli attacks. At a fast pace this video is 7 minutes long and growing longer each day.
One out of every 100 children in Gaza has been killed, more than 11,500 children On average, A Palestinian child has been killed every 15 minutes in Gaza More than 1,000 children have lost one or both legs since October 7, many of the operations have been performed without anesthesia
Israel’s war on Gaza is the deadliest conflict for children in modern times If you went to one funeral a day for each child killed in Gaza since October it would take you more than 27 years to attend each one
Children and young people in the West Bank are also impacted by state violence, such as a 17 year old Palestinian American Tawfic Abdeljabbar who was shot to death by Israeli security forces on Jan 19
All of this is being done with support of US tax dollars and with weapons stamped "Made in the USA".
Why?
Please join the growing list of cities passing ceasefire resolutions.
Sincerely,
Sophia
From: Saara Ahmed
To: Marilyn Ezzy Ashcraft; Tony Daysog; Malia Vella; Trish Spencer; Tracy Jensen Cc: City Clerk; AFF4C.Core
Subject: [EXTERNAL] Ceasefire is a local issue
Date: Tuesday, February 6, 2024 5:43:13 PM
Dear Mayor Ashcraft and Alameda City Council Members,
I won't be joining my amazing cohort and new friends in Alameda Families and Friends for Ceasefire tonight for the council meeting, but I did want to reiterate my strong support for our collective voice for ceasefire and protection of life for Palestinians, both abroad and here at home.
The last two council meetings have been very difficult, and I haven't felt like I have been able to share my true voice or sentiments safely. While I deeply appreciated Mayor Ashcraft's stellar facilitation of the lengthy January 2nd Council meeting, there were many reasons why I felt deeply unsafe and unwelcome in my own community here in Alameda. The misinformation, hateful rhetoric, targeted silencing, and intimidation towards those of us there to plead for the urgent need for a permanent ceasefire and protection of life in Gaza and the West Bank were very upsetting. Then again during the last city council meeting, the first public comment by an Alamedan, which was full of Islamophobic and hateful comments, affected me deeply.
As I have shared with some of you personally and during my public comments, as a Muslim- American woman, I don't feel like my safety concerns have been given equal consideration to some of the other concerns which have been shared with you all. Through my work at a culturally specific domestic violence shelter, I also know very well how our immigrant communities often do not feel safe reporting hate violence and harassment to authorities.
Immigrant and refugee communities are often facing multiple barriers and discrimination towards reaching their own goals of legal immigration status, steady employment, and freedom towards equal opportunities to provide thriving lives for their families. Furthermore when these same communities (in this case Arab and Muslim immigrants) are labeled through hateful stereotypes, treated as less than or not seen at all - it hinders the true equity and the actualization of the supposed community values. In our case in Alameda - it doesn't currently feel like "we all belong" here. On the extreme end- the allowance of this hateful rhetoric leads to fatal violence against Arab, Muslim and pro-Palestinian community members. In the day to day experience - it makes us feel unseen, unheard, and de-valued in our workplaces, in our schools, and in our communities. I feel incredibly exhausted by this feeling.
That being said, I do feel seen and heard among my diverse friends and neighbors in AFF4C and I am very proud of the continued work our AFF4C members are committed to and I hope that you will join and support us in our efforts, because I affirm that Ceasefire is a local issue and know that I am not alone as our group continues to gain momentum in Alameda.
Thank you for your time and attention.
--
Saara Ahmed
From: sandy slauson
To: CityCouncil-List
Subject: [EXTERNAL] End Military Aid to Israel
Date: Wednesday, January 24, 2024 5:03:53 PM
Attachments: Untitled.PDF - Adobe Acrobat Pro.pdf
City Clerk:
Communication to City Council for next regular City Council Meeting.
Thanks.
Stephen Slauson
Candidate for Congressional District 12
Alameda City Council
City Hall
Alameda, CA 94 706
Attn: City Clerk
Subject: Communication Requesting America End All Military Aid to Israel for the Next Regular City Cduncil Meeting
Dear Mayor Ashcraft and Co1 cil Members:
This is a request for the City of Alameda to issue a resolution to end all military aid to Israel.
You, I and all the voters of Al~eda have been supplying the planes, bombs, tanks, munitions and military hardware, at no cost to Israel, tihat are being used to kill innocent men, women and children in the Gaza strip. Alameda voters will not fl ay for the planes, bombs, tanks, munitions and military hardware that have been used to kill innocent men, women and children. Alameda demands our government end all military aid to Israel now and repossess all planes, tanks, munitions that haven't been paid by Israel. Alameda demands Israel repay America lfor all the military aid furnished to Israel. Israel has misused the American military aid to kill
innocent mJn, women and children.
Israel has the right to defend J elf, but America isn't going to pay for it.
Israel has been selling our mil~tary secretes to Russia for decades. Israel has built up a weapons manufacturing facility by stea!fg America's technology from the weapons America supplied to Israel and repackaged them as an Israel , roduct and sold them to our enemies.
Alameda will not support the l:Hatant slavery treatment of the Palestine people by Israel.
Alameda will not support any etaliation against American Jews for the war between Hamas and Israel There are many American Jews who want nothing to do with Israel- it isn't their belief in the Jewish faith.
Alameda will not support any etaliation against American Muslims for the war between Hamas and Israel- it isn't their belief in ti e Muslim faith.
Alameda demands our gove~ent withdraw from the Middle East now. There is no benefit to America in maintaining a presence in the i . iddle East.
Alameda demands Israel brinito justice the Hamas fighters that killed innocent women and children. This must be done with standard la enforcement practice with no killing of innocent men, women and children.
Please pass and send this Res llution to Senator Padilla, Senator Butler and Congresswomen Lee.
Thank you for your consideratiion.
%~~~
Stephen Slauson
Candidate for Congressional District 12