From: Susana hennessey lavery
To: City Clerk
Cc: Anna Marie Stenberg; Susana hennessey lavery
Subject: Support for Ceasefire Resolution
Date: Friday, February 23, 2024 12:01:45 PM
Dear members of the Fort Bragg City Council,
My name is Susana Hennessey Lavery. My husband, Bobby Lavery and I lived in Fort Bragg for the last five years. I am writing to support the ceasefire resolution. When we moved here we immediately recognized that Fort Bragg was about community, a place where people you may not know greet you as they go by, start up conversations and take care of each other and all of the city's residents.
And we are part of a global community. As retired people my family also spends time in Belfast, Ireland where Irish people overwhelmingly call for an immediate ceasefire. In fact the Irish government testified last week before the United Nations' International Court of Justice condemning the atrocities affecting civilians all across Gaza. This is because the Irish people have a deep understanding of the root causes of this conflict as do indigenous people right here in our own country where both historic and ongoing inequities are taking place.
On a personal level I'd like to share about my friend Jahlid Nabris, a doctor from the West Bank and Gaza who I studied with in the 80's at UC Berkeley. He told us then of institutional discrimination resulting in deep inequities in health, employment, housing, education and social and cultural expression. He has communicated with me regularly since October, and recently told me he was worried about his brother in Gaza. I came to find out a week later that his brother, wife, 3 sons and a sister in law were all under the rubble in a shelter that had been called safe by the Israeli government. Here’s what Khalid wrote next to a picture of his family.
This is my brother and his sons. All were killed after a bombing their house by a warplanes, together with the wife of my brother and the wife of one of the sons. They are still under the rubbles. We are still unable to bury them because it is too dangerous for a boldozer to work on removing the rubbles.
It will be bombed immediately. God knows when will be able to honor them and bury them. This is the story of many people in Gaza.
I strongly believe that the ceasefire resolution is the right thing to do for Fort Bragg. We are a city that cares about all peoples and human rights. Passing this resolution will encourage other city councils to do the same. Such an outpouring of local demands for a ceasefire will influence Congress and increase the likelihood that our President will call for an immediate ceasefire in the Gaza War. I am confident people here would be proud to support this resolution and thank you for your support.
Susana Hennessey Lavery
209 North Sanderson Way
Fort Bragg, California 95437