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OAKLAND CITY COUNCIL
8 9 0 8 3RESOLUTION NO. C.M.S.
INTRODUCED BY COUNCIL PRESIDENT PRO TEMPORE SHENG THAO AND
COUNCILMEMBER DAN KALB AND CARROLL FIFE
RESOLUTION CONDEMNING THE 2022 RUSSIAN INVASION OF
UKRAINE AND REAFFIRMING OAKLAND’S COMMITMENT TO THE
PRINCIPLES OF DEMOCRACY AND SELF GOVERNANCE
WHEREAS, Ukraine is a sovereign, autonomous democratic state whose borders arid territorial integrity cannot be changed by force and whose citizens have an inherent right to make their country’s decisions and determine their country’s future; and WHEREAS, Ukraine is a member of the United Nations, the Council of Europe, and the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe; and WHEREAS, in 1991 Ukraine regained its independence from the Soviet Union and formed a republic, moving toward greater democracy and self-governance; and WHEREAS, in March 2014, the Russian Federation, the successor to the Soviet Union, annexed an area of Ukraine known as the Crimean Peninsula; and WHEREAS, starting in March 2021, Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered the Russian military to begin massing Russian military personnel and equipment near Russia’s border with Ukraine; and
WHEREAS, on February 24, 2022 Russia launched a large-scale military invasion of Ukraine, potentially the largest conventional military attack in Europe since World War II; and WHEREAS, in the first six days of the Russian invasion, the United Nations has estimated that 870,000 Ukrainians are now refugees and a further 1,000,000 Ukrainians have been displaced; and
WHEREAS, in the first six days of the Russian invasion, the United Nations has estimated that more than 130 civilians have been killed, and 400 wounded, while the Ukrainian government estimates that more than 2,000 civilians have been killed and 1,685 wounded; and
WHEREAS, the Russian invasion has created a serious refugee crisis as those in Ukraine try to flee to surrounding countries for safety; and
WHEREAS, there has been worrying reports of discrimination against African students attempting to escape the war zone being refused entry into neighboring countries in favor of white Ukrainian nationals; and
WHEREAS, in affirming the sovereignty and democratic tenets of Ukraine, the City of Oakland also affirms its commitment to basic human rights, including the rights of all people displaced by violence and war to find safe refuge; and
WHEREAS, the staunch Ukrainian resistance to the Russian invasion represents a Ukrainian desire to be independent from Russian control and to continue existing as a sovereign, autonomous state; and
WHEREAS, the international community, including the European Union, North Atlantic Treaty Organization, Council of Europe, and members of the United Nations and International Criminal Court have denounced the Russian invasion of Ukraine; and WHEREAS, the United States of America, and by extension the City of Oakland, commit to affirm the right of all to self-governance and participatory democracy; and WHEREAS, the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, a sovereign republic, represents an attempt by one state to infringe on the rights of self-governance of another state; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED: That the Oakland City Council hereby condemns the Russian invasion of the Ukraine and reaffirms Oakland’s commitments to self-governance and democracy; and be it FURTHER RESOLVED: That the Oakland City Council hereby signals its support for Ukraine to continue to exist as a sovereign, autonomous state; and be it FURTHER RESOLVED: That the Oakland City Council calls on Ukraine and neighboring European countries to address the racial disparities in the growing refugee crisis in Ukraine.
MAR 152022IN COUNCIL, OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA,
PASSED BY THE FOLLOWING VOTE:
AYES- FIFE, KALB, KAPLAN, REID, TAYLOR,
PRESIDENT FORTUNATO BAS .
AND
—(£)NOES -£)
ABSENT -j@J
ABSTENTION
ATTEST:
ASHA REED
City Clerk and Clerk of the Council of the
City of Oakland, California
3152484v5
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