Written Public Comments Received 4-30-2024 — Richmond City Council, April 30, 2024

From: Ahmed Shorab
To: City Clerk Dept User
Subject: Urge Richmond to Divest
Date: Tuesday, April 30, 2024 11:22:39 AM
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Dear Richmond City Clerk,
I am a first generation American from Gaza, residing in Hayward. I’ve grown up in the Bay Area always feeling like an ‘other’, constantly reminded I don’t belong here. Haywards divestment was the first time I’ve felt the Bay Area community had my back. Now is the time to make a stand against decades of oppression in Palestine, and to show Palestinian Americans they are a valued part of this community.

Divestment is a critical non-violent way to show Israel that ending the occupation is in their best interest. It is actions like these that enable a peaceful resolution.

I recognize that you will face smear campaigns for your actions, that will inconvenience your lives. However I’d like to remind you all - nobody who changed history had it easy.

Sincerely,
Ahmed Shorab
[email protected]
From: akeylah hernandez
To: City Clerk Dept User; Eduardo Martinez; Soheila Bana; Claudia Jimenez; Gayle McLaughlin; Melvin Willis Subject: 1) Public comments: Vote YES on Agenda item G.1 Date: Monday, April 29, 2024 5:52:58 PM
This email originated from outside of the City's email system. Do not open links or attachments from untrusted sources.

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Dear Mayor and Councilmembers,
I'm writing to urge you to vote YES on Tuesday's agenda item G.1: "DIRECT City staff to review and modify the City of Richmond Investment Policy, eliminating the investment of City funds into industries that facilitate violence, war, oppression, and apartheid." Richmond ignited a fire when it passed a ceasefire resolution just weeks after the genocide of Palestinians began. Since October, nearly 40,000 Palestinians have been killed by the state of Israel, including 15,000 children. Over 7,000 Palestinians in the West Bank have been detained without charge. Settlers are burning down villages. Our federal government is complicit in genocide. Despite endless evidence of war crimes, millions of people protesting across the globe, a federal court case, and direct orders from the United Nations, Israel has not relented and President Biden continues to send billions of dollars and military aid to Israel.

There is no moral ambiguity anymore. It is not complicated. Please vote yes.

Sincerely,
Akeylah, Richmond District 6 resident
From: Alan Bonilla
To: City Clerk Dept User; Eduardo Martinez; Soheila Bana; Claudia Jimenez; Gayle McLaughlin; Melvin Willis Subject: 1) Public comments: Vote YES on Agenda item G.1 Date: Monday, April 29, 2024 8:23:25 PM
This email originated from outside of the City's email system. Do not open links or attachments from untrusted sources.

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Since October, nearly 40,000 Palestinians have been killed by the state of Israel, including 15,000 children. Over 7,000 Palestinians in the West Bank have been detained without charge. Settlers are burning down villages. Our federal government is complicit in genocide. Despite endless evidence of war crimes, millions of people protesting across the globe, a federal court case, and direct orders from the United Nations, Israel has not relented and President Biden continues to send billions of dollars and military aid to Israel.

There is no moral ambiguity anymore. It is not complicated. Please vote yes.

Sincerely,
Alan Bonilla
From: Alice LoCicero
To: City Clerk Dept User
Subject: public comments agenda item #G1
Date: Tuesday, April 30, 2024 12:39:28 PM
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Dear Council Members,
I am a Richmond resident. When I was in business school, I came to realize that one of the most impactful ways to change things for the better is to be an informed person who invests carefully and ethically.

I strongly support the policies represented in agenda item #G1as they all help the city to contribute to the well-being of people and to withdraw support for businesses that cause harm.

Thank you for considering this agenda item.

Alice LoCicero
47 Sandpoint Drive
(Marina Bay)
Richmond, CA 94804
--
Alice LoCicero, Ph.D., MBA
Board Certified Clinical Psychologist
Clinical Faculty, The Wright Institute
www.dralicelocicero.com
alicelocicero.substack.com: Outside Psychology's Overton Window From: alison.b.levy
To: City Clerk Dept User; Eduardo Martinez; Soheila Bana; Claudia Jimenez; Gayle McLaughlin; Melvin Willis Subject: 1) Public comments: Vote YES on Agenda item G.1 Date: Tuesday, April 30, 2024 8:44:07 PM
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Dear Mayor and Councilmembers,
Hello, My father was an adult Jewish Holocaust survivor and for this empathetic reason I amadmently ANTI-PALESTIAN GENOCIDE. The least thaf can happen now is stopping the abysmal murders.

I'm writing to urge you to vote YES on Tuesday's agenda item G.1: "DIRECT City staff to review and modify the City of Richmond Investment Policy, eliminating the investment of City funds into industries that facilitate violence, war, oppression, and apartheid." Richmond ignited a fire when it passed a ceasefire resolution just weeks after the the genocide of Palestinians began. Since October, nearly 40,000 Palestinians have been killed by the state of Israel, including 15,000 children. Over 7,000 Palestinians in the West Bank have been detained without charge. Settlers are burning down villages. Our federal government is complicit in genocide. Despite endless evidence of war crimes, millions of people protesting across the globe, a federal court case, and direct orders from the United Nations, Israel has not relented and President Biden continues to send billions of dollars and military aid to Israel.

There is no moral ambiguity anymore. It is not complicated. Please vote yes.

Sincerely,
[Name, district/affiliation]
Sent from my Galaxy
From: Al M
To: City Clerk Dept User
Subject: Public Comment: #G1 Adding Restrictions to the City of Richmond"s Investment Policy Date: Tuesday, April 30, 2024 10:50:42 AM
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Dear Mayor Martinez and Council Members:

What we know so far[1]:

1. Killings at the Nova music festival and shelling Israeli homes: Israel admits it killed its own at Nova music festival. A police investigation shows that Israeli Apache helicopters opened fire on attendees of the Nova music festival during the 7 October Hamas attack.

Israel initially claimed Hamas and Palestinians killed 1,400 Israelis on 7 October, including soldiers, police, and civilians, but later revised the count to 1,200. Israeli spokesperson Mark Regev acknowledged that 200 of the alleged victims were Hamas fighters or Palestinians whose bodies were burned so badly that Israeli authorities could not initially identify them and assumed them to be Israelis. Furthermore, Israel’s military received orders to shell Israeli homes and even their own bases as they were overwhelmed by Hamas militants on October 7. As of now, the number of Israeli citizens said to have been “burned alive” and actually killed by friendly fire is unknown.

Several new testimonies by Israeli witnesses to the October 7 Hamas surprise attack on southern Israel adds to growing evidence that the Israeli military killed its own citizens as they fought to neutralize Palestinian gunmen.

Israel says that 1,200 soldiers and civilians were killed during the Al-Aqsa Flood Operation on October 7, but Israeli media published reports suggesting that many Israelis were killed on that day by ‘friendly fire’. An outraged Israeli mom has sparked an uproar after accusing the Israeli army of deliberately gassing her son to death while he was being held in a Gaza tunnel. Now she says the Israeli military had her son’s gravestone removed after her critical message went viral. His killing follows a pattern of Israeli military attacks on Israeli captives in Gaza, raising questions about the existence of a friendly fire policy to prevent prisoner swaps. The killing of her son, she wrote, was caused “not from accidental gunfire, nor from crossfire, but from premeditated murder – bombing with poison gas.” “Ron was kidnapped because of the criminal negligence of all the senior officials of the army and this damned government, who gave an order to eliminate him in order to settle a score with some terrorist from Jabalya,” she added.

2. Sexual violence, beheading babies: Cochav Elkayam-Levy, the Israeli lawyer who played a central role in the campaign accusing Hamas of sexual violence on October 7 is now accused by Israeli media of scamming donors and spreading misinformation. Western media heavily promoted a UN report as proof Hamas sexually assaulted Israelis, but the report’s authors admitted they couldn’t locate a single victim. Israeli officials have been denounced for staging a rape scene and providing “inaccurate forensic interpretations.” On January 3, 2024, A note explaining the retraction of the claim that Hamas militants had specific orders as to “which commander should rape which soldiers” indicates the publication censored itself at the behest of the Israeli government. In addition, The Washington Post quietly removed an outlandish claim by Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant that Hamas battle plans included specific instructions on which Israeli troops should be raped during their October 7 incursion. In addition, ZAKA, the ultra-Orthodox “rescue” group introduced false allegations that Hamas beheaded babies, cut fetuses from pregnant women, and had lunch in an Israeli family’s home after killing and mutilating them. But ZAKA has been lambasted in Israeli media for serially mishandling evidence from the October 7 attacks and even staging atrocity scenes for fundraising purposes.

3. Death toll and imprisonment: The ongoing Israeli genocide in Gaza already claimed the lives of at least 34,535 Palestinians, including more than 14,000 children and 9,000 women . Another 10,000 Palestinians remain missing. Their bodies have yet to be recovered and there’s an urgent crisis of decomposing bodies. We should also count 77,704 wounded. All this is happening while Israelian real estate firm, Harey Zahav, heavily pushes to build more illegal settlements for Israelis in Gaza, in those very areas where Palestinians homes have been flattened by IDF’s bombardments. The post says, “Wake up! A beach house is not a dream!”

Let us not forget that at least 27 Gaza detainees have died in custody at Israeli military facilities since the start of the war. Detainees who have been returned to Gaza testified about harsh treatment, including beatings and abuse by soldiers and during questioning. In fact, since October 7th, any semblance of restraint has been cast aside regarding the treatment of Palestinians in Israeli incarceration and detention facilities. Forced disappearances, torture, and severe violations of human rights, particularly in terms of health, are now inherent in the practices and policies of Israeli security bodies responsible for Palestinians in custody.

4. Famine: While Israel's assault on Gaza has caused a disastrous famine in the enclave , this is not the first time Israel has attempted to starve Palestinians in Gaza: Israeli government documents suggest this was an explicit policy between 2007 and 2010. In 2008 , the Israeli Ministry of Defense presentation entitled “Food Consumption in the Gaza Strip – Red Lines” details the amount of food consumed, produced and distributed throughout the Gaza Strip. It was prepared to help the Israeli government achieve its stated goal: limiting the entry of food into the Gaza Strip. What triggered this decision? In response to Hamas' victory in the Palestinian elections (2007) and its political rivals' takeover of Gaza, the Israeli government implemented a permanent blockade of the Gaza Strip. While the primary objective of the blockade was to reduce the supply of fuel and electricity to Gaza, as well as to restrict the movement of people in and out of the Strip, total control was also an Israeli concern.

5. Witnesses reporting innocent victims killed by IDF: Eyewitnesses to the October 7 hostage standoff in Kibbutz Be’eri exposed Israel for misleading the world about the killings of 12-year-old Liel Hetzroni, her family and neighbors. In a desperate call for international sympathy, the Israeli government sought to stir outrage over the killing of a 12-year-old girl during the Hamas-led attack on southern Israel on October

7. However, the 12-year-old Hetzroni was not slain by Hamas. According to new testimony by an Israeli eyewitness to the girl’s death, she was killed by an Israeli tank shell alongside several neighbors.

In Gaza City, three-year-old Emad Abu al-Qura was shot outside his home as he went to buy fruit with his cousin, Hadeel, a 20-year-old medical student, who was also killed. Hadeel’s father, Haroon, saw the shooting, and the family know for a fact that they were targeted by an Israeli sniper.

A video of the pair lying together in the street shows Emad still alive after he is first hit and trying to lift his head. More shots hit the ground close by including one that strikes a plank next to Emad. The boy’s mother said he was hit again and this time killed. “The targeting of civilians is very clear.

It is a deliberate direct targeting aimed at killing civilians without reason, without there being any events, without there being any resistance. They deliberately killed Hadeel and Emad,” the father told reporters.

Other young victims include 14-year-old Nahedh Barbakh, who was hit by sniper fire alongside his 20-year-old brother, Ramez, as they followed Israeli military orders to evacuate an area west of Khan Younis in late January, according to the Geneva-based Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor.

By now, testimonies and witnesses of senseless killings of innocent Palestinians by IDF snipers are way too numerous.

6. Looting by IDF soldiers: Rugs, cosmetics, motorbikes… Israeli soldiers are looting Gaza homes en masse. Soldiers describe how stealing Palestinian property has become totally routine in the Gaza war, with minimal pushback from commanders. Israeli soldiers fighting in Gaza have not been shy about posting videos on social media gleefully documenting their wanton destruction of buildings and humiliation of Palestinian detainees. Some of these clips were even exhibited in South Africa’s presentation at the International Court of Justice last month as evidence of genocide. But there is another war crime being readily documented by Israeli soldiers that has garnered less attention and condemnation despite its prevalence: looting. In November, the Palestinian singer Hamada Nasrallah was shocked to discover a TikTok of a soldier playing the guitar that his father had bought him 15 years earlier. Other videos uploaded to social media in recent months show Israeli soldiers boasting about finding wristwatches; unboxing someone’s collection of soccer shirts; and stealing rugs, groceries, and jewelry.

7. Meanwhile, in Jerusalem: Jeremy Loffredo visited the Armenian Quarter of Jerusalem’s Old City, where a community of Armenian Christians dating back to the 4th century face displacement at the hands of a shadowy Israeli corporation called Xana Capital and the violent settlers it uses as hired muscle. A climate of unprecedented repression has descended since October 7. The reporter documented settler terror attacks on businesses and spoke to local activists who told him they fear arrest and beatings from Israeli police if they speak out against the assault on Gaza.

8. Behind Israel’s ‘end game’ for Gaza – Theft of offshore gas reserves:

In 1999, British Gas (BG) discovered the existence of natural gas in the Gaza Marine fields, 20 nautical miles off the coast of Gaza, at a depth of 610 meters below the surface. Further exploration by BG through two successful wells — Gaza Marine 1 and Gaza Marine 2 — determined the field could contain up to 1 trillion cubic feet of natural gas. (EgyptOil- Gas.com, April 5, 2018)

The Palestinian Authority was “granted” the right to exercise sovereignty over its own maritime territory by the Oslo Accords in 1995. Four years later, following the findings of the offshore natural gas, the PA gave the international consortium BG a 25-year, 90% stake in a license to explore, develop any discovered fields, and install the required infrastructure. Since that time Israel has consistently blocked this development.

When Hamas won the Palestinian legislative elections in Gaza in 2007, Israel established a militarized naval blockade, prohibiting further offshore development. Around the same time, Yam Thetis, an Israeli gas consortium, challenged the awarding of the contract to BG, further delaying the process.

In December 2008, in total contravention of international laws, Israel declared sovereignty over the Gaza Marine area, and BG closed its offices in Tel Aviv.

9. More on Israel’s naval blockade: The small area Palestinian fishers can access under Israel’s at-times violent blockade of the besieged enclave is usually overcrowded with people trying to make a living, resulting in overfishing that has depleted fish stocks. The demonstration in the besieged enclave came as a round of escalation in the last 10 days saw the arrest of at least six fisherfolk and the seizure of multiple boats, according to Zakaria Bakr, the head of Gaza’s fishermen union. Fishers who operate off the coast of Gaza are constantly chased, harassed, intimidated and even killed by Israeli forces, he said.

10. Israel’s settlers: In the West Bank, Israeli Settlers Are Burning Palestinians’ Olive Trees. In the West Bank, the Israeli army has banned Palestinian farmers from reaching their land and groups of settlers are burning farmers’ crops. Palestinian farmers have been especially struggling, as most have land, crops, and harvest in so-called Area C. This is the largest of three zones that the West Bank has been divided into since the Oslo agreements of the 1990s, which stipulated that the Palestinian Authority is meant to administer Areas A and B, while Area C is meant to be “progressively handed back to Palestinians.” In reality, Area C, comprising nearly 70 percent of West Bank territory, remained under the complete military control of the Israeli army (Israel Defence Forces, IDF), and Israeli settlements have continually expanded there over the last three decades.

Attacks against farmers reached a peak on October 28, when Bilal Saleh, a farmer from southern Nablus, was shot by an off-duty Israeli soldier in front of his four children, dying instantly. The soldier has been arrested, but as the record shows in previous cases of settler and/or soldier attacks on Palestinian civilians, the Israeli perpetrators have been prematurely released — protected by impunity.

11. My plea to the Richmond City Council: Yes, the City of Richmond should disclose and divest its investments in companies and organizations linked to Israel and its genocidal war on Gaza and the Palestinian people. Through the process of divestment, the City of Richmond can sell off its shares, assets or other investments for political, ethical or financial reasons. In the case of a genocidal war, to divest from companies and organizations presently linked to Israel is a vitally important ethical and humane action to take against decades of systematic maltreatment, apartheid practices and now, genocide.

Mayor Martinez and Council members, please, remove our City of Richmond from investments in companies that support, consciously or not, directly or not, Israel’s occupation of Palestine and the genocide that is presently taking place in Gaza.

Thank you,

Alix Mazuet
From: Andrea Valverde
To: City Clerk Dept User; Eduardo Martinez; Soheila Bana; Claudia Jimenez; Gayle McLaughlin; Melvin Willis Subject: 1) Public comments: Vote YES on Agenda item G.1 Date: Tuesday, April 30, 2024 12:35:35 AM
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There is no moral ambiguity anymore. It is not complicated. Please vote yes.

Sincerely,
Andrea Valverde
Sent from my iPhone
From: Belinda Yu
To: City Clerk Dept User; Eduardo Martinez; Soheila Bana; Claudia Jimenez; Gayle McLaughlin; Melvin Willis Subject: 1) Public comments: Vote YES on Agenda item G.1 Date: Tuesday, April 30, 2024 9:25:46 AM
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Dear Mayor and Councilmembers,
I'm writing to urge you to vote YES on Tuesday's agenda item G.1: "DIRECT City staff to review and modify the City of Richmond Investment Policy, eliminating the investment of City funds into industries that facilitate violence, war, oppression, and apartheid." Richmond ignited a fire when it passed a ceasefire resolution just weeks after the the genocide of Palestinians began. Since October, nearly 40,000 Palestinians have been killed by the state of Israel, including 15,000 children. Over 7,000 Palestinians in the West Bank have been detained without charge. Settlers are burning down villages. Our federal government is complicit in genocide. Despite endless evidence of war crimes, millions of people protesting across the globe, a federal court case, and direct orders from the United Nations, Israel has not relented and President Biden continues to send billions of dollars and military aid to Israel.

There is no moral ambiguity anymore. It is not complicated. Please vote yes.

Sincerely,
Belinda
From: Chris Cohen
To: City Clerk Dept User
Subject: Public comments agenda item #G1
Date: Tuesday, April 30, 2024 12:30:02 PM
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I have a comment for the Richmond City Council on agenda item # G1.

I’m a resident of Richmond and would like to express my absolute support for the New Restrictions on Investment Policy.

As a Jewish American, I am appalled by the atrocities being committed by Israel against the people of Palestine, which would not be possible without US assistance. (And which by the way have nothing to do with Judaism or religion).

Just like Richmond has restrictions on investing in tobacco and fossil fuel companies, I am begging you to take the same approach when it comes to cutting off support for this genocide. As your constituents, we insist that our tax dollars not be invested in the murder of innocent civilians, many of whom are children. This is completely unethical and does not represent the will of the people. Myself and my friends in the Richmond community will be watching to see how our representatives vote in this matter and will remember when it comes to election time. Please draw this very obvious and basic moral line against genocide! Thank you for your time. I am very proud to live in the city that was first in the US to call for cease- fire.

Chris Cohen
414 Dimm St
Richmond CA
From: Genshu Chris Ro
To: City Clerk Dept User; Eduardo Martinez; Soheila Bana; Claudia Jimenez; Gayle McLaughlin; Melvin Willis Subject: 1) Public comments: Vote YES on Agenda item G.1 Date: Tuesday, April 30, 2024 6:51:32 AM
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This email originated from outside of the City's email system. Do not open links or attachments from untrusted sources.

Dear Mayor and Councilmembers,
I'm writing to urge you to vote YES on Tuesday's agenda item G.1: "DIRECT City staff to review and modify the City of Richmond Investment Policy, eliminating the investment of City funds into industries that facilitate violence, war, oppression, and apartheid." Richmond ignited a fire when it passed a ceasefire resolution just weeks after the the genocide of Palestinians began. Since October, nearly 40,000 Palestinians have been killed by the state of Israel, including 15,000 children. Over 7,000 Palestinians in the West Bank have been detained without charge. Settlers are burning down villages. Our federal government is complicit in genocide. Despite endless evidence of war crimes, millions of people protesting across the globe, a federal court case, and direct orders from the United Nations, Israel has not relented and President Biden continues to send billions of dollars and military aid to Israel.

There is no moral ambiguity anymore. It is not complicated. Please vote yes.

Sincerely,
Christopher Ro
From: Dale Sophiea
To: City Clerk Dept User; Eduardo Martinez; Soheila Bana; Claudia Jimenez; Gayle McLaughlin; Melvin Willis Subject: 1) Public comments: Vote YES on Agenda item G.1 Date: Tuesday, April 30, 2024 12:35:07 AM
This email originated from outside of the City's email system. Do not open links or attachments from untrusted sources.

This email originated from outside of the City's email system. Do not open links or attachments from untrusted sources.

There is no moral ambiguity anymore. It is not complicated. Please vote yes.

Sincerely,
Dale Sophiea
From: Dan McMahon
To: City Clerk Dept User; Eduardo Martinez; Soheila Bana; Claudia Jimenez; Gayle McLaughlin; Melvin Willis Subject: 1) Public comments: Vote YES on Agenda item G.1 Date: Monday, April 29, 2024 8:52:10 PM
This email originated from outside of the City's email system. Do not open links or attachments from untrusted sources.

This email originated from outside of the City's email system. Do not open links or attachments from untrusted sources.

Dear Mayor and Councilmembers,
I'm writing to urge you to vote YES on Tuesday's agenda item G.1:
"DIRECT City staff to review and modify the City of Richmond Investment Policy, eliminating the investment of City funds into industries that facilitate violence, war, oppression, and apartheid."
Richmond ignited a fire when it passed a ceasefire resolution just weeks after the the genocide of Palestinians began. Since October, nearly 40,000 Palestinians have been killed by the state of Israel, including 15,000 children. Over 7,000 Palestinians in the West Bank have been detained without charge. Settlers are burning down villages. Our federal government is complicit in genocide. Despite endless evidence of war crimes, millions of people protesting across the globe, a federal court case, and direct orders from the United Nations, Israel has not relented and President Biden continues to send billions of dollars and military aid to Israel.

There is no moral ambiguity anymore. It is not complicated. Please vote yes.

Sincerely,
Daniel McMahon, District 7
From: Danish Farooq
To: City Clerk Dept User
Subject: Urge Richmond to Divest
Date: Tuesday, April 30, 2024 7:04:55 PM
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This email originated from outside of the City's email system. Do not open links or attachments from untrusted sources.

Dear Richmond City Clerk,
Thank you for your leadership in 2023 as the first local city council to pass a ceasefire resolution. You once again have the opportunity to lead, please vote yes on Item G.1., to review and modify the city’s Investment Policy, eliminating the investment of funds into industries that facilitate violence, war, oppression, and apartheid.

Sincerely,
Danish Farooq
[email protected]
From: Dartanian Kaufman
To: City Clerk Dept User
Subject: Public comment
Date: Tuesday, April 30, 2024 10:37:05 AM
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This email originated from outside of the City's email system. Do not open links or attachments from untrusted sources.

Hello,
Please vote yes on divestment in the city of Richmond! My name is Dart Kaufman and I would like to make public comment at the 4.30.24 Richmond city council meeting on new business item G.1
Adding Restrictions to the City of Richmond's Investment Policy From: Diana Portillo
To: Claudia Jimenez; City Clerk Dept User; Eduardo Martinez; Gayle McLaughlin; Melvin Willis; Soheila Bana Subject: 1) Public comments: Vote YES on Agenda item G.1 Date: Tuesday, April 30, 2024 8:38:15 AM
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This email originated from outside of the City's email system. Do not open links or attachments from untrusted sources.

Dear Mayor and Councilmembers, I'm writing to urge you to vote YES on Tuesday's agenda item G.1: "DIRECT City staff to review and modify the City of Richmond Investment Policy, eliminating the investment of City funds into industries that facilitate violence, war, oppression, and apartheid." Richmond ignited a fire when it passed a ceasefire resolution just weeks after the the genocide of Palestinians began. Since October, nearly 40,000 Palestinians have been killed by the state of Israel, including 15,000 children. Over 7,000 Palestinians in the West Bank have been detained without charge. Settlers are burning down villages. Our federal government is complicit in genocide. Despite endless evidence of war crimes, millions of people protesting across the globe, a federal court case, and direct orders from the United Nations, Israel has not relented and President Biden continues to send billions of dollars and military aid to Israel. There is no moral ambiguity anymore. It is not complicated. Please vote yes.

Sincerely, Diana, district 6
From: Doreen Leighton
To: City Clerk Dept User
Subject: Agenda Item G.1
Date: Tuesday, April 30, 2024 4:07:38 PM
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This email originated from outside of the City's email system. Do not open links or attachments from untrusted sources.

I support modifying the City of Richmond investment policy to eliminate investments into industries that facilitate violence, war, and apartheid. Our city needs to take a stand on this. 1 Sabrina Lundy
From: smamit d <[email protected]>
Sent: Monday, April 29, 2024 4:19 PM
To: City Clerk Dept User; Eduardo Martinez; Soheila Bana; Claudia Jimenez; Gayle McLaughlin; Melvin Willis
Subject: Public comments: Vote YES on Agenda item G.1
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This email originated from outside of the City's email system. Do not open links or aƩachments from untrusted sources.

Dear Mayor and Councilmembers,

I'm wriƟng to urge you to vote YES on Tuesday's agenda item G.1: "DIRECT City staﬀ to review and modify the City of Richmond Investment Policy, eliminaƟng the investment of City funds into industries that facilitate violence, war, oppression, and apartheid."

As a Jewish Israeli myself, I urge you to do the right thing and send a clear message that the City of Richmond would not support genocide and Apartheid in PalesƟne or anywhere else in the world.

Our Oakland oﬃce of the American Friends Service commiƩee can help you implement such a policy with integrity. Here is our research of companies supporƟng Israeli apartheid and genocide:
hƩps:\\hƩps://gcc01.safelinks.protecƟon.outlook.com/?url=hƩps%3A%2F%2Flinkprotect.cudasvc.com%2Furl %3Fa%3DhƩps%253a%252f%252ﬁnvesƟgate.info%26c%3DE%2C1%2CanTJaBFA4SgmgpACkpL2khcuj4H1XnNZL ol0TvboD‐
dwBjD_gWbaHdmU37Cr8CVlv1x319AfZu458uLNduJeNf63iHhntaOctZMoIShiQRq7vA%2C%2C%26typo%3D1&d ata=05%7C02%7CSabrina_Lundy%40ci.richmond.ca.us%7C6256511b68f54fa8406308dc68a2d01d%7C8ab9365 8f71f4926b380e0da1d18115a%7C1%7C0%7C638500297247580082%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoi MC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C40000%7C%7C%7C&sdata=mVXovY0 2Ih9eNU3ytMl6uPqlFQMo1Rsk8VBn6gQpYdU%3D&reserved=0, which includes a very concise Divestment list.

This is not about taking sides. It is about NOT taking sides, stepping back from our complicity in the relentless and endless support for Israeli war crimes and human rights violaƟons. As an Israeli who cares about my people and my country, we need to stop this war and force the stronger side, Israel, to agree to negoƟate in good faith. It is not complicated. Please vote yes.

Sincerely,
Dr. Dov Baum, American Friends Service CommiƩee

Sent from my iPhone
From: Ehsan Habib
To: City Clerk Dept User
Subject: Public Comment in Favor of item G-1
Date: Tuesday, April 30, 2024 11:14:04 AM
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Hello,
My household strongly supports item G-1. Not only is it a moral imperative to support such a measure, but I see no reason for such a measure to harm the financial health of our city.

Sincerely,
Ehsan Habib
2553 Roosevelt Ave, Richmond, CA 94804
510.730.4516
From: Elania Nanopoulos
To: City Clerk Dept User; Eduardo Martinez; Soheila Bana; Claudia Jimenez; Gayle McLaughlin; Melvin Willis Subject: 1) Public comments: Vote YES on Agenda item G.1 Date: Tuesday, April 30, 2024 12:18:54 AM
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There is no moral ambiguity anymore. It is not complicated. Please vote yes.

Sincerely,
Elania Nanopoulos
From: Ellen Choy
To: City Clerk Dept User
Subject: Public comments agenda item #G1
Date: Tuesday, April 30, 2024 11:46:54 AM
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Dear Richmond City Council Members,
As a Richmond resident, I urge you to support item G1 and vote to divest from harmful investments! I believe in a future for my children and my community where genocide, mass incarceration, violence on immigrant communities, and colonialism does not exist. Instead, I imagine a Richmond and a world where we feel safe and we are standing in solidarity to make sure other communities like those in Palestine are also safe. I’m proud to live in a city that is making history across the world by making bold stances for people and the planet.

Yes to divestment! Support item G1!
Sincerely,
Ellen Choy
35 Quail Hill Lane, Richmond 94803
From: Emma Ishii
To: City Clerk Dept User
Subject: Public Comment: Item G.1 (04/30/2024)
Date: Tuesday, April 30, 2024 4:58:36 PM
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This email originated from outside of the City's email system. Do not open links or attachments from untrusted sources.

To: Richmond City Council Members
On Behalf of Asian Pacific Environmental Network (APEN), I am writing a letter of support for Item G.1. “Adding Restrictions to the City of Richmond's Investment Policy” by Mayor Eduardo Martinez, Councilmember Gayle McLaughlin, and Councilmember Soheila Bana that will prevent investment of City funds from going toward industries that facilitate violence, war, oppression, and apartheid.

Asian Pacific Environmental Network (APEN) is an environmental justice organization with deep roots in California’s Asian immigrant and refugee communities. We fight for the rights of all people to clean air, water, land, and a healthy environment where they can thrive. Our members are Asian immigrants and refugees, many of whom came to California seeking refuge from colonial wars, military occupations, and land grabs for resources.

For communities of color who live alongside big polluters that use our air, water, and land as a dumping ground for toxic pollution, the parallels between environmental racism in the United States and Israel’s environmental apartheid are undeniable.

These past five months, we have watched in horror as the Israeli military trapped over 2 million people in Gaza, an area of land smaller than the city of San Jose, and deliberately cut off access to water, food, and electricity. They’ve bombed hospitals, schools, markets, and refugee camps, killing over 90

journalists, over 220 humanitarian aid workers, and over 480 healthcare workers. Israeli officials have called Palestinians “animals,” dehumanizing them in an attempt to justify mass murder. Over 34,000 people have been killed, nearly half of them children. This is not a war. This is genocide.

By passing restrictions, the City of Richmond has an opportunity to bring the City’s budgetary policies into alignment with the previously passed resolution in October 2023 citing "The city of Richmond stands in solidarity with the Palestinian people of Gaza, who are currently facing a campaign of ethnic cleansing and collective punishment by the state of Israel."
We urge City Council members to pass this crucial item today. Divestment broadly from companies that facilitate violence, war, oppression, and apartheid and more specifically divesting from Israel’s ongoing state violence, repression and occupation of Palestians, is an important way for us as a local community to stand by our commitment to justice and humanity.

Sincerely,
Emma Ishii, Local Policy Coordinator
Asian Pacific Environmental Network (APEN)
--

Emma Ishii (She, Her)
Local Policy Coordinator
Asian Pacific Environmental Network
[email protected]
510-236-4616 X 337
3060 Hilltop Mall Rd, Richmond, CA 94806
We have big news: APEN is launching an organizing project in Los Angeles! Donate here to help us launch in 2023.

From: Emma Regev
To: City Clerk Dept User
Subject: public comments agenda item #G1
Date: Monday, April 29, 2024 11:59:33 PM
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This email originated from outside of the City's email system. Do not open links or attachments from untrusted sources.

Hi Richmond City Council,
My name is Emma and I am a Jewish, anti-Zionist Richmond resident since 2007. I am writing to urge (beg, really) you to vote yes on item G1 -- to divest. We do not have to be complicit in the evil systems that destroy our community and uphold imperialism! We have a choice to make tangible changes that reflect the world we want to see, a world that is possible and within our reach. Richmond has time and time again stood on the right side of history and justice -- do it again this time!! Thank you so much for everything that you do.

Warmly,
Emma
From: tennis2
To: Gayle McLaughlin; Melvin Willis; Claudia Jimenez; Soheila Bana; Eduardo Martinez; City Clerk Dept User Subject: 1) Public comments: Vote YES on Agenda item G.1 Date: Tuesday, April 30, 2024 12:16:50 AM
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This email originated from outside of the City's email system. Do not open links or attachments from untrusted sources.

Dear Mayor and Councilmembers,
I'm writing to urge you to vote YES on Tuesday's agenda item G.1: "DIRECT City staff to review and modify the City of Richmond Investment Policy, eliminating the investment of City funds into industries that facilitate violence, war, oppression, and apartheid." Richmond ignited a fire when it passed a ceasefire resolution just weeks after the the genocide of Palestinians began. Since October, nearly 40,000 Palestinians have been killed by the state of Israel, including 15,000 children. Over 7,000 Palestinians in the West Bank have been detained without charge. Settlers are burning down villages. Our federal government is complicit in genocide. Despite endless evidence of war crimes, millions of people protesting across the globe, a federal court case, and direct orders from the United Nations, Israel has not relented and President Biden continues to send billions of dollars and military aid to Israel.

There is no moral ambiguity anymore. It is not complicated. Please vote yes.

Sincerely,
Erika Andersen, Community Member
From: Fahad Farooq
To: City Clerk Dept User
Subject: Urge Richmond to Divest
Date: Tuesday, April 30, 2024 11:12:21 AM
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This email originated from outside of the City's email system. Do not open links or attachments from untrusted sources.

Dear Richmond City Clerk,
Thank you for your leadership in 2023 as the first local city council to pass a ceasefire resolution. I respectfully request your support again on Item G.1. Please vote in favor of reviewing and modifying the city’s Investment Policy. This will help eliminate the investment of funds into industries that facilitate violence, war, oppression, and apartheid. Let us continue to lead by example and create a better future for our community.

Sincerely,
Fahad Farooq
[email protected]
From: Hatem Albazian
To: City Clerk Dept User; Eduardo Martinez; Soheila Bana; Claudia Jimenez; Gayle McLaughlin; Melvin Willis Subject: 1) Public comments: Vote YES on Agenda item G.1 Date: Monday, April 29, 2024 1:08:35 PM
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There is no moral ambiguity anymore. It is not complicated. Please vote yes.

Sincerely,
Hatem Bazian, UC Berkeley
Sent from my iPhone
From: Quetzalcoatl Hernández
To: City Clerk Dept User; Eduardo Martinez; Soheila Bana; Claudia Jimenez; Gayle McLaughlin; Melvin Willis Subject: 1) Public comments: Vote YES on Agenda item G.1 Date: Tuesday, April 30, 2024 8:28:05 AM
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There is no moral ambiguity anymore. It is not complicated. Please vote yes.

Sincerely,
Hatuey Q Hernandez, District 6
Sent from my iPhone
From: Henry Van Bemmel
To: City Clerk Dept User; Eduardo Martinez; Soheila Bana; Claudia Jimenez; Gayle McLaughlin; Melvin Willis Subject: 1) Public comments: Vote YES on Agenda item G.1 Date: Monday, April 29, 2024 5:07:50 PM
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This email originated from outside of the City's email system. Do not open links or attachments from untrusted sources.

As we saw in the 1980s with calls to divest from apartheid South Africa, history will vindicate your "yes" vote as being on the side of justice and humanity.

There is no moral ambiguity anymore. It is not complicated. Please vote yes.

Sincerely,
Henry Van Bemmel
Berkeley Law Student, Albany resident, and frequenter of Richmond roadways, businesses, and public amenities.

From: Hilda Poulson
To: City Clerk Dept User
Subject: Public Comments: Support for Divestment/item G1 Date: Tuesday, April 30, 2024 10:01:48 AM
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Dear Richmond City Council members,
I am a current resident of Alameda, but grew up spending a lot of time in Richmond, where I have many family and friends.

I am writing to urge you to vote YES on divestment, specifically by eliminating the investment of City funds into industries that facilitate violence, war, oppression, and apartheid.

We in Alameda have been inspired by Richmond's leadership on calling for Ceasefire in Gaza, and hope to see continued leadership on divestment so other cities around the Bay Area and across the country can be emboldened to take similar actions. --
Hilda Poulson
(310) 251-9667
From: Hind Boom
To: City Clerk Dept User; Eduardo Martinez; Soheila Bana; Claudia Jimenez; Gayle McLaughlin; Melvin Willis Subject: 1) Public comments: Vote YES on Agenda item G.1 Date: Monday, April 29, 2024 11:25:11 AM
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This email originated from outside of the City's email system. Do not open links or attachments from untrusted sources.

There is no moral ambiguity anymore. It is not complicated. Please vote yes.

Sincerely,
Concerned student
Sent on the go
From: Jacquelyne McCormick
To: City Clerk Dept User; Eduardo Martinez; Soheila Bana; Claudia Jimenez; Gayle McLaughlin; Melvin Willis Subject: 1) Public comments: Vote YES on Agenda item G.1 Date: Tuesday, April 30, 2024 9:11:40 AM
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This email originated from outside of the City's email system. Do not open links or attachments from untrusted sources.

There is no moral ambiguity anymore. It is not complicated. Please vote yes.

Sincerely,
Jacquelyne McCormick, District 6
From: Jaime Young
To: City Clerk Dept User; Eduardo Martinez; Soheila Bana; Claudia Jimenez; Gayle McLaughlin; Melvin Willis Subject: 1) Public comments: Vote YES on Agenda item G.1 Date: Monday, April 29, 2024 8:18:21 PM
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This email originated from outside of the City's email system. Do not open links or attachments from untrusted sources.

There is no moral ambiguity anymore. It is not complicated. Please vote yes.

Sincerely,
Jaime Young, Richmond resident, 94805
From: Jane
To: City Clerk Dept User
Subject: Please divest from companies profiting from genocide Date: Tuesday, April 30, 2024 8:19:06 AM
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This email originated from outside of the City's email system. Do not open links or attachments from untrusted sources.

Dear Richmond City Council,
Please divest from any company making money off the genocide of the Palestinian people. So many have been killed already, using weapons provided by the US tax payers. We must stop investing in these evil companies.

Thank you
Jane Jewell
From: Kaelen Van Cura
To: City Clerk Dept User
Subject: 1) Public Comments Agenda item # G1
Date: Tuesday, April 30, 2024 12:43:31 PM
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This email originated from outside of the City's email system. Do not open links or attachments from untrusted sources.

As a longtime Richmond resident, I am strongly in support of divesting our funds from harmful industries and companies that are involved in human rights abuses.

Kaelen Van Cura
From: Laurie Wager
To: City Clerk Dept User
Subject: Urge Richmond to Divest
Date: Tuesday, April 30, 2024 11:06:52 AM
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This email originated from outside of the City's email system. Do not open links or attachments from untrusted sources.

Dear Richmond City Clerk,
As a Jewish Bay Area resident, I'm writing to thank you for being the first local city council to pass a ceasefire resolution. Now you have the opportunity to lead once again. Please vote yes on Item G.1., to review and modify the city’s Investment Policy, eliminating the investment of funds into industries that facilitate violence, war, oppression, and apartheid.

We are at an historic point in time where our actions have huge consequences. Please continue your valiant efforts towards justice.

Sincerely,
Laurie Wager
[email protected]
From: Lila Sheira
To: City Clerk Dept User; Eduardo Martinez; Soheila Bana; Claudia Jimenez; Gayle McLaughlin; Melvin Willis Subject: 1) Public comments: Vote YES on Agenda item G.1 Date: Tuesday, April 30, 2024 8:33:06 AM
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This email originated from outside of the City's email system. Do not open links or attachments from untrusted sources.

There is no moral ambiguity anymore. It is not complicated. Please vote yes.

Sincerely,
Lila A. Sheira
Richmond residen (94804)
Please excuse any typos. Sent from my telephone.

From: Lisa Raffel
To: City Clerk Dept User
Subject: Public Comment in Support New Restrictions on Investment Policy Date: Tuesday, April 30, 2024 6:30:04 AM
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This email originated from outside of the City's email system. Do not open links or attachments from untrusted sources.

I am writing as a resident of Richmond and in support of the New Restrictions on Investment Policy. The mass incarceration complex, the production of weapons, and Israel's violation of Palestinian's human rights -- these should not be areas of investment for the City of Richmond.

The great city of Richmond, California can find better, life affirming investment opportunities.

Lisa Raffel
Richmond, CA
From: Mary Therese
To: City Clerk Dept User
Subject: 1) public comments
Date: Monday, April 29, 2024 12:07:31 PM
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This email originated from outside of the City's email system. Do not open links or attachments from untrusted sources.

Hello,
I’m writing to email you to vote yes on divestment from Israeli companies complicit in genocide.

This action is not only a stand for human rights but also a reflection of our community’s commitment to ethical and responsible investment practices. Recent events and the ongoing genocide in Gaza have highlighted the urgent need for us to review and reconsider where our city’s funds are invested. Divestment represents a clear statement that our community prioritizes human rights and opposes genocide. As an elected official, your support in this matter is crucial. A vote in favor of divestment is a vote for justice and ethical stewardship of our community’s resources. Please stand with the many residents of Richmond who believe in promoting peace and human rights through our collective actions.

Thank you for considering this important issue. I trust that you will make a decision that aligns with our shared values and the moral integrity of our city.

Sincerely,
Mary Snyder
From: Mettie Hoge
To: City Clerk Dept User
Subject: Urge Richmond to Divest
Date: Tuesday, April 30, 2024 11:08:30 AM
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This email originated from outside of the City's email system. Do not open links or attachments from untrusted sources.

We are witnessing genocide in real time. It is important to take action and to establish our.

Citizens as people with a conscience. Your courage and leadership are appreciated.

Sincerely,
Mettie Hoge
[email protected]
From: Naaim Yahya
To: City Clerk Dept User
Subject: Public comments:

Date: Tuesday, April 30, 2024 9:47:08 AM
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This email originated from outside of the City's email system. Do not open links or attachments from untrusted sources.

Public comment:

Please God!
Help us divest away from these genocidal Israeli manufacturing companies producing parts and equipment for inflicting injuries and suffering on the people of Gaza.

They are making hell on earth real.

Sent from my iPhone
From: [email protected]
To: City Clerk Dept User; Eduardo Martinez; Soheila Bana; Claudia Jimenez; Gayle McLaughlin; Melvin Willis Subject: 1) Public comments: Vote YES on Agenda item G.1 Date: Monday, April 29, 2024 8:40:00 PM
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This email originated from outside of the City's email system. Do not open links or attachments from untrusted sources.

There is no moral ambiguity anymore. It is not complicated. Please vote yes.

Sincerely,
Nadia Bubtana
Panhandle Annex co-President
District 5
Sent from my iPhone
From: Nazanin
To: City Clerk Dept User; Eduardo Martinez; Soheila Bana; Claudia Jimenez; Gayle McLaughlin; Melvin Willis Subject: 1) Public comments: Vote YES on Agenda item G.1 Date: Sunday, April 28, 2024 5:28:09 PM
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This email originated from outside of the City's email system. Do not open links or attachments from untrusted sources.

There is no moral ambiguity anymore. It is not complicated. Please vote yes.

Sincerely,
Naz Akbaroff, resident
From: Noor Bilbeisi
To: City Clerk Dept User
Subject: Urge Richmond to Divest
Date: Tuesday, April 30, 2024 7:14:22 PM
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This email originated from outside of the City's email system. Do not open links or attachments from untrusted sources.

Dear Richmond City Clerk,
I am writing today to let you know I and all citizens of the Bay Area that I know are in favor of a ceasefire resolution! Thank you for your leadership in 2023 as the first local city council to pass a ceasefire resolution. We know and are excited about your opportunity to lead the Bay Area again, please vote yes on Item G.1., to review and modify the city’s Investment Policy, eliminating the investment of funds into industries that facilitate violence, war, oppression, and apartheid.

Sincerely,
Noor Bilbeisi
[email protected]
From: nuzi alavi
To: City Clerk Dept User
Subject: Line 1 Public Comment
Date: Tuesday, April 30, 2024 9:54:38 AM
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This email originated from outside of the City's email system. Do not open links or attachments from untrusted sources.

Sent from my iPhone
From: Reimagine Richmond
To: City Clerk Dept User
Subject: Letter of Support for G1- investment policy
Date: Tuesday, April 30, 2024 9:18:52 AM
Attachments: Letter of Support for G1- Investment Policy.pdf This email originated from outside of the City's email system. Do not open links or attachments from untrusted sources.

This email originated from outside of the City's email system. Do not open links or attachments from untrusted sources.

Greetings Richmond Mayor and City Councilmembers,
Thank you Mayor Martinez, Councilmember McLaughlin and Councilmember Bana for bringing forth the proposed restrictions to the city's investment policy.

Reimagine Richmond urges the council to support item G1. Attached letter provides more detail about our support for this proposal.

In community,
Reimagine Richmond
April30th,2024
TotheRichmondMayorandCityCouncil,
WewritetoexpressourfullsupportfortheproposedexpansionofrestrictionstotheCityofRichmond’sinvestmentpolicy, AgendaItemG-1.InvestmentdecisionsareapowerfultoolfortheCitytotakeastanceonimportantethicalissues.TheCityhasknownthisforyears:that’swhyithasalreadydivestedfromcertainharmfulindustrieslikefossilfuelsandtobacco.WebelievetheproposedsetofnewrestrictionsisjustasalignedwithRichmond’svalues.Investor-ownedcompaniesareprofitingoff theexploitationandoppressionofpeoplearoundtheworld,andwedonotwantRichmondtobecomplicitinlettingthesecorporationsmakeenormousprofitsfromthesufferingofourpeople.

Inparticular, welendourwholeheartedsupporttonewRestriction3,whichwouldrequirethecitytodivestfromcompaniesinvolvedinhumanincarceration.Theprisonindustrialcomplexrepresentsthevastnetworkofentitiesthateitheroperatedetentionfacilitiesorprofitfromthem—somebysellingproductsandservicestoprisons,othersbyrelyingontheforcedlaborofincarceratedpeople.TheUnitedStatesprisonpopulationhasincreasedby500%since1970(faroutpacingpopulationgrowthandcrime),andwenowhavethehighestincarcerationrateofanycountryintheworld.Massincarcerationhasdevastatingeffectsonthehealthandwellbeingofindividuals,families,andcommunities. TheseharmsareespeciallyprofoundforBlackfolksandothercommunitiesofcolor, whoarevastlyoverrepresentedinthiscountry’sprisons.IntheUnitedStates,BlackAmericansare13%ofthepopulation, butrepresent37%oftheprisonorjailpopulation.

RichmondwouldbeingoodcompanyifitadoptedRestriction3.Thereisagrowingmovementtodivestfromtheprisonindustrialcomplex.Forinstance,citiessuchasNewYorkCityandPhiladelphiahavedivestedfromprivateprisons.Manyotherinstitutionssuchasuniversitiesandfaithbasedorganizationshavelikewiserearrangedtheirinvestmentportfoliostoexcludeentitiesthatprofitfromincarceration.Theseinvestmentdecisionssendapowerfulmessage:ourresourceswillnotbeusedtoupholdanunjustsystem,howeverlucrativeitmightbe.

Forsimilarreasons,ReimagineRichmondalsosupportstheotherinvestmentrestrictionstheCityisconsidering.Webelieveintheliberationofallpeopleandseeallformsofoppressionasinterconnected.NewRestriction1wouldtakeRichmond’sresourcesawayfromthedestructivemilitary-industrialcomplex,whichhaslongtreatedthelossofblackandbrownlivesasajustifiabletradeoff forprofit.NewRestriction2wouldrequiretheCitytodivestfromthe

surveillancetechnologiesthatareusedtocriminalizeourcommunitiesandseparatefamiliesattheborder. AndNewRestriction4wouldkeepourCity’sfundsoutoftheUS-backedIsraelioccupationofPalestine,oneofthemostpressinghumanitariancrisesofourtimes.Inanutshell,wedonotwantRichmonddollarsfundingwar, genocideandsurveillance.

Divestmentfromindustriesthatprofitfromoppressionandinjusticeisnotjustamoralimperative;italignswiththeCity’sfiduciarydutytomaintainasmartandsustainableinvestmentportfolio.ResponsiblestewardshipoftheCity’sassetsrequiresevaluatingthelong-termviabilityandrisksofeachinvestment.Whileharmful,exploitativeindustriesmayseemhighlyprofitableintheshortterm,theyareatthewhimsofchangingpoliticalandsocietalpriorities.Asanexample,companiesthatprofitoff thecriminalizationofcommunitiesarelikelytobeimpactedfinanciallybychangingpoliticaltidesandnationwideeffortstoreformthecarceralsystem.Bydivestingfromthoseindustriesnow, Richmondcanavoidthefuturelossesthatwouldotherwiseresultfromevolvingsocialmoresaroundthisissue.

WeurgeyoutosupportitemG-1,aproposalthatputsRichmondontherightsideofhistoryandalsomakesgoodfinancialsense.

From: Richard Muro - Salazar
To: City Clerk Dept User
Subject: Public Comments Agenda Item # G-1
Date: Tuesday, April 30, 2024 12:58:03 PM
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This email originated from outside of the City's email system. Do not open links or attachments from untrusted sources.

Hello,
As a life-long Richmond community member, public artist, educator, social justice advocate, parent, and small business owner, I support the proposed set of new restrictions on the City of Richmond’s investments, agenda item # G-1. Our focus as a community should not involve investing in harmful sources that bring about further oppression. We must invest in community care, we must invest in alignment of our morals and values.

Sincerely,
Richard Muro
Bay Area EV LLC/ R.M. Salazar
--
Richard M. Salazar
Murals + Custom Fabrication
M: 510.221.7221
E: [email protected]

From: Rocky C
To: City Clerk Dept User; Eduardo Martinez; Soheila Bana; Claudia Jimenez; Gayle McLaughlin; Melvin Willis Subject: Public comments: Vote YES on Agenda item G.1
Date: Monday, April 29, 2024 1:51:14 AM
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This email originated from outside of the City's email system. Do not open links or attachments from untrusted sources.

Since October, nearly 40,000 Palestinians have been killed by the state of Israel, including 15,000 children. Over 7,000 Palestinians in the West Bank have been detained without charge. Settler-colonizers are burning down villages. Our federal government is complicit in genocide. Despite endless evidence of war crimes, millions of people protesting across the globe, a federal court case, and direct orders from the United Nations, Israel has not relented and President Biden continues to send billions of dollars and military aid to Israel.

There is no moral ambiguity anymore. It is not complicated. We need to divest from genocide. Please vote yes.

Sincerely,
Rocky Chau
Animal Rights For Palestine
From: Rohan Sabnis
To: City Clerk Dept User; Eduardo Martinez; Soheila Bana; Claudia Jimenez; Gayle McLaughlin; Melvin Willis Subject: 1) Public comments: Vote YES on Agenda item G.1 Date: Tuesday, April 30, 2024 12:28:58 AM
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This email originated from outside of the City's email system. Do not open links or attachments from untrusted sources.

Dear Mayor and Councilmembers,
I'm writing to urge you to vote YES on Tuesday's agenda item G.1: "DIRECT City staff to review and modify the City of Richmond Investment Policy, eliminating the investment of City funds into industries that facilitate violence, war, oppression, and apartheid."
Richmond ignited a fire when it passed a ceasefire resolution just weeks after the the genocide of Palestinians began. Since October, nearly 40,000 Palestinians have been killed by the state of Israel, including 15,000 children. Over 7,000 Palestinians in the West Bank have been detained without charge. Settlers are burning down villages. Our federal government is complicit in genocide. Despite endless evidence of war crimes, millions of people protesting across the globe, a federal court case, and direct orders from the United Nations, Israel has not relented and President Biden continues to send billions of dollars and military aid to Israel.

Hayward is already divesting $1.6 million from companies that facilitate violence, war, oppression, and apartheid and Richmond should follow suit.

There is no moral ambiguity anymore. It is not complicated. Please vote yes! Sincerely,
Rohan Sabnis
From: Rose Gelfand
To: City Clerk Dept User
Subject: Public Comments Agenda Item #G1
Date: Monday, April 29, 2024 10:15:48 PM
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This email originated from outside of the City's email system. Do not open links or attachments from untrusted sources.
Dear Richmond City Council,
Hello, my name is Rose Gelfand. I am writing to express my strong support of the Richmond City Council’s G-1 investment restriction policy.

As an anti-Zionist Jew raised in Richmond my entire life, I am extremely proud to be from the first American city to pass a ceasefire resolution. I will be even prouder to be from the first city to divest from mass incarceration, arms manufacturing and Israeli apartheid/genocide!
Divestment is one of the most powerful tools we have to make material change, to dismantle the violence of colonialism and racial capitalism. All institutions and localities with financial stake in weapons manufacturing, the prison industrial complex, and the Israeli state are directly profiting from mass death and dehumanization. By choosing to divest from these vile industries, Richmond will live up to its values, prioritizing the lives of its citizens, and of people around the globe, over profit.

I strongly urge you to please pass this historic resolution, so we may invest in care and community, and divest from all forms of oppression.

Please be on the right side of history once
again!
Thanks for your time.

Sincerely,
Rose Gelfand
From: Saira Shakeel
To: City Clerk Dept User
Subject: Urge Richmond to Divest
Date: Tuesday, April 30, 2024 11:21:02 AM
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This email originated from outside of the City's email system. Do not open links or attachments from untrusted sources.

Dear Richmond City Clerk,
Richmoned, the city of pride and purpose, has the opprortunity to once again make history.

Thank you for your leadership in 2023 as the first local city council to pass a ceasefire resolution. You once again have the opportunity to lead, please vote yes on Item G.1., to review and modify the city’s Investment Policy, eliminating the investment of funds into industries that facilitate violence, war, oppression, and apartheid. This will be historic movement and a great step forward for the city of Richmond.

Sincerely,
Saira Shakeel
[email protected]
From: Salah Elbakri
To: City Clerk Dept User
Subject: Urge Richmond to Divest
Date: Tuesday, April 30, 2024 7:06:22 PM
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You don't often get email from [email protected]. Learn why this is important This email originated from outside of the City's email system. Do not open links or attachments from untrusted sources.

Dear Richmond City Clerk,
In total support of G1.

Richmond is doin’ it again.

A city with intact moral compass!
Sincerely,
Salah Elbakri
[email protected]
From: Shariq Alavi
To: City Clerk Dept User
Subject: Line one public comment
Date: Tuesday, April 30, 2024 11:44:52 AM
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Dear Mayor and city council members of Richmond,
We applaud your efforts to divest your investments to ethical choices. The consideration of divesting and moving away from countries and industries that commit genocide is moral.

Thank you.

From: Shayna Keyles
To: City Clerk Dept User
Subject: Public comments agenda item #1
Date: Tuesday, April 30, 2024 12:29:07 PM
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Dear Richmond City Council,
I strongly support Agenda Item G-1, which calls for four new restrictions related to our city's investments. As a city whose population is nearly 19% African American and 45% Latino--two of the demographics most represented in prisons and jails in the US- -it's in the best interest of our community to divest from any industry that supports the prison-industrial complex. To continue creating a city that is safe and equitable for all those who live here, we must move away from mass surveillance, detention, and prison labor as the norm and move toward models of healing justice. Moreover, to ensure Richmond remains a place of safety for migrants and immigrants, and that Richmond upholds its name as a "Human Rights City," we must invest away from arms, weapons, surveillance, and prison industries.

I also support Restriction 4, which calls for divestment from Israeli violations of Palestinian rights. Richmond was among the first in the nation to call for a ceasefire and to support Palestinian autonomy. It would be a showing of integrity to further denounce the mass murder and incarceration of Palestinian people by divesting from Israeli militarization. Israel relies on funding from the United States to maintain its power over Palestine, and if Richmond and other cities choose to withhold funding, we can make real change: look to the history of divesting from the tobacco industry, or divestment during South African Apartheid.

With gratitude,
Shayna Keyles
Richmond, CA
From: Sonila Shakeel
To: City Clerk Dept User
Subject: Urge Richmond to Divest
Date: Tuesday, April 30, 2024 12:05:03 PM
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Dear Richmond City Clerk,
I am proud to be a resident of the city of Richmond, where my leaders are being mindful of the unjust and inhumane behaviors taking place across the globe, and particularly in occupied Palestine. Thank you for your leadership in 2023 as the first local city council to pass a ceasefire resolution. You once again have the opportunity to lead, please vote yes on Item G.1., to review and modify the city’s Investment Policy, eliminating the investment of funds into industries that facilitate violence, war, oppression, and apartheid. Please do not let this go unnoticed. It is important that we take this stance as a city so that no more innocent lives can be taken at the hands of the oppressors, the murderers, the genocidal freaks.

Sincerely,
Sonila Shakeel
[email protected]
From: Sophia Ritchie
To: City Clerk Dept User; Eduardo Martinez; Soheila Bana; Claudia Jimenez; Gayle McLaughlin; Melvin Willis Subject: 1) Public comments: Vote YES on Agenda item G.1 Date: Tuesday, April 30, 2024 12:00:33 AM
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This email originated from outside of the City's email system. Do not open links or attachments from untrusted sources.

Dear Mayor and Councilmembers,
I'm writing to you as a former Richmond resident and urge you to vote YES on Tuesday's agenda item G.1: "DIRECT City staff to review and modify the City of Richmond Investment Policy, eliminating the investment of City funds into industries that facilitate violence, war, oppression, and apartheid." As a resident, I was trained in and active in the city's CERT program. I write this because I think frequently of Palestinian first responders in Gaza who have been targeted and killed simply for trying to save lives. I think about overwhelmed civil response teams, and of civilians digging through rubble with their bare hands looking for survivors. We are looking at a man-made disaster of exorbitant proportions that the US has helped fund from day 1, but brave actions such as divestment can push the arc of justice in the right direction, not only in Gaza, but across all of occupied Palestine and Israel.

Richmond showed its moral leadership when it passed a ceasefire resolution just weeks after the genocide of Palestinians began. Since October, nearly 40,000 Palestinians have been killed by the state of Israel, including 15,000 children. Over 7,000 Palestinians in the West Bank have been detained without charge and West Bank residents are facing increased violence from both Israeli settlers and soldiers, including burning villages. Our federal government is complicit in genocide. Despite endless evidence of war crimes, millions of people protesting across the globe, a federal court case, and direct orders from the United Nations, Israel has not relented and President Biden continues to send billions of dollars and military aid to Israel.

There is no moral ambiguity anymore. It is not complicated. Please vote yes.

Sincerely,
Sophia Ritchie, former Richmond Annex resident
From: Sophie Khouri
To: City Clerk Dept User
Subject: Public Comments Agenda Item #G1
Date: Tuesday, April 30, 2024 8:22:06 AM
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Good morning,
My name is Sophie, I'm 16-years-old, and I'm Palestinian. I am urging the City of Richmond to pass Item #G-1 which would put restrictions on the City's investments, including their investment of companies that are supporting the genocide and occupation in Palestine. Being Palestinian, my family has been largely affected by the U.S.-backed occupation of Palestine. Richmond's divestment would be a step closer to ending that occupation. Richmond is considered a "Human Rights City" being one of the first to adopt the Declaration of Human Rights in 2009. Additionally, Richmond was one of the first cities in the U.S. to pass a ceasefire resolution. Adopting these restrictions on how it can invest its resources would continue Richmond's legacy as a "Human Rights City" and encourage neighboring cities to take similar steps.

Additionally, this divestment would allow for Richmond to better invest in its population and benefit the people of Richmond. Thank you for your time.

In Solidarity,
Sophie Khouri (she/her)
President | M.E.N.A. Student Union
Secretary | Muslim Student Association
Phone: (510) 617-8490
"If they don't want us to protest, they shouldn't give us a reason to protest."
From: Susan Hopp
To: City Clerk Dept User
Subject: Public Comments - APR30 Meeting
Date: Tuesday, April 30, 2024 10:51:48 AM
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This email originated from outside of the City's email system. Do not open links or attachments from untrusted sources.

Dear Richmond City Council,
Regarding agenda G1. Adding Restrictions to the City of Richmond's Investment Policy, I urge you to adopt this resolution. Who could have imagined we'd be living in a time of censure and a McCarthy era resurrection against free speech - all in protest of a genocide our US government is enabling. Now is the time for sane people of goodwill who understand the immorality of mass murder and maiming of innocent civilians to come forth and take action.

I applaud the courage and wherewithal of Richmond - it sends a message and makes a difference.

Thank you,
Susan Hopp
Mill Valley, CA
--
Susan Hopp
[email protected]
415-602-9830
“Nature is not a place to visit. It is home.” Gary Snyder, Poet From: Tariq Ibrahim
To: City Clerk Dept User; Eduardo Martinez; Soheila Bana; Claudia Jimenez; Gayle McLaughlin; Melvin Willis Subject: 1) Public comments: Vote YES on Agenda item G.1 Date: Tuesday, April 30, 2024 7:34:43 AM
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This email originated from outside of the City's email system. Do not open links or attachments from untrusted sources.

There is no moral ambiguity anymore. It is not complicated. Please vote yes.

Sincerely,
Tariq
From: ursula floden
To: City Clerk Dept User; Eduardo Martinez; Soheila Bana; Claudia Jimenez; Gayle McLaughlin; Melvin Willis Subject: 1) Public comments: Vote YES on Agenda item G.1 Date: Monday, April 29, 2024 8:38:37 PM
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This email originated from outside of the City's email system. Do not open links or attachments from untrusted sources.

There is no moral ambiguity anymore. It is not complicated. Please vote yes.

Sincerely,
Ursula Floden
Northern District 7
Richmond Heights
From: Vish Soroushian
To: Eduardo Martinez; Soheila Bana; Claudia Jimenez; Gayle McLaughlin; Melvin Willis; City Clerk Dept User Subject: 1) Public comments: Vote YES on Agenda item G.1 Date: Tuesday, April 30, 2024 8:21:14 AM
Attachments: 24.04.29 Richmond City Council Support for Divestment.pdf This email originated from outside of the City's email system. Do not open links or attachments from untrusted sources.

This email originated from outside of the City's email system. Do not open links or attachments from untrusted sources.

April 29, 2024
RE: Support for Item G1 (Adding Restrictions to the City of Richmond’s Investment Policy)
Dear Mayor Martinez and Esteemed Members of the Richmond City Council:

We, the Bay Area Legal Aid Workers (BALAW), National Organization of Legal Services Workers, UAW Local 2320 (NOLSW), write to urge you to modify Richmond’s investment policy to eliminate the investment of public funds in companies and industries that facilitate violence, war, oppression, occupation, colonization, or apartheid. We also implore you to further amend the policy to prevent the city from investing in Israeli bonds or, at least, in the financial instruments of any country that regularly enables any of the aforementioned atrocities.

NOLSW is a labor union with over 4,500 members nationwide. As a unit of NOLSW, BALAW represents over a hundred legal services professionals who live and work throughout the Bay Area, including in Richmond. In December 2023, BALAW passed a resolution calling for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza and an end to U.S. aid to Israel and the occupation of Palestine. BALAW also endorsed the Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions movement (BDS). In February 2024, NOLSW followed suit and passed a similar resolution endorsing BDS, resolving to divest from any Israel bonds it holds, and demanding, inter alia, a cessation of all U.S. aid to Israel.

As legal services professionals, we are appalled at the failure of our elected officials to hold Israel accountable for the blatant violations of international law it commits daily. As workers and people of conscience, we insist that the taxes we contribute to our governmental entities not go towards enriching those who profit from the repression of others no matter where they live. We work hard for our earnings, and we believe that it is quite reasonable to expect that funds in the city treasury be used to improve the lives of Richmond residents, not to fatten the pockets of weapons manufacturer executives and investors.

We applaud Richmond for once again putting to action its progressive values by prioritizing divestment from companies and industries that bring out the worst in humanity and cause immense suffering. We hope that other institutions will follow your lead and also do their part in helping end the oppression of the Palestinian people once and for all.

We also implore you to recognize that many of the companies that profit from Israel’s genocide in Gaza and enable the ongoing Israeli occupation of and apartheid in Palestine also cause harm on other fronts. For example, municipal governments often hold securities in companies such as Caterpillar (CAT) and the Toyota Motor Credit Corporation, the financing arm of the Toyota Motor Corporation. While CAT machinery is best known for reprehensibly being used to destroy Palestinian homes and infrastructure and to run over Palestinian civilians and activists, CAT also has had contracts with the Federal Bureau of Prisons, Customs and Border Protection, and Immigration and Customs Enforcement for construction projects involving prisons and immigration detention facilities. Similarly, Toyota trucks serve as the base of light armored vehicles that are used routinely and extensively by the Israeli military while committing human rights violations in the occupied West Bank. Toyota also has a horrific impact on global climate policy. As such, investments in such companies already contravene the spirit of the city’s prohibition on investing in Fossil Fuel companies and those that violate its Sanctuary City Ordinance.

Respectfully Submitted,
/s/ Vish Soroushian
Treasurer
Bay Area Legal Aid Workers
UAW Local 2320
From: yoli aceves
To: City Clerk Dept User; Eduardo Martinez; Soheila Bana; Claudia Jimenez; Gayle McLaughlin; Melvin Willis Subject: 1) Public comments: Vote YES on Agenda item G.1 Date: Monday, April 29, 2024 8:20:32 PM
This email originated from outside of the City's email system. Do not open links or attachments from untrusted sources.

This email originated from outside of the City's email system. Do not open links or attachments from untrusted sources.

There is no moral ambiguity anymore. It is not complicated. Please vote yes.

Sincerely,
Yolanda Aceves, concern resident, district 6
Sent from my iPhone
From: Yvonne Marroquin
To: City Clerk Dept User
Subject: Public Comments Agenda Item # G-1
Date: Tuesday, April 30, 2024 11:02:53 AM
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This email originated from outside of the City's email system. Do not open links or attachments from untrusted sources.

Hola a Todos, I’m Yvonne Marroquin Venegas.

I grew up in Richmond, where as a youth I witnessed so much community violence and crime-the mission was to survive.

Now, as a mother-educator-small business owner, I feel the shift- I get to watch so many of us thrive.

This is purely thanks to the dedicated work of our collective community, leaders and policy choices that invest in our people and are rooted in COMMUNITY CARE.

As the first city in the NATION to pass a resolution for a ceasefire in solidarity with the Pueblo Palestino, Richmond is now more aligned than ever with the morals of our diverse community.

The work is to keep going in this aligned direction.

As a people, we understand that not investing in the prison industrial complex- that does nothing to contribute to society and exploits inmates for slave labor while inflicting generational trauma, is essential.

Not investing in border and mass surveillance industries that criminalize desperate migrants FORCED to leave their homes to ESCAPE the consequence of US imperialism, destabilization, exploitation, etc- throughout Central America, for example, is essential.

Not investing in companies and their subsidiaries that are involved with the occupying state of Israel in Palestine, actively carrying out a genocide/an ecocide/the most horrific crimes against innocent humans witnessed in our lifetimes against the Pueblo Palestino, is essential.

We stand firmly with all of the students within the nation and throughout the world resisting and demanding for divestment from Israel. No more blood money.

I whole-heartedly support the proposed set of new restrictions on the city’s investments, agenda item G-1, let’s keep it moving in the right direction/on the right side of history! Sincerely,
Yvonne Marroquin Venegas
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Meeting Date
Agenda Item
Name
Email
Comment
Position
Status
Special City Council Meeting
4/30/2024 5:30 PM Adding Restrictions
to the City of
Richmond's
Investment Policy
Graves Sperry it's the duty of the
City to prevent
violence and harm
as much as
possible, and that
includes divesting
from apartheid
states, as much of
America did in the
eighties and
nineties and
should do again to
prevent Israel's
genocide against
the Palestinian
people.

For Appro
4/30/24, 1:23 PM richmond.escribemeetings.com/Pages/ReportingPrintFriendly.aspx?reporting-reporttype=PublicComment https://richmond.escribemeetings.com/Pages/ReportingPrintFriendly.aspx?reporting-reporttype=PublicComment 1/1

Richmond City CouncilApril 30, 2024

Richmond City Council
April 30, 2024