From: J M
To: City Council Public Comments
Subject: [EXTERNAL] Support a Ceasefire Resolution
Date: Saturday, February 10, 2024 12:53:30 PM
Dear Concilmembers,
I am a Jewish resident of Santa Rosa. I urge you to put forth a ceasefire resolution on the City Council agenda.
I mourn for both Israeli lives lost on October 7th and now, at least, 27,000 palestinian lives lost in Israel's retaliation. More than 11,000 children Palestinian have died.
Collective
punishment and genocide is not making anyone safer.
Thank you
Jennifer Miller
--
Work is love made visible
-Kahlil Gibran
From: Cass Stewart
To: City Council Public Comments
Subject: [EXTERNAL] Ceasefire Resolution
Date: Saturday, February 10, 2024 2:40:42 PM
To whom it may concern:
My name is Gillian Stewart, and I am a Santa Rosa resident and have lived in Sonoma County my whole life.
I am writing to urge the city council to put a Ceasefire Resolution on the agenda as soon as possible for the safety of the people living in occupied Palestine who, since the beginning of October, have faced ruthless violence and collective punishment at the hands of the Israeli government. The citizens of Gaza live under constant threat of restricted access to water, food, and electricity; they are having to undergo surgery without access to anesthesia, and are at increased risk of dying of starvation. They are having to dig their own family members and neighbors out of the rubble where their homes used to be. To be clear, this is a humanitarian crisis, and I do not want my tax dollars to continue to fund the collective punishment of the Palestinian people, which makes no one safer.
This is a personal and a local issue. Palestinians living in Sonoma County, and those in solidarity with them, are waiting for local governments to make the right call and demand an immediate ceasefire in Palestine.
Thank you.
Gillian Stewart
From: Cassidy Leeds
To: City Council Public Comments
Subject: [EXTERNAL] Public Comment Regarding a Resolution Date: Saturday, February 10, 2024 4:15:07 PM
Dear Santa Rosa City Council,
I hope my email finds you well. My name is Cassidy Leeds, and I am a 22 year old college student in my senior year at Sonoma State University. I am writing today to urge you, as city council members, to put a Ceasefire Resolution on the agenda and to support a permanent and immediate ceasefire in Gaza and Israel.
I believe that both innocent Palestinian and Israeli civilians deserve to live their lives in peace and safety, and that a permanent ceasefire is the only way to create this reality. Peace cannot be achieved by the continuous bombing, massacring, and brutalization of innocent Palestinians in Gaza. We have witnessed these terrors being broadcasted live on our phone screens for more than 125 heartbreaking days. Around 30,000 people in Gaza have been horrifically killed, and those who are still alive are facing illness, starvation, and displacement without adequate access to aid.
From here in Santa Rosa and Sonoma County, my loved ones and I are beyond horrified that our tax dollars are going towards funding the weapons that are responsible for committing these atrocities. It is absolutely unacceptable and unconscionable.
Our leaders, both locally and nationally, must take immediate action to help put an end to the genocide that is being committed as I write this message. A ceasefire resolution would powerfully show that the city of Santa Rosa stands against genocide, and instead, stands for the protection of the innocent lives of both human beings and animals.
Thank you very much for your time and attention to this urgent matter. I hope that you will use your power to create a positive change and to uphold human rights, by supporting a permanent and immediate ceasefire now.
Sincerely,
Cassidy Leeds
From: Annabelle Anderson
To: City Council Public Comments
Subject: [EXTERNAL] Ceasefire Now
Date: Sunday, February 11, 2024 9:59:05 AM
To whom it may concern,
My name is Annabelle Anderson, I am 23 years old, I was born and raised in Santa Rosa. I am contacting you to urge you to put a CEASEFIRE RESOLUTION on the top of your agenda. This is a personal and local issue. My tax dollars are funding genocide against my will. Collective punishment of Palestine is not making anyone, including Jewish people, safer. I urge you to listen to the members of your community, and to put a CEASEFIRE RESOLUTION at the top of your agenda. We do not want any more casualties from this devastating violence that OUR TAX DOLLARS ARE GOING TOWARDS. Please consider the input of your hardworking community members.
Sincerely,
Annabelle Anderson
Sent from my iPhone
From: Karen Kelly
To: City Council Public Comments
Subject: [EXTERNAL] Request for Immediate Cease Fire Resolution on the agenda Date: Sunday, February 11, 2024 12:16:29 PM
February 11, 2024
Dear Santa Rosa City Council Members,
My name is Karen Kelly and I am a resident and local business owner in our great city of Santa Rosa.
I am writing this email to urge you to put forth an immediate cease fire resolution on the agenda. I believe this to be a personal and local issue, as it is my tax dollars that are funding genocide! Collective punishment and genocide of the Palestinian people is not making anyone, including Jewish people, safer and is an atrocity that we should never accept or support.
Thank you for standing for the rights of people all over the world, Karen Kelly
Santa Rosa, CA
95405
From: Fibi R
To: City Council Public Comments
Subject: [EXTERNAL] Request for Immediate Ceasefire Resolution on the agenda Date: Sunday, February 11, 2024 12:32:05 PM
February 11, 2024
Dear Santa Rosa City Council Members,
My name is Fibi Rahimi and I am a resident and student in our great city of Santa Rosa.
I am writing this email to urge you to put forth an immediate ceasefire resolution on the agenda. This is a personal and local issue, as it is my tax dollars that are funding this genocide! Collective punishment and the genocide of the Palestinian people is not making our world or anyone in it, including Jewish people, safer by any means. This is an atrocity that will not be accepted or supported. I believe in the power of local government, together we can make a difference.
Thank you for standing for the rights of all people across the world, Fibi Rahimi
Santa Rosa, CA
95405
From: Nell Hergenrather
To: City Council Public Comments
Subject: [EXTERNAL] Ceasefire Resolution
Date: Sunday, February 11, 2024 12:44:41 PM
Dear esteemed colleagues,
The time is now, to call for a cease-fire resolution. The horrors of the war campaign by Israel’s military on the civilian population of Gaza are beyond the pale.
Empathetic and educated cities around the country are calling for an immediate cease-fire resolution to be signed by every city council.
We cannot remain silent in a genocide. We cannot allow our tax dollars to be used to commit these atrocities.
As an artist, a teacher, and a business owner in Santa Rosa, I urge you to pass this resolution immediately.
Thank you,
Nell Hergenrather
From: Kate Luna
To: City Council Public Comments
Subject: [EXTERNAL] CEASEFIRE RESOLUTION
Date: Sunday, February 11, 2024 4:54:35 PM
Dear City Council Members,
I am a resident of Santa Rosa for 23 yrs and of Sonoma County for 45 yrs.. I am grateful for the opportunity to speak here.
I have close family who fled the progroms in Eastern Europe and I have devoted much time studying the Holocaust often in tears for what was done.
I have been an activist for Social Justice since I was in high school back in NYC. I have worked in refugee camps, most recently in Matamoros, Mexico during Family Separation policy providing services to families who were trapped at our southern border running for their lives and facing further terror of cartel kidnappings and sex trafficking in the camps every day..
In the refugee situation I have been in since 1982, the most common response from those trapped there is “We thought no one knew what was happening to us. We have felt alone and abandoned.” They have wept in my arms as i told them, “I care….my people care, ….my friends and family and neighbors care. They have given me money to help you.”
They sob and sob to know they are not forgotten. The supplies and services I helped create and fund matter enormously but the hopelessness of feeling abandoned in the terror and helplessness they experience was soul crushing. It is that abandonment I hear from the Palestinians in video after video.
My impetus in all the refugee and other Social Justice work I have done is bearing witness to the suffering and imagining myself in their places... digging my beloved grandchildren from under the rubble with my bare hands or being torn from my arms by border patrol or chased by cartel and unable in any of these situations to control the outcomes for my those I love. I chose to move from overwhelm.
I am compelled to
speak the truth and take action. That has been particularly hard right now where is it impossible to take the kinds of action I am familiar with. It is this that compels me to speak up for a Ceasefire resolution here. It is something we can do to call attention to the genocidal actions and say "We see you. You Matter”.
The impact of a Ceasefire Resolution even in our small part of the world has the power to support a people who are being systematically destroyed and do not understand why our government does not care. It is speaking the truth and speaking for the disempowered and in this case speaking against the complicity of our tax dollars funding the brutality and mass destruction.
Thank you for your commitment to human rights and freedoms for all people.
May all people be at peace, may all be free.
Kate Luna
From: Daniela Delario
To: City Council Public Comments
Subject: [EXTERNAL] Public comment
Date: Sunday, February 11, 2024 8:28:36 PM
Thank you for reading my email. My name is Danielle Delario, many in the community know me as Daniela. I am a mom, a teacher, and a community member and have been living in Cotati since 2009 and in Sonoma county for decades. Like the majority of Americans I am outraged by the slaughter of Palestinian men, women, and children in the name of Israeli self-defense. Israel has bombed hospitals, places of worship, schools, and the homes of everyday citizens. There is nowhere safe in Gaza and now Israel is bombing Rafah, where over a million Palestians are camping in the streets having been driven from their homes in the north. Israel has admitted again and again that their objective is to rid Gaza of Palestinians and that they will take the land for themselves. This is ethnic cleansing, is illegal under international law and the United States government, rather than speak out against it, is funding this genocide against Palestinians.
I ask that you put a Ceasefire resolution on the agenda. Hundreds of cities across the US, including my own, have passed Ceasefire resolutions to send a message to our government that we do not under any circumstances, whether in the Middle East, Europe, or elsewhere, support the targeting and killing of innocent civilians.
Six year old Hind Rajab spoke on the phone with an aid worker after her five family members she was attempting to flee with were murdered by the IDF. She cried on the phone with the aid worker, saying to come quick because she was afraid of the dark. The red crescent gained permission to send an ambulance to rescue her, yet rather than let the aid workers through, the IDF attacked the ambulance, killing the workers as well as murdering the young and defenseless Hind. This is just one of the many examples of Israeli war crimes. This and other horrific stories like this do not make the world safer for anyone.
These crimes against humanity have to stop and the Israeli government needs to be held accountable. And our tax dollars need to stop funding these atrocities. The best time for a ceasefire to be called was over a hundred days ago, the second best time is now.
Thank you.
From: Danielle Lemaitre
To: CityCouncilListPublic
Subject: [EXTERNAL] Ceasefire resolution
Date: Monday, February 12, 2024 9:00:57 AM
Council Members,
I am writing to ask that a ceasefire resolution be added to the agenda for the February 13, 2024
Santa Rosa city council meeting.
I am
calling on my local leaders to adopt an immediate and permanent ceasefire in Israel and Palestine. I ask that this resolution include
the following deliverables listed in the
Oakland, California resolution:
A permanent and immediate ceasefire
The release of all hostages
The unrestricted entry of humanitarian assistance into Gaza The restoration of food, water, electricity and medical supplies to Gaza The respect for international law and protection and the security of all innocent civilians
I mourn the innocent people killed on October 7th as well as the over 35,000 Palestinians that have been killed by the Israeli military the beginning of this genocide. The amount of suffering that we are witnessing at the hands of the Israeli government is unbearable.
Knowing that my country supports this brutality and that my tax dollars are funding ethnic
cleansing is disturbing. Instead of funding a genocide these dollars could be used to fund resources in our communiy such as housing, education and healthcare.
I condemn the anti-Palestinian, anti-Arab and anti-Jewish attacks that are on the rise in our local community. I believe that passing a ceasefire resolution would go a long way in showing our community that our leaders care about justice, embrace diversity and will stand up against genocide worldwide.
Please do the right thing and adopt a ceasefire resolution.
Danielle Lemaitre
Resident of the 5th District
From: Katherine Nguyen
To: City Council Public Comments
Subject: [EXTERNAL] Ceasefire Resolution
Date: Monday, February 12, 2024 10:12:44 AM
Hello,
I am Katherine Nguyen, a resident and business owner in Santa Rosa, CA. I am writing to urge that the Santa Rosa City Council adopt a ceasefire resolution to stop the genocide of people in Gaza. "At least 28,064 Palestinians have been killed and 67,611 others injured in Israeli strikes on Gaza since Oct. 7." See https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/gaza- death-toll-climbs-28064-palestinians-killed-67611-injured-since-oct-7-gaza-2024-02-10/). "The United Nations estimates that as many as 40 percent of Palestinians killed in Gaza are children." See https://www.pbs.org/newshour/show/this-year-is-a-nightmare-gazas-children- face-starvation-amid-dire-conditions.
Our tax dollars are funding this genocide and I ask that the Santa Rosa City Council reflect on the immense suffering the U.S. has caused by it's involvement in the killing of innocent people.
Have we not learned from Korea, Viet Nam, Cambodia, Iraq, Afghanistan, etc.? Please connect with your humanity and do what is needed to end this massacre.
May peace be with you,
Katherine
--
Katherine Nguyen, LMFT 108943, LPCC 7232
Pronouns: she/her/hers
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From: Savannah Carlson
To: City Council Public Comments
Subject: [EXTERNAL] Public comment
Date: Monday, February 12, 2024 10:17:19 AM
I'm a resident of Santa Rosa and am writing in support of Santa Rosa City Council passing a ceasefire resolution. This horrific assault on a population that is 50% under the age of 18 after decades of colonialism is a travesty against human rights. We have a responsibility to stand against colonialism and genocide at every level and the Santa Rosa City Council passing a resolution 4 months into this devastation is the minimum we need to do as a community. Local policy is important and it matters what we do here; many other localities have passed similar resolutions. Please be on the right side of history.
Savannah Carlson
From: Betty Boyd
To: Rogers, Natalie; CityCouncilListPublic
Subject: [EXTERNAL] Reject calls for a ceasefire in Gaza Date: Monday, February 12, 2024 10:38:26 AM
Dear Mayor Rogers and members of the Santa Rosa City Council,
I understand that the City Council is again being pressured to adopt a resolution calling for a ceasefire in Gaza. I thank you for resisting the pressure to do this and urge you to continue to do so.
While they may believe they are acting in the best interests of the Palestinians, a ceasefire without guaranteeing the release of the hostages and a dismantling of the Hamas leadership condemns the Palestinians to more years of abuse by Hamas and the Israelis to continuing threats from an organization that calls for its destruction and murders its civilians.
Please continue to reject any resolution calling for a ceasefire.
Betty Boyd
From: Seth Morrison
To: City Council Public Comments
Subject: [EXTERNAL] Gaza Ceasefire Resolution
Date: Monday, February 12, 2024 10:57:48 AM
I write as a Jewish resident of the SF Bay Area who is very concerned about the genocide in Gaza. I write to ask you to pass a resolution demanding a ceasefire ASAP.
Billions of US tax dollars are funding this genocide, funds which would be better used addressing the many issues we face locally such as homelessness, income inequality and education.
This is also a moral issue.
When humans anywhere are subject to genocidal killing it is our responsibility as humans to stand up and demand that it end.
Locally attempts to falsely conflate antisemitism with legitimate opposition to actions by the State of Israel are used to censor free speech and demonize Muslim, Arab and anti-Israel Jews. Many are afraid to speak out due to fears of violence, job loss and doxing.
Please pass a ceasefire resolution now.
Seth Morrison
He/Him/His
From: Lev Luvishis
To: City Council Public Comments
Subject: [EXTERNAL] Item 14 - Adoption of International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) working definition of antisemitism by Santa Rosa City Council
Date: Monday, February 12, 2024 11:01:55 AM
I would like to ask our City Council to adopt the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) working definition of antisemitism.
The recent surge in antisemitic attacks, reflecting a 24% increase in California, is deeply troubling. Jewish organizations across the state, as well as the California Attorney General's Office, have expressed serious concerns about the rising incidents. Here in Santa Rosa a Holocaust memorial fountain
was vandalized twice in the past - our oldest daughter built a website for Sonoma County Community Holocaust memorial.
Santa Rosa has the opportunity to stand alongside city of Los Angeles (please, see the text of their resolution here (http://clkrep.lacity.org/onlinedocs/2022/22-1241_reso_10-19-22.pdf ) ,
thousands of global cities and localities and 35 US states that have already adopted the IHRA definition, taking a decisive stance against antisemitism. Your advocacy on this matter is crucial in protecting our communities and creating a safer environment for all residents in our state.
I trust in your commitment to addressing the challenges. Thank you for your attention to this pressing issue.
Lev Luvishis
From: Chelsea Rose
To: City Council Public Comments
Subject: [EXTERNAL] Ceasefire Resolution
Date: Monday, February 12, 2024 11:04:18 AM
Hi councilmembers,
I am a Jewish resident of Santa Rosa.
I am appalled by Israel’s decimation of Gaza and the
people of Palestine, as well as by the United States government’s continued support of this genocide.
I’m writing again to urge you to put a ceasefire resolution on the agenda. This issue is a local matter. Your constituents care how our tax dollars are spent. We care about our world beyond the city where we reside. Right here in Santa Rosa are thousands of people— including Palestinians—who are pleading with our government at all levels to call for a ceasefire.
Murdering tens of thousands of Palestinian people,
while starving, traumatizing and
displacing millions from their home does not make anyone safer—not Jews, not anyone.
You have the power to join more than 70
American cities in calling for an end to the
collective punishment and ethnic cleaning Israel is carrying out with U.S. funding. Please step up and let our voices be heard.
Thank you,
95409
From: Susan Harman
To: City Council Public Comments
Subject: [EXTERNAL] ceasefire for Gaza
Date: Monday, February 12, 2024 11:12:02 AM
Dear Councilmembers,
I live in Oakland, but I have friends in Santa Rosa, and I’m urging you to put a Gaza ceasefire on your agenda asap, since Israel is murdering everyone there. Thank you.
Susan Harman, Ed.D.
From: Bailey Fortuna
To: City Council Public Comments
Subject: [EXTERNAL] Ceasefire Now
Date: Monday, February 12, 2024 11:17:55 AM
Hello
My name is Bailey, I have been a Santa Rosa resident for 7 years now. I do my best to support my local community and work closely with Sonoma County Acts of Kindness.
I am calling on the city of Santa Rosa City Council to put a ceasefire resolution on the agenda.
There is a genocide happening right now in Palestine. Tens of thousands of people have died and the Israeli government has ordered the population of Gaza evacuate to Rafa a city of 25 sq miles. Prior to the evacuation the city had a population of 280,000. The city now contains more than 1.4 million people and Israel is bombing the citizens relentlessly.
I believe if we do not call for a ceasefire we are all culpable. Do the right thing.
From: Kasper Iturri
To: City Council Public Comments; [email protected]
Subject: [EXTERNAL] Please add to the agenda
Date: Monday, February 12, 2024 11:27:19 AM
My name is Kasper Iturri, I live in Sonoma, CA. I am a voter and a concerned citizen. I am deeply concerned about the dire humanitarian crisis that our government is funding in Palestine. I am writing to urge you, my local government, to put a ceasefire resolution on the agenda at our next City Council meeting. We are your constituents, it is your duty to hear us. Our tax dollars are funding this genocide and it must stop NOW.
Thank you for considering my correspondence.
With
my deepest gratitude,
Kasper Iturri
From: C Sofranko
To: City Council Public Comments
Subject: [EXTERNAL] Put a ceasefire on the agenda NOW
Date: Monday, February 12, 2024 11:44:49 AM
Hello City Council members,
I know you have heard from your community that we are asking for a ceasefire resolution. We must rely on our local governments to unify the nation in calling for this. The federal government is out of reach, and we need you, our direct representatives, to represent us, as they are using our tax dollars to fund a genocide.
What is happening in Palestine at the hands of Israel is nothing short of horrific. I cannot tell you how many tears I've cried for those people. Israel is hurting Palestinians, as well as heightening antisemitism - their inhumane actions have set the entire world up for failure, especially us, because we are funding them.
Call for a ceasefire, immediately and no later. It's already late. We need you NOW.
Cecilia
SR resident
From: Summer Abdel
To: City Council Public Comments
Subject: [EXTERNAL] Ceasefire Now ! Peace Now !
Date: Monday, February 12, 2024 11:46:14 AM
Please adopt a Ceasefire Resolution. I am a Palestinian American and I believe it is a local issue to make a ceasefire resolution. I do not want my tax dollars to continue to fund Israel's indiscriminate bombing of Gaza.
Some might argue that "it's too complicated," as some sort of justification that Israel should continue using an absurd amount of weapons in Gaza. The New York Times has reported that Israel continues to use it's largest, most destructive bombs in areas marked "safe" for civilians.
It is not complicated to call for peace.
It is so important to make a local message that says we as Santa Rosa want an end to the violence. The violence perpetrated abroad informs the way violence exists in our community.
If we do utilize our democratic voice to call for a ceasefire, then we are sending a message that this violence is okay. Please use your voice and position to call for a Ceasefire Now! Summer Abdel
Santa Rosa, District 5
From: Danielle Terhune
To: City Council Public Comments
Subject: [EXTERNAL] Public Comment
Date: Monday, February 12, 2024 11:50:52 AM
Hi,
My name is Danielle Cazares and I am a Sonoma County resident. I am emailing, urging you to adopt a ceasefire resolution for the ongoing genocide in Palestine. Collective punishment for a few peoples’ actions is not helping to make Jewish people safer and is not an honorable way to coexist in a supposed “homeland”.
Please show your support for your constituents who overwhelmingly are against Israel’s occupation and the U.S. involvement in this genocide.
Thank you!
From: Michael Harris
To: City Council Public Comments
Subject: [EXTERNAL] Comment on Agenda Item 14
Date: Monday, February 12, 2024 11:52:55 AM
To the City Council:
I write to thank you for keeping divisive resolutions about the Israel-Hamas war off of the City Council agenda. Many other cities both in the Bay Area (San Francisco, Oakland, Alameda, Santa Cruz, Palo Alto) and elsewhere have seen that debates over such resolutions are marked by antisemitic statements from the public, open hostility towards members of the Jewish community, and disruptions of meetings requiring the chambers to be cleared. Bringing this atmosphere to Santa Rosa will not benefit the public, nor the civilians in both Gaza and Israel who have been directly affected by the Hamas massacres of October 7 and Israel's response.
You will undoubtedly hear that Federal taxes paid by Santa Rosa residents which are used for aiding Israel come to nearly $2 million per year. Even if all of those dollars were instead awarded to the City of Santa Rosa (which would not happen in any case), that would be less than 0.5% of the City's budget. And few, if any, of these same activists demanded a ceasefire resolution from the City Council when the US was using the tax dollars of Santa Rosa residents to train and equip the Iraqi Army to fight against ISIS in Mosul in 2016. This battle (also in a dense urban area) ended the lives of over 9000 Muslim civilians. Why do you think that was?
As Mayor London Breed's statement about a ceasefire resolution passed by the San Francisco Board of Supervisors noted, "Since the Board of Supervisors introduced their Gaza ceasefire resolution, and certainly since they passed it last week,our City has been angrier, more divided, and less safe. Sadly, that may have been the point. Their exercise was never about bringing people together; it was about choosing a side." Please do not bring such resolutions or proclamations, and their attendant consequences, to Santa Rosa.
Sincerely,
Michael Harris
From: Jason Y
To: City Council Public Comments
Subject: [EXTERNAL] Palestine Ceasefire Resolution Now! Date: Monday, February 12, 2024 11:57:57 AM
From:
Jason Young
Santa Rosa, CA 95401
To City Council,
As a Santa Rosa resident, I urge you all to add to the upcoming council meeting agenda and to vote for a resolution calling for a ceasefire in the Israel-Gaza war.
The war in Gaza continues to claim the innocent lives of women and children, and it does so with our tax dollars, and with the support of our national elected officials. It is vital that Santa Rosa adds its voice to the growing number of US cities calling for a ceasefire (source:
Reuters
). We must do what we can to put political pressure on our government to call for peace.
Santa Rosa can be on the right side of history, on the side of the International Court of Justice, on the side of dignity, on the side of human rights. It takes such little effort on your part to vote for this resolution. I urge you to add it to the agenda and to vote for it.
Thank you,
Jason Young
From: Chris Mikalson
To: City Council Public Comments
Subject: [EXTERNAL] 2/13 Public Comment
Date: Monday, February 12, 2024 11:59:24 AM
Dear Santa Rosa City Council Members,
I am a long time Santa Rosa Citizen and I want to implore you to put a ceasefire resolution on the agenda. We are watching a genocide unfold on our cell phones every day, paid for by our tax dollars. Every day that we continue to do nothing, we are sending a message to our children, to our neighbors, to the world, that we are complicit.
I know that this space is dedicated to local Santa Rosa City issues, but we cannot act as if we are not part of one interconnected world. For each building that falls in Gaza, there is a citizen of Santa Rosa wondering if that may have been their distant family's home. For each child blown to pieces, there is a child in Santa Rosa wondering what makes them so different. For every shot fired, my heart breaks and breaks again.
The collective punishment of Palestine is not making anyone safer, it is only introducing more violence into an already grim world. Please use your position to elevate our voices.
Sincerely,
Chris Mikalson
From: R Cutcher
To: City Council Public Comments
Subject: [EXTERNAL] Public Comment on Agenda Item 14 - Rachael Cutcher Date: Monday, February 12, 2024 12:43:33 PM
My name is Rachael Cutcher, and I am a Jewish resident of Santa Rosa. I am deeply concerned about the council bringing a resolution on the Israel-Hamas conflict.
Bringing such resolutions only fuels hate and division within our community. As seen in other cities, these non-binding measures have led to a rise in antisemitic incidents, creating an unsafe environment for Jewish families like mine.
Considering the
ongoing trauma residents are experiencing, the council's time and efforts should be directed toward bringing people together rather than creating further divisions.
I urge
the council to reject any request and focus on fostering unity and understanding
instead.
From: Jeffrey Lefman
To: City Council Public Comments
Subject: [EXTERNAL] Public Comment on Agenda Item 14, Jeffrey Lefman Date: Monday, February 12, 2024 12:49:45 PM
My name is Jeffrey Lefman, and I am a Jewish resident of Santa Rosa, deeply concerned about the council bringing a resolution on the Israel-Hamas conflict. Bringing such resolutions only fuels hate and division within our community. As seen in other cities, these non-binding measures have led to a rise in antisemitic incidents, creating an unsafe environment for Jewish families like mine. I implore the council to reject any request and focus on fostering unity and understanding
instead.”
Thank You for your consideration.
From: Lorry Laby
To: City Council Public Comments
Subject: [EXTERNAL] Public Comment on Agenda Item 14, along with your name Date: Monday, February 12, 2024 12:49:59 PM
My name is Lorraine Laby, and I grew up in Santa Rosa. I own property there and have family living there. As a resident today of Israel, I am deeply concerned about the council bringing a resolution on the Israel-Hamas conflict.
In my opinion, it is not the role of the city council to take a side on a war that is halfway around the world and to which you as a council are not a witness.
Such resolutions only fuel hate and divide the community. As seen in other cities, these non-binding measures have led to a rise in antisemitic incidents, creating an unsafe environment for Jewish families like mine.
It is
your role to address local issues that affect the citizens of the community. I implore the council to reject any request and focus on fostering unity and understanding
instead.
Thank you,
Lorraine J Laby
From: [email protected]
To: City Council Public Comments
Subject: [EXTERNAL] Ceasefire now! (Please and thanks)
Date: Monday, February 12, 2024 12:51:23 PM
Hi SR Council Members
Like many Sonoma County residents, I’d really prefer that our tax dollars weren’t going to fund a war/genocide (whichever you prefer to call it). You have the power to do something about it. At least a little something. Please put a ceasefire resolution on your agenda now. Be on the right side of history. Follow in the footsteps of Cotati. It’s the least we can do: stop funding the killing of innocent people. Thanks for your time, Adrian
Sonoma resident
Non profit manager
Educator
Fellow human who enjoys not being bombed
From: Chad Herst
To: City Council Public Comments
Subject: [EXTERNAL] Urgent Plea for Unity and Rejection of Resolution on Israel-Hamas Conflict Date: Monday, February 12, 2024 12:51:29 PM
To the Members of the Santa Rosa City Council,
My name is Chad Herst, and I am a Jewish resident of Santa Rosa, deeply concerned about the council considering bringing a resolution on the Israel-Hamas conflict to the table. I am writing to express my strong opposition to such actions, which, based on observed outcomes in other cities, only serve to fuel hate and division within our community.
The introduction of non-binding resolutions regarding international conflicts, particularly one as complex and charged as the Israel-Hamas conflict, has demonstrably led to a rise in antisemitic incidents in other municipalities.
Such measures have inadvertently created an environment of insecurity and fear among Jewish residents, affecting families like mine who call Santa Rosa home. The repercussions of these resolutions go beyond mere political statements, seeping into the social fabric of our communities and fostering divisions where there should be understanding and dialogue.
The aftermath of similar resolutions in cities like Oakland and San Francisco has been alarming, with increases in antisemitic graffiti, the vandalization of Jewish symbols, and the spread of harmful rhetoric online. These incidents have tangible effects on the safety and well-being of Jewish community members, contributing to a climate of fear and alienation.
In light of these considerations, I implore the council to reject any proposals for resolutions on the Israel-Hamas conflict. Instead, I urge you to dedicate your efforts towards initiatives that promote unity, understanding, and peace within our diverse community. Our focus should be on addressing local issues that directly impact the lives of Santa Rosa’s residents, rather than engaging in symbolic gestures that only serve to divide us.
Thank you for your attention to this matter. I appreciate your commitment to making Santa Rosa a welcoming and safe place for all its residents, regardless of their background or beliefs.
Sincerely,
Chad Herst
From: Andrea Foster
To: City Council Public Comments
Subject: [EXTERNAL] Ceasefire in Palestine
Date: Monday, February 12, 2024 12:52:07 PM
As a tax-paying voter in Santa Rosa, I require that a ceasefire resolution be added to the agenda of the upcoming city council meeting. The United States must call for a ceasefire, which means California must call for a ceasefire, which means Santa Rosa must call for a ceasefire.
Andrea Foster
Santa Rosa 95407
In truth and service,
Andrea
From: Noa Lewin
To: City Council Public Comments
Subject: [EXTERNAL] Noa Lewin 2/13/24 City Council Meeting Non-Agenda Item Date: Monday, February 12, 2024 1:40:31 PM
Good afternoon,
I'm submitting a comment urging the city council to put the Santa Rosa Ceasefire Resolution that calls for an immediate and permanent ceasefire in Gaza and all Palestinian occupied territories on the agenda. When Israel was first founded, one of its primary intentions was to promote the safety
of Jewish people worldwide by existing as a Jewish "homeland" and having a political influence that would benefit Jewish people. However, the existence of Israel has not made Jewish people safer – according to the FBI, in 2022 single-bias antisemitic hate crimes rose by 32% (I found this statistic on adl.org
and it can be looked into more on the
FBI's crime data explorer website, cde.ucr.cjis.gov). As a Jewish American, Israel's existence does not make me feel safer, nor does it represent my political interests and values, as I do not think my alleged safety or wellbeing should result in the displacement and deaths of Palestienians, or any group of people for that matter. President Biden is already advising Israel against further attacks on Rafah without ensuring civilians safety, but we need to go further and ask Israel to stop all attacks and stop funding their military, like the Ceasefire Resolution
asks. I am begging my city council to listen to their growing group of citizens asking to put the Ceasefire Resolution on the agenda for the next city council meeting. Please, be on the right side of history.
Thank you,
Noa Lewin
From: vapa holly
To: City Council Public Comments
Subject: [EXTERNAL] RE: Place a Ceasefire Resolution for Agenda Item Date: Monday, February 12, 2024 2:00:45 PM
Dear Supervisors,
I am a resident of Santa Rosa, a citizen of the United States, a grandmother and a Filipino American. I urge you to put a ceasefire resolution on the agenda immediately. We cannot wait any longer as innocent people are being slaughtered.
I am ashamed of my country’s continued colonial and imperialistic support of Israel’s ethnic cleansing and genocide for the last 75 years. I am a retired teacher from San Francisco who learned about Palestine in the 1980s from my students whose families were dispossessed and displaced during the Nakba, the catastrophe of forced removal in 1948. These students shared their stories and family histories and I have never forgotten them.
I also recall teaching about and sharing the history of forced removal of our California Indigenous Peoples to Missions and the genocide of many tribes in California after the gold rush. My closest friends in Santa Rosa are Indigenous to this area, many without a territory of their own in their own homelands. If we look at our past, we will know that the United States is also a settler colony with an ugly, bloody past that many people are trying to erase from our history.
We live in a time where we can be courageous in the light of atrocities. We can envision a different reality from our past. To do this we must see ourselves as part of a worldwide community, which means we must see all others, regardless of nation-state, skin color or religion as equal human beings to ourselves, this includes the Palestinians that live in our community and those in their homeland. We are all connected, and the grief of this current genocide affects all of us, just as the climate crisis affects all of us.
In a county and city that values our environment, where we work locally on global issues such as the climate crisis, we must also demonstrate that locally we value all lives, here and abroad.
The Santa Rosa’s
website announced that, “On January 14, 2020, the City Council adopted Resolution NO. RES-2020-002 declaring a climate emergency and immediate mobilization to restore a safe climate.” Think about that. Addressing the climate crisis demands that different locations throughout the world must act, even city councils.
Do we only want a safe climate, or do we also want a safe world? Valuing life in all parts of the world is our responsibility, just as the climate crisis is everyone’s responsibility. In Gaza, there are no safe places. In Gaza, Israel tells the people to move to a place and then those places, filled with universities, UNRWA schools, hospitals and urban neighborhoods crammed with children and their families, are carpet bombed. Yes, our local government can make a resolution to call for a ceasefire. Other cities, even Cotati, have done so.
We can even do more! City officials can look closely at the city budget to see if any of the contracts benefit Israel’s occupation of Palestine and its war machine. We can cancel those contracts. We can stand tall for the right of innocent Palestinians, especially its children, to breathe, study, laugh, play, eat, have shelter, drink clean water, get proper medical care and do all the things we can do now, today, in Santa Rosa. We must speak up now as a city before many more thousands are killed. Or will Santa Rosa just sit by in silence? Will we remain silent if even a million or more Palestinians are ethnically cleansed and forever lost to genocide? Can you live with that?
Sincerely,
Holly Calica
From: Elaine Walter
To: City Council Public Comments
Subject: [EXTERNAL] Israel Hamas
Date: Monday, February 12, 2024 2:06:17 PM
Dear City Council,
I am a Santa Rosa resident who drove by the demonstrating people demanding a cease fire in Gaza and waving Palestinian flags. As someone who has contributed to two different organizations working for peace in the region I worry about flag waving demonstrators- especially when the flags being waved represent only one side in a conflict.
Our city has
worked hard to create a respectful multiethnic interfaith community. I urge you not to endorse any resolution that would disrupt the tranquility and harmony of Santa Rosa. I am particularly concerned about our Jewish citizens and the potential for antisemitism.
Elaine Walter
Santa Rosa
F om Susan R chte
To l l
Subject [EXTERNA ] ublic Comment on Agenda I em 14 f om Susan R chte Date Monday eb ua y 12 2024 2 22 37 M
Dear Members of the Ci y Counc l
As our country’s Indians were he indigenous people the Israelites were indigenous to the r land for 3 000 years despite wa es of expulsion. See attached.
I ha e been a res dent of Santa Rosa since 1997 and a resident of Sonoma County since 1976.
I am a first generation Jewish American my father ha ng come to this country in 1912 at the age of 6 from what was hen he Austro-Hungarian Empire and which became Poland af er World War 1. His illage is only 30 minutes from Auschw tz one of the many concentration camps n which 6 million Jews were murdered and also Romas Gays Lesbians and disabled people during WW II.
The October 7th attack on nnocent people by k lling raping and tak ng hostages unleashed unbelie able trauma to the Israeli people some still reco ering from ha ing sur i ed World War II and and some displaced from other Middle East coun ries and Ethiop a as well as isitors and workers in Israel. October 7th took place 50 years after the 1973 Yom Kippur War wh ch was also a surprise a tack by terror s s ow ng to destroy Israel.
I ha e spent my entire life working for peace. There are more than 130 organizations in Israel which ha e de eloped Israel /Palestin an partnerships. One of the murdered Israelis risked her life by dri ing famil es in Gaza to their medical appointments in Israel. All of these good works ha e existed desp te ha ing a go ernment headed by a Prime Minister charged wi h crimes and trying to weaken the only democratic country in the m ddle east.
I grie e for the loss of Palestinian and Israeli li es and for the hostages still cap i e.
I grie e for the destruct on in Gaza.
And I gr e e for he hatred unleashed against Jewish people and o her minority races and religions in our country.
I urge you not to pass a resolu ion wh ch is not binding and w ll only fuel the anti semi ic rhetoric and actions we ha e been experiencing.
We need healing in our own commun ty hrough nterfaith dialogue some of which s already happen ng.
Thank you for your consideration.
Respectfully submit ed
Susan Richter
From: efraim wichmann
To: City Council Public Comments
Subject: [EXTERNAL] Public Comment on Agenda Item 14, Efraim Wichmann Date: Monday, February 12, 2024 2:28:54 PM
To Whom It May Concern,
My name is Efraim Wichmann, and I am a Jewish resident and business owner of Santa Rosa, deeply troubled about the council bringing a resolution on the Israel-Hamas conflict. Bringing such resolutions will not bring understanding or empathy, but instead division and hatred within our community. As seen in other cities, these non-binding measures have led to a rise in antisemitic incidents, creating an unsafe environment for Jewish families like mine. I implore the council to reject
any request and focus on fostering unity and understanding instead. All of us need healing and unity with our fellow humans, not divisiveness.
I kindly thank you for your time and efforts in advance.
Sincerely,
Efraim Wichmann
From: Lisa B Rofel
To: City Council Public Comments
Subject: [EXTERNAL] urging you to pass a ceasefire resolution Date: Monday, February 12, 2024 2:35:46 PM
Dear Santa Rosa City Council, It's never more important than now for city councils to pass a ceasefire resolution. Given that our top government officials are supporting a genocide with our tax dollars they need to hear from all local governments that their constituents think otherwise.
Please do the right thing; stand on the right side of history.
Yours,
Lisa Rofel
--
From: Corrie Johnson
To: City Council Public Comments
Subject: [EXTERNAL] Public comment for Tuesday, Feb, 13th city Council meeting Date: Monday, February 12, 2024 2:48:56 PM
I am a Petaluma resident who wants to speak on behalf of the ceasefire resolution:
The collective punishment of civilians in Gaza is not making anybody safer. It's a genocide and it is our government's responsibility to represent us at every level for what we want to support and spend our tax dollars on. And that is not genocide. I encourage the City Council to adopt a bi-lateral ceasefire resolution and continuing humanitarian aid in Gaza.
Thank you,
Corinne Johnson
From: Elliot Morrison
To: City Council Public Comments
Subject: [EXTERNAL] Public Comment on Agenda Item 14, by Elliot Morrison Date: Monday, February 12, 2024 3:14:45 PM
Dear council members,
My name is Elliot Morrison, and I am a Jewish resident of Santa Rosa. I understand that the council is considering a ceasefire resolution on the Israel Hamas conflict. Keeping in mind that the ceasefire which existed on October 6 was broken by Hamas on October 7, it seems reasonable to me that any ceasefire resolution must contain the following 3 demands:
1) a demand that Hamas immediately
cease all rocket fire and other forms of violence against Israel;
2) a demand that Hamas immediately return all hostages taken during the unprovoked attack on October 7; and
3) a demand that Hamas leadership immediately turn themselves over to the International Criminal Court for adjudication of the crimes of murder, kidnapping and rape against Israeli citizens.
I can support a ceasefire resolution by the council if and only if these demands are included in the resolution. Otherwise, any resolution asking Israel to unilaterally stop its actions to obtain the release of the hostages and destroy the ability of Hamas to launch further attacks, which Hamas has already promised to attempt, would be an outrage against justice and decency.
Sincerely,
Elliot Morrison
From: Elizabeth Selya
To: City Council Public Comments
Subject: [EXTERNAL] Public comment on agenda 14
Date: Monday, February 12, 2024 3:15:17 PM
Hello
I am a resident in Santa Rosa for over 20 years. I am opposed to passing a resolution on the Hamas israeli conflict.
Any resolution encourages antisemitism which was seen in both Oakland and San Francisco. Let the federal government work on national affairs and Santa Rosa should focus on local issues.
Thank you
Elizabeth Selya.
Sent from my iPad
From: Bill Finn
To: City Council Public Comments
Subject: [EXTERNAL] Public Comment on Agenda Item 14, William Finn Date: Monday, February 12, 2024 3:29:27 PM
I strongly urge you to not to support a ceasefire resolution. The intentions of its advocates may be sincere, but the results could very well be negative.
I have never seen the American Jewish Community so frightened.
I have been active in Jewish community for over 50 years, and have never seen such terror.
Every synagogue event is protected by armed guards, a sight virtually unknown in my childhood. People are frightened to wear Jewish symbols in public. Numerous conversations begin with the latest report of someone being attacked because they looked Jewish. A ceasefire resolution may be motivated by a desire for peace, but the Jewish experience is that such actions pour gasoline on the fire of Jew Hate sweeping across the world. This resolution
could very well provoke conflict and divisiveness. If you care for harmony in the community you represent, please do not support this resolution.
Jews feel singled out
Jews feel Israel is being subject to a double standard, because:
More than 200,000 people have died in the Yemen Civil War, a conflict in which the US is intimately involved.
Between 500,000 and 2 million have died in Syria.
More than a million Moslem Uyghurs are in camps in China, while hundreds of thousands of their children have been separated from their parents.
More than 25,000 Rohingya Moslems have been killed in Burma, while a million of them have fled the country, forming the world's largest refugee camp in Burma.
Has the Santa Rosa City Council considered resolutions condemning these actions? Why not? Are the lives of Muslims in Gaza more precious than those in Syria, China, Yemen, or Burma? Passing a ceasefire resolution that specifically targets Israeli actions will only increase the sense of isolation felt by American Jews.
What about Hamas?
Please consider a resolution urging Hamas to do what the Palestinian Authority, Qatar, and other Arab countries have asked them to do: free the hostages, and lay down their arms. This is the only path to peace. Hamas leaders have promised "an eternal war" and have started five wars with Israel while in control of Gaza.
Without
Hamas disarming, a ceasefire perpetuates an endless cycle of violence, in which the Palestinians will suffer the most.
Respectfully,
William Finn
Santa Rosa resident, District 6
From: Wendy Laby
To: City Council Public Comments
Subject: [EXTERNAL] : Public Comment on Agenda Item 14, Date: Monday, February 12, 2024 3:39:36 PM
Hi I have lived in Santa Rosa almost all of my 60+ years. I was notified that the council was debating a resolution on the Israel-Hamas conflict.
I am concerned for a few reasons that the city is getting involved in this overseas conflict.
One it will make no difference to the war. It involves two groups that won’t be listening to what the town of Santa Rosa has to say. But I feel that it WILL perpetuate my feeling of being unsafe and Jewish in my hometown. I’m actually even afraid to write this.
Two I think it’s important that the city focus on issues that affect the city and its population.
Thank you for hearing my concerns
Wendy Laby
Sent from my iPad
From: Dru West
To: CityCouncilListPublic
Subject: [EXTERNAL] Fwd: Screenshot 2024-02-12 at 2.35.56 PM Date: Monday, February 12, 2024 3:39:58 PM
Dear City Council Members:
It’s come to my attention that the group Sonoma County/for Palestine is rallying people to attend your meeting tomorrow night to pressure you into a Ceasefire Resolution. (See flyer below.)
I wish I were able to attend your meeting in person, but I am unable due to health issues.
I am a member of the Jewish community in Sonoma County and I believe that what has been going on in Gaza is horrendous as was the Hamas attacks on people in Israel on October 7th. I hate how intense and destructive the attacks on Gaza have been, and I am heartbroken for the innocents on both sides,
but I personally cannot support a Resolution that is so one-sided and does not acknowledge, even in some part, the horrors committed by Hamas against innocent Israelis, and other people living in Israel.
The hostages taken in to Gaza still need to
be released, and Hamas needs to be dismantled so they cannot continue their genocidal attacks on people in Israel.
The Resolution this local group wants totally ignores what Palestinian members of Hamas want to achieve and that is the annihilation of all Jewish people in Israel. This local group shows no compassion for the victims of Hamas or the hostages taken from Israel from all nationalities.
A one-sided Resolution will embolden many and other less thoughtful people to attack anyone Jewish in Sonoma County, the USA or the world.
It is a divisive resolution on a complex
International issue, not a local issue.
The only way towards true peace is for both sides to put down their weapons and learn to live together in peace. I urge you not to succumb to the pressures of this local Palestinian group for their resolution.
I sincerely thank you for reading this letter.
Dru West
From: Paula Simon
To: City Council Public Comments
Subject: [EXTERNAL] Public Comment Agenda Item 14, Paula Simon Date: Monday, February 12, 2024 4:00:56 PM
I am a resident of Santa Rosa City Council District 4. As a recently retired Jewish community relations professional, I spent the majority of my 30-year career focused on coalition and bridge-building with diverse faith, ethnic and community groups to address shared values and priorities related to social justice issues including hunger, homelessness, marginalized populations, and gun violence at the local and national level.
Finding common ground on an issue such as the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is inordinately difficult in the best of circumstances, and in the most stressful of periods, virtually impossible.
I am absolutely opposed to the City Council considering a ceasefire resolution directed at Israel.
This is a divisive issue, nearly impossible to find common ground in limited time and conversation. It requires deep knowledge. It certainly is not an issue that the City Council has the time nor resources to devote given the tangible and real issues that require city attention.
A ceasefire resolution neither supports
your mission nor advances city priorities, and it certainly is not an issue that builds community and fosters the greater good in this city.
For many members of the Jewish community, concerns about the ongoing hostilities between Israel and Hamas are deeply and profoundly personal, steeped in antisemitism (the “longest hatred”), as the descendants of the victims and survivors of the Holocaust, and a religion that connects them deeply to Israel. Similar resolutions have encouraged hate speech and fostered unsafe environments.
While a
ceasefire might placate one segment of the local community and make it “feel good”, another group will feel isolated, harassed, or endangered.
The City Council should be mindful of the use of their time and energy. The Sonoma County Board of Supervisors recognized that a ceasefire resolution which is divisive and contentious and has nothing to do with the roles and responsibilities for the County is unproductive. Follow their lead.
Thank you for your time and commitment to public service and your commitment to civic engagement.
Paula Simon
Paula Simon
From: Simone Grasshoff
To: City Council Public Comments
Subject: [EXTERNAL] Ceasefire Resolution Now
Date: Monday, February 12, 2024 4:11:11 PM
My name is Simone Grasshoff, I live at 3577 Vigilante Rd, Glen Ellen, CA 95442. I am a voter and a concerned citizen. I am deeply concerned about the dire humanitarian crisis that our government is helping to fund in Palestine. I am writing to urge you, my local government, to put a ceasefire resolution on the agenda at our next City Council meeting. We are your constituents, it is your duty to hear us. Our tax dollars are funding this genocide and it must stop NOW.
Please follow the role model cities of Cotati, San Francisco and Oakland and vote in the support for a ceasefire resolution.
Death, destruction and trauma are making all of us less safe. We are contributing to the the brutal terror and deaths of innocent civilians who have been held captive in a very small piece of land for years. Dying are children, art, culture, an entire people caught in the crossfire. It is not just. It is cruel.
There are numerous Jewish groups who are pleading for a ceasefire as well. Stop this horrific pattern in the middle east. Spend dollars on sending aid, medicine, food and post war rehabilitation, not on more bombs.
We must stop
Thank you for considering my correspondence.
With my deepest gratitude,
Simone Grasshoff
_____________
From: Penelope Lynn
To: City Council Public Comments
Subject: [EXTERNAL] Add ceasefire to the agenda
Date: Monday, February 12, 2024 4:31:27 PM
Good afternoon-
I urge you to add a ceasefire resolution to the agenda. I am a resident of Santa Rosa, and Palestinian liberation is a deeply personal and local issue. As we watch this genocide play out, funded by our tax dollars, we also see a terrifying rise in McCarthy era censorship and legislation designed to silence dissent and maintain order. We deserve more than order, we deserve justice. Palestine deserves to live. Gaza deserve to live. A local ceasefire resolution shows the state and federal government that democracy requires listening to the will of the people who overwhelming support ceasefire and Palestinian liberation. It sends a message that we won’t be cowed into submission by Islamophobia bigots that say Palestinian supporters should be investigated by the FBI. The wholesale support of a fascist right wing government puts us all at risk in the world. Being anti Zionist is not anti semitic.
Being anti genocide should not be a controversial stance. My litmus test for morality is Palestine—and local leaders who avoid taking a stand will not have my vote in the future.
Thank you,
Penelope Lynn
Santa Rosa resident
From: Nicole Matcha
To: City Council Public Comments
Subject: [EXTERNAL] Public Comment on Agenda Item 14 — Nicole Matcha Date: Monday, February 12, 2024 4:51:10 PM
Dear Santa Rosa City Council,
My name is Nicole Matcha, and I am a Jewish resident of Santa Rosa, deeply concerned about the council bringing a resolution on the Israel-Hamas conflict. Bringing such resolutions only fuels hate and division within our community. As seen in other cities, these non-binding measures have led to a rise in antisemitic incidents, creating an unsafe environment for Jewish families like mine. I implore the council to reject any request and focus on fostering unity and understanding
instead.
Sincerely,
Nicole Matcha
From: Patrick Wylie
To: City Council Public Comments
Subject: [EXTERNAL] Agenda Item 14 - Council Meeting May 13 Date: Monday, February 12, 2024 4:59:41 PM
Santa Rosa Council Members:
I understand that a large pro-Palestinian group is planning to appear at the Council meeting tomorrow to pressure the Council to call for the end of the war against Hamas. I strongly oppose any proclamation or resolution that would oppose Israel’s right to defend itself.
Furthermore, I believe public organizations best serve their constituents by maintaining neutrality regarding non-local political, ideological, and social causes.
Thank you for your consideration.
Regards,
Patrick Wylie
From: Mark Van Slyke
To: City Council Public Comments
Subject: [EXTERNAL] Public Comment on Agenda Item 14, along with your name.
Date: Monday, February 12, 2024 5:00:12 PM
Dear Santa Rosa City Council,
Please do not bring a resolution on the Israel-Hamas war. It is infantile to get involved, and, as we see what kind of antisemitic hatred has been spawned in other cities by the grossly uninformed people who seem to be outright Hamas supporters and well as just plain uninformed, it will not make things any better. Let’s behave like adults. Hamas caused this war. Period.
Mark Van Slyke