-- against defenseless women and children sleeping on the plantation in the big house. They said it was unprovoked and sickening, and they affirmed the need to whip and execute more enslaved people in self-defense to put an end to such savage ideas. My grandmothers died penniless refugees so every privileged Jew in this room and beyond can have an extra country. My mother and grandmother died waiting to go home to the stolen homes in STATED MEETING 81 10/19/2023 Jerusalem while European Jews lived in their homes, people who had no lineage in that land, while being (unintelligible) -(Audience members yelling.)
-- continuously living in the same village, but none of us are allowed to be there, but all these folks can be there just for being Jewish. Seeing all these Black faces in this room cheering a genocidal settler colonial project, it means one thing, and that is that white supremacy has become multi-racial. (Audience members yelling.)
So congratulations on this feat. (Applause.) (Audience members chanting.)
Come on. Quiet, quiet, quiet, please. Quiet, please. STATED MEETING 82 10/19/2023 Next name. (Audience member yelling.)
Here? (Witness approached podium.) (Applause.) STATED MEETING 83 10/19/2023
Good morning. My name is Dou Nya Ramadan. I oppose Resolution 23706 [sic]. As you introduced in this resolution, Councilman Johnson, you have stated and quoted violence and terrorism can never be justified as a means to achieve political goals. My question is, why has this not been applied to the United States? The fact of the matter is, that is exactly what the United States has been engaging in for years and at this very moment as we speak. The U.S. has been funding and unequivocally supporting a settler colonial expansion project and ethnic cleansing campaign since the illegal state of Israel had formed in 1948, giving $3.8 billion to Israel in military aid, in this case actively choosing violence to achieve U.S. STATED MEETING 84 10/19/2023 political interests at the expense of indigenous Palestinians and Israeli lives. It was never to protect the people living there. It wasn't a continued to be all about protecting U.S. interests. Therefore, the Zioness project needed to survive with our U.S. tax dollars and an incredibly ruthless propaganda campaign by Israel and its strongest ally, the U.S., where everyone who speaks out against this project is faced with and continues to be faced with the backlash of being castigated as a disgusting anti-Semite. If this Zioness project were ever questioned, one has always been immediately shut down and condemned. Man, I wish all racism was treated in this manner by the United States. (Applause.)
(Unintelligible) STATED MEETING 85 10/19/2023 state in this country has been justified as a means to achieve political goals. Joe Biden quite blatantly proclaimed in Congress on June 5th, 1986 that it is the best $3 billion investment we make. Were there not in Israel, the United States of America would have to invent an Israel to protect their interests in the region. (Audience members yelling.)
Furthermore, it is stated in this resolution that dialogue and negotiation are the only vital paths towards lasting peace and stability. Well, Council, there can't be any more dialogue or negotiation if the Palestinian population arrives at zero or in other terms it's completely exterminated or wiped off the face of this planet.
Thank you for your testimony. (Applause.) STATED MEETING 86 10/19/2023
All right. All right. All right. Next speaker, Mr. Decker.
Good morning. I'm Danielle Weiss. I am your constituent, and I speak here today in my capacity as the Chair of the Jewish Community Relations Council of the Jewish Federation of Greater Philadelphia. We extend our deepest thanks to Councilman Johnson, Councilman Driscoll, and all of you today voting on Resolution 230706 for your support of Israel and for standing together with the Jewish community in this profoundly dark moment. (Audience members booing.)
Hold STATED MEETING 87 10/19/2023 on. Hold on. Hold up. Folks, hey, come on. You can't be one-sided. All right? Everybody gets a chance to speak. Respect the speaker regardless of their perspective. I just ask you to let them speak. Go ahead. I'm sorry. Please proceed.
Standing with Israel against Hamas, a terrorist regime, and with the Jewish community confirms my unending pride for being a Philadelphian. As a Jew, I am grateful that you understand the significance of Israel as the ancestral homeland of the Jewish people for more than 2,000 years (unintelligible) -(Audience members yelling.)
It makes perfect sense that this city, which birthed modern democracy, stands in solidarity with the only true liberal democracy in the Middle East. My community is grieving. STATED MEETING 88 10/19/2023 (Audience members yelling.)
Hold on, ma'am. Hold on. (Audience members yelling.)
Hold on. Hold on. Hold on. Are you all right? All right. Go ahead, ma'am. Continue your testimony.
Thank you. We, the Jewish community, are grieving. Our greatest Jewish value is the sanctity of human life. We mourn not only for the loss of life -(Audience members yelling.)
Hold on. Hold up. You all are like not -this is not right. All right? You can't like scream and holler. (Audience members yelling.)
I understand that, but you can't scream and holler when somebody else has a different perspective and then it's okay when you STATED MEETING 89 10/19/2023 want to cheer, right? (Audience members yelling.)
No, man. Be fair out of respect. (Audience members yelling.)
Be fair. You can have your perspective. You can testify. (Audience members yelling.)
We mourn not only for the loss of life in Israel but also the loss of innocent life in Gaza. It has been difficult to push through the pain of living through the single deadliest day for the Jewish people since the Holocaust. To process this current continuing trauma, I have found solace in the immortal words of Anne Frank, child Holocaust victim, who left behind a legacy of hope and wisdom. She wrote in her diary: It really is a wonder that I STATED MEETING 90 10/19/2023 haven't dropped all of my ideals because they seem so absurd and impossible to carry out, yet I keep them. Because despite of everything, I still believe that people are really good at heart. I simply can't build my hopes on a foundation of confusion, misery, and death. I see the world gradually turning into wilderness.
I hear the approaching thunder. I believe if I look up to the heavens, I think it will come out right --
-- that one of these days, this cruelty will end and peace and tranquility will return.
Thank you. (Applause.) STATED MEETING 91 10/19/2023
Sir, come on. Come on, guys. Come on, calm down, man. Come on. Come on, y'all. Next name.
My name is Tara Tarawnett and I'm here to oppose the resolution you're all about to sign on. The resolution does something very dangerous. It implies that Hamas strikes first this time. We all know this is not true, because Israel by the sheer fact of its existence always strikes first. It is a settler colonial state based on the murder and expulsion of Palestinians. STATED MEETING 92 10/19/2023 The military occupation of the West Bank, that is an example of Israel striking first. The equation of violence on both sides and the equation of casualties on both sides are also very dangerous, because there are no civilians in a settler state. They all serve in the Army for two years and they're actively participating in the colonization of land. (Applause.)
The right for colonized people to resist their colonization by any means necessary, including armed resistance, is recognized under international law. (Applause.)
When considering the question of peace, it is STATED MEETING 93 10/19/2023 always important to ask peace for whom. Israel continuing to occupy Palestinian land while ethnically cleansing and displacing Palestinians is not peace. Israel is systemically depriving Palestinians of food, water, and shelter while holding them in prison and bombing them is not peace. Israel regularly carrying out violent attacks on Palestinians is not peace. Colonization is not and will never be peace, and Palestinians, like all of us people, have the right to resist their oppressors by any means necessary. (Applause.)
If you sign on to this resolution, you all have blood on your hands. We will never forgive and we will forget. Shame on all of you. (Applause.) STATED MEETING 94 10/19/2023
All right. Quiet, please. (Audience members yelling.)
Come on. Come on. We've got people that want to speak. Come on. (Audience member yelling.)
Hey, sir, come on, you got to stop. You got to chill. All right? Next name.
My name is Betsy Piette and I oppose Resolution 230706. I have lived in the Philadelphia area for 35 years and I've watched the bombing that Israel does on a regular basis of Palestinian homes, killing and maiming Palestinian children STATED MEETING 95 10/19/2023 and families. Since 2008, they have bombed Gaza at least ten times, and I have not seen this Council pass a single resolution against that. Against that. (Applause.)
I have to ask, what would this Council have done about apartheid in South Africa? Would you have passed a resolution supporting the right of those carrying out apartheid because it's -- you know, against the attacks for those fighting apartheid? If you vote for this resolution, it's the same thing. (Applause.)
You know, I think it was Councilman Driscoll who said Israelis should have the unalienable rights guaranteed under the U.S. Constitution. Councilman Driscoll, most STATED MEETING 96 10/19/2023 of the people in Israel aren't supposed to be covered by the U.S. Constitution. Well, because a lot of them come from the U.S., so maybe they are. But what about the unalienable right of oppressed people to resist? What about that right? What about that right? Israel has become the biggest gentrifier in the world. They have taken over the entire land of an indigenous population, and they are in the process right now of murdering two million of them.
Are you going to vote for justification? What is the message to the people in Chinatown --
-- about that? Shame on you if you vote (unintelligible.) STATED MEETING 97 10/19/2023 (Applause.) (Audience members yelling.)
Come on. Everybody will have a chance -everybody that's on the list will have a chance to speak. Just calm down. Next name.
My name is Tali Ruskin. I'm a member of Jewish Voice for Peace, a national organization (unintelligible) -(Audience members yelling.)
-- in solidarity with the Palestinian (unintelligible). Following Israel's STATED MEETING 98 10/19/2023 establishment on May 14th, 1948, the new Israeli government set up an unofficial body called the Transfer Committee to oversee the destruction of Palestinian towns and villages, order repopulation with Jews, and to prevent displaced Palestinians from returning to their homes. The Committee called for the, quote, destruction of villages as much as possible during military operations. Honorable Council, Israel has been forcibly wiping out entire communities of Palestinians from their land for over 75 years. They've been doing so systematically using military violence, intimidation, imprisonment, and apartheid laws to enact a decades-long slow genocide and ethnic cleansing of Palestinians. That is what you should be condemning. (Applause.)
Over the past STATED MEETING 99 10/19/2023 week, Israel has revved up its genocide efforts into turbo speed, bombing thousands, sending down the bombs on (unintelligible), killing thousands of Palestinians, including children. That is what we need to be condemning. Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu posted on Twitter, this is a struggle between children of light and children of darkness, between humanity and the law of the jungle. I'm going to repeat that. Between children of light and children of darkness. You represent a city that is a majority of people of color. How can you support that state that says that? How can you not condemn that? (Applause.)
What Israel is doing in Gaza is genocide. STATED MEETING 100 10/19/2023 (Applause.)
Good morning. My name is Tom Tropp and I'm a member of the Board of the Philadelphia/South Jersey Regional Office of the American Jewish Committee. I am here to urge members of Philadelphia Council to support Resolution 230706. First, thank you, Councilman Kenyatta Johnson and Councilman Mike Driscoll, for introducing the resolution, and thank you to all the other members of this Council who will vote in favor of its passage. The attack by Hamas on STATED MEETING 101 10/19/2023 October 7th was savage, barbaric, murderous. It deliberately targeted for murder the young, the old, children, even babies, and Hamas took hostages, again, the young, old, children. There's no justification, none, in a civilized world for the pure unadulterated evil that Hamas perpetrated. Hamas is a terrorist organization dedicated to the destruction of the state of Israel and dedicated to the killing of Israelis. We understand that not all Palestinians are Hamas or support Hamas. We mourn the death of innocent civilians, but we also know that many of those deaths are caused by Hamas using civilians as human shields. (Audience members yelling.)
And let me add, we should be joined by all of the civilized world, the civilized world, in our demand for the immediate and unconditional release of all the hostages being held in STATED MEETING 102 10/19/2023 Gaza. The world needs to be a better place. Thank you for allowing me to speak.
Good afternoon. Hello. I'm Laura Goldman and I am a proud American Israeli. My family, some of it, has been in Israel since the 1920s. They came from Russia as part of a communist experiment. What I wanted to focus -- get the focus back on is the families that are kidnapped and they're housed in Gaza, many of them, the elderly, without medication, and also the victims that are related to this area, including Cory and Amichai's stepmother. But there's my friend, Elana, her family grew up on the kibbutz Be'eri that was destroyed. Her aunt is in the hospital, unconscious. Her uncle and cousin were shot. Also there is a professor at Temple University whose family -- he's a doctor, Jack Ludmir, who came from Peru and settled here, and his family in Israel has been destroyed. STATED MEETING 104 10/19/2023 I ask you for vanity for these families that are related to Israel. And thank you. (Applause.)
The next speaker is Collin Hawan Hemler. (Applause.) (Witness approached podium.)
Good afternoon. My name is Collin Kawan Hemler. For better or worse, I reside in Councilman Squilla's district. I felt moved to speak against Resolution 230706 because I don't believe City Council is properly reckoning with Philadelphia's own history of oppression. STATED MEETING 105 10/19/2023 Thirty-eight years ago on May 13th, 1985, the City of Philadelphia conducted a siege upon 6221 Osage Avenue against MOVE, a Black liberation organization. Former Mayor Wilson Goode classified MOVE as a terrorist organization, dehumanizing MOVE members. Not unlike Israel's siege on Gaza, Philadelphia police cut the home's water and electricity. On a residential block, the police fired more than 10,000 rounds of ammunition. Lieutenant Frank Powell then dropped two bombs onto the house's roof. The police decided to let the fire burn to destroy the terrorist bunker. The police shot at MOVE members, including children, who attempted to flee the flames. John, Rhonda, Theresa, Frank, Conrad, Tree, Delisha, Netta, Little Phil, Tomaso, and Raymond Africa all perished that day. As we speak, Israel is unleashing the same terror of aerial STATED MEETING 106 10/19/2023 bombardment upon the Palestinian people of Gaza. And when Israel bombed hospitals killing hundreds, they claimed there's a strike against a terrorist bunker. And the journalists, they target the journalists, just as Philadelphia targeted Mumia Abu-Jamal for daring to document these crimes.
Hello. I STATED MEETING 107 10/19/2023 am Aliyah Furman. This is my sister Michal. I want to start by thanking Councilman Johnson and Councilman Driscoll for bringing forward this resolution and to thank all of the Councilmembers for being co-sponsors. We are Jews from Judea. My family is Israeli. We immigrated here 20 years ago, and Philadelphia has opened up to us with big arms, and we're so proud to call ourselves Philadelphians. I am raising my two young sons here, Councilman Johnson, in your district and I've dedicated my career to public service working in a (unintelligible) development with many of your offices.
Good morning, Council. My name is Michal and I work in Kensington as a Philadelphia police officer. Just some personal anecdotes -you will show me respect and you will not talk while I speak. (Audience members yelling.) STATED MEETING 108 10/19/2023
As a personal anecdote, earlier this week I went to Goldie, a local Jewish restaurant, to help show my support. There was a long line of people there. I was in full uniform. People didn't think I was there to go eat. They thought I was there to protect them. They told me they were scared, and they told me that they were grateful that I was there, and I was just going there to eat. I ask that you pass this resolution so that the Jews in Philadelphia feel safe, because right now they do not. (Audience members yelling.)
Calm down. Hey, folks, folks, let them speak. Let them speak, please. Go ahead.
We are the granddaughters of Holocaust survivors, STATED MEETING 109 10/19/2023 and what terrifies me more than the Nazis and more than Hamas is the silent majority that allows this type of hate to perpetuate. I want to thank Council for not being the silent majority. I deserve to feel safe in my city as a Jew. Thank you so much. Please pass this resolution.
The next speaker is Jonathan Goldman. (Witness approached podium.)
Good afternoon, Councilman Clarke. My name is Jonathan Goldman and I'm the Chair of the STATED MEETING 110 10/19/2023 Pennsylvania Jewish Coalition, which represents Jewish federations and Jewish communities throughout Pennsylvania. It is an honor to be here. Thank you, Councilman Kenyatta Johnson and Mike Driscoll, for introducing this resolution and all Councilmembers for signing on it unanimously. This resolution condemns the recent terrorist attacks by Hamas and not the Palestinian people. What happened that day of the attacks was different from what happened before and different from what is being cheered about in this room. Israel is a strong economic military and strategic partner of the United States and one of its most loyal allies. It is a democracy, and Israel is the historic homeland of the Jewish people. Israel was founded in 1948 in the wake of the Holocaust to make sure STATED MEETING 111 10/19/2023 the Holocaust never happens again. Hamas -- unless you are a Jew -(Audience members yelling.)
Hold on, hold on. Sir, hold on one second. Okay. This is the way it's going to work.
If you insist on screaming and hollering when people are talking, you're going to have to leave. All right? All we ask you to do is just let people talk, right? There will be a vote. I'm just telling you, you're going to have to leave if you're going to keep screaming and hollering, right? Everybody should be respectful, period. If you can have respect for yourself, have respect for other people. STATED MEETING 112 10/19/2023 That's all we ask you to do. (Applause.)
I'm not asking you to take sides. All right? So please let people speak so we can get on to having a vote. And then once we have a vote, you will form your mindset about the people that voted. Just let people talk, please, so we can get through this process. All right? Please. (Audience member yelling.)
All right? Don't have the back and forth. This is the City Council of Philadelphia. All right? We're trying to give everybody a balanced discussion. All right? So please let that happen today. We all want democracy, right, and this is the way democracy is practiced, so let us do that today. Okay? STATED MEETING 113 10/19/2023 (Applause.)
Thank you, Councilman. Hamas's attack was not just an act of terror committed on the state of Israel but an act of terror against all Jewish people and really all civilized people throughout the world. With regard to Hamas's attack on Israel, it has been said never again is now. Jews are not in favor of genocide. We have been the victims of genocide. Hamas's horrific and barbaric terrorist attack targets civilians, women, children, and the elderly, and Hamas has taken more than 200 people hostages. Those acts of terror cannot be tolerated in Israel or anywhere, and these hostages must be released. (Audience member yelling.)
Israel is tiny. STATED MEETING 114 10/19/2023 It's the size of New Jersey. Its terrorists attacked the United States like Hamas attacked Israel. The proportional damage would be the death toll from more than a dozen 9/11's. Think about that.
The next speaker is Mark Blaskey. (Audience member yelling.)
I'm right here. My name is Mark Blaskey. I am here on STATED MEETING 115 10/19/2023 behalf of the Jewish Federation of Greater Philadelphia. I'm also an attorney with Ballard Spahr in Philadelphia, and thank you all for considering this resolution today. There's a very long history of conflict in the Middle East, obviously, and we're not here to solve that today. There have been a lot of things that have happened on both sides over the past 100 years. The conflict this resolution addresses is between Israel and a terrorist organization, not between Israel and the Palestinian people. (Applause.)
Not the Palestinians, who we know yearn for their own state and yearn to live in peace and peaceful co-existence with the state of Israel. Israel also yearns to live in peace. STATED MEETING 116 10/19/2023 What happened on October 7th was a terrorist invasion into Israel's sovereign land in which over 1,200 innocent women, men, and children were brutally killed. There can be no justification for these actions. All people everywhere must condemn these brutal acts. (Applause.)
All people must work to remove such evil from the face of the earth. All people must support unequivocally the right of Israel to defend its borders and to retaliate against and destroy this evil enemy. That is what this resolution says, and that is why this Council must adopt it. And we also must demand the release of the hostages who were removed from their homes --
-- and from the streets of Israel with no justification for their capture.
The next speaker is Rabbi David Liven. (Applause.) (Witness approached podium.)
Thank you, Mr. President, members of the City Council for the opportunity to speak. I'm going to do the impossible, which is, for a Rabbi, be brief. Thank you, Councilman Kenyatta STATED MEETING 118 10/19/2023 Johnson and Councilman Mike Driscoll, for introducing the resolution and the Councilmembers for unanimously signing on to the recognition that Hamas is a terrorist organization -(Audience member yelling.)
Hold on, hold on, hold on. (Audience members yelling.) (Audience members being escorted out of Chambers.) (Pause.)
Okay. We are going to try to get through this. All right? And I was hoping that we would be able be to get through this without an incident, but tensions are so high about a matter that, frankly speaking, we have no jurisdiction over, but we understand that -(Audience member yelling.)
So, ma'am, all of this like screaming and hollering is not going to get you STATED MEETING 119 10/19/2023 anywhere, right? So we are trying to be as fair as possible to let people speak, right? Under the rules, we actually have the ability to suspend the public comment, right, and I tried to be fair and let everybody speak by limiting the time, but it is increasingly clear that we are not going to be able to get through this, because people continue to scream and holler and interrupt based on your perspective. So I'm at a point where I'm ready to ask our colleagues to suspend the testimony. You all can submit your written testimony, and we can move on with the Council and we will ultimately have a vote on this particular resolution. I don't like to do that, but if we're not going to be able to get through this process, then I have no other choice. And I believe that people are going to vote the way they're going to vote irrespective of a lot of the things that we're seeing today. All STATED MEETING 120 10/19/2023 right? So I think based on what we have witnessed today, I'm going to make a call. It will probably be somewhat unpopular, but they put me up here to make sometimes unpopular decisions. So what we are going to do, we're going to ask individuals on the list, we have your name, we have phone numbers, and we will allow you to weigh in on the testimony via written or e-mail or others, but we must move on, particularly given the fact that it appears that we're not going to be allowed to have a civil conversation in here today. So I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I really tried to do this in a fair and equitable way. I think there has been balanced testimony, but for whatever reason, folks just don't want to like let people speak. So I'm going to make the call. (Audience members yelling.)
STATED MEETING 121 10/19/2023 You're not even going to let me speak. That's my point. (Audience members yelling.)
So we're going to move on on the public comment and we will proceed with the rest of the Council session. So, again, we have your numbers, and we'll make sure that you have an e-mail to weigh in on your perspective. If you have written testimony today, you can please leave that with us and we will make sure it's a matter of record in the Council document that will be published on a daily basis. All right? So we're going to move on, Mr. Decker, because it doesn't seem like we're going to be able to conduct the rest of our business in a way that I had hoped. So we have concluded our public comment. Again, thank you for your participation, and we will move on with STATED MEETING 122 10/19/2023 10/19/23 - STATED - 2ND READING our Calendar today. Mr. Decker, will you please read the title of Resolution No. 230705.
A resolution calling on the Administration to develop grant programs for businesses and restaurants suffering from retail theft and crime.
The Chair recognizes Councilman Jones. (Audience members yelling.) (Pause.)
Thank you. Mr. Decker, let's start over. Please read the title of Resolution No. 230705.
A resolution calling on the Administration to develop grant programs for businesses and restaurants suffering from retail theft and crime.
Thank you, STATED MEETING 123 10/19/2023 10/19/23 - STATED - 2ND READING Mr. President. I move for the adoption. (Duly seconded.)
Thank you. It has been moved and properly seconded that the resolution be adopted. All in favor indicate by saying aye. (Aye.)
The ayes have it, and that resolution is adopted. Mr. Decker, please read the title of Resolution No. 230706.
A resolution condemning the Hamas terrorist attacks in Israel and calling for a peaceful resolution to the Israel-Palestine conflict.
The Chair recognizes Councilman Johnson. STATED MEETING 124 10/19/2023 10/19/23 - STATED - 2ND READING
I wanted to just take this moment to just clarify this resolution just based upon the strong emotional reactions as relates to this resolution being offered today. This resolution specifically condemns the recent terrorist attacks launched by Hamas and calls for a peaceful resolution to the Israel-Palestine conflict. And let me be clear on that key point. Hamas has engaged in despicable acts of terror that intentionally targeted civilian populations in Israel, both Jewish and Arab, killing hundreds of civilians and taking hundreds more as hostages, including women and children. These actions surely deserve our condemnation. Just as importantly, this STATED MEETING 125 10/19/2023 10/19/23 - STATED - 2ND READING resolution recognizes that violence cannot form the basis for a just and lasting peace, and the resolution specifically calls for a peaceful resolution to the ongoing conflict. It's been said that this resolution makes no mention of the suffering experienced by innocent Palestinian civilians. That is not true. The resolution explicitly acknowledges Palestinians' suffering and loss and calls for a peaceful settlement to the ongoing violence. It's also been said that this resolution fails to acknowledge the deeply held national aspirations of the Palestinian people. That is not true. This resolution affirms that Council's belief that any settlement to the ongoing conflict must respect the rights and national aspirations of the Palestinian people. It's even been said that this resolution condones and encourages the STATED MEETING 126 10/19/2023 10/19/23 - STATED - 2ND READING killing of innocent Palestinian civilians. Again, that is not true. The resolution expresses Council's support for a peaceful settlement to the ongoing conflict, and the text makes no distinction between Israelis and Palestinians when discussing the horrible impact of the war on these civilian casualties. What this resolution does say is that the Council stands for the universal and inalienable human rights, the rights of all people to live in peace, the rights of all people to politically self-determinate, the rights of all people to pursue happiness, free from fear of violence and persecution. Also the resolution states the protection of these fundamental rights for all people is indispensable to a peaceful settlement to the ongoing conflict. I've heard from passionate voices on both sides of this debate. A STATED MEETING 127 10/19/2023 10/19/23 - STATED - 2ND READING passionate debate is a vital part of our democratic process, as you just mentioned, Council President, but I ask those on both sides of this issue to read this resolution clearly and to make an informed decision about the statement the resolution actually makes. For too long we have allowed all discussions of Israel and Palestine to devolve into a zero-sum game where any perceived support for one group must necessarily come at the expense of the other. We can express our sympathy for the Israeli people and even our support for their right to self-defense without denigrating the rights and aspirations of the Palestinian people. We can also express our sympathy for the suffering of innocent Palestinians without minimizing or explaining away the despicable acts of Hamas. That is what this resolution does, and I respectfully ask for the STATED MEETING 128 10/19/2023 10/19/23 - STATED - 2ND READING support of my colleagues with a vote of yes on this resolution. Thank you, Council President. (Applause.)
Thank you, Council President. From Philadelphia to the Middle East, every family deserves to live free from the threat of violence. Like many Philadelphians, I'm grieving for Israeli and Palestinian civilians who have lost their lives in recent days, and I am deeply concerned for Israeli hostages and for the families who are now under siege in Gaza without food, water, or electricity. Military leaders in Israel and Palestine have failed to uphold its national law, and innocent families are suffering and in grave danger. I call on American leaders, STATED MEETING 129 10/19/2023 10/19/23 - STATED - 2ND READING including President Biden, to support an immediate cease fire and to send swift humanitarian assistance to save lives in Gaza. (Applause.)
I believe in addressing the root causes of violence wherever it occurs. Without an end to apartheid and peace for Palestinians, the cycle of trauma will always continue. (Applause.)
As Americans and as human beings, we must insist on the right of every family to live in peace and safety, and demand an end to armed occupation and violence against civilians. My heart is with any of my constituents who have family or loved ones in the region, and my office is STATED MEETING 130 10/19/2023 10/19/23 - STATED - 2ND READING available to support those who have been impacted by the ongoing conflict. Thank you.
I really wish we weren't voting on this right today, but there's no backdoor to the Alamo and you got to make a decision, you got to be where you are. I want to rise to say that before I signed on to this resolution, I read it three times to make sure that it did not overly disproportionately condemn what Palestinians fight for and won. But I read the Quran, I read the Bible, and I've read the Torah, and each of those books talk about how you wage war and how you should not wage war. STATED MEETING 131 10/19/2023 10/19/23 - STATED - 2ND READING So you can be against kidnapping of kids and those kinds of reactions, killing of the innocent, and be for justice for all people. You can -- both things can be equally true. (Applause.)
I will tell you this, that, God, I wish it didn't visit here, but I know that my colleagues, many of them, have even actually been to the Holy Lands, happily walked through them and saw the injustice and know what -- so I respect what they put forward, because I would not have signed on, kid you not. I will say this, and I will use this analogy, that bad things happen in a lot of neighborhoods, every district. I know there are people that have lived in public housing and have been almost held hostage by the crime that happens in that facility, and people that live in that STATED MEETING 132 10/19/2023 10/19/23 - STATED - 2ND READING public facility have gone out and done bad things and run back to that facility. But you can't blow up the projects looking for a few. That is not fair, that is not just, and that is not proportionality. So I will be voting for this resolution condemning that which is evil, but that resolution does not go deep enough to understand the hundreds of years of history in that land. And I, like my colleague Member Brooks, I pray for peace, because guess what? Those souls that are Jewish who are my brothers, those souls that are Muslim that are my brothers and sisters, I pray for equally, and a lot of times innocent people wind up in the mess that other powerful people create. So thank you, colleagues, for enduring this. I want to -- I'm not going to do "some my best friends are," but a lot of my best friends are both, and I love them both, and I fight for STATED MEETING 133 10/19/2023 10/19/23 - STATED - 2ND READING them both. And we have to listen sometimes with bringing controversy here, bro, like, you know. So I just wanted to bring that from my heart, that this was probably at least the most difficult day of my tenure here over the last five administrations. So thank you for your indulgence.
Thank you, Mr. President, and thank you, Councilman Johnson, for your leadership on this. I, just like so many, call the United States home and descended from people who fled violence, starvation, famine and oppression. We came to a STATED MEETING 134 10/19/2023 10/19/23 - STATED - 2ND READING nation with a history of expanding rights to all, and as I said last week, while I do not pretend to completely understand the intricacies and nuances of this conflict, I believe that a path forward must be rooted in the inalienable human rights recognized by our nation's Constitution. I believe that by providing these rights to all, while forever imperfect, while forever imperfect, peaceful progress can be achieved. I condemn all violence against innocent civilians. Wanton bloodshed has never been the answer for the call for liberty and inequity. Our call is for peace throughout Mideast today. We condemn murder and bloodshed of any innocent civilians wherever they reside and whatever their ethnicity. My heartfelt and deepest prayers are with the people of Palestine and Israel. May a new path to peace be found as we travel along this trail of STATED MEETING 135 10/19/2023 10/19/23 - STATED - 2ND READING tragedy. Thank you, Mr. President. (Applause.)
Thank you. Thank you, Councilman. Councilman Johnson, can you call for a motion.
Thank you, Council President. I move for the adoption of the resolution. (Duly seconded.)
It's been moved and properly seconded. All in favor indicate by saying aye. (Aye.)
The ayes have it. The motion carries. The resolution is adopted. STATED MEETING 136 10/19/2023 10/19/23 - STATED - 2ND READING (Applause.)
Mr. Decker, will you please read the title of Resolution No. 230708.
A resolution recognizing and honoring Sid Booker, by renaming the 4600 block of North Broad Street "Sid Booker Way," to credit the life of the businessman he is today with the legacy that will forever live on.
Thank you, Mr. President. I want to take a moment to completely change directions on the course of conversation.
Could you all as you leave please leave quietly. Thank you. STATED MEETING 137 10/19/2023 10/19/23 - STATED - 2ND READING I'm sorry, Councilwoman.
Thank you, Mr. President. I want to take a second and just really make sure that everybody knows that we're doing something really special this Saturday. And there's a lot of people when times are tough, you can't always find folks that are going to step up and speak out and work hard for our communities, and I would say for not just the African American community, not just for Logan or North Philadelphia and not just for Philadelphia by itself, but when we look at the work done by somebody like a Sid Booker, I think it really commands our attention, our respect to come out and celebrate. This is someone who has done so much for everyone in the City of Philadelphia, whether you know him or you don't know him. I really want to encourage folks to be mindful that we will be celebrating him while he is here to smell STATED MEETING 138 10/19/2023 10/19/23 - STATED - 2ND READING his roses this coming Saturday, the 21st, at 1:00 p.m. And I say all that to say that I move for the adoption of the resolution, Mr. President. (Duly seconded.)
Thank you. It's been moved and properly seconded. All in favor indicate by saying aye. (Aye.)
The ayes have it, and that resolution is adopted. I saw some names that just popped up on the screen. Anybody? You can still do it before we move on. Councilman Harrity.
I just wanted to thank Councilwoman Cindy Bass STATED MEETING 139 10/19/2023 10/19/23 - STATED - 2ND READING for putting in this bill. Many people might not know this, but I had the pleasure of working under Sid when he was doing his role as the Chief Deputy of the Philadelphia Sheriff's Office. You know, back then I was young staffer and I was a bit of a knucklehead, but Sid, he got me, and he would sit me down and explain things to me the way I could get it, because he knew, you know, I was a kid from the neighborhood and sometimes I didn't get all of the intricacies that were involved in actually having a position like I have. So I am truly honored that Cindy put this in, because like she said, this man has done so much for so many people, including myself. I mean, I can't tell you all the things that he's done for me, but I had some problems when I was over there and he helped me through it. I actually used to hide out in his office, because he would tell me, listen, nobody goes into my office, hide out in STATED MEETING 140 10/19/2023 10/19/23 - STATED - 2ND READING there. So I thank you, Cindy, and it will be an honor to be there on Saturday. Thank you.
Thank you, Councilman. Good to know that you were a young staffer and a knucklehead. You are now a young Councilman, no longer a knucklehead. Thank you. Thank you. Mr. Decker, do you have any additional resolutions?
A resolution recognizing and honoring Beneficial Multiservices LLC, located in the 9th Council District, for being a Comcast RISE awardee, introduced today by Councilman Phillips.
Thank you, Council President. I move for the adoption of the resolution. (Duly seconded.) STATED MEETING 141 10/19/2023 10/19/23 - STATED - 2ND READING
It's been moved and properly seconded. All in favor indicate by saying aye. (Aye.)
The ayes have it, and that resolution is adopted.
And a resolution recognizing and honoring Brilliant Stars Learning Center, located in the 9th Council District, for being a Comcast RISE awardee, introduced today by Councilman Phillips.
Thank you, Council President. I move for the adoption of the resolution. (Duly seconded.)
It's STATED MEETING 142 10/19/2023 10/19/23 - STATED - 2ND READING been moved and properly seconded. All in favor indicate by saying aye. (Aye.)
The ayes have it, and that resolution is adopted.
And a resolution recognizing and honoring Eagle Staffing Company, located in the 9th Council District, for being a Comcast RISE awardee, introduced today by Councilman Phillips.
The Chair again recognizes Councilman Phillips.
Thank you, Council President. I move for the adoption of the resolution. (Duly seconded.)
It's STATED MEETING 143 10/19/2023 10/19/23 - STATED - 2ND READING been moved and properly seconded. All in favor indicate by saying aye. (Aye.)
The ayes have it, and that resolution is adopted.
And a resolution recognizing and honoring Vicki Riley on the occasion of her retirement, introduced today by Councilman Phillips.
The Chair again recognizes Councilman Phillips.
Thank you, Council President. I enthusiastically move for the adoption of the resolution. (Duly seconded.)
It's been moved and properly seconded. STATED MEETING 144 10/19/2023 10/19/23 - STATED - 2ND READING All in favor indicate by saying aye. (Aye.)
The ayes have it, and that resolution is adopted.
And a resolution honoring and congratulating the Champions of the Week, Student Activists Against Sexual Assault, for their continued determination and advocacy toward sexual violence awareness and prevention at Temple University, introduced today by Councilman Thomas.