For visuals of the city hall and the ongoing meeting see here.
Over 2,500 San Francisco community members have turned out to San Francisco’s City Hall, waiting to give public comment at San Francisco’s Board of Supervisors meeting, where a resolution calling for a permanent ceasefire in the ongoing war in Gaza has been introduced. Chants of “ceasefire now” can be heard throughout the building and pouring into the streets outside City Hall. Over 12,000 emails from San Francisco constituents across the city’s diverse communities, including residents, merchants, and students, have been sent to the Board of Supervisors across the 11 Districts in support of the ceasefire resolution.
“I worked at City Hall for 12 years and this is the largest turn-out to a Board of Supervisors meeting I have ever seen,” says John Avalos, former D11 supervisor. “There are folks from all of San Francisco’s diverse communities here. It shows a broad worldview, one that holds the lives of Palestinian families dearly and speaks to the mass support there is for a ceasefire in our city.”
Recent polling suggests that 66% of all Americans and over 80% of Democrats support an immediate ceasefire in Gaza. There is also growing pressure from elected officials, including city councils and members of Congress, along with a growing number of trade unions who are supporting an immediate and permanent ceasefire. Oakland City Council voted unanimously last week in support of a ceasefire resolution.
“By introducing a resolution that calls for a ceasefire to the war in Gaza, our elected representatives in San Francisco are putting forth an urgent and common-sense position that reflects the interests and voices of the majority of our city’s diverse communities,” says Lara Kiswani, Executive Director of the Arab Resource and Organizing Center. “A ceasefire is the only solution to the violence in Gaza and the rise in racist attacks in our own backyard. It’s incredible to see San Francisco communities turn out against genocide and in support of Palestinian and Arab communities.”
CAIR-SFBA Executive Director Zahra Billoo said, “We applaud Supervisor Preston’s resolution for a sustained ceasefire to bring an end to the atrocities that Israel is committing in Gaza. While some may question the value of local governments weighing in on international conflicts, resolutions like this communicate very strongly that ‘We see you. We care about this also.’ It is also an important way for communities and local legislators to articulate that U.S. funding should be focused in the U.S. We don’t have money for schools or homes but are sending billions of dollars to Israel.”
