Dozens of community members packed into Lawrence City Hall Tuesday evening, with several asking city commissioners to call for a ceasefire in Gaza and for the city to express solidarity with the Palestinian people.
Approximately 50 people filed into the meeting room, with another 40 standing behind them in the City Hall lobby.
Supporters of the call for a ceasefire called attention to the more than 10,000 Palestinians who have been killed in Gaza as mass attacks by the Israeli government continue following Hamas’ invasion of Israel on Oct. 7.
Falestine (Fally) Afani Ruzik sent a letter to commissioners on Oct. 30 on behalf of Rally for Palestine, a local coalition she organized. More than two dozen Lawrence organizations and businesses have signed it so far.
“We respectfully request that the Lawrence City Commission pass a resolution in support of the Palestinian people, including a call for an immediate ceasefire,” the letter stated. “In doing so, we will contribute to a world where all people can live in peace and security, regardless of their nationality, ethnicity, or religious beliefs.”
Early on in the public comment portion of the commission’s meeting, Mayor Lisa Larsen told supporters of the call for a ceasefire that their comments were not germane to the commission’s business. In one instance, Larsen interrupted a commenter and said “We cannot call for a ceasefire.”
That commenter, University of Kansas student Jenna Ghannam, challenged Larsen.
“As the city of Lawrence, we can say that we do not condone the genocide of the Palestinian people, can we not?” Ghannam asked. “We cannot sign a paper that says that we do not stand with the genocide of Palestinian people?”
For the remainder of public comment, Larsen allowed people to continue speaking on the matter without interruption. More than 20 commenters spoke during the meeting. Several of them asked commissioners to look at the city’s budget to find if Lawrence has been supporting any businesses that fund Israeli violence. Some encouraged commissioners to pledge city donations in aid of Palestinians.
The commission on Tuesday took no action on the requests.
A Palestinian-American who has lived in Lawrence for 23 years, Afani Ruzik said she believed Lawrence’s solidarity with Palestine is crucial.
“I hope that Lawrence will continue its tradition of standing for justice and compassion by expressing solidarity with Gaza and advocating for ceasefire,” Afani Ruzik told commissioners. “Together, we can be part of this positive change making our community and the world a better place.”
Mariel Ferreiro spoke in support of a ceasefire on behalf of Sanctuary Alliance, a local organization that works to strengthen immigrant rights and protections.
“We see the horrifyingly similar effects in Palestine as we did not very long ago here in the United States at the border,” Ferreiro said. “Though it may feel out of reach to you and that their land is distinct from ours, that does not mean that we do not have a responsibility to act — to make a declaration dedicated to safety for all people. Our tax dollars, our military, our exports are directly aiding a genocide.”
Maya Griswold, KU student, told commissioners they have the opportunity to make an impact similar to their passage earlier this year of Ordinance 9999, which strengthened local protections for transgender and gender-nonconforming people.
“While I can’t be proud about being Jewish right now, I want to be proud about living in Lawrence,” Griswold said. “I want you to say this is a place where antisemitism and Islamophobia will not be tolerated and that this is a safe place for all people like you said this summer.”
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Maya Hodison (she/her), equity reporter, can be reached at mhodison@lawrencekstimes.com. Read more of her work for the Times here. Check out her staff bio here.
Molly Adams (she/her), photojournalist and news operations coordinator for The Lawrence Times, can be reached at molly@lawrencekstimes.com. Check out more of her work for the Times here. Check out her staff bio here.
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