Mayor Bart Littlejohn on Tuesday proclaimed January 2024 as “Advocating for Peace Month,” a response to months of community pressure for the city to take action on the violence in the Middle East. Many of those same community members, though, said they felt that the measure fell short.
The proclamation condemned the violence in Gaza and called on everyone to work together to fight bigotry and bias.
“In the spirit of being a welcoming, equitable and inclusive community, we reaffirm our commitment to rejecting all forms of racial and religious bigotry in our community, which includes Islamophobia and Antisemitism,” Littlejohn read from the proclamation.
“… It is all our responsibility to do everything in our power to promote understanding, foster empathy, and work to dispel the stereotypes and biases that have perpetuated this disastrous conflict in Palestine and Israel,” the proclamation continued.
During the Nov. 7 city commission meeting, community members urged them to call for a ceasefire in Gaza. Approximately 50 people advocated for solidarity with the Palestinian people. After then-Mayor Lisa Larsen initially interrupted discussions saying the comments weren’t germane to city business because the city couldn’t directly change what was happening in Gaza, commenters pushed back and were allowed to speak.
Rally for Palestine – Lawrence initiated the local push for a call for a ceasefire, and members of the group have been present at many commission meetings the last two months.
Ten commenters spoke about the proclamation Tuesday, most arguing that it was insufficient. They said that the city needed to pass a resolution, which would require a vote from the commission.
Commenters also weren’t happy with the proclamation in and of itself, arguing that the omission of the word “ceasefire” was a poor decision and pushing for the usage of stronger, more direct language.
“The current proclamation unfortunately lacks explicit mention of Gaza or a ceasefire, a critical admission that does not truly address the heart of this matter,” said Falestine (Fally) Afani Ruzik, who spoke on behalf of Rally for Palestine.
“Right now, the death toll is devastatingly high with countless innocent civilians suffering in what can only be described as a humanitarian crisis,” she continued. “So our plea today is for resolution that not only acknowledges this reality, but actively works towards a lasting solution. I understand the commission’s preference for this proclamation, I do. However, a resolution is not merely a symbolic gesture. It carries the weight of commitment and action.”
Commissioner Amber Sellers agreed with commenters that a more impactful approach needed to be taken. She emphasized the need for stronger language, echoing Martin Luther King Jr. while making calls for justice.
“Unfortunately, this proclamation does fall a bit short for me,” Sellers said. “… I think our proclamation can invoke strong language, not to be provocative, but to call out the very injustice.”
Previously, the commission has generally not allowed members of the public or commissioners to comment on proclamations.
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Cuyler Dunn (he/him), a contributor to The Lawrence Times, is a student at the University of Kansas School of Journalism. He is a graduate of Lawrence High School where he was the editor-in-chief of the school’s newspaper, The Budget, and was named the 2022 Kansas High School Journalist of the Year. Read more of his work for the Times here.
