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She should be good. Um, she's logged in.
Um, it, it, she got an error at first,
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Hello, he's here. Good morning.
Good morning and welcome
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Good morning. The city council will come to order.
Madam Clerk, please take a quorum. Roll call
Ready.
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I will now take a voice.
Vote for those who have not
voted in the Evo Alderman Hopkins.
Not present. Alderman Hall present.
Alderman David Moore not present.
All Alderwoman Taylor not present.
Alderman Mosley not present. Alderman woman Topa.
Uh, present Alderwoman Scott Not present.
Alderman Ramirez. Rosa not present. Alderman Hopkins.
Alderman Hopkins is present.
Alder Woman Mitts not present.
Your mayor. We have a quorum.
Thank you very much. There are
43 members that are present.
44 members that are present. So we do have a quorum.
Um, there are a number of elders who have requested
to participate in today's meeting remotely
for reasons stated in Rule 59.
Can I get a motion to approve the remote
participation of the following?
Alders, Moore, Taylor, Scott
Mitts and those, those are the only ones.
Can I get a motion to approve? All right.
It's been moved and approved. Thank you very much.
Um, let me just make sure I do that right. Y'all approve.
All been Moore should have been called, Moore was called All
of those in favor of those members being able to, um, um,
participate remotely signify by saying aye.
Any opposed? Saying nay and opinion chair The aye. Have it.
Thank you very much. Before we rise for the Pledge
of Allegiance, I do want to acknowledge, um, that we have,
um, the legendary, one
of the most remarkable human beings on the
planet has joined us today.
Thank you for gracing us with your presence.
The Reverend Jesse Jackson senior,
so please remain standing as we, um,
recite the Pledge of Allegiance.
I pledge allegiance to the flag
of the United States of America to the republic
for which it stands, one nation under God,
indivisible, with the liberty.
August for please remain standing for our invocation,
could you
please remain standing for our invocation,
which will be delivered today
by Reverend Carl Wagner Sheer from St.
John's Episcopal Church.
I'm gonna invite us all to take a deep breath
and let it out slowly.
Oh God, of justice in peace.
We give you thanks that we are here
in this place at this time.
We give you thanks for this city of Chicago, which brings
such a wealth of people
and experience and diversity.
We know, oh, creator that you love diversity
because you made so much of it,
but oh God, sometimes it's hard.
Help us to recognize in each person
that spark of creation, which you have put in each of us.
We ask especially your prayers
and presence with our mayor and city council members.
They have been called to public service
and yet we expect them to be all things to all people.
Help them to stay true to who they are,
their sense of justice and peace and what is right.
Help them to look always for the common good
loving God.
Remind us as we listen that we are only angry
when we care about things
and as my friend in the choc town nation says, we are
as strong as what makes us anxious.
Bring a spirit of openness, of open ears
and open minds
and open hearts that in all
of our discussions
and decisions, we first open ourselves
to know the other person, to recognize that spark
of the divine in them and hold us
and keep us in relationship,
especially when we disagree.
We pray all this in the name of all that is true
and good and holy. Amen.
Amen. You may be seated.
This is a portion of the meeting for public comments.
Um, uh, Mr.
Clerk, um, I wanna remind this body
that today there are a number of speakers,
uh, which will go forward today.
I'll respectfully ask that you allow each person
who has taken time out to provide public testimony today
that should give 'em the courtesy to get
through their entire presentation
and keep your responses at the very end to a minimum, Mr.
Clerk,
The council will now begin the public comment period,
which is limited to a maximum of 30 minutes.
Each speaker is limited to three minutes.
Speakers cannot yield
or transfer their time to another speaker.
Any written comments that have been submitted will be posted
and made available for all review.
Our first speaker today is Jessica Lee.
Please press star six to unmute
Mr. Clerk. Let's move forward.
We can come back to her.
Our next speaker is Shoshana Canover.
Good morning. I'm Shoshana Conover,
senior rabbi at Temple Schlom of Chicago.
There's a Jewish saying, words that come from the heart.
Enter the heart. I hope this prayer from my heart enters
yours, God of righteousness.
In this time of increased suffering
and strife, show us a different way than the escalation
of pain in the name of finding a way
to peace God of compassion.
Stop us from narrowly portraying two sides in this conflict,
characterizing one side as oppressors
and the other as victims.
We are all on the same side.
The side of human flourishing and compassion
and peace help us open our hearts to the suffering
of Palestinians and Israelis, Muslims, Christians
and Jews embolden this council to acknowledge the suffering
of Jewish Israelis.
Afraid of those in Hamas would make good on their pledge
that the October 7th attack was just the first
and there will be a second, a third, a fourth
deny Hamas the ability to again attack Israelis
or use Palestinians as human shields
and give this council the will to say
that in this resolution, God
and this suffering, the suffering
of displaced people whose lives feel like a nightmare.
Help us manifest your compassion in the face
of fear and pain.
God of dignity make your presence felt to all who need you.
Just as you walked with me weeks ago in your os
where hama terrorists massacred and kidnap the elderly
and even young children accompany those cowering and tunnels
and trapped under rubble.
God be with fear and Ariel Biba from near Os whose onesies
and sun hats still hang on clotheslines.
I know that it is hard for some to think
of them when 2 million Palestinian people are displaced
and thousands have been killed in this cruel war.
God be with them, with all of them.
With Palestinian children who are alone and afraid
and with hostages who have been dragged underground into
tunnels built to protect Hama spiders with funding
and supplies meant for humanitarian relief, God
of dignity, God of courage.
Give this council the will to call for an immediate
and unconditional release
of all hostages in this resolution.
God of history remind us that the world is watching.
Our children are watching.
We will be remembered not only for this resolution
but for the discourse around it.
Allow us to listen to each other when we voice our pain,
our lived experiences instead of shouting each other down,
guide us in the ways of your prophet Micah to act justly,
love, mercy, and walk humbly God of hope.
Show us the way forward across the ocean, helping Israelis
and Palestinians create a genuine peace based on recognition
and direct negotiations.
And right here in Chicago, please God show us the way
to peace and unity.
Thank you. Thank you very much for your comments.
Our next speaker is Jessica Lee.
Our next speaker is Jody Wicker.
Good morning, mayor Johnson and Chicago City Council.
I'm going to read a few excerpts from an article
that was published July 19th, 2023 in the proceedings
of the National Academy of Sciences,
P-N-A-S-A peer reviewed journal
of the National Academy of Sciences.
PNAS is one of the world's most cited
and comprehensive multi-disciplinary scientific
journals from the article.
Ethics considerations aren't the only reasons
to shut down mink farms.
Mink pose a risk for the emergence
of future disease outbreaks
and the evolution of future pandemics for viral pathogens
and pandemic potential mink's biology positions them
as an intermediate species in which dangerous
adaptations toward human infection can evolve.
However, until now fur farming has not received much
attention in this regard, it's crucial
that we have the foresight
to consider the controls necessary
for restricting pathogen emergence
and fur farming me are highly susceptible to infection
with several viruses that also infect humans.
In late 2020 government agencies and academics in Europe
and North America repeatedly documented
that p farmed mink had become infected.
With sars COV dash two, the causative agent of COVID-19
evidence of mink add adapted viruses spilling back into
local communities, further demonstrated the poor biosecurity
guidelines and practices in the industry.
With this in mind, some countries, for example,
the Netherlands shut down meek production production
altogether, the establishment of animal reservoirs
for viruses that evolve on a separate trajectory from
variants in humans sets a potential time bomb
for reemergence of the virus.
In humans, fur farming is banned across many European
countries and North American states or territories.
Several other regions have set dates for pha it out.
These bands have historically been a response
to ethical concerns about the treatment of these animals.
We strongly urge governments
to also consider the mounting evidence suggesting
that fur farming, particularly mink be eliminated in the
interest of pandemic preparedness.
Fur farming should be in the same category
of high risk practices as the Bushmeat trade
and live animal markets.
These activities all increase the likelihood
of future pandemics.
End of article. Please support
and co-sponsor 2023 dash 2 9 83, the common sense
and humane measure to ban the sale of new fur in Chicago.
Thank you very much for your time and consideration today.
Thank you very much for your comments.
Our next speaker is Martin Levine.
Good morning Mayor and ger men and women.
I am Marty Levine,
the retired chief executive officer
of the Jewish Community Centers of Chicago
and the Jewish Voice for Peace member.
My 40 years of work in
and for the Chicago Jewish community was driven by the call
to bring Jewish values to life.
I have painfully walked the steps that brought millions
to the places of utter destruction that were the holocaust,
an event that this body called on us
to never forget last week, I have been
to Israel Palestine many times over decades.
I have seen the pain of two peoples
and seen moments where each has been able
to recognize they share a common humanity.
This morning I asked you to vote for a resolution
that will put Chicago on record as calling
for an immediate cease fire.
I do this because of
what I committed my entire working life to.
I do this because I believe it is what I as a Jew must do.
Just days after October 7th, this council felt the need
to go on record condemning the acts of violence, the killing
of 1200 people and the taking of hostages.
You recognize the existential meaning of those 1200 lives.
Now more than 100 days later, many of you seem to ignore
that the death of more than 26,000 people, most
of whom are who are women
and children, the daily reports of children needing
to have arms or legs amputated even when anesthetics
and sterile conditions are not available seems not enough
for you to act.
Now is not the almost total destruction of the housing
hospitals and another economy that was marginal
before this began.
Enough is not the reality of 2 million people forced
to leave their homes starving
and facing epidemics enough.
The lessons we are required to learn from the Holocaust is
that it can never happen again
and that we must never allow it by action
or in action to happen again.
As Israel's leaders gather at conferences
to discuss the ethnic cleansing of Gaza
after they complete its disruption, you cannot sit silently
because these are Palestinians and not Israelis.
Never again is not for some people. It is for all.
We are all created in God's image.
We are taught that to save one life is
as if we had saved all of you humanity.
If that lesson is to have any meaning today,
it tells us you cannot stand silent while more and more die.
The debate over this resolution has wrongly been made
to be about whether or not you stand
with a Jewish community.
If that were so, hello. Thank you
Mr. Levine. Thank you very
much for your comments.
However your time has expired.
Our next speaker is Jennifer Husbands.
Hello, my name is Jennifer Husbands
and I'm a proud resident
and voter in the 40th ward of Chicago.
I requested to speak today to urge the city council
to approve the resolution in support of a ceasefire in Gaza.
The months since the deadly attack on October 7th have been
a time of mourning, a time of learning,
and unfortunately a time
of divisiveness in our city and in our country.
But it is precisely
during these incredibly challenging times
that we must let our moral compass be our guide.
Through social media, we have borne witness
to the mass murder of innocent civilians in Palestine
and the complete destruction of homes, schools,
mosques, and hospitals.
Over 25,000 lives have been lost in Palestine thus far
with countless more missing and injured.
Meanwhile, the hostages captured on October 7th have not
been returned and the captives being held in Israel often
for crimes as minor as rock throwing
are still being detained.
Many of these captives are women and children.
President Biden has defied the will of the American people
as polls have shown that roughly two thirds
of us support a ceasefire, a number that increases
to three quarters of Democrats.
Yet he bypassed Congress to send over $250 million
of military funding to Israel in December alone, above
and beyond the 3.8 billion the United States provides
annually for Israel's military and missile defense.
What does this have to do with Chicago?
This resolution has been criticized
for not having enforceability,
but I don't think that's the point.
The point is that our dollars taxpayer dollars are
going to fund this war.
Our tax dollars are being used to carpet bomb civilians
and force Palestinians out of their homes in the Gaza Strip.
These dollars are not being used for education, housing,
healthcare, food security, gun violence, prevention,
all things we desperately need more of here in Chicago.
As Tupac said, they got money for war
but they can't feed the poor.
I have several friends who volunteer untold hours in mutual
aid efforts, purchasing groceries, collecting, organizing
and distributing clothing and hygiene products,
helping families furnish their homes while our government is
sending billions of our tax dollars to fund a war
where the International Court
of Justice recently found plausible evidence of violation
of the Genocide Convention by Israel I the city council
to join San Francisco, Detroit, Minneapolis, Atlanta,
Seattle, Providence, Akron, and others.
To show that we fully support the United Nations in their
charge to maintain international peace
and security, a ceasefire would advance the cause of peace
and we hope begin to create conditions
to support a diplomatic process
and the release of captive on both sides of the struggle.
Chicago would be the largest city thus far
to pass a ceasefire measure
and particularly with the Democratic National Convention
coming to our city in August.
It would send an important message about who we are
and what we believe in just
as our courageous high school students showed us yesterday
during their walkouts.
As one of the students said, we are seeing now
how much money our government spends on war
and we are all scared about college debt
and we are scared about healthcare
and we feel the government should be helping us.
I thank you so much for the opportunity to speak today
and I am hopeful that you all
Thank you very much for your comments.
Our next speaker is Hanni Jabbar.
Hello everyone. Good morning. Good morning.
First I'd like to thank Alderman Roanna.
Alderman LaSpada, every alderman person staffer in this very
room that has worked tirelessly over the past few months
to make our voices heard.
Over 100 days ago, we stood in this very building
and bragging, practically begged you all to stand with us
to vote against Alderman Silverstein's resolution
that we told you was wholly inaccurate, one sided
and created a very dangerous
environment for Arabs and Muslims.
We bugged you to stand with us,
but you did the very opposite.
You rejected us three days later.
Three days later, wa Yumi,
a 6-year-old boy was stabbed 26 times
for being Palestinian and Muslim.
Despite this devastating loss
and the pain, we continue to show up.
We continue to organize, mobilize and strategize
because we knew the stakes.
We should not have to fight this hard
to convince our representatives to do what they were elected
to do, represent us.
There are decades when nothing happens
and there are weeks when decades happen.
We're in those weeks. The world is waking up to Palestine
and I know there have been a lot of questions in this room
of why this matters to us to Chicago,
so lemme clarify for you all again.
Chicago is home
to the largest Palestinian population in the us.
Chicago gives 20 million to fund the crimes
to fund the very that are falling on right now.
20 million. This reality is not only clear to us
but to thousands across the US.
CT US eiu Senator Dick Durbin,
United Auto Workers Fund have all called for a ceasefire.
Thousands of black have called for a ceasefire.
Now it's your turn. This is not only about Palestine,
this is about all of us.
This is all our fight.
This is about Malcolm X's core belief that
anywhere it's a threat to justice everywhere.
I not only speak to you all as a youth organizer, I speak
to you all as an attorney and someone who recently got fired
for making a very speech in this room.
Most of y'all know me. From October I made a speech.
I was fired for that speech that I made in this room.
From my job as an attorney at a very prominent law firm,
I asked you to make my sacrifices worth it
to make our sacrifices worth it.
Finally, I speak to you as an Arab constituent
and someone who prides myself on being from Chicago, a hub
of revolutionary thought, a hub of diversity and thinking.
Here we're 14 days since I've been in this,
since we've all been in this room,
26,000 Palestinians have been murdered.
Half of those who are at whom are children.
Every minute that goes by more Palestinians die.
We and one 14 days later
and we are still debating whether a cease fire,
the bare minimum, the bare minimum again should be called.
We're at 14 days
and we have been thousands in the streets of Chicago. This
Thank you very much for your comments,
however your time has expired.
Our next speaker is Aya Ali.
I stand here today as a proud Palestinian
and as a proud Chicagoan knowing that these two identities
that I should hold should not be in opposition
to each other, but rather they should
be in support of one another.
I would like to thank all the alder people
that are currently voting yes to the ceasefire resolution
and supporting a ceasefire in Reza.
I'd like to thank the Chicago progressive Stafford
and the thousands of Chicagoans that have mobilized
for Palestine these past few months
for their work in making the ceasefire resolution a reality.
What's happening in Reza today is the most extreme form
of collective punishment.
The images and videos coming out of Reza would move a
Rock. What more
is there to be said when we see a father holding
his children's body parts in a bag
to deprive every single person in Raza, the old, the young,
the sick, the healthy to deny them food, water,
and medical care goes against the most basic
principles of humanity.
Itra has bombed every school and hospital
and has bombed over 70% of the buildings in Northern Reza.
Israel has targeted healthcare workers, journalists,
and college professors, all in an effort
to destroy resident civil society.
These conditions should not be tolerated or justified.
I wanna tell you of the most recent story
of sisters Lianne and Edda.
Lianne called the Palestinian red crescent
to come rescue her and her family
who were surrounded by Israeli snipers.
While Lianne was on the phone,
Israeli shots were fired and she was killed.
Her 60-year-old sister picks up the phone
and continues to speak to the Red Crescent
and they speak to her for three
hours trying to calm her down.
As the shots continued, they were able
to reach her only hours after the phone call
and the Palestinian Red Crescent has since
lost contact with her.
But please tell me what is Hint supposed to do now?
She's a six-year-old orphan
who witnessed the murder of her entire family.
She has no more siblings and her home is destroyed.
What kind of military objective does this fulfill?
Is this what people consider winning the war to be
by traumatizing children and making them orphans?
At this point, calling
for a ceasefire is the most common sense,
basic response we can expect from our elected officials,
voting guests to this resolution.
Uplifts, Chicago's labor unions, Chicago students
and Chicago voters Palestinians have been targeted since the
inception of the Israeli state on stolen Palestinian land.
Do you know why there are so many
Palestinians in Chicago today?
Because our parents and our grandparents were ethnically
cleansed from our homeland and replaced by settlers.
We are here today as a direct result of Israeli violence.
Calling for a ceasefire is the bare minimum.
The Chicago Teachers Union Senator Dick Durbin SE SEIU,
and hundreds of Chicago organizations have called
for a ceasefire passing this resolution today has the
support of hundreds of thousands of Chicago residents
and I'm looking forward to history
being made in these chambers.
Vote yes to the ceasefire today
and allow Chicago to be on the right side of history today.
Free Palestine.
Thank you very much for your comments.
Our next speaker is Pamela Scheinman.
Esteemed, esteemed, older persons,
please vote no on a unilateral ceasefire resolution.
On October 7th, Hamas terrorists broke a ceasefire
and breached Israel's border with Gaza.
They invaded civilian's, homes and brutally murdered, raped
and tortured 1200 Israelis
and abducted more than 240.
Given Israel's small size, October 7th is equivalent to 15
nine elevens.
What would American leaders do if Americans faced marauding
murderers entering their homes, our homes
and killing our citizens?
Hamas is an ISIS like fanatic group.
It's charter calls for killing of Jews worldwide
and the subjugation of all other non-believers
see their see their charter online.
The second paragraph of the ash charter says in quote,
Israel will exist until Islam obliterates it.
End quote Article 13 of the charter says in quote,
there is no solution for the Palestinian question except
through jihad initiatives, proposals
and inter international conferences are all a waste of time
and vain endeavors.
End quote, Hamas leaders have said they would commit October
seven again and again if given the opportunity.
Hamas embeds itself
among gazen civilians intentionally building their war
apparatus under within
and adjacent to hospitals, kindergartens, mosques
and crowded civilian areas with the sole purpose
of using them as human shields.
One of our nation's top military experts, John Spencer,
chair of the Chief of Urban warfare studies at West Point,
um, at their modern institute published comments on X
recently that I quote, Israel has implemented more measures
to avoid civilian casualty than any other military
in the history of war.
Hamas, on the other hand,
has said it does not care about its civilians given
so many humanitarian crises around the world,
why is the Chicago City Council opining on the one conflict
where the one Jewish state is facing a terrorist genocidal
enemy who has sworn
to commit the same atrocities again and again?
The double standard applied to Israel demonization
and delegitimization
of the only Jewish state on the planet is a prox, is a proxy
for antisemitism.
The three Ds as coined by human rights activists,
NA tan sharansky, any csaw resolution
that does not demand the unconditional surrender of Hamas
and an unconditional release of all the hostages is a win
for Hamas terrorists in the Middle East and beyond,
and a grave loss for Israel and Palestinian civilians alike.
Shouldn't our older person stick to their jobs of dealing
with crime, homelessness, migrants, bus
to our city education
and budgetary problems in Chicago? Thank you. Thank
You.
This is the time for, as I've said
and expressed before, if you all cannot
take a deep breath, you all just relax for a second.
I've asked you all respectfully I,
I I see you, uh, alderman.
Bill, I've asked you all to respect those who are speaking
so that we can hear their full testimony.
If you disagree, demonstrate some restraint.
There are things that are said oftentimes in this chamber.
If I could have your attention please.
There are things that are said in this chamber that many
of you will agree or disagree.
I restrain myself, I hear things that I agree
and I hear things that I don't agree with.
All I'm just asking you all to do is just show a little
of humanity and I know
that's the purpose of us being here today.
So let's model what we want.
I appreciate the debate. I do.
It's important for our democracy.
I do not want to have to clear this chamber.
If you want to participate in this democratic process,
I would ask for you to allow those who are speaking
to finish their presentation.
If you do not want to participate in this process
by not allowing people
to finish their presentation, I will be asked.
I will be forced by you all to clear.
Now, what I don't want is a bunch
of people shouting at me though.
Okay? I understand. I do.
And those of you who are organizers who
have done amazing work as an organizer,
I would respectfully ask that you as lead organizers
model the very operation that you want to see take place.
There'll be plenty of time for more public display,
but respect this chamber.
Respect the positions that are being carried out.
Even if you disagree, do not want
to have to direct the sergeant at arms to clear the chamber.
I don't want to do that. I do not want to do that,
but you will leave me no choice.
You cannot respect the last through speakers
and then at some point the alters will speak.
Thank you Alderman. Bill, I've heard your position.
Has everyone heard mine? However, Mr.
Clerk, our next speaker is Rama Azar.
Good morning. I would like to check
by thanking Alderman Rosanna for championing,
championing this resolution as well as all the alders
that have confirmed their vote in favor of a ceasefire.
Today, nearly 30,000 Palestinians have been murdered thanks
to our tax dollars that have directly armed
and funded this genocide.
Yet you all have the privilege and audacity to sit here
and debate whether you think this slaughter should end.
We have been chanting on the streets
of Chicago every single week about freedom,
about liberation, about justice,
and we know you can hear us from behind your fortress walls.
You just refuse to care.
Meanwhile, Netanyahu has repeatedly rejected proposed
ceasefire and hostage releases.
Do these alders not realize
that the Zionist state itself does not care about
its own prisoners of war?
Do they not realize that Israel has made countless
confessions of its intent to commit genocide
and would rather focus on annihilating the people
of Za rather than releasing its own?
But you don't have to listen to me say it
because eth leaders have said it themselves.
Israeli minister of defense,
yah says Israel is fighting human animals and will act
accordingly and Israel President Isaac Herzo says it's an
entire nation out there that is responsible.
So of course the International Court
of Justice found South Africa's claims of genocide
to be plausible when Netanyahu himself said,
will turn them into rubble.
So how on earth is a ceasefire still up for debate?
All major labor unions have called for a ceasefire.
Yet Chicago, which is an alleged hub
for labor organizing still hasn't
also more than a thousand black faith leaders have pressured
Biden for a ceasefire.
So it would be an embarrassment to not vote in favor of one.
While Reverend Jesse Jackson is in this very room,
how many more disruptions are needed?
How much clearer do we need to sh do we need
to be when we not only tell you
but show you that there is no business as usual as long
as this genocide persists?
How much clearer do we need to be when we say
that the Palestinian struggle is inherently tied
to the struggle for the liberation
of all oppressed people from Chicago to Mexico and beyond?
You all have a duty
to vote yes on Alderman Rosanna's resolution
and continue to pressure Biden for a ceasefire.
You serve a county that is home to the largest population
of Palestinians in America.
Palestinians who have been here because they were exiled
for the last 75 years, for four months.
You've heard us loud and clear
and it's a shame that it's taken this long.
Don't extend this shame on our city any longer.
Vote yes for an immediate ceasefire in Reza today.
Thank you.
Thank you very much for your comments.
Our next speaker is Naza.
Good morning. My name is Naza with the Chicago chapter
of the US Palestinian Community Network.
It is time for the city of Chicago to be on the right side
of history to rise for justice
and to become the largest city in the us.
To pass the ceasefire resolution, we want
to first thank Mayor Brandon Johnson
for coming out in support of the res of the ceasefire
and also uplift Alders Rodriguez Sanchez, LaSpada,
SIG Cho Lopez, Fuentes Rosa
and Taylor for contr, for contributing
and continuing to uphold the progressive values our
great city is known for.
According to the un, 90%
of the 2.3 million people in Gaza have
been internally displaced.
That is more than 2 million people, many of whom
who have been forcefully multiple times in these
four months since October.
We are 116 days into Israeli's.
On is Israel's onslaught on the people of Za
where 26,751 Palestinians have been killed.
10,000 of them children,
65,636 have been injured
and an unknown number are still buried under the rubble.
Israel also just yesterday enter hospitals in Janine
and killed three patients in cold blood.
It continues to target hospitals, holy sites,
and civilians in designated safe areas on safe passages
with white flags.
Tragically, there are no safe places in Gaza any longer.
We have an opportunity today in Chicago
to accomplish something historic, an opportunity to say
that we will not accept staying silent while Israel
continues to attempt to annihilate Gaza
and wipe its inhabitants away.
South Africa bravely stood up at the International Court
of Justice and then the ICJ ruled very clearly
that Israel needs
to stop killing Palestinians citing numerous cases
of human rights violations by the Israeli military.
We, Palestinians and Arabs have always studied the struggles
of other oppressed peoples like the South Africans
and our black and brown friends
and allies here in Chicago and the US.
U-S-P-C-N has been working tirelessly for decades with black
and brown communities in Chicago.
You've seen us come out against arbitration in support
of police accountability.
E-C-P-S-C-P-A-C Peace Book bring Chicago Home
and so many other initiatives
that exemplify black Palestinian
and Latino Palestinian solidarity.
And we must win all of these struggles together
because we cannot win them alone.
Like Mayor Johnson said himself, I am not mayor
of the city of Chicago.
If people weren't pushing, so like we pushed as a broad
and diverse community to win that election, let us push
to say ceasefire now in the Chicago City Council.
Please vote yes on the resolution
and we're asking as you vote yes today we ask you vote
no on arbitration.
Thank you. Thank,
Thank you very much for your comments, your Honor.
There are no further speakers who have timely signed up
for the public comment period.
Thank you very much. This concludes our public comments.
We have no resolutions today. Next sub communications.
I Sir Clerk Anna Valencia hereby informed the city council
that the following document was filed in my office,
city Treasurer's report
regarding overall income on total holdings across all funds
held by the Treasurer's office for year 20 20 23.
I City Clerk Valencia also informed the city council
to the ordinance authorizing the issuance of City
of Chicago's second lien wastewater Transmission Revenue
Bonds Project and refunding series in 2024, which we passed
by the city council on January, 2020.
January 24th, 2024,
and which was requested to be published in a special
pamphlet, was published in a special pamphlet from Forum on
January 24th, 2024.
Your Honor, that concludes the reports
and communications from the mayor and other city officers.
Thank you very much. Committee reports,
workforce development.
The chair recognizes Chairman Rodriguez.
Thank you Mayor. Uh,
the Committee on Workforce Development held a meeting on
Tuesday, January 30th.
The committee considered an ordinance
oh 2 0 2 4 dash 0 7 3 3 2
implementing an arbitration option
for CPD disciplinary actions in excess of 365 days
and separations a substitute ordinance.
So 20 24 0 0 7 3 3 2 was adopted at the committee
correcting a minor typo.
This item received a do not pass
recommendation in committee.
I was informed that Alderman Yancy
and Vice-Chair Gut would like
to defer and publish this report.
This report will be deferred
and published per the request
of Alderman Yancy and Ottman Gutierrez.
This ordinance has already been deferred
and published once.
This is a committee report.
This is not an ordinance, it's a committee report.
It is in order. Thank you very much. I've heard it.
It's a committee report. It can be deferred and published.
Thank you.
Deferral of a committed report is allowed by state law.
Well thank you Mr. Thank you Alderman Bial.
Thank you very much. Chair recognizes Alderman Lopez.
Thank you Mr. President
and I appeal the decision of the chair.
This is straightforward. A matter of state law.
This is un appealable. Thank you very much.
There's nothing agreed upon calendar.
There's a, I didn't make a ruling.
The state law makes it very clear, uh, alderman Lopez
that a committed report can be deferred and published.
This rule is Unap Appealable.
Thank you for the agreed upon calendar matters.
Mother agreed upon calendar.
Chair recognizes Alderwoman. Hes
Mr. President. I've
received from the city clerk, Andrea
and Valencia Tola.
One item proposed the agreed calendar consisting
of congratulatory ative
and tribulation resolutions from Clerk Valencia
WO Harris. Just a moment please.
Same orders. Jeff. You know that same orders
can't confirm twice.
Yeah, that's true. Can't do it.
Please settle resettle
to our guests.
Thank you for resettling. One more time.
Older woman Harris, please. Thank
You. I received
from the city clerk Andrea.
I Valencia total of one item proposed
for the agreed calendar consisting
of congratulatory commemorative tri
resolutions from Clerk Valencia from the following.
Alder person, Alder person Robinson.
I move passage of this in the omnibus
Hearing. No objections.
So order
or new business clerk will call the wards
beginning with the 50th ward,
The zoning amendments which are referred
to the committee on zoning landmarks
and building standards, traffic regulations,
traffic control singles
and traffic signs, which are referred
to the Committee on Pedestrian and Traffic Safety.
Grants of privilege on
and over the public way, which are referred
to the Committee on Transportation and Public Way.
Exemptions from physical barrier requirement
for commercial driveway alley access for parking facilities,
which are referred to the Committee on
Transportation and Public Way.
Al Manhattan has a proposed ordinance for amendment
of MSPA code section four dash 60 dash 23
to disallow additional package good licenses on portions of
Yvonne Avenue, which is referred to the Committee on License
and Consumer Protection.
Al Manhattan also has proposed ordinance for amendment
of municipal code section four dash 60 0 23
to disallow additional package with licenses on portion
of North Clark Street, which is referred
to Committee on License and Consumer Protection.
Almond Nuon has proposed orders for the issuance of permits
for signed sign boards at 6 58 West Bein Avenue,
which are referred to committee on zoning
landmarks and building standards.
Almond Napolitano has proposed order for the issuance
of permits for signed sign boards at
1 1 6 0 1 West TUI Avenue.
This is referred to the committee on zoning
landmarks and building standards.
Almond Nugent has proposed ordinance for the transfer
of funds within the 39th Ward wage allowance.
All Dematic expense account for the year 2024,
which is referred to the committee on the budget
and government operations.
Oman Viegas and Alderman Hopkins have proposed resolution.
The call for hearings regarding Chicago police department's
current system of contra of contacting tow truck companies
regarding damaged or disabled vehicles on public way,
which is referred to the Committee on Public Safety.
Alman Burnett has proposed orders for the issuance
of permits for signed sign boards at 1 24 North Salman
Street, which are referred
to the committee on zoning landmarks and building standards.
Alman Mosley has proposed orders for the issuance of permits
for signed sign boards at 2 21 West 83rd Street,
which are referred to committee on zoning
landmarks and building standards.
Alman Coleman has a proposed ordinance for amendment
of MSPA code section four dash 60 dash 23
to allow additional package goods licenses on portion
of West 63rd Street, which is referred
to committee on zoning landmarks and building standards.
And all the person Robinson has proposed resolution, uh,
to call for hearings on establishment
and implementation of Chicago Fire Department Affirmative
action plan in compliance with the com.
Com in compliance with the collective bargaining agreement,
which is referred to a joint committee
of the Committee on Workforce Development
and the Committee on Police and Fire.
Your Honor, that concludes the presentation
of all thematic introductions. Thank
You very much. Unfinished
business. The chair recognizes Alderman Mitchell.
Mr. President, I'm aware
of two pieces of unfinished business.
The second piece of unfinished business has been withdrawn.
Therefore, the only piece of unfinished business
before is filed by Alderman LaSpada
and calls for a vote on SR
2 0 2 3 0 0 0 6 4 2 2, which was deferred
and published on January 24th, 2024.
Thank you very much. Auman Mitchell,
the chair recognizes Auman.
Lata.
Thank you very much. Chair.
Uh, before we vote, I would ask motion of the substitute
that's been placed on individuals desks.
The item in your pamphlet is the item that was deferred
and published that was voted on in the December Health
and Human Relations Committee.
The substitute is reflective of feedback from briefings
and calls that we've had from colleagues
and I would motion acceptance of the substitute.
There's a motion on the floor
to accept the motion of the substitute.
There's been a roll call for the substitution
that is being presented by Ottoman LaSpada.
So members, you will use your EVO application
to record your vote at this time.
And just for clarity, this is a motion
to accept the substitute solely by itself.
Is that right? So this is just for consideration
of the substitute that is being presented.
That is the only thing that you're voting on.
All right. The voting is now open. The voting is now open.
Please refresh your Eev device. The voting is now open.
Yes, the chair recognizes Alderman Spto. Okay,
Mr. President, I'm just looking
for a clarification.
So we're just handed a substitute, I don't know,
maybe an hour ago and been,
and this is, we're voting on something.
We're we're, we're voting on
to accept the substitute of something.
We're gonna be, we're handed an hour
that we're gonna be voting on, correct?
Yes. Okay. Chair recognizes Alman Sdo.
Thank you. Was There anything else you wanted to add?
I'm Ada. There we go. Sorry. There we go. I apologies.
It's okay. I I, it's, I have the, one
of us has glasses, the other desk.
Um, no, actually it was also
to be clear placed some individual's desks also emailed
out to all members yesterday.
All right. So it was emailed yesterday
and placed on the desk this morning.
Thank you very much. The voting is still open.
The okay, you all, do you have the alderman sdo?
Respectfully, just check your email, man.
I mean, I, I I don't know what time it was emailed.
Thank. Thank you Alderwoman Fuentes.
I will now call on those
that have not used the e-voting application to vote.
Alderman Mitchell.
Okay. Alder Mitchell. You just casted it. Alderwoman Harris.
Alderwoman Harris. The Yes. Alderwoman Coleman.
Alderwoman Coleman. Did you cast it? Okay.
Oh, I see it came through Alderman Moore, not pr.
Oh, alderman Moore. Sorry.
You're on, um, online. Alderman Moore.
Aye. Alderman Moore is a yes. Alderwoman Taylor? Yes.
Alderman is a, Taylor is a yes. Alderwoman Scott?
No, Alderwoman Scott is a no.
Alderman Burnett not in chambers. Alderwoman Cruz?
Yes. Alderman Cruz is a yes. Alderman Alderwoman mitts.
Alderman Spto. Alderman Alder.
Alderman Spto is a no. Okay. All the voting.
Anyone else that I missed? Okay.
The voting is now closed.
There are 30 yays 18 nays.
This motion passes Altman Mitchell on the motion
to reconsider the vote.
This president motion to reconsider all those in favor.
Re this vote. Reconsidering this vote signify by saying Aye.
All those opposed say no. And this motion fails.
Alderman Mitchell, I'm sorry. Thank you very much.
Very well. Chair recognizes Alderman Lopez.
Thank you, Mr. President.
Just as a matter of of order,
all her woman Ruth Cruz, was not granted the opportunity
to participate remotely. So if we wish to
Have her, is that a motion?
Thank you for that catch. Um, I was wondering.
I didn't see her and I heard her voice, but then
I would move to allow her to participate.
Thank you. There's a motion to allow for all woman Cruz
to also part remotely.
All those in favor signify, signify by saying aye.
Thank you. This motion carries. Thank you.
Ottman Lopez, chair recognizes Alderman Lasa.
There we go. Um, I mean,
before we, uh, I would ask a, a motion
to pass by roll call vote.
I I do, I expect there's those who would ask to speak.
I would ask to speak first to this. Thank you, sir.
Um, of course, at that point, I wanna say a few things.
I wanna say such gratitude to the room that we're in.
I wanna say my thanks to everyone in the gallery.
I appreciate the calls for restraint
and respectfulness and civility.
I cannot imagine how I personally
would feel capable of that.
With what you have witnessed, with
how those you love have hurt you impress me
by your courage every single day.
I am so grateful.
I am so grateful for the work of my colleague,
chairwoman Los Rodriguez Sanchez, in this for your,
for your compassion, for your courage,
for your consistent leadership.
I am forever grateful
and I am as deeply grateful for your accountability for all
of us to act and live true to our integrity.
And I very much appreciate that.
And I wanna save my deep thank
Alderman LaSpada. We're having a
tough time of hearing you. So
I It's Good. Yeah. I have this,
Yeah, turn my head to the side.
It's okay. And, and I just want
to thank Mike, appreciate it.
I appreciate it. Um,
and I wanna thank my colleagues in the room as well
for your being a part of this conversation, for being a part
of briefings, for holding really hard
and difficult and vulnerable spaces on this.
Whether we ended up agreeing on this vote
or not, I am grateful
for your partnership and collaboration.
And I mean that very deeply. I I will not try to
recount all of the horrors that you read in the news.
I will not try to do a grim calculus of
how many lives are worth, how many lives.
I I want to say off the bat that still
and truthfully, we condemned the violence
that happened on October 7th against the Israeli people.
Unspeakable, horrifying violence
That does not, I I will say to that,
that equally I condemn the violence
that has been visited upon the people of Gaza.
I, I cannot imagine it.
I I deeply and truly cannot imagine it.
I read one story yesterday of a woman who had
prayed with her husband, uh, at Mecca and,
and asked him to pray that he would live
to see his daughter grow up.
And he couldn't say that prayer
because he didn't believe it could happen.
And he is dead now and he is buried in a mass grave.
And if it was only for him, if it was only for him,
or only for any one of you, I would still cast this vote.
Um, but there are so much violence that has been visited
and this ceasefire is the path out of that violence.
Do I believe that the words that we speak today,
how we vote today influences directly international policy?
I don't, I don't have those allusions,
but we vote with hope.
We vote with solidarity.
We vote to help people feel heard
in a world of silence.
That is where I come from.
And I will only say two more things on this.
Nu number one that on the back end of this
'cause there will at some point be a ceasefire regardless of
how we vote today.
What happens after that is just as if not more critical
because there have been these sad seeds
of future violence already sown.
We know as a city that desperation, that poverty,
that trauma are the seeds and precursors of violence
and how we act and how we live
and how America chooses to invest in the future
of Gaza determines what fruit those seeds bear.
Um, to that end, I am grateful again for all of your
collaboration and support
and for bringing us if nothing else,
to this grateful conversation. Thank you.
Thank you very much. The chair
recognizes Thank you.
Thank you. The chair recognizes all the woman Silverstein.
Thank you very much. Please hold your responses till the end
of these presentations.
Please respect the body, all the woman Silverstein.
Thank you Mr. President.
I stand in opposition to this resolution.
Today is 116 days since the,
the October 7th terrorist attack.
116 days since 1200 innocent Israelis were murdered
and 240 people were kidnapped
for 116 days.
Those hostages have been living in hell 116 days.
They have suffered kidnapping, abuse, deprivation, and rape.
116 days they'll have been waiting for the world to stand up
for them and say their lives matter.
That Jewish lives matter too.
116 days is way too long.
28 of us signed a letter saying we wanted
to support a ceasefire resolution,
but we wanted one that was balanced
and didn't weaken Washington.
I remain grateful for the support of those 28 alders
and I have been working with this council to propose edits
and amendments for the resolution that would be acceptable.
However, my comments were ignored
and the resolution you are being asked
to consider is not a compromise.
We all want peace in the Middle East.
We all want an end to the bloodshed and an end to the war.
But it is vital to understand what caused the conflict
and we should pass a resolution
that addresses the issue responsibly.
Hamas has been clear they want to continue to attack Israel.
We should not pass a resolution
unless it makes clear that Hamas cannot
and should not attack again.
This resolution fails to do that.
Israel will, will not
and should not agree to a peace
that does not require a precondition.
The unconditional release of all the innocent hostages,
the women, children,
and babies who are dragged from their homes
and locked underground.
This resolution falls short in that regard.
The United States militaries under attack
and the US service members have died.
Our president is working towards
creating peace in the region.
At this moment, us
and Israeli negotiators are in Paris trying to make a deal.
The resolution before us seeks to reduce the power
of the US government and undermines that effort.
This resolution fixates on U un resolution 3 77,
also known as Uniting for Peace, which happens
to be the title of the substitute resolution.
This is something the president voted against in December.
American troops and assets are being attacked
and you are being asked
to weaken Washington's veto power in the United
Nations Security Council.
A right the US uses terrain in authoritarian governments
like Russia, North Korea and China.
Chicago. America's third largest city should not vote
to strip away President Biden's control over a US foreign
policy, especially not as we are inviting him here
for the Democratic National Convention.
The Chicago Tribune last week called the Sanchez la
resolution, divisive and a waste of time.
It pointed out that it encourages antisemitism at a time
when anti-Jewish hate is already up a whopping
360%.
The October 7th attack featured a level of
barbarity, rarely seen in modern society terrorists,
murdered babies, burned homes and decapitated victims.
Those of,
I'm not gonna speak until there's decorum.
Please continue All Women Silverstein.
Those of you who came to the recent video screening held
by the Jewish Federation can attest to how brutal
and depraved the attack was horrifically.
The attack also prominently included gang rape,
sexual mu mutilation and torture.
The video we watch shows many of the young women
who were murdered or taken captive.
You can see the blood all over their pants
as they are paraded through the streets of Gaza.
A silent testimony to the rape
and torture they went through.
This sexual violence is completely absent from Alders
Rodriguez Sanchez and La Spota ceasefire resolution.
There's not a single mention of the dozens of rape women.
No reference to the brutal depravity
that is now seared into the psyche of every Israeli
and every Jewish man, women and child.
This resolution fails to call for Hamas not
to attack Israel again.
Hamas is fired more than 10,000 rockets into Israel
since the war began.
They are fired, indiscriminate indiscriminately into
population centers and Hamas celebrates every time one
strikes a home or harms.
A civilian Hamas of officials have said
that October 7th was just the beginning
and they intend to carry out war terrorist attacks
until Israel is entirely destroyed.
How does this council accept a resolution that fails to call
for Hamas to disarm?
How do you support a resolution
that allows a terrorist regime to stay in power so
that it can continue
to attack the world's only Jewish state?
A democratic state with a 20% Muslim
and Christian population with full
and equal rights equal an ex extra
and an extraordinary record with regard
to the LGTQ community.
This
Some body will stand in recess.
All um, the sergeant
at arms police could room
The The Ds,
this area, this area.
Turn over.
I
Log into your e device.
Hi City council. If you can hear my voice,
please log back into your E devices.
We will start shortly. Thank you.
City Council will come back to order.
City council will come back to order.
Thank you. Alderwoman Silverstein, please.
Cont Is that okay? Yes.
Chair recognizes Alderman sdo.
You Mr. President, first of all, thanks for what you did.
I know your hand was forced. I know you didn't wanna do
that, but I commend you for doing what you had to do.
And secondly, I will request
that we give my colleague the opportunity
to start from the beginning again.
'cause she was very disruptive.
So I appreciate if it's okay with you
and it's okay with her to start all over.
There is a motion on the floor
for all the women's service team to be able
to start over her testimony.
There was a second. I don't, I don't know.
Do you want to start over? Yes, I
Would like to start over. Okay.
Well please,
you're welcome.
Thank you. As I said before,
I am opposed to this resolution.
Today is 116 days since October.
The October 7th terrorist attack.
116 days since 1200
innocent Israelis were murdered
and 240 people were kidnapped for 116 days.
The hostages have been living in hell 116 days.
They have suffered kidnapping, abuse, deprivation, and rape.
116 days.
They have been waiting for the world to stand up for them
and to say their lives matter.
That Jewish lives matter to 116 days
is way too long.
28 of us signed a letter saying we wanted
to support a ceasefire resolution,
but we wanted one that was balanced
and didn't weaken Washington.
I remain grateful for the support of those 28 alders
and I have been working with this council to propose edits
and amendments to the resolution that would be acceptable.
However, my comments were ignored
and the resolution you're being asked
to consider is not a compromise.
We all want peace in the Middle East.
We all want an end to the bloodshed and an end to the war.
But it is vital to understand what caused the conflict
and we should pass the resolution
that addresses the issues responsibly.
Hamas has been clear they want to continue to attack Israel.
We should not pass a resolution
unless it makes clear that ha Hamas cannot
and should not attack again.
This resolution does not do that.
Israel will not
and should not agree to a peace that does not require
as a precondition the unconditional release
of all the innocent hostages, the women, children,
and babies who were dragged from their homes
and locked underground.
This resolution falls short in that regard.
The United States military is under attack
and US service members have died.
Our president is working towards
creating peace in the region.
At this moment, us
and Israeli negotiators are in Paris trying to make a deal.
The resolution before us seeks to reduce the power
of the US government and undermines that effort.
This resolution fixates on UN resolution 3 77,
also known as Uniting for Peace, which is the title
of the resolution, the substitute
resolution that's before you.
This is something the president voted against in December.
American troops and assets are being attacked
and you are being asked
to weaken Washington's veto power in the United
Nations Security Council.
A right the US uses
to reign in authoritarian governments like Russia,
North Korea, and China.
Chicago. America's third largest city should not vote
to strip away President Biden's control over US foreign
policy, especially not as we are inviting him here
for the Democratic National Convention.
The Chicago Tribune last week called the Sanchez Lata
resolution, divisive and a waste of Time.
It pointed out that it encourages antisemitism
at a time when anti-Jewish hate is already a whopping
360%.
The October 7th attack featured a level of barbarity,
rarely seen in modern society terrorists, murdered babies,
burned homes, and decapitated victims.
Those of you who came to the recent Video screening held
by the Jewish Federation can attest to how brutal
and depraved the attack was horrifically.
The attack also prominently included gang rape,
sexual mutilation, and torture.
The video we watched shows many of the young women
who were murdered or taken captive.
You can see the blood all over their pants
as they are paraded through the streets of Gaza.
A silent testimony to the rape
and torture they went through.
This sexual violence is completely absent from Alders
Rodriguez Sanchez and LaSpada ceasefire resolution.
There is not a single mention of the dozens of raped women,
no reference to the bru brutal depravity
that is now seared in the psyche of every Israeli
and every Jewish man, woman, and child.
This resolution fails to call Hamas not
to attack Israel again.
Hamas has fired more than 10,000 rockets into
Israel since the war began.
They are fired indiscriminately into population centers,
and Hamas celebrates every time one strikes a home
or harms a civilian.
Hamas officials have said
that October 7th was just the beginning
and they intend to carry out more terrorist attacks
until Israel is entirely destroyed.
How does this council accept a resolution that fails to call
for Hamas to disarm?
How do you support a resolution
that allows a terrorist regime to stay in power
so it can continue to attack the world's only Jewish state,
a democratic state with a 20% Muslim
and Christian population with full and equal rights
and an extraordinary record with regard
to the L-G-B-T-Q community?
This resolution also fails to acknowledge any
of Hamas' culpability in the death of innocent Palestinians.
Hamas embedded its terrorist infrastructure
around Gaza's civilian population.
It builds tunnels under hospitals
and fires rockets from mosques.
Hamas uses the Gaza people as human shields,
but this resolution does not call for them.
Stop doing that. anti-Jewish hate is
at an all time high.
The Anti-Defamation League track more anti-Semitic incidents
in the three months since October 7th than it does in most
12 month periods.
One-sided biased resolutions like this one are part
of the reason why hate against Jesus spiking
when people are free are given free reign
to bash Israel in the Human Relations Committee
or in the middle of DS Savo Lakeshore Drive.
It puts Jewish lives at risk.
It creates an atmosphere where Jewish blood is cheap.
And on a personal note, I just wanna add my disappointment
and frustration with the
administration's handling of this vote.
We all want what's best for the city.
I don't understand why there was
so much personal political capital put
behind this when 28 Alders asked for collaboration
and there was absolutely no collaboration from the other
side we had.
And we continue to have opportunity to craft a resolution
that could have gained unanimous support
and instead, we once again have a deeply divided council
as the Chicago Tribune editorial board pointed out,
when opposing this resolution, you need to speak on behalf
of our entire city, Mr.
Mayor, it's time
to work on unifying this city instead of dividing it.
We could have used you
as a unifier here too, to my colleagues.
I urge you all to vote against this biased
one-sided resolution.
And I pledge to you that I will continue
to work in good faith towards a fair,
responsible resolution.
We can all support. Thank you.
You, the chair recognizes Alderman Lawson.
Thank you, Mr. President
and my colleagues and I, I'll be brief.
I have to run to an event in the award,
but, um, I, I want to thank my colleague Deborah Silverstein
for all her work on this
and the numerous, uh, compromises she put forward, uh, at
to improve the language that would've gotten us
to a unanimous resolution.
Um, I'd like to read some of the things
that were not accepted by the sponsors.
Um, it's two whereas clauses
and three be it resolved, uh, whereas the City
of Chicago calls for all hostages to be released immediately
and without conditions was not included.
Whereas the Chica Chicago City Council desires a situation
where Hamas, an internationally recognized terror
organization that does not represent all Palestinians,
is denied the ability to continue to attack Israelis
and put Palestinian civilians in harm's way.
The three be it resolves were those two items.
And, and city council calls on the world
to aid in the rebuilding of parts of Israel
and Gaza that were destroyed
or damaged starting on October 7th
and prevent any interference by the parties seeking
to prolong the conflict.
I guess I would like an explanation about what is so,
uh, damaging about those three.
Whereas clauses, uh, it would've been nice to get
to something that all of our communities can support, um,
but without condemning Hamas
or condemning their ability to attack Israel in the future.
I cannot support this.
I was in a briefing yesterday with one of my colleagues
who mentioned, well, what,
what, what should we be doing here?
I think it's pretty clear we have a responsibility
to keep our residents safe.
And we've neglected that by debating this
and dragging this out the way we have.
We have a responsibility to keep our Jewish residents,
our Palestinian residents, our Arab residents,
Latino residents, Asian residents safe.
And we're not seeing that our community on health
and human relations isn't talking about hate incidents
and working together to deescalate
or what we can do to come together as a city
or even approving our public health commissioner.
And those are the things that we have under our control.
Those are the things that we are responsible for.
And after today, I would ask my colleagues
that we refocus on those things that we can do
to help heal our city and keep our city safe. Thank you.
The chair recognizes
I have to leave for, uh, meeting of the ward.
If I could be attending remotely under provisions
of Rule 59, I would, I think
You have to be remote first and then we can approve it.
And I'm sure Alderman Lopez will be eager, uh, to make sure
that you are able to participate remotely.
Raise honor the chair
recognizes all the women lead.
Thank you, Mr. President.
I've said to a lot of my colleagues from the beginning
that I wanted to be a yes on a resolution
calling for a cease fire.
And I've been working in good faith to this end.
I thank my colleagues for working with me on the changes
to the resolution as we navigate this unfolding
humanitarian crisis.
Some of the changes that I requested, um,
are reflected in this language.
Others unfortunately are not.
But I've decided to vote yes today
despite not being aligned,
aligned despite not being aligned with 100%
of the words on this page.
Because I believe that we must send a message
that we stand for peace.
I know some people here who I respect greatly,
including Alder woman Silverstein.
I consider my friend will be disappointed with my decision,
my decision to those that have reached out to me
to ask me to vote no.
I want you to know that I've heard you
and I share your alarm at the rising antisemitism
that we've seen, not only in this
city, but across the country.
I also share your discuss with Hamas' brutal attack.
Alderman Silverstein invited me to watch a video
of compiled raw footage.
From October 7th, I accepted the invitation to bear witness
to the Hamas atrocities.
I've never seen hate like that before in my life.
The footage was harrowing
and it's gonna stay with me for the rest of my days.
Um, if I lost loved ones that way, I would want justice too.
The questions that I could not stop asking myself
during the viewing and still preoccupy my thoughts
are how will this end?
How do we interrupt this cycle of violence
and enter a path forward towards sustainable
and just peace in this region so
that nothing like this ever happens again?
So that Jews all over the world can be safe
and protected once and for all.
I believe that a durable peace begins with a ceasefire
and must lead toward a solution
that removes Hamas from power
and ensures true self-determination for Palestinians
and true security for Israelis.
For much of my 15 year career at United Airlines,
before I took this job, um, I led global humanitarian aid
and disaster response work.
I arranged for flights to help migrants when they were
released from detention and reunited
with their children at the US Mexico border cities.
And I got them to places
where they would look to rebuild their lives.
I did the same resettlement work for Afghan families,
escaping violence and repression
to resettle in the United States.
When I watch the news
and see children being pulled from rubble, um,
and lack the aid that's adequate to take care of them,
my instinct is to help.
I've heard many say, why are
we getting involved in this issue?
And I've asked myself the same thing. We're just alderman.
Yes, as alderman, our influence is limited,
but our voices aren't insignificant.
Every voice in fact matters.
One of the things we used to say at United in the work
that I did, every action counts.
An overwhelming number of my constituents have approached me
about this issue desperately wanting a ceasefire.
And as the alder woman of the 11th Ward, it's my duty to res
to represent them on the floor of the city council.
The fact is that the November ceasefire was the only context
with which we've seen Israeli hostages freed on
mass and it can be done again.
We want all, we want to see all
of the remaining hostages freed, and we have to,
and we have a model by which this can be accomplished.
We should listen to the please of the many loved ones, uh,
of Israeli hostages who are crying
for the Israeli government to focus on doing what it takes
to bring their relatives to safety immediately.
And I hope that everyone who's in the best position
to negotiate for a ceasefire in the Middle East are able
to arrive at one immediately
because we need the violence to end in Chicago.
We're seeing a frightening rise in both
antisemitism and Islamophobia.
Children at a Jewish school in Chicago had to be evacuated
because of a bomb threat, a bomb threat at a school.
Muslim and Palestinian residents at universities are being
dox, and I did have to find out what doxed meant
by the way I am that old.
Um, as long as the extreme violence towards civilians
continues, I fear
that this rise in hate is gonna continue to escalate.
And we as leaders have an obligation to stand up
and speak out and be a model for everyone else.
We need to unite for peace.
A call for a ceasefire should be something that is unifying,
not something that further divides people.
There's a lot of healing that needs to be done.
And my vote for this resolution is a vote
for the beginning of that very process.
Thank you, Mr. President.
Thank you. The chair recognizes Alderwoman Sam Nugent.
Thank you, Mr. President.
I would like to share the following statement signed by 23.
Alderman, including myself, we are all saddened
by the ongoing conflict in the Middle East.
We condemn all acts of violence aimed at Palestinian
and Israeli civilians, including all acts of terrorism,
as well as all acts of provocation,
incitement, and destruction.
We remain committed to working towards
sustained and permanent peace.
We believe that the United States is the best peace broker
in the conflict, and we support US foreign policy
as the best way forward toward a true and lasting peace.
We should all be incredibly concerned
that the Chicago City Council is contemplating supporting
United United Nations re resolution 3 7 7, also known
as Uniting for Peace.
The same resolution the United States voted against in
December of 2023.
Resolution 3 7 7 was the United Nations General Assemblies
attempts to override a US veto on a
security council resolution.
It weakens the United States influence on the international
stage in directly contradicts the White House's position on
foreign policy passing a resolution that is counter
to US international policy
and norms sends a dangerous message.
It undermines the interests of the United States
and hence the authority, the power,
and the influence of President Biden.
This is a particularly irresponsible
as three American service members were killed in an attack
on a base in Northeast Jordan on Sunday.
Further, as we contemplate the resolution
before US reports are circulating
that a potential ceasefire is being negotiated
by the United States and Qatar.
This resolution serves only to undermine those efforts.
Voting no on this resolution is not
synonymous with supporting violence.
It seeks to find a true path towards peace.
We need to address the violence here in Chicago
where we actually have jurisdiction.
Our communities are begging for us to focus on public safety
and education and ensure Chicago remains the vibrant
world-class city that we are all proud to call home.
We owe it to everyone.
This statement is signed by Alderman Brian Hopkins.
Alder person Gregory Mitchell. Alder person.
Michelle Harris. Alder person. Anthony Beal, Alder person.
Peter Chico. Alder person. Marty Quinn. Alder person.
Raymond Lopez. Alder person. Derek Curtis. Alder person.
Matte Alder person. Slv Tabba. Alder person. Monique Scott.
Alder person. Jason Irvin. Alder person.
Felix Cardona, Alder person. Scott Waba, Alder person.
Bill Conway. Alder person. Gil Viegas, Alder person.
Nick pdo. Myself, alderman Sam Nugent. Alder person.
Anthony Napolitano. Alder person.
Brendan Riley, Alder person. Timmy Knutson, Alder person.
Deb Bennett Lawson and Alder person Deborah Silverstein.
Thank you Mr. President. Thank you.
The chair recognizes Alderman Seigel Lopez.
Thank you, um, Mr. President.
And um, first let me thank um,
alderman Ra and all the women, um,
Rosa Rodriguez Sanchez for all the efforts
to reach a compromise that includes the voices
on not only of council members,
but the voices of all residents.
I do think that, and I I echo some
of the comments about our responsibility for the safety
of all our constituents.
So I remind us that we have the largest
Palestinian community in the country here in Chicago.
And we do also have a responsibility equally important to
preserve their safety.
I am extremely proud of
our Chicago public schools youth
and our students for seeing the obvious, for seeing
what's right for practice, what they're
hearing and learning.
And this is of course a resolution
that is non-controversial.
I mean, I think some of the arguments here on the floor
defy some logic when we're talking about a resolution
that does three simple things.
Number one, cease fire.
And I think that is not a controversial position.
In fact, as one of my colleagues just said,
there are already efforts on the way to reach a ceasefire.
The council is actually acting upon our responsibility
with our Palestinian constituents so
that these ceasefire happens expeditiously
as we almost in the fourth month of a brutal war slaughter
and what the international courts are
investigating as genocide.
So when we talk about the importance of being factual,
I will also encourage or media reporters, right,
because I think we have heard and seen some,
and I just wanna make sure for facts
because it's important that we speak with facts.
There's been some articles by the, uh, New York Times
that have been distributed.
These are allegations presented to us as facts.
And those facts are important
because with those allegations,
even humanitarian aid has been conditioned in a time
where we have 70% orgasms, almost 2 million people
who are affected 70% of the population of famine.
They're talking about a starvation.
We need to make sure that we reach humanitarian aid.
And when we question institutions,
even like the United Nations, I think we wonder here
if we're talking about a resolution
or we keep moving the polls
as we see suffering happening in front of us.
So when a challenge or media, and I think there's a call,
and I wanna be very public about this
because these articles were presented
and I think that the concerns
and the people uncomfortable in the audience when articles
are presented as facts.
In fact, there's a call by the gray zone, uh,
about answering some
of the question about journalistic
malpractice of the New York Times.
So it's important because we cannot condition humanitarian
aid based on allegations.
We need the facts. And I think that's what is important.
This resolution
and I think is overwhelmingly support
for our constituents come to make sure
that we talk about humanitarian aid.
And finally, and I think, I think there's some,
some really misconstruction here about saying
that we are not talking about the hostages.
This resolution also talks about liberating all hostages as
many families in Israel are asking.
So this is not a controversial resolution.
In fact, this is an urgent call for our federal government
to look at the issues locally that we are being dismissing
as we are in this web of misinformation
and propaganda presented as evidence.
I urge your colleagues, right?
And I think that's what I wanna not only echo, um,
for young people in CPS,
but I'm very grateful for the presence of
Reverend Jesse Jackson today in support of this resolution.
As well as the many faith
and leaders in our community who are worried about
hate crimes escalating in our communities, antisemitism,
Islamophobia, the anti other, the rise of white supremacy.
As we be pitching against each other today,
we have an opportunity to work on a resolution
that will encourage President Biden to actually
fulfill the commitment to reach a ceasefire.
Something has already worked out.
This is not a controversial resolution. Let me be clear.
And I think that I would like to end with this
because many of us profess right
or beliefs, um, for one, sometimes thinker
or beliefs must meet or actions.
So I will, I will just like to share a very important quote
because I like how young people are talking about this
and I think that they're using or values or principles.
And I would like to refer to Matthew 25, 35 to 40
for I was hungry and you gave me food.
I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink.
I was a stranger and you welcome me.
I was naked and you gave me clothing.
I was sick and you took me care and I was in prison.
And you visit me, then the righters will answer him, Lord,
when it will be that we saw you hungry and gave you food
or thirsty and gave you something to drink.
And it was, we saw the stranger and welcomed you or naked
and gave you clothing.
And when I was said, and I saw you sick and imprisoned
or visited you, and Jesus answered them, I truly tell you,
just as you did to me, of the least of, of you did,
on the least of these
or members of my family, you did to me.
So today, I urge my colleagues, many of us are parents, many
of us are community residents.
We all, and I think we, we all want peace as we said,
but how can we want peace and be against cease fire?
The fundamental contradictions that I think is important
that we as representatives of our community don't allow.
I'm, I'm grateful for all the person lead
because we know what hate crime looks in our community
and we cannot allow this to take over, especially
with events coming up.
So our urge, all our colleagues to look at the facts,
to look at our values and to vote for a resolution,
a diplomatic resolution that don't put funding in front
of others before our own communities.
So we are representing the best interest
of our constituents, but working on a resolution
that we actually encourage our president to act upon
what has been promised as ceasefire is critical in
that I am proud
because I know that the city of Chicago will vote
and make history as James Baldwin will say,
all children are all ours in our community.
We're a tight community, all our me, all our residents,
the serve, safety and respect.
So today we have an opportunity to do just that.
And I'm really proud of this administration
for have a democratic dialogue which will is going to take
to address historic conflicts
that did not start on October 7th.
And to get to that, we need a ceasefire, we need diplomacy,
and we need a government that worked for us
and not for other interests.
So I urge my colleagues to please support the solution
and start working on our local issues,
understanding the implications when we see this suffering
brutality play in front of us.
Let's not make mistake terrorism in this spreads.
And today we say no more.
We thi have a time to call for resolution that will help us
to reach peace and in stability in our
communities. Thank you Mr. President.
Thank you. The chair recognizes,
the chair recognizes Alder Fuentes.
Thank you Mr. President.
I wanna start by saying we all were elected to
make a difference in our communities
and represent the interest of our constituents.
And today we'll probably hear more about all of the things
that we should be doing other than this.
I feel confident in the work that I do in my ward every day,
the doors I knock on, the relationships I build
with constituents and the policies that I elevate
and ask you to vote on that's going
to build a safer Chicago.
You see, we could do both. And I'm confident that
after today's vote we will still do both.
I also wanna talk a little bit about
how our lived experiences determine on what side
of the issue we stand on
and how
that makes up our ideological framework and our politics.
So I wanna talk about my lived experience
and why it informs my unapologetic stance in supporting
today's resolution.
I'm a daughter of the Caribbean. I'm Puerto Rican and Cuban.
I'm culturally Puerto Rican, raised by a phenomenal woman.
Her name is Ida Fuentes.
My grandmother left Puerto Rico in 1950
because of the colonial reality
and experience that didn't allow her
to stay on the beloved island that she loved.
Grandmother was also a victim of Operation Bootstrap
la sorry, where she was
forced to no longer have children as a form
of population control in Puerto Rico,
where global gentrification has displaced Puerto Ricans from
their own island where more Puerto Ricans live in the US
than on the island because they can no
longer afford to live there.
My first national political act was to go to Vieques
to demand that the Navy stop bombing the very land
that Puerto Ricans lived on.
A place that has the highest rates of cancer today
because of the testing of those bombs on our land.
That colonial experience,
that fight for freedom
and self-determination, the desire
to just wanna be able to live in a place that we love
so much without being displaced is
what informs my solidarity with Palestinians.
And so I wanna say that to say
that we all have lived experience, right?
And we should all be able to be in a place
where we respect one another, where we lead with love
and care and expect the best from one another
even when we disagree.
There's no disagreement here that on October 7th
was a horrendous day was thousand 200 people,
innocent people had their lives taken.
240 hostages were taken.
There is no argument here
that we should condemn the acts of Hamas.
I'm not someone that believes in eye for an eye.
I'm not someone that believes that we should
continue mass murder and genocide in the name of justice.
I'm also a restorative justice practitioner
so you can understand why calling for peace is something
that I feel extremely passionate about.
I also wanna humanize our movement
because they have been demonized in this process.
We have organizers, leaders
and super brave young people
that practice their democratic right
to protest yesterday and today.
These are young people
and organizers who are feeling an immense amount of pain
every time they turn on the TV
or have to listen to the radio about maybe loved ones
being at risk or having already been lost.
Or institutions, hospitals, moss being bombed.
These are individuals that are articulating their pain
in the most democratic way possible.
So I wanna elevate the work of all organizers, our leaders,
and particularly our young people.
I also wanna talk a little bit about why it's important
for us to take a stance today.
Illinois has the largest Palestinian population in the US
and we are also the fifth largest state
to have a Jewish population in the world
fighting Islamic anti-Muslim
and anti-Semitism is the very fabric of this city.
Standing for this resolution doesn't make us anti-Semitic.
In fact, we are saying that we value life
and the ceasefire is absolutely necessary
in a moment in which we are watching.
Too many innocent civilian lives be taken more than half
of being Palestinian children.
The question today is, do we value human life?
Do we value children?
Do we value caring for those who are injured
and ill, the answer
to those questions is yes.
And voting yes
for today's resolution should not be a difficult one.
I know that folks, I some concerns about the way this
resolution was drafted and the nuances, whether we agree
or do not agree on the very detail that is articulated here.
The purpose of today is
to let our Palestinian constituency, our siblings, know that
Chicago stands with them.
They matter that we acknowledge their grief
and their pain, that our Jewish community
knows they matter.
That we value their grief and their pain.
We are a city of 77 neighborhoods.
It's what makes us so beautiful.
We quite literally have a world in the city.
And today we wanna let that world know
that we value their life.
So today I will vote yes for this resolution
knowing that this resolution demands for humanitarian aid
after ceasefires in place, that
that humanitarian aid reaches Gaza, west Bank,
Israel, and the broader region.
That is what we are asking for.
And so I ask my colleagues
to think about those lived experiences,
to think about your constituents, to think about the people
who are in immense pain today
and how they have exercised their right
to articulate that pain.
And they are asking us, they have demanded
of us to stand with them.
And so I will vote yes
and I hope that every colleague in this room does as well.
Thank you Mr. President.
Thank you very much. Alder Lawson,
um, has logged in.
Is there a motion to allow for Alder Lawson
to be included in remote participation?
Uh, sure. The chair recognizes Alderman Lopez.
Thank you Mr. President.
In accordance with Rule 59, I move
to allow Alderman's Lawson, Tobar
and Coleman who've all applied for remote access
to have participation in this meeting. What
Are, what are those names again?
Coleman Tabba and Lawson.
All right, very good. All those in favor
and allow for remote participation
for those three alters signify by saying aye.
Any opposed, say nay. Any opinion of the chair?
The ayes have that clerk.
Please make sure that the quo recognizes
that those individuals will be added as remote participants.
Chair recognizes Alder Will Hall.
Uh, thank you Mr. President.
Uh, today I stand on behalf of the 26,000 who've been killed
in particular 86 of which 8,600 of which who are children
close to 7,000.
Who are women in 8,000 who are missing?
I stand on behalf of the 240 hostages
and 1200 who have been killed as well.
I stand on behalf of those in the Sixth Ward
who have family members connected to Palestine as well
as those in the six ward who've contributed
to the wellness of our ward.
I stand on behalf of a colleague as well as Rada,
who's 20 years here in our country, works
so diligently in IGA
and yet cannot go back home
to Palestine where she comes from.
'cause she doesn't have access like everyone else.
I say 'em because the Bible teaches me
that blessed are the peacemakers,
but they should be called children of God.
Dropping bombs is not what children of God do.
Kidnapping innocent lives
and not returning them home is not what children of God do.
Taking away water and food
and basic needs is not what children of God do.
Ignoring the pain of those who are crying out for help
is not what children of God do.
Erasing the history of the oppressed is not
what children of God do.
We use his name and his image so much, especially last week.
But Dr. King once said, an eye for an eye
leaves us all blind.
Are we so blind as a country in a city
that we do not see the value of human life?
Are we so blind that just last week two kids went
to school and did not come back home
'cause they were gunned down, leaving school.
Are we so blind that we cannot see
that hate is destroying our city one block at a time
and trying to take our nation back to?
And so I asked us today that in the words
of Reverend Jackson, that we do stop the violence
and that we saved our children.
That we stop the violence
and save children in Palestine, children in Chicago,
we stop the violence that's tearing across our world.
Thank you, Mr. President.
The chair recognizes Alder Kon.
Thank you Mr. President
and thank you to everyone who's spoken today.
I'm gonna go ahead and read a statement
that I released this morning on medium
just to get it out there.
Um, in, in the open and verbally.
About a decade ago, I spent several months
between Israel and the West Bank.
I did so with the privilege of being able to cross borders
as a white Christian man with an American passport
who is not yet publicly out or presenting as lgbtq.
Plus. This experience rewrote my worldview
and solidified the belief that conflict resolution
of any kind can only begin with dialogue
and an attempt to understand the party on the other side
of the negotiation table.
While there, I was overwhelmed by experiences
of kindness from Christians, Muslims
and Jews on both sides of the separation wall.
And with many different points of view
striking up conversations everywhere I went,
be it in a coffee shop in Ramah,
in art gallery in Bethlehem, or a shared taxi in Jerusalem.
I found that there was a desire from both Israelis
and Palestinians to have their struggles understood
my journal entries from the time
summarized consistent interactions
of strangers sharing their personal stories,
stating a relentless hope for a better future,
and often expressing empathy towards the other
based on memories
and stories of times of shared life
between Israelis and Arabs.
Like many Chicagoans, I feel gutted by the murder
and kidnapping committed by Hamas on October 7th, an act
of terror against Israel,
which should be universally condemned
as it would with any nation.
This atrocity and the mission to bring the hostages ho
and the and the mission to bring the hostages home warranted
a measured military response by Israel.
Since then, I have been equally gutted
by Israel's ongoing response in Gaza,
which has killed more than 25,000 Palestinians.
I mourned for all innocent civilians lost in this conflict.
And for the large Palestinian
and Jewish communities impacted in Chicago
and worldwide to achieve a durable piece
that ensures long-term security for everyone involved.
A two-state solution should be advanced
by direct negotiations following international law
world powers should lead the implementation of a plan
to end Hamas' terrorist infrastructure Grant Palestinians,
the human right to self-determination that they have lacked
for decades and release all remaining hostages.
The time is now and I adamantly disagree with those who say
that this negotiation is not possible.
For years, Israel's prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has
set the path towards peace backwards.
He is opposed to two state solution.
He has expanded settlements into the Palestinian Territories
through home demolitions, and he has controlled water
and travel within the Palestinian Territories.
We won't reach a lasting piece in the region with Netanyahu
as a broker, the international community
must lead negotiations.
Alders are elected to focus on local public safety,
snow cleanup infrastructure, balancing the city budget,
and to make people feel engaged and connected locally.
The cease file fire resolution
that the city council will vote on this today
has become a flashpoint for division
that does not reflect all of the opinions I reflect above.
Accordingly, I will be, be voting no on this language
as it presents a false choice
and fails to mo promote unity for Chicagoans.
In recent months in city council chambers,
I have heard derogatory slurs from the public that come,
that cover the gamut from antisemitism to Islamophobia,
racism, xenophobia, and homophobia.
In the 43rd ward, we've locally responded
to numerous incidents of antisemitism such as hate language
and graffiti in our parks and on our neighbor's homes.
Why know that this resolution did not cause these incidents?
I also know that the way in which these conversations have
continued to be conducted have left many feeling
unsafe and alienated.
It is our job to work
to support all people in our communities in a way
that makes them feel supported
and not pitted against one another much as the fates
of Chicago and are bound together.
I'm convinced from my own personal experience
that the futures of Israelis
and Palestinians are inextricably linked.
One will only succeed as does the other.
While zero sum discourse may smother us all on social media
and in news headlines,
we must remain steadfast in the belief that a joint path
to peace is both possible and necessary.
I expect to know that many people will find parts
of this statement that they agree with
and parts that they disagree with.
To me, that is the complexity of being human.
And I pray that this conflicts negotiators
stay at the table when they are faced
with a parallel dilemma during times
of division and challenges.
I've been proud to see Chicagoans come, come together,
whether it relates to this conflict worldwide
or issues local to Chicago, we can choose to lead
with empathy for all. Thank you.
Thank you very much. Are there any other auditors
that wish to speak to this resident?
The chair recognizes Alderman Sdo.
Thank you Mr. President.
And once again, thanks for, uh, doing what you had to do.
I, I know it was an
uncomfortable thing, but you had to do it.
So just wanna start by saying, um,
I really appreciate the civility so far.
Um, and pretty much every speech so far was,
was a good speech, whether I agree
with your position or not.
So, uh, with that, I'm gonna start off by, uh, just,
I didn't write an e speech like a lot of other people did.
I've just been taking notes of not forgetting things to say,
so I'm just gonna be babbling off a bunch of bullet points.
So here we go. I just wanna write, remind everybody contrary
to what some people have said,
there was a ceasefire on October 7th, okay?
That ceasefire was violated by Hamas, not Palestine.
Hamas, I feel the Palestinian,
the poor Palestinians are living under a thumb,
a thumb like under a, under a, I don't know what to say,
but they're living under with, with Hamas in Palestine.
So, um, I believe everybody in this council know how,
no matter how divided we are,
believe you just divided us even more than we are
divided, unfortunately.
But no, everybody in this council wants peace.
Nobody wants war.
Um, we have a war going on in our city right now
and it just tears away at all of us.
So, um, so I just ringed that.
I don't think us passing a resolution is gonna change the
mind of Netanyahu
or Ismail, Hannah, Yaya,
whatever his name is, the leader of Hamas.
So they're not waiting for us to say, Hey, tell us
to stop the fighting and we're gonna stop.
That's just not gonna happen. Secondly, or not second.
Yeah, I guess secondly, I mean, okay, here it is.
Just handed a resolution at 10 30.
Yes, I was emailed it at five 30 last night. 5 36.
Actually I didn't see it. I'm sorry. I have a busy life.
Things have been crazy.
I guess maybe I should just check my
email every five minutes though.
I guess shame on me
for not checking my emails every five minutes.
Um, so just handed this basically hours ago.
Um, we need to release the hostages people.
I mean, that's a important thing.
I mean, you know, say what you want.
Unfortunately, I don't believe there's any hostages left.
It's a terrible thing to say.
I don't know that after seeing the terror, what happened
to these people after this video we watched
and every one of us that watched it,
this video will stick in our,
in our minds the rest of our lives.
It was horrific. Unfortunately, I wanted some
of my good friends to watch it, but they kept avoiding me
and ducking me, um, and wouldn't watch it.
So, um, I don't know. That's an unfortunate thing.
And it's also two
of my best friends in this council
on the opposite side of me.
So this is a, this is a bad thing, more division
amongst the council and that, and I'm not saying that me
and my two of my best friends here are not gonna be friends
anymore, but it's just an unfortunate thing.
War is a terrible thing that's going on all over the world.
We have it in in eastern Europe, we have it in Africa.
Um, once again, we have war in the city
and many of people have said that already.
I heard some people bragging about how great it was.
The students with their protesting, you know what,
not a single one of you
and not a single one of the media over there
reported you are proudly reported about students protesting.
You didn't say a damn word about racist comments, chanting
and anti-Semitic chants that they did.
Not a one of you, not one channel,
not one radio station, not one piece of paper.
Shame on you for that. Okay?
Um, I heard from some people in my arguments with them,
A resident called me,
got unfortunately got in in a little argument
with a young student out there when we left
yesterday, they were blocking the street.
They were laying in the state streets.
One person told me it's all ai.
And another person asked me if I was there
to see the terror that happened in Israel.
So, um, I did watch the video. So I don't believe it was ai.
I wasn't there. It was a terrible thing.
I know a lot of people don't wanna make this vote.
And if any of you'll walk out on
this, I don't, I don't blame you.
I'm not gonna hold it against you.
I know it's a, it's a, it's a tough thing.
Hamas is not only threatening Israel people,
they're threatening America.
They're one goal in life is to wipe out Israel
and to wipe out America.
That's not ai. They're saying it all the time.
They're bragging about killing Jews.
When we saw that video, some of you that saw it,
you had a guy, a young man,
I'm assuming he was in his twenties bragging,
calling his mother, calling his mother.
Can any of you imagine calling your mother
and bragging that you killed 10 people with your bare hands?
I'm a hero mom. I killed 10 people in my bare hands.
Just unbelievable.
Uh, and don't forget, Hamas, is it, is it, you know,
at the top of our terror list over here?
Um, you know, they're not our friends. They don't like us.
Uh, once again, heard from many of my constituents.
Many of 'em asked me not to support this.
Many of 'em did it. Some asked me to support it.
Many ask me not to support it.
So we're at threats right now.
People may, maybe not some of you that are supporting this,
but guy, people like Napolitano or Nugent
or myself that are against this.
I called the 16th district today, asked 'em
to put a squad at my office because of the threats.
So got a little beef with a young guy here today.
You know, I know none of you are for that.
None of you're saying this is what this was about.
You wanna see people marching on my office threatening me
or the girls in my office.
So, but that's about it.
Just wanna remind everybody what's going on.
I, once again, I appreciate the civility.
I was hoping more people will be talking.
I know a lot of people feel they're in awkward positions.
Um, but appreciate the opportunity to speak Mr.
President and thank you very much.
Everybody, everybody, even the ones I don't agree with.
Just thank you so much for the civility about your comments
and it's some good discussion,
but unfortunately I know where the vote's going.
Deb, you know where the vote's going.
We got out work, so they beat us. Oh really?
They're just gonna pass.
Yeah, I know. I found a little spot.
Alright. I know you're with us Bennett,
but we're, we're, unfortunately we're gonna lose.
So, but with that, thank you Mr. Henry. Thank you Mr.
President. I appreciate the opportunity to speak.
Thank you very much. Uh, please remind our pe our members
who are participating remotely, uh, to remain muted
until you are or unless you are acknowledged.
The chair recognizes Alderman Desmond Yancy,
Um, Reverend Martin Luther King,
who's birth we celebrated just a couple short weeks ago
once said that injustice anywhere is injustice anywhere.
And that's why I stand in support of this resolution.
I stand because I stand for peace.
I wanna be clear though my heart grieve for all the people
of both Israel and Palestine is they're all suffering an
imaginable grief as this armed conflict is
raged on for generations.
This resolution, however, like much
of our work in this body is both well-intentioned
and imperfect, but we shouldn't allow our pursuit
of perfection to outweigh our
support for peace in the region.
And while this resolution before us is the product
and thoughts of thoughts
and concerns of many of my colleagues, all
of whom are concerned about the violence 6,000 miles away,
just last week, uh, less than six blocks from here,
two children murdered in broad daylight
just steps away from their school.
Two weeks ago, a 2-year-old was shot and killed in Roseland.
And just two days ago, another teen was injured in
a shooting in Washington Park.
I wish there was as much concern for the victims
and survivors of senseless violence in our city as there is
for senseless violence in and around Gaza.
I also wish there were similar concern for the dozens
of missing black women
and girls declared missing on the south and west sides.
In fact, the sense of urgency
to address the atrocities in Gaza would've been more
appreciated if there was a real sense of urgency
to ease the suffering on the south
and west sides of the city.
And to my colleagues, a value, the time and energy
and effort that was put together as a work
to create a resolution for peace in the Middle East.
However, I've heard from Chicago residents
who would've appreciated a similar effort
to address the plight of citizens of this city.
Ralph Bunch, recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize in 1950
for his work mediating.
The conflict between Israel
and Palestine spoke of the qualities
that mediators should possess.
And he said they should be biased against war
and for peace, they should have a bias which would lead them
to believe in the essential goodness of their fellow man.
And that no problem of human relations is insoluble.
They should be biased against suspicion
and tolerance, hate religious and racial bigot bigotry.
Members of this body are asking us
to mediate today's conflict in the Middle East.
And I pray that after today's vote, we're able to walk
together, work together
and focus on providing solutions for other pressing issues
like rising violence, the effects
of disinvestment in the black community,
and begin to close the book on the tale
of two cities in this city. Thank you.
Thank you. The chair recognizes Alderman, Scott Wapac.
Thank you Mr. President.
Um, thank all my colleagues for all their comments so far
and those to come.
Uh, I've thought long and hard about this as well.
Um, I've worked in some of those conflict zones as well.
And the trauma that this conflict has created really has
implications for generations to come, not just in Gaza
and Israel, but throughout Chicago land.
But I'm voting no today
because of the divisive process
that I was worried was disrespectful to some of the members
of those communities,
but also with the disrespect among colleagues.
And that is where I think we've reached the height
and the change that we need to see within this body
to get back to a time when we negotiated fairly
openly without that divisive behavior
that I think has tainted a lot of this process
as we got to this point today.
It's been very unfortunate to see
and I hope that we can get back to a, a day when we speak
with respect to each other
and not with the toxicity that has really
gone too far in this body.
I wanna be clear that I think we do need a push
for a negotiated piece that yields the release
of all hostages
and that creates a, a situation
where we see the medical aid, the food, the resources
that the people of Gaza need, including clean water
every day and address all the humanitarian disaster
that has happened in Gaza.
And again, put an end to the bombing.
As we stated earlier here at home, I know a lot
of us have seen an influx of Islamophobia
and antisemitism that is unacceptable.
The stuff that is going up on taggings throughout our
neighborhoods, in front
of Jewish schools, in front of mosques.
And it's not one against the other.
It's the right wing that comes in and says stuff.
Uh, far right.
Organizations that post up Nazi slogans all built up
because of this fervor around Gaza
and what's happening here at home as well.
So many people in Chicago have been
personally affected by this crisis.
Jewish Chicagoans with relatives in Israel, friends
or family who were taken a hostage on October 7th,
but also Palestinian families here in the United States
with friends and families there in
Gaza and throughout the region.
So we must remember throughout this, whether we vote yes
or no, that this does have an impact on all sides.
What I wanna see is an end to violence in the Middle East,
but that again has to happen
from somebody higher up than us.
What we need here in Chicago is a focus as a couple
of my colleagues have already stated on the crimes
that seem unacceptable but have not been addressed.
Five-year-olds dying in shelters, young men,
just a couple blocks from here,
being gunned down in broad daylight.
What is our response to that?
Ladies and gentlemen?
We want a city where people should be able to speak,
speak freely like today in a city that
that remains a safe place for all of our cultures that come
to the city and look for that safety
that they might not have in their own country.
I want to hear the diversity of viewpoints
and I want to hear from each one of you,
but we have to do it with the sense that we can speak freely
and not be criticized, not be ridiculed
for the positions that we take.
Say your peace on the facts and move on
and vote as you wish.
I wish to vote no. Respectfully. Mr. Mayor. Thank you.
Thank you. The chair recognizes Alderman Raymond Lopez.
Thank you Mr. President and good afternoon.
Members of the city council.
I rise in opposition
to this resolution for all of the reasons many
of my colleagues have already mentioned,
but there are a few reasons that I find this
attempt at us engaging in
international affairs, both, both misguided
and intentionally, excluding the facts that are necessary
as we try to pretend that we are international
diplomats in this room referring
to various UN charters, things of that nature.
It's amazing to me that this body
can single handedly skip.
One of the other most fundamental international
treaties known as the Geneva Convention.
The Geneva Convention passed 75 years ago says
quite clearly
the prohibition against the taking of hostages,
the prohibition against violence
to life and persons that includes mutilation,
cruel treatment and torture.
These are things that are not inconsequential.
These are things that are part of civilized life
for the past seven and a half decades.
And yet here we are today, acting as though all of that
that has transpired in the last 116 days
is inconsequential to this topic.
We are talking about
how do we bring peace to an area
where there was a ceasefire, where there
and telling those that are
giving their response to a terrorist attack,
that they are the ones that are in the wrong.
That they are the ones who have to stop firing
gold of my ear once said, you cannot negotiate peace
with someone who has come to kill you.
That is exactly what happened on October 7th
when Hamas terrorists came to Israel to kill them,
to take their children to do inexplicable
and unacceptable crimes to people who were
otherwise going about their day.
The irony, Mr.
President, as I've heard today,
we talk about fundamental contradictions, is
that there's no call for ceasefire on any
of the other nearly dozen conflicts in the world at present.
Houthis and Yemen fighting killing, nobody cares.
Not a peep out of this room.
Syria and Iran bombing each other mercilessly
any resolution for that today, tomorrow, yesterday
we have seen Russia invade
the Ukraine for months.
But no one's telling Russia to stop.
And in this scenario, based on what we're doing today,
we'd be telling the Ukraine to stop defending itself.
We look to Africa
and we see where 50,000 Catholics have been
massacred in Nigeria.
They call it the great
African martyrdom.
And not one of you has stood up to say anything about that,
but we are going to tell Israel
that they cannot defend themselves.
I wonder what the difference is.
It's quite clear to me
and to many that while we are talking about trying
to build bridges while we're trying to talk about peace,
while we're trying to talk about
how do you bring people together,
you can't do it when you start from a place of hate.
And there is hate in the hearts of many who are choosing
to rewrite the narrative of what is going on
that they could justify how to continue forward.
When I was standing right here one week ago when we were
talking about the liberation of Auschwitz, I remarked
that it was, that it was something
that has been said time and time again.
How did we get to this point?
Ladies and gentlemen, this is how you get to that point.
This where you refuse
to acknowledge the truth in all its forms.
Cherry picking the parts, the words, the Bible verses
that you wish to choose to justify what you do,
what you say, and how you move forward.
So allow me to remind you, those of you who wish
to bring faith into this, most of us are very familiar
with 10 little rules to live by right?
10 commandments. I think most of us in this room know well.
And while we're talking about everything
that's being given forward, what happened to the most basic
thou shall not kill people intentionally went
into Israel to kill people.
While you talk about how we address all of that,
there's half the 10 commandments have been violated.
While you talk about which Bible verse you wanna use,
about which quote you wanna give,
but we're cherry picking again.
We're cherry picking still.
I cannot cherry pick the facts of
what has happened and the fact that I know
that two years ago I was there, I had the honor
of seeing what it's like to see
how individuals live together.
And also knowing and seeing firsthand from the guard posts
that you cannot accept your enemies
for anything more than what they are.
If Hamas terrorists did this, they will do it again.
They have continued their unrelenting siege in response
to Israel's right to sovereign protection.
This resolution, because it
does not fully recognize the importance of everything
that has gone on in its totality is wrong for this body.
What we have seen from members all throughout this building,
elected or otherwise, is an attempt
to change narratives rather than focus on the truth,
focus on the facts, and focus on a way
to bring people together that is meaningful in our city.
And yes, there are plenty of other things
that we can talk about, but I will be the first to remark
that this council has had a storied tradition
of opining on issues beyond the scope of our borders.
So I do not fault people for that,
but what I do fault is our inability to walk
and chew gum at the same time.
We have ignored every important discussion in this city
for months with this becoming the priority.
It is shameful. It is abdication of leadership
and it is a failure by this body to focus on the things
that people want us to focus on within our communities
that cannot be understated enough
because I too know how to open my office doors.
I too know how to handle my service requests.
But I also know that at a time when we have
so much chaos in our own city,
where we are judged is by what we can actually affect.
This is a diversion of the worst, worst kind
because we are trying
to divert everyone's attention from the failures going
on in our city right now.
And that is something that I cannot be a party to.
Thank you Mr. President.
Thank you. The chair recognizes.
So I have Gardner and then I have the sponsor
who has asked for deference to close.
So if there are no other speakers
after Gardner, I will recognize Alder woman
Rodriguez Sanchez.
Are there any other alders that wish to speak
after Alderman Gardner?
Seeing no other hands,
the chair recognizes Alderman Gardner.
Thank you, Mr. President.
Um, I will begin as I did on October 13th when we met,
uh, by expressing my sincere condolences
to all the lives lost both Israeli and Palestinians.
Um, I think we all share that. We all agree on that.
I want to thank Alderman Silverstein once again
for being a strong voice for the Jewish community.
I can't imagine the challenges that you continue to face.
Um, I have the utmost respect for you in the work
that you are doing, you continue to do
for the Jewish community.
Alderman, LaSpada Alderman, uh, Rodriguez, thank you
as well for writing this, uh, resolution.
Is it perfect? No, absolutely not. It's not.
Um, there could be a lot
that we could add or take away from it.
Um, but I believe in my heart of hearts that it's an,
it's a move in the right direction.
It helps bring attention, um,
to both the Israeli over 1200 Israelis
who died on October 7th, the 25,000 Palestinians,
over 25,000 Palestinians that have died
since October 7th.
Each of us have about 55,000 residents in our ward.
Could you imagine half of your ward when you go back
to your ward to be dead?
12,000 of which are children.
I know many of you in here have children as well.
Um, and I know Israelis are also dealing
with even one life is is one too many.
Again, we can all agree on that,
but the amount of lives that we have lost
right now, we have, I I believe in my heart of hearts,
we have to take a stand
and show that we are acknowledging
what is going on, has to stop.
How much are we gonna let this go without saying
anything enough.
I've had the pleasure of traveling quite a
bit throughout my life.
I've been to many different places, been exposed
to many different cultures.
Um, I have not had the pleasure of going
to Israel or Palestine.
Um, hopefully one day I, I I can.
But in my travels
and I've been in many Arab countries, um,
one where I can actually picture where I'm hitchhiking, um,
uh, 'cause I'm backpacking in this country
and this farmer, this farm, poor farming
man picks me up and he, he doesn't speak any English
and I don't speak Turkish and, and I don't speak Arabic,
but I I I know a little bit of Arabic
and I just remember us sitting in this car
and he's looking at me and I
just told him where I had to go.
And he, he understood enough.
And I remember when I left, uh, him saying, Elham, Lela
Elham Lela.
And I was interested enough to know, like,
what is he saying to me?
You know, and the Muslims in my community, as well
as the Jewish people in my community have been
overwhelmingly open to me and, and,
and welcomed me into both of their communities.
Um, and
getting back to what this gentleman was saying,
but it, it, it was praise God,
thank God, ham Lela.
Praise God in the best of times.
But more importantly, in the worst of, in the worst
of times, praise God, ham Lela.
Um, on October 13th, I stood here
and I said, we, a lot of us, many of us, if not all of us,
say we wanna be a voice for the voiceless.
We are blessed
to have Alderman Silverstein be a representative
for the Jewish community.
We had another alderman Alderman Smith,
who's a representative for the Jewish community.
We had Mayor Emmanuel, the mayor of our city
as a Jewish mayor.
And I also mentioned how,
I don't know if we've ever had a Muslim, a
person in the city council.
We definitely haven't had a Palestinian
member in the city council.
And I think it's very important to let people in
that community know that even though
that you are not physically represented on this floor,
that there are people who hear your voices.
We hear you. And I,
I don't wanna only commend the Palestinians
who have reached out to me and, and Muslims in general,
but also Jewish people.
I tip my hat to the amount of Jewish people
who have reached out to me to say, vote in favor of this.
We want this to stop.
Not that this is going to be the answer to everything,
but I, I thought that that was the utmost,
I had the utmost respect for those individuals to reach out.
I had Jewish people who also called me
and said, I want you to vote.
No. I want that to be clear as well.
But I didn't have a single Muslim call me
and say, I want you to vote no on that.
And in order for me to do my part, to be a representative
of my community, I have to be a representative of everyone.
And I'm trying my very best, as I know each of you are,
regardless of your decisions.
As, as my colleague Alderman Spaza said,
we are on the opposite sides of this track.
Um, but, uh,
I just, I, I, I guess at the end of the day, I, I want it
to be known that the people of our community,
your voices are heard, whether you're pro this resolution
or against this resolution.
Um, so I will be voting in favor of this resolution today.
Thank you. Our final speaker on this resolution,
the chair recognizes order.
Ana Rodriguez Sanchez.
Thank you, Mr. President.
Um, I want to start by thanking every one of my colleagues
that engage with the dialogue to get to this resolution.
Um, I am sorry to the people
who feel like they were not heard
or, um, that didn't agree with the process.
I feel like I did my best, as did, um, alderman LaSpada
to make sure that people knew where the process was at,
what was in the resolution.
I asked for feedback. We did it repeatedly.
Um, but I have learned a lot in this process,
and I am, um, very committed to doing better
every time that we have to engage in,
in one of these processes.
Um, here in city Council,
we are tasked with a lot of different things.
And we know that being an elder person comes
with a variety of things.
Sometimes we are dealing with potholes
and, um, zoning changes,
or we can be tasked with
speaking up around something
that is not necessarily happening in Chicago,
but that is having an impact in our communities.
And we cannot deny that this has an
impact in our communities.
And not only because we have
the biggest Palestinian population in Chicago, and not only
because we have the fifth largest Jewish population in
the world, but because we are human beings
and we are seeing what is happening
to human beings away from here.
Um,
so I, I, I do wanna thank the people who,
who engage with the process.
Um, it's been almost four months
since the devastating events of October 7th happened,
and our city, as many other cities across the country
have been in mourning.
Chicago land is home
to the biggest Palestinian population in the country,
and the fifth biggest Jewish population in the world.
Both communities have been navigating the impact
of horrific violence and destruction.
Billions of dollars have been spent on sending weapons
and killing mostly women and children.
This money that could go towards addressing needs in our
city, money we could use to prevent violence,
to house people, to protect survivors of domestic violence,
to provide comprehensive healthcare to our communities,
expand mental healthcare, feed people.
The bombardment of GAA has been constant
for the last four months.
Thousands of leaders across Jewish mus, Muslim
and Christian have called for a ceasefire.
Just a few days ago,
1000 black pastors representing hundreds of thousands
of congregants nationwide, urged President Biden
to call for a ceasefire.
Part of this group is very own Reverend Dr.
Aus Moss of the Trinity United Church,
who helped raise money
for a full page New York Times ceasefire ad from local black
congregations in November.
Yes. Uh, a few days ago, our own Reverend Jesse Jackson's
and Rainbow Push sent all of us a letter asking us
to support this resolution.
As the minutes pass, more
and more people are being killed and displaced.
We as elected officials have the power to save lives
by uplifting a demand that is now shared by many
and to be on the right side of history.
In Illinois, many
of our elected officials have already
called for a ceasefire.
Senator Dick Durbin,
representative Chui Garcia, Jonathan Jackson de Ramirez,
Illinois States, Senator Carina Viga, Robert Peters,
Rachel Ventura, and many others.
San Francisco, Detroit, Atlanta, Minneapolis,
Oakland, Seattle, St.
Louis, and Dustin's
of other cities across the nation have already passed
resolutions, calling for a ceasefire in GAA
as a democratic and progressive city.
Chicago should be at the forefront of calling
for a ceasefire in accordance with justice, in accordance
with justice and international law standards.
A resolution uplifts urgent, urgent demands
for an immediate ceasefire on unconditional release
of all hostages
and allowing humanitarian aid to enter gaa.
I'm going to say that again.
What our resolution calls for
is an immediate humanitarian ceasefire fire
on unconditional release of all hostages
and allowing humanitarian aid to enter gassa.
This includes basic necessities like water, food,
and critical medicine.
Why is it urgent that we pass this resolution?
Over 26 Palestinians now have been killed.
The majority of them are women and children.
There are people that are still digging through the rubble
for their loved ones, for their babies.
Weeks of digging through the rubble.
I've been thinking a lot about how
this situation, in the process of working
to pass this resolution, became deeply personal to me.
And some of it is for the same reasons that my colleague
of the 26th mention.
I am Puerto Rican. I lived under colonialism.
I had to do civil disobedience in Vieques
to prevent 9,000 people from continuing
to be bombed by the US Navy.
But we also went through Hurricane Maria.
We saw the bodies piling up
because of lack of water.
We are the colony of
the most powerful country in the world
with the most powerful army in the world.
And they let 5,000 people die of preventable causes.
And we saw the bodies piling up, and there was no space
because there was so many.
And we still had to go to work every day knowing
that people were dying and people died
because there was no electricity
and they couldn't do dialysis, blood, trans transfusions.
And we had to show up every day in our lives
knowing that people were dying every day
and that we couldn't do anything about it.
And I see the Palestinian community facing
that every single day.
And knowing that today more people are gonna die,
and that tomorrow more people are gonna die
and people are going to continue to die
until a cease fire is achieved.
And the only way to achieve that is
to demonstrate consensus in this country.
And I remember how outraged everybody was when Trump
showed up to Puerto Rico
and threw paper towels at my people.
People were incredibly disturbed by that behavior.
So when our governments don't do what they need to do,
we do need to speak up.
We have that responsibility towards people.
We have the responsibility to say
that we don't want anymore war.
That it is time to protect lives,
that babies don't deserve to die.
They didn't do anything wrong,
that they shouldn't have to be orphaned.
There's about 50,000 pregnant women in Gaza right now.
They are giving birth intense.
They are having complications.
There is no food for them to be able to have the health
that they should have.
There are women having periods
and not having absolutely any resources in order to be able
to care for themselves using pieces of tents
as sanitary products.
Known of the 36 hospitals in GAA is operational.
Amputations are being done without anesthesia.
Yes, we have many issues in Chicago that need our attention,
and I believe that we can make space for all of them.
We can continue doing the work of implementing treatment.
No trauma. We can continue building the Peace book.
We can fund violence prevention.
We can work on providing housing by bringing Chicago home.
Many of us have been doing this work for years.
Last night I was at a treatment, not trauma town hall.
Tomorrow I'm gonna be at a violence prevention convening.
This weekend I'm gonna be at Roosevelt High School,
supporting young people at a resource fair.
I am doing all of the work.
I I have participatory budgeting right now in my ward.
And it is being run in part by young people in my community.
We get engaged our communities.
We can do the work, we can work on policy, we can do it all.
And I'm here to do it with you as well
because we should be collaborating.
If we are committed to peace and liberation.
We have to be committed to peace
and liberation for all oppressed people.
We can continue to work on caring for all our neighbors
and also make space to tend to our communities.
At a moment of such intense pain
and devastation, we need to add our voice
to the growing number of people demanding peace.
One of the reasons we have so many atrocities in history is
because the people who could have done something
or said something at that time remain silent.
I don't want us to be those people.
I don't want this city that I love so deeply
to go down in history as the ones
who were silent when a whole nation
of colonized people was being destroyed.
And as innocent people we're being bummed.
I really hope that
as a council we can support this resolution.
And I am also ready to work with all
of you tomorrow. Thank you.
Thank you very much. Alder.
Ada has a pending motion or a roll call.
Vote for the passage of this item.
Members, please use your Evo application
to record your vote at this time.
Madam Clerk,
The voting is now open. Please hit refresh.
The voting is now open. May be delayed. Just a second.
'cause it's opening, but it will be open in a moment.
Here you go.
I will now call on those that have not voted
for a voice vote.
Um, Alderwoman. Pat Dowell not present.
Alderwoman Coleman not present.
Alderman David Mor on those that have not a vote.
Oh, Al is that Alderwoman Coleman? Okay.
Alderman. Uh, David Moore. Al Aye.
Alderman David Moore is a yes. Alderwoman Taylor? Yes.
Alderman Taylor is a yes. Alderwoman. TOAs
Alderman. Teris votes no
Alderwoman. TOAs
is a no.
Um, Alderwoman Scott?
No. Alderwoman. Scott is a no.
Alderman. Burnett not present.
Alderwoman
mitts not present.
Alderman Spto.
Alderman Spto is a no. Alderman Lawson?
No. Alderman Lawson is a no.
Yeah. I'm gonna go back and check. I'm just getting through.
Alderman Lawson is a no.
Um, I wanna go back and check
with Alderwoman Coleman if you're online.
Okay. Alderman Alderman Coleman is not present.
Did anyone vote that I missed?
Okay, we are closing the vote. The vote is now closed.
Alright. There are Thank you Madam Clerk.
There are 23 yays,
23 nays per statute.
Mayor can vote in the following
scenarios when there is a tie
or where one half
of all the persons elected have voted in favor
of an ordinance resolution promotion
even though there is no tie.
Uh, so I will exercise my vote and my right and I vote.
Aye there are
24 yays.
23 nays.
This motion passes Alderman Mitchell
on a motion to reconsider.
Oh, okay.
A motion to reconsider you move to reconsider this vote.
Yes. All right. Alderman Hall, um, makes a motion
to reconsider this vote.
All those in favor signify by saying Aye.
All those opposed say no. This motion fails.
Alderman Mitchell, are you aware
of any other unfinished business?
Ms. President? I'm not aware of any other
Business. Thank you very much. Miscellaneous
business
chair recognizes Alderman Mitchell. Ms.
President, except for the ordinance.
Set the date and time for the next meeting.
I'm not aware of any miscellaneous business.
Date and time of the next meeting. Um, alderman Mitchell,
I've handed up an ordinance
to the clerk setting the date and time of the next meeting.
Adam Clerk, please read the ordinance
Being ordained by the City Council, city of Chicago.
Section one. The next regular meeting in the city council.
The city of Chicago shall be held on Friday,
February 16th, 2024, beginning at 10:00 AM
Alderman Mitchell.
It's, I'm sorry, Madam Clerk, were you finished?
Oh, no. Oh, oh.
In the council chamber on the second floor in City Hall.
1 21 North LaSalle Street, Chicago, Illinois. Section two.
This ordinance shall be take effect,
enforce from after its passage.
Gregory Mitchell, alderman Seventh Ward.
Um, Ms. Okay. Thank you. Alderman Mitchell.
Hearing no objection.
So ordered on the Al Omnibus Alderman Mitchell. I
Moved that matter in the omnibus.
I'm sorry. I'm sorry. Oh, there was no omnibus.
No, that's right. Okay. We can move. Passage by voice. Vote.
All those in favor signify by saying aye. Aye. Any opposed?
Say no. Uh, so ordered uh,
Ottman Mitchell on a motion to adjourn Mr.
President, there are no further business
before this body. I move that we adjourn.
There are no objections. So ordered.
This meeting is adjourned.