Peoria approves $9.87 million mixed-use warehouse district, 825 Adams LLC project unanimously

good evening everyone it is 6 o'clock p.m.

on Tuesday February the 13 2024 I'd like to call the meeting of the Peoria city council to order I'd also like to welcome everyone that's here in our city council chambers as well as our audience listening on uh wcbu at also like to welcome the audience watching on cable channel 22 Madam clerk Council mics are open please call the role mayor Ali council member Allen council member sear council member Gordon young council member graab here council member Jackson here council member Kelly here council member Oiler here Council CC member riggenbach here council member velpula and council member vesa here you have a quorum present Madame mayor thank you Madame clerk everyone please join me and stand for a moment of Silent prayer or silent reflection followed by the Pledge of Allegiance Al United States ofer to the for stands one nation God indivisible andice Madam clerk I have a special notice I want to read uh this is a notice to our Township electors pursuant to Public Act d761 if you desire to have an item considered on the agenda at the annual town meeting to be held Tuesday April 9th 2024 at 6:00 p.m.

you are required to bring a specific request signed by 15 or more electors to the township clerk's office no later than Friday March 1st any group of registered voters May request an advisory question of public policy for consideration by the electors at the annual meeting by giving written by giving written notice of the specific advisory question to the Township Clerk in the same manner as required for an agenda item under subsection B of section 30-10 of the Township Code Madam clerk we are at proclamations okay before we actually go into proclamations I have a recognition we have a city counil a former city council member that has passed away and I would like to acknowledge le le bergston tonight we send our heartfelt condolences to the family and friends of councilman Lester D bergston who served 20 years on the Poria city council and was known for dedicating his life to this community he served our country for 37 years in the United States Air Force Reserve with the rank of Lieutenant Colonel he served for 29 years as the US Air Force Academy's local liaison officer he worked as an engineer for 40 years with caterpillar the company that brought him to Peoria after his early upbringing in the farmlands of Concordia Kansas and it was in Peoria where he knew he could make a difference serving the city from 1973 to 1993 he was the first fifth district council member as local government transitioned for mayor to 10 District alterman to Mayor with three at large and five district council members the surviving 1973 city council celebrated its 50th Anniversary last year and remarked this achievements in public projects projects like the Civic Center fire training academy and Public Works facility to name a few council member berkon filled his 20 years with work work on the wage negotiation committee City County Recycling committee the pyer park economic development committee and he was known for being accessible and proactive with the public he served but he was best known as Mr public works for the advocacy of streets curbs gutters and his efforts on Street projects like uh such as Allen Road in North University Street and the annexations of Pioneer Park and willo's Court his advocacy was so renowned that the Public Works building was renamed the ler D bergston operation and maintenance facility in May of 1993 to coincide with his retirement retirement from the council didn't mean he would stop serving the public he became the city's longest serving commissioner bergston was first appointed to the solid waste landfill Committee in 1975 and and served as the chair of that committee from 2004 to 2017 he continued to serve on that committee from 2017 until his death when he retired from the council in 1993 he told the Peoria Journal Star people asked me if I had fun my response is I found it very interesting the community members of Peoria are thankful you found it so interesting councilman bergston we thank you for your service and for the impact your work will have on our city for generations to come thank you I'd also like to thank Miss Stacy Peterson for putting together that tribute thank you Stacy we have two proclamations today the first celebrates Black History Month that's presented by the city of Peoria whereas the city of Peoria celebrates Black History Month and recognizes that people of African descent have been a part of our community since 1773 when Jean Baptist Point disbo purchased land here according to historian Romeo B Garrett and whereas in recognizing the need to acknowledge and celebrate the achievements of black Americans historian Carter G Woodson developed negro history week in 1926 and this expanded to become Black History Month and whereas since n 1976 every US president has officially designated the month of February as Black History Month February was chosen primarily because the second week of the month coincides with the birth days of both Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Doug Douglas Lincoln was influential in the emancipation of slaves and Douglas a former slave was a prominent leader in the Abolitionist Movement which fought to end slavery and whereas the theme for this year's Black History Month as chosen by the Association for the study of African-American life and history is African-Americans and the Arts this is especially relevant to PE and our Rich history of black artists including the renowned artist Preston Jackson who was named a Lincoln Laura in 1998 by the Lincoln Academy of Illinois an organization which celebrates outstanding individuals across a variety of fields whereas this month is a time for all Americans to reflect on the rich history and teaching of black Americans whose contributions to our economic cultural political and Social Development are vast and whereas the city of Poria is proud to honor the history and contributions of black Americans in our community throughout our state and Nation now therefore I Rita Ali mayor of the city of Peoria Illinois and on behalf of the peia city council do hereby recognize February 1st through March 1st as Black History Month in Peoria Illinois our final Proclamation recognizes National Engineers week and we have Miss Heather Orrick president-elect of the Society of women Engineers Central Illinois and Karen Rob chair of the Outreach committee if you would both come forth I just seen you earlier this week or last week last Friday wasn't it okay and whereas the Society of women Engineers s founded in 1950 is a nonprofit educational and service organization that is the driving force that established engineering as a highly desirable career aspiration for women and whereas s empowers women to succeed and advance in their aspirations while receiving recognition and credit for their lifechanging ing contributions and achievements as engineers and leaders in our community and whereas the central Illinois section ofu comprised of 260 members has focused in Outreach professional development advocacy and work life integration for the past 32 years and whereas in 1951 The National Society of Professional Engineers created National Engineers week to draw attention to the contributions the engineers made make on our society and whereas this year National Engineers week will be held February the 18th through February 24th the central Illinois section of s will partner with the Peoria Riverfront Museum on February 18th 2024 to celebrate National Engineers week with an open house for students from elementary school through high school with an interest in science and math several professional societies will also participate now therefore I Rita Ali mayor of the city of Peoria Illinois do hereby recognize the central Illinois section of the Society of women engineer Engineers for their support and advocacy of national Engineers week in Peoria [Applause] Illinois thank you mayor mayor Ali for that great recognition and Proclamation National engineering week is a astounding um event for engineers across the country not just here in Pur Illinois but it's not just a week it's everything we do central Illinois um section goes and mentors to over 1600 children throughout the year through events with Girl Scouts um ufi extension our local grade schools across the city and many other organizations this week is just one week of many I items that we have and so for that we thank you for recognizing us and giving us the proclamation to kick off our events this coming Sunday thank you very much welcome thank you madam clerk we are at the approval of the minutes m riggenbach thank you Madame mayor I move to approve the minutes of the city council meeting held on January 23rd 2024 as printed seconded by council member graab any comments or questions please cast your ballots motion passes unanimously Madame clerk we have one town item 24-30 is a request from the town officials to approve the January 2024 actual expenditures and to approve the February 2024 anticipated expenditures for the town of the city of Poria trusty grup uh Madam chair Lee I move to approve as outlined by our city clerk seconded by trustee Jackson any questions please cast your ballots motion passes unanimously Madam clerk we are at the consent agenda 24-31 is a communication from the city manager andc Corporation Council with a request to approve the Labor Day picnic at Riverfront Festival park on September 2nd 2024 sponsored by Poria area community events Inc subject to their filing of the necessary permits and approval as required by city code 24-32 is a communication with request to approve a resolution to appoint the human resources benefits administrator Rachel cook as the authorized agent for the Illinois Municipal retirement fund and on your desk there is a handout with a revised resolution and attachments 24-33 is a communication with request for the following a to approve a contract with gyx landscape LLC for the demolition of 3560 Southwest Adams Street utilizing Illinois rebuild Grant funds in the total amount of 8,544 $4 B approve a contract with gyx landscape LLC for the installation of fencing and a parking pad at 3560 Southwest Adam Street utilizing rebuild Grant funds in the total amount of 100 $1 181,182 60 Southwest Adam Street utilizing rebuild funds in the amount of13 $1,865 24-34 is a communication with a request to approve an intergovernmental agreement between the city of Peoria and Greater Peoria Sanitary District for cleaning and inspection of selected city sewer segments in the lower bid amount of $1 15,520 and an an additional authorization of $15,557.71 project amount of $165,500 and an additional authorization of $1 16,42 for contingencies for a total project amount of 180,000 $620 24-36 is a communication from the city manager and Corporation Council with a request to approve a resolution regarding the approval and release of closed session minutes and 24-37 is a communication with a request to approve the 2024 utility assistance program and that concludes our consent agenda thank you madam clerk are there any items to remove from consent counc member Oiler thank you madam chairwoman I don't need to pull this but I just need an exstension recorded on 24-33 due to a perceived conflict of interest due to a current uh contract relationship okay thank you are there any items to actually uh other items to pull can I get a motion to approve items moved by council member Allan seconded by council member Gordon Young please cast your ballots motion passes unanimously Madam clerk do we need to read 24-23 okay 24-33 is a communication from the city manager and director of Community Development with a request for the following a approve a contract with gyx landscape LLC for the demolition of 3560 Southwest Adam Street utilizing Illinois rebuild Grant funds in a total amount of $805 something4 B approve a contract with GX landscape LLC for the installation of fencing and a parking pad at 3560 Southwest Adam Street utilizing rebuild Grant funds in the total amount of $1 181,182 the amount of $3,865 I get a motion move by council member Gordon young for item a item a okay seconded by council member Allan any questions on item a comments please cast your ballots motion passes with one exstension Oiler council member Gordon young I move to approve oh I'm sorry okay now you can I move to approve uh item number or item letter B seconded by council member Allan okay please cast your ballots motion passes with one exstension Oiler council member Gordon young I move to approve item letter C seconded by council member Allan any questions comments please cast your ballots motion passes with one abstention Oiler thank you madam clerk we are at regular business 24-38 is a communication from the city manager and chief of police with a request to approve funding for the Illinois Department of Human Services special allocation in the amount of $365,000 for the following a award youth violence prevention grants to the Boys and Girls Club Dream Center and minority contractors in the total amount of $250,000 and B award youth violence prevention micr grants to products of the projects Junior Achievement exido Poria k handup Boys to Men my mother's Community Garden Mount Zion church and mother's war and violence in the total amount of 150 $115,000 Mr manager uh thank you Madame mayor I'd actually like to ask the police chief to come forward and walk through the recommendations that we have here with regards to the um the both the violence prevention grants and the uh micro grants um if you recall this is money that we have to spend by the end of June uh and it's from the Illinois Department of Human Services well I'm going to pass the mic on to Jen oriza who's really done a ton of work behind the scenes and in front of the scenes with this so Jenny so it was super exciting for us we received 11 applications for regular grants with three grants that were chosen in the total amount of $250,000 so we were awarded to the Boys and Girls Club Dream Center and minority contractors we would like for you to approve that and then in the micro grants we actually had 23 applications and we awarded 115,000 total to Junior Achievement product of the projects exi opior K hand up Boys to Men my mother's Community Garden Mount Zion church and mother's war on violence mother's war on violence was a partial award questions council member Allan uh thank you Madame mayor um I just want to applaud you all for the work you did on this I know that it was a quick turnaround when you were notified that you received the funds from DHS and so I appreciate the work that you did Jenny along with looks like our chief diversity and inclusion officer Chief green and city manager uck and staff from the Community Development Department were part of this scoring process uh when I look at the list of those who were awarded the uh triage that we're about to vote on here in a second but then specifically when I look at B um and I recognize some of these organizations and many I don't and that is a good thing because I think the council really wanted to ensure that this next round of funding went to what I like to call the unusual suspects those who have been doing the work at the grassroot level often in the shadows but it doesn't lessen their impact to our community so again thank you all for Shining Light on those who are sometimes the unsung heroes in our community uh those who applied and who didn't get awarded this time time continue to fight the good fight I know we have some grant writing workshops coming up led by the police department enrolling those so that way you can have the infrastructure and the capacity to be awarded hopefully in future Grand Cycles but again thank you all so much and I look forward to supporting this tonight thank you council member Gordon young thank you Madame mayor I Echo those sentiments one of the things that um I was really uh delighted was to again see some names that I'm not familiar with and that's so important I talked about a few sessions ago how you know we don't want the same organizations or the larger organizations because there are so many people that are invested in this community that's doing the work I I do have a question in terms of because that's a long list 23 applicants like that's a beautiful thing did they receive any type of feedback in terms of what they can do differently not yet okay so my next steps are to actually call all of those organizations invite them to come to our next grant writing Workshop which is March 5th and 6th if they want to attend that and then with the winners I'm going to do a mini workshop with them just so that they have all the paperwork they need oh that's great thank you yeah thank you madam mayor you're welcome council member riggenbach thank you Madame mayor and not to sound like a stuck record but this is really exciting stuff and as as we allocated money from the arpa funds for violence prevention I think we tried to be very um deliberate in how that money was spent and then to get this additional Grant just opened up the gates for this this Avenue the micro grants as we've talked in the past I think are a really exciting um experiment for us if you will and I see some familiar faces in there of some of the recipients so I would I would just encourage you and the police department to keep keep in close contact with these because a lot of these organizations this is probably the their first forray into something like this so giving them the guidance to walk through the process as the funds are expended I think will be critical as well and thank you for your work thank you for us we really are invested in this succeeding because I love microgrants I think they're just amazing for really small organizations so I am am going to meet with them and walk them through the whole process because it is really daunting wonderful thanks again thank you Madame mayor you're welcome council member Kelly thank you Madame mayor I I don't have much to uh add uh my colleagues have done a very good job thank you uh but I would just like to thank you for listening to the council trying to get into some of those smaller organizations that don't have big administrative help Etc good for you and uh some of those will maybe uh work a little but we're going to find one or two that really uh does something Innovative creative and that's wonderful so thank you very much for all that work thank you Madame mayor welcome and kudos to the entire team I I love the strategy I love that you're getting down to the Grassroots the people that are you know on the streets doing the the tough work and you know not just the big organization so this is a great strategy congratulations thank you and with that I will entertain a motion moved by council member Allan seconded by council member Gordon young to approve um any other comments questions please cast your ballots sweet passes unanimously Madam clerk I believe we need separate motions on both of those we need separate motions okay a uh mooved by council member Allan seconded by council member Gordon young that we've just voted on a so now moved by B second it for B please cast your ballots motion passes unanimously Madam Clerk 4-39 is a communication from the city manager and chief of police with a request for the following a approve a soul Source purchase for one Ford Transit wagon from National Auto Fleet in the amount of approximately $100,000 which includes all necessary equipment to be ready for patrol B is approve a soul Source purchase for a one Ford Explorer Interceptor for a no bid procurement Source in the amount of approximately $90,000 which includes all all necessary equipment to be ready for patrol and C adopt an ordinance amending the city of Poria 2024 2025 by annual budget relating to the general fund for use of fund balance for the purchase of vehicles in an amount of $190,000 we'll need individual votes on all of these and no less than six votes for each one okay uh Mr manager uh thank you Madame mayor I'm actually going to turn it back over to the police chief uh to give you the the back ground and the reasons why we're asking for this uh agenda item yes and and good evening again in the cost of doing business every once in a while our our our vehicles that are driven 24 hours a day 7 days a week 365 days a year uh often times there are accidents that occur uh we have two vehicles that were totaled in accidents and you know all PD vehicles that require license Sirens need to have special options ordered at the time of build to ensure that the uplift of aftermarket equipment works with the base Vehicles electrical systems this is one of many of the reasons why police vehicles need to be special ordered and they take longer to obtain uh than other department Vehicles this is also one of the reasons why police vehicles cannot be purchased directly off a standard dealership lot the police prisoner van would be obtained from the National Auto Fleet group this is a government contract sourcing base sales team the reason we go this route is we can still order the polias specific options on a vehicle and can work off a general Municipal price guarantee contract rather than be tied to a state contract and put on the wait list or put be put last in line the police interceptor SUV we are asking for a non- bid procurement approval the reason we are asking for this is moral Brothers Ford currently holds the Illinois State contract for the Ford Explorer interceptors uh we haven't had an order since 2020 2 that arrived on time so we're still waiting for police interceptors they were ordered January of [Music] 2023 uh from them as is the state and other municipalities National autof flea group has not opened slots for the intercepted purchases as of today we have the option to purchase non bid we can make calls to three other four dealerships in Illinois that we know have these vehicles on order the first one of those three dealers that obtains a unit to sell us would get the sale basically we're asking for this to reduce the possibility of being without another police unit for more than a year that's it questions can I get a motion moved by council member Oiler for item a is there a second seconded by council member Kelly any questions comments please cast your ballots from item a motion passes unanimously council member Oiler thank you madam chairwoman move to approve Item B seconded by council member Kelly please cast your ballots motion passes unanimously council member Oiler thank you madam chairwoman move to approve item C seconded by council member Kelly please cast your ballots motion passes unanimously Adam Clark 24-40 is a communication from the city manager and assistant city manager with request to adopt an ordinance approving the Redevelopment agreement with 825 Adams LLC for 89-83 Southwest Adam Street to develop a commercial and residential mixed use development in the warehouse District Mr manager uh thank you Madame mayor uh with us this evening is our economic development manager Debbie vanle and I'm going to turn the floor over to her to let her walk through this Redevelopment agreement good evening so this proposal is for the Mixed use development on Southwest Adams just uh south of Zion coffee it's the proposal for approximately 30,000 square feet of commercial space on the ground floor with uses ranging from restaurant and retail to Fitness and Recreation the Upper Floor will be 16 uh luxury apartments um the development will also include parking for the residential and Commercial components of approximately 100 spots which exceeds the warehouse District um requirements uh would be about 48 in the current plan um the total project cost is estimated at 9, 866624 with approximately 9,641 and $124 in Tiff eligible costs the reimbursement of the Tiff increment for the eligible cost over the life of the Tiff is approximately 2,595 48 so this would be about 63% of the uh total increment generated over the life of the Tiff the annual reimbursement payments will only commence when the project construction is completed and certificate of occupancy is obtained um during the first 5 years when the increment is generated um the redeveloper is eligible for 100% of the increment for those five years and then year six on they'll be eligible for 50% of the increment and I'm happy to answer any questions okay I don't see any questions so I'm going turn to you uh council member Jackson since this is your District thank you Madame mayor I uh just had a quick comment I just wanted to uh say this is an exciting sounds like an exciting uh project and I just a quick question uh Mr manager do you know what this will bring us at our housing goal for downtown um I know I asked that question a while back well I think that we're we're looking here at at roughly about 16 additional Apartments I think as we've looked at all of the apartments that have been approved uh or that are in construction or under construction in the warehouse District uh this will put us over 525 Apartments so um this is obviously in the last 10 years we've really made great strides at making the warehouse District a true neighborhood so sounds good well with that Madam mayor I would like to make a motion that uh item number 24-4 be approved as so mentioned thank you council member Jackson that was seconded by council member Oiler do you also have a question or comment CC member or comment comment please okay thank you madam chairwoman I just wanted to make a couple comments on this project first of all I think we have one of the developers standing in the doorway over here so thank you for your continued investment in the warehouse district and I also wanted to take a minute to thank uh the manager and the economic development department staff for the thorough work on this I know that I have uh helped push both sides to the Limit here to try to get another deal done in the warehouse district and this is going to allow us to see an entire block be finished over the next couple years I had the opportunity to tour the facilities across the street from this that the same developers are doing and it's very impressive to see what's been accomplished inside and all of the investment that we're going to be able to take advantage of in the next couple of years so thank you to everybody for the diligent hard work on this and look forward to seeing how this project materializes thank you you're welcome council member riggenbach thank you Madame mayor this is another exciting example of of what's happening in Poria and I hope everybody um can wrap their arm around the the energy that's building in the warehouse District I do have one question though um for director sickle if you could just wrap help us wrap our arms around the the percentage on the increment being 100% for the first five years since that's a little bit out of the norm it is out of Norm um we really tried to frontend some of it because of a lot of the demo costs that they have if you'd been by there before they started um the project there was a lot of um pieces falling down so they had to start that just to make it a safe safe place so we did front end a little bit heavier for them to recoup some of the develop the demo costs and then scaled it down to um move through the rest of the term I think those of us who have had pizza at the place across the street from this have looked at that building longingly wonder what the potential could be so we're excited to see that potential becoming reality so thank you to the developer team and I will be supporting this as well thank you you're welcome it's going to be a great project uh council member Allan uh thank you madam mayor just a question of inquiry um because we have been uh approving some exciting developments in the warehouse District using the economic tool that is a tiff um is there a certain amount of I guess quota or allowance like we get to a point where there won't be any more eligible developments um eligible for the Tiff within that District are we because it seems like we're approving a lot in that area so are we getting into a certain threshold I know that's kind of a novice question but just kind of wanted to kind of learn the parameters are we are we at a a tiff limit per se I I really don't think that that um we're going to hit necessarily a limit I think that there's enough um buildings still in the warehouse District um that are eligible for redevelopment work or there's vacant lots that could be developed that I don't think that there's that really I think we would ever hit that limit necessarily and I think uh it's been a great success know when there's still room to get occupancy and when that slows down they'll know it and then they're less likely to continue at that point Thank you thank you madam mayor welcome council member grup I think it's exciting because of the spin-off impact that this development will have on on our entire downtown including the warehouse District whenever you have folks living in a neighborhood they're going to be investing in that neighborhood and in this country we have um the Invisible Hand of Adam Smith that helps to allocate resources and Investments how people can make money and this is where I think government needs to step back and let the free enterprise system work and so maybe grocery store downtown Warehouse District maybe um a pharmacy um it's endless but we all know that within a couple three years we're going to have 6,600 people living downtown including those um in congregate settings this is exciting going back many years the downtown was primarily a retail Center and after the shops closed everybody disappeared it was it was moving though when the shops were were open but uh back in those days we didn't have a Sheridan Village we didn't have a Northwoods Mall we didn't have a shops on the Grand Prairie but now we have our downtown that is a commercial office legal and now neighborhood unto itself and it's developing in that direction years ago people would say you know you could shoot a cannon downtown and hit nobody well we're turning that around there and actions of the sort that we're taking tonight are Paving the way to a better and brighter future for all of us and um I hope we continue with this um energy thank you very well said Thank You council member Kelly uh thank you Madame mayor uh Mr manager I I want to make sure I get this right but uh uh council member Allen spoke about running out of of incr and if I'm not mistaken in the warehouse District each project each Tiff increment is is uh development or that item that building gets its own increment okay it isn't spread around so the now there are tiffs that that operate on that General basis okay but in in the warehouse District if I'm not mistaken uh it's Project Specific that that increment goes to so it's you could say it's unlimited if we want to build 300 story buildings but um that increment is always going to flow from that that development and that development alone thank you Madame mayor thank you and thank you to the developer for bringing this project thank you for the economic development team for working with the developer to bring this to fruition it's it's very exciting for Peoria uh we have a motion on the floor and a second so if there's no other questions comments let's vote passes unanimously Madam clerk we are at unfinished business and we do not have anything okay um so the next item should be a new business it is out of order on this agenda and actually should be next thank you uh new business council member grup today was a historic day in the history of Poria uh today we had the official blessing of the new cancer center in the Third District serves the entire city serves the entire region people will be coming from all over the country because of the proton B machine that will enhance cure rates for cancer the day will go down in history as an important day in the continued development of the city as a worldclass healing and medical center and Research Center um I know councilman rigan Box's working hard to get some tours set up for those of us who couldn't make it for the blessing of this facility today about a quarter of a billion dollar worth of investment along just right off our Knoxville Corridor but uh today we just have to be very thankful for what's been happening in our community we're moving again mayor in the right direction thank you thank you for U making that acknowledgement uh councilman grab I was able to take a a sneak peek about a week ago and it's just an amazing huge facility and that proton beam piece of equipment I well it's tons and tons and tons it's just you know it just stays with you and you know what it's going to do to save lives and preserve lives throughout the region and people will come throughout the region here and perhaps throughout the country so yes it's it's outstanding thank you council member uh vesa thank you Madame mayor um well for the benefit of of our listeners at home we have a packed Gallery tonight um seeking to address the Gaza conflict um I've heard from many of of my constituents um who have good faith concerns and I appreciate the Civic engagement that said I want to make one thing clear hate does not play in Poria I hope we can all firmly reject any effort to denigrate any human lives from the Israeli hostages being held captive and underg ground tunnels to the displaced Palestinians who are living in tents in Rafa all people of good conscience should be praying for all of these poor souls who must be terrified all need to make it out safely their hopes and dreams mean no less than yours or mine when we fail to recognize the humanity in each other we lose the humanity in our El thank you thank you [Applause] councilman I also have a statement that's uh pertaining to this matter but I'm not going to read it tonight uh at the council meeting but I will release the statement uh following the council meeting and it will be published on p.org uh the homepage uh City's homepage under new Under uh the news section and also released to the media at this point Madam clerk we are at citizens opportunity to address the city council okay okay we have quite a few speakers to tonight I'm counting 29 cards so we are going to start uh with Osama alre i i as uh Mr Ral Ray comes to the podium I just want to make everybody aware of our format for public com comment um you can speak up to five minutes and then after all the public comment is over our format is that we don't respond to the public comment that's just our standard procedure and I just want everybody to be aware of that yes thank you very much I was looking at it and I saw that it was 4 minutes and 30 seconds I said I already lost 30 seconds I did not start talking but it's right now back to five minutes thank you very much so um yes this black history month and the genocide the indigenous people and the African-Americans have faced should never be forgotten for me every month is a Black History Month Dr Mar Martin Luther King Jr Malcolm X and all great leaders of the African-American Community their contributions Are Much appreciated and we are indebted to all those who struggled in the path of Liberty and freedom I appreciate and applaud you Madame mayor for celebrating the Black History Month Madame mayor honorable city councilman today we are experiencing another form of genocide in Gaza as an example my friend who's a humanitarian Aid worker lost his beloved wife four of his beloved kids actually all of them he had only four kids his wife's brother his wife's brother and his wife and his wife's sister and her husband their kids two of his wife's uncles their wives and their kids the number I could count at that moment was about 30 yes we are far away from them and might think that their Affair does not impact us here in piia well I believe it does I am here calling for a ceasefire to issue a resolution by the city of Poria to call for for ceasefire it is a message that we need to send to our elected Federal officials who are distancing themselves from the public the public who are calling for ceasefire the city of Poria in my heart it is my town and it is as big as Chicago Chicago has followed Pursuit we need to follow pursuit of Chicago Chicago is calling for a ceasefire so I am calling for the Madame May and The Honorable city council over here to issue a resolution calling for a ceasefire thank you for giving me the opportunity to speak our next speaker is IM man maer [Applause] mmud greetings of Peace esteemed members of the city council tonight I come before you with a heavy heart compelled to address the dire situation unfolding in Gaza the gravity of this matter demands our attention and action the occupation known as Israel expressed remorse when they shot three Israeli hostages in Gaza they called it friendly fire when these three Israeli Civ civilians were raising White Flags they were shot at and killed brutally but you know what the catch is Honorable members hundreds and thousands of Palestinian children women and men are butchered by this occupation in their alleged War which is nothing but genocide and this is done without remorse some honorable members here today and at a personal level they've expressed that they don't want to be divisive in their approach in calling for a ceasefire as they represent all residents of Poria and this is a foreign Affair however this in reality is irrational as well it's as equivalent as saying that we will not condemn the murder of the late George Floyd because there are people who actually till today support the corrupt officers who committed these atrocities let's go even further back and say that by this standard people won't condemn the slave trade and the genocide that was done against the native indigenous people and the africanamerican people who are heroes of this land by this standard of divisiveness or divisiveness the international court of justice and their positions would be divisive as well with 16 to1 voting against the crimes of Israel and that one one judge who also voted in favor of Israel also being condemned by her country I also ask you if you did not want to be divisive my honorable members here our leaders then why did you light up the M luggage bridge in Poria blue and white in solidarity with people who are now the killers and butchers why didn't you even think for a moment about those who have been massacred in Gaza this senseless genocide has everything to do with Poria it is not a foreign Affair rather a local and a gloal affair because it is our tax dollars funding the illegal apari and the occupation in their genocide over 30,000 people have been massacred since October 7th with Millions displaced without food water and medical Necessities that they need to live massaged I.E mosques churches indiscriminately bombed universities hospitals gone to the ground the occupation known as Israel told people from the north to flee to the South and then from the south to further south at while now they are in ra even further south they've been bombed and killed at every juncture at every juncture the plan has been known my friends since the establishment of this apide state that they are there for one purpose and one purpose only and it is an evident fact through the maps and this is none other than the annexing of moreand something that nobody here my friends would accept for their own people for Americans for your family and for your community you would not want to lose your home and have people kicked out making you leave your home many have stated my friends well there are still hostages kidnapped in Gaza the almighty tells us in the Quran and I am a man of Faith Allah says meaning when you speak be just yes just as there is hostages in Gaza there are 10,000 plus hostages in Israeli prisons in the form of women and children who are being tried within military courts and some are not even tried and left to rot in prison in prison freedom is not subjective Freedom should be encompassing one and all and it should be generally objective this is not a Muslim thing this is a human thing that is why you see the diversity present here and the pluralistic diversity and background in the in the many millions who are Marching on this Earth calling for Justice Just glance at your hearts my honorable leaders which are sitting here today glance at your hearts and your humanity and make the call that the tens of City councils have made calling for a ceasefire I conclude with a statement of the Prophet Muhammad peace and blessings be upon him all of you are Shepherds and will most definitely be accountable for your flock ceasefire now free Palestine free [Applause] Palestine our next speaker is Rami Abdu rabu Ramy good evening everyone my name is Ramy Abid Ru I stand in front of you today not just as a physician but as a witness of a war crimes in Gaza in 2014 War I was part of a medical mission to Gaza where I saw with my own eyes the devastating impact of a conflict on innocent life lives the the scenes I witnessed were Beyond any horror once could imagine hundreds of dead or dying children mothers and elderly victim of indiscriminate bombing and the use of internationally prohibited weapons by the Israeli Army it was without exaggerating hell on Earth in my rule as a physician I was confronted with scenes that challenged all my professional training and my expectations I witnessed individuals badly wounded their bodies torn into half and still crying out for help in the emergency department the reality was Grim we didn't even have basic painkillers to offer them a relief in their final moments our only resources was to lay them on the floor praying them they will die in in in in peace and this showing clearly how we didn't have enough supplies tools or medicine to deal with with the crisis we faced every face I saw belonging to a civilian children with their future stolen mothers who who lives were altered and elderly individuals who had survived much only to be chattered in an instant the mag the magnitude of a human suffering was overwhelming a Relentless reminder of the devastating impact of the world's silence today I urge you to compare the tragedy of 2014 war with the ongo with the ongoing catastrophe back then approximately 2,100 people lost their lives now the death toll has taken to more than 28,000 innocent lives Liv this staggering numbers is not just a statistics it represents individual lives families torn apart and community and communities destroyed as someone who served on the front line and with my wife who's originally a a Palestinian and now dedicating at this current moment while I'm talking to you she's dedicating her time as a pediatrician to help children in this very City Poria I implore you to reflect on the universality of childhood children across the world whether in Gaza Poria or anywhere else share the same right to safety to laughter and to a future yes yet we as we speak right now the fundamental right is being denied to the children of Gaza we are at a critical juncture where our Collective voice can be be can make a difference it's our moral obligation to call for a ceasefire to stand up against the ongoing violence that threatens to escalate into a genocide in Rafa this is not a matter of politics anyone it's a question for a Humanity of a Humanity of recognizing the value of every human life regarding their race ethnicity or religion the situ the situation demands our immediate attention and action we must remain we must not remain silent we must shout out for a ceasefire for the sake of all children for the sake of our shared the humanity the cost of inaction is great and the time to act is now cease fire now and free [Applause] Palestine next we have Yousef borin after Yousef is going to be Estrella Diaz good afternoon ladies and gentlemen of the city council first we want to thank you for us to be able to come speak with you guys and tell us tell you guys exactly how we truly feel and thank you madam mayor for taking the time to listen and chief of the police P police thank you for your presence as well I want to reiterate what Mike vesa stated hate has no place in Poria I 100% agree because hate has no place in this world whatsoever and as he said we should be praying for all poor souls and that they make it all out safely in Palestine when we come here and when all the different cities and United States and many different countries ask for a ceasefire they're not simply saying support only Palestine and that we wish any sort of hate on Israel whatsoever when we ask for a Seas fire when we demand a cease fire we want unity and we want safety for everybody we have seen more than 20 if not 30,000 people innocent may I remind you individuals being killed in Palestine 30 plus thousand people majority of them being kids and women imagine if that was your children out there there being bombed indiscriminately simply trying to survive simply trying to find food simply trying to Live Another Day majority of these kids right now they can't even get the basic support they need they can't even get the basic food or water that they need and as you probably all of you know water towers have been destroyed hospitals have been destroyed ambulances and non-stop M non-stop places that are extremely important for human life have been destroyed in Palestine are we really going to believe that this is all in regards to trying to get the real Target in United States when there is a mass shooting at a school and we want to get to that shooter do we blow up the whole school no use smart tactics to go room by room to try to find exactly who that perpetrator is who that terrorist is and take that individual out when we hear of Israel saying that oh there might have been some undercover or some Hamas or something like that inside of hospitals so they blow the whole thing up does that make sense ladies and gentlemen that makes zero zero sense on top of that it's a been very clear that it's a war crime 120% yet no one speaks up for them when it comes to Major countries including the United States of America the Illinois statute says terrorism is a the definition of terrorism a person commits offense of terrorism when with the intent to intimidate or coer a significant portion of Civilian population what do you think that means ladies and gentlemen when we see constant taking over of lands of innocent Souls non-stop taking over their their land just like the United States of America did to the Native Americans we could maybe say that we didn't we couldn't do anything about that today back then but today when we see it going on we can actually say something we can actually do something when we come to the city council to speak with each one of you guys which I must remind you you were elected to be in that position we ask you simply to stand up for people that matter not just in Peoria but in all across the world I want to reiterate when I ask when we say that we want to ceas fire we're not saying just like the leaked email that oh we're going to divide the city of Poria we're not dividing the city of Poria when we speak up for atrocities and for terrorism saying that terrorism is wrong we must say it on all platforms we can't just pick sides each one of you sitting in those chairs today man and woman and Madame mayor when we simply say we want you to call for a ceasefire we just want you guys to represent us as Humanity not Muslims in particular not Christians in particular not Jewish people in particular but Humanity as a total because innocent lives does not discriminate on top of that one more thing I want to add which many people including people in this audience today want to think that it's a religious issue killing innocent Souls is not a religious issue so I don't I want you guys to sit here and think that we're siding with one religion or one country or anything like that we're siding with what is right time that thank [Applause] you next is Estrella Diaz followed by Justin Luba hello give me one second all right hi all right as everyone here before me has stated all we're asking you is to support the caire resolution you may say it isn't within our power to pass this or that it isn't a local issue and I understand why you may think that I do understand that this won't affect things on a global scale because we are a small voice or rather a small piece in this Grand puzzle of a country but we still are a piece that completes the puzzle as for local issue well it is a local issue because we have residents in Poria that are Palestinian who have family who have friends who have people that they know along with people that are no longer around due to the indiscriminate killings and bombings because of the Israeli government um all of you sit there in positions of power saying you speak for the people but how can that be true when you decide to turn a blind eye Simply Be simply because you say it won't affect things on a global scale or it's not within your power to do so again we may be small but that doesn't mean that we don't matter because we do we're not telling you or asking you to take sides we're asking you to represent the people to say that we don't stand for this we don't stand for this violence and we don't want to contribute to it and we want an end to the violence that's happening we the people can watch as you are as our elected officials right now but if you are not to listen to us we the people have the power to vote you out even if it may not affect you on a personal level it's important for us to Care as humans someone I once know said we shouldn't have to wait for something to come knocking out our door to take action so what are we waiting for thank you next we have Justin Luba followed by Adam katun my name is Justin and I was raised in Poria where I now live and vote and I'm urging you uh to adopt your ceasefire resolution I wake up every day and re realize that it could have been me murdered on October 7th or even taken captive it could also have been me torn apart by 2,000 PB bombs made in the United States and provided to the state of Israel I understand that all of us are here right now not slowly dying with lungs full of dust and Rubble only by accidents of birth and Circumstance all life is sacred and cycles of Destruction do not end with further killing the equal and irreducible value of all human life demands that we at minimum bear honest witness there is nothing human in us that can look away from Gaza there is no way to say nothing in the face of this and still walk away with one's own Humanity intact yet so often is easiest to silence what is human in US killing it for the sake of political expediency Israel's current retaliatory assault on Gaza has included the decimation of all life system aing infrastructure and the blockading of essential Aid sewage runs in the streets and Israel has salted the fields this demolition includes the raising of most of gaz's domiciles churches mosques schools the besieging of hospitals and un shelters the use of illegal chemical weapons extra judicial field executions torture of civilians weaponized starvation and a further endless list of war crimes made possible by contributions from us taxpayers continuing to refer to these acts as defense is dishonest propaganda however I am not here to talk about the distortions and popular rhetoric that try to make us believe that investing in cycles of violence will ever bring peace I'm not here to discuss the view that one people's grief could ever justify another's oppression and Annihilation and I am also not here to read out a list of heart numbing statistics or to provide historical context I only want you to imagine a child preferably one who you are close with your own or a niece or a nephew or a grandchild or a loved one's child imagine them playing by the beach with a kite or a shovel calling your name and smiling imagine them being contemplative perhaps outside or in their houses of worship imagine them loving their grandparents speaking intensely with their friends playing a game drawing being momentarily obsessed with something deciding who to become and devising a sense of themselves imagine watching this child's body imploding in bullets imagine that the last image you have of your child is their look of panic as your roof collapses from the force of an air strike imagine them hunched and walking without food or water the 20 plus miles from the north to the south of Gaza only to die painfully of digestive illness in a refugee camp these are the least graphic descriptions nothing could justify this horror that our tax dollars have created all of the children of Palestine are your child our government murders hundreds of your children every day with your taxes they murder these children or leave them alone after murdering their family at this moment the Israeli assault on Gaza is an orphan Factory and it runs on US military aid if you cannot or will not put your own children in the place of Gaza in the place of the children of Gaza then you are the successful product of a racist dehumanization campaign it should not be controversial to refuse ideologies that demand endless Mass death and tribute it could never be wrong to protest the unseizing parade of mutilated Palestinian corpses that we peori taxpayers Bank role and it is not anti- anyone to advocate for Universal safety Collective Liberation and well-being someone who attempts to tell you otherwise is either a coward deeply misguided or employed by the weapons industry United States taxpayers unwillingly donate $3.8 billion yearly to the state of Israel in addition to billions more we will provide in 2024 over $1.7 million of pran taxpayer money flows into this death machine yearly in other words we are the direct enablers of a plausible genocide and with each dollar sent we make ourselves more complicit this is why we have to say no not in my name and not with my money we are each called politically morally and spiritually there is no neutral position if you are not saying no to genocide then you are saying yes refusing to call for a ceasefire in every capacity available to you amounts to an abdication of moral courage a turning away from all that is human in you and a complete rejection of equality Justice and anything one could call God every day the death toll grows more children are orphaned or slaughtered and we are responsible whatever power you have use it Sease fire [Applause] now next we have Adam katum followed by anoir city council Madame mayor I'm going to speak with you guys from the heart I know many of you many of you know me you know what I stand for so there's no need for me to having to repeat myself over and over since it's Black History Month let me remind you guys of a little history story that happened in 1963 Birmingham Alabama When the Children the black children were sick of being segregated in Birmingham Alabama they got up and they protested on the street over 4,000 uh black children under 15 years old under 8 years old under four years old got arrested and got put in prison now when you see people my age coming out and speaking for what is right and what is wrong and that just shows that something is going on something is wrong and that we need to stand up and we need to do something because I might not be old enough to vote I might not be old enough to have a say what happens in the world but I definitely have the right to feel safe in my city knowing that that my elected officials aren't against what I'm doing aren't against what I stand for aren't against my beliefs because knowing that you guys can give us the opportunity of having a ceasefire in Peoria that doesn't mean that we're discriminating that we're picking sides that we're doing anything that just means that people whether whatever side you're on can feel safe can feel safe in our own City knowing that our own elected officials believe that the death Tool The Killing everything that has been happening has to come to an end because it is over 30,000 people that have died in Gaza many of them I know many of them I've tried to help it's impossible it's not easy that's why we ask our city council members we ask you Madame mayor to come and propose a ceasefire on the agenda at least put the ceasefire on the agenda have a vote let us know what our elected officials think about what is going on in a war that is in the Middle East it's a big ask no one's saying that whether you vote Yes or whether you vote no that nothing nothing's going to happen it's a big ask and I ask you from the bottom of my heart hoping to reach the bottom of your hearts that's being blocked by politics that's being blocked by votes that's being blocked by funds for next election hoping that my ask and the rest of the people here to ask can just put the ceasefire on the agenda whether you guys vote Yes whether you guys vote no just knowing what our city council members think knowing knowing which one of our council members think that us being safe us feeling safe is a good thing because that's all we're here for we just want on the agenda we just want to know your point of views on everything you vote no you vote yes that's all up to you ceas fire now thank you next we have an War haaj followed by mmud [Applause] mad good evening esteemed members of the Poria Council for the record my name is anoir Haj I'm here today along with several Americans who consider Poria as their home to request a three-point resolution be passed by the city council mandating the state of Israel to point1 enforce a permanent cessation of all bombing and military operations that have to date killed over 30,000 innocent civilians since October 7th of which at least 8,000 were children while also leaving 177,000 children orphaned with no living parents allow for the safe passage and distribution of humanitarian Aid to 2.2 million stared and dehydrated civilians within the Gaza Strip who are as we speak living on less than one meal per day with reports showing several civilians eating grass and drinking sea water point three allow for un investigative officials to conduct inv tigations into the intent behind Israel's self-proclaimed defensive operation that has now effectively killed over 30 of the remaining Israeli hostages due to their indiscriminate bombing campaign the PE the people of Poria can no longer stand by while the major Powers within our government continue to use our tax dollars to finance this genocide happening to our brothers and sisters in Gazza let me be clear by no means do I believe that if this resolution passed Israel would stop their indiscriminate bombing of innocent civilians there is an extreme power and balance between the US and Israel where we are for the first time seeing play out in the global stage the state of Israel or should I say BB Netanyahu and his far-right Coalition within the knesset do not care about what the American people think of the genocide unfolding but at the same time they're completely content with the billions of tax dollars of those same American people being sent to Israel every year this resolution means more symbolically than it does in application this resolution will ensure once the history books are written the council men and women and residents of peora are Illustrated on the right side of justice and not on the side of apartheid and occupation thanks to the Advent of social media and the age of information we are seeing in real time how the acts of the Israeli occupation forces are going unchecked giving these bad faith actors a platform to display their complete and utter disregard for human life let alone humanitarian law to those opposed to this three-point proposal I ask why what president are we setting on the global stage by not doing the bare minimum in putting a stop to this genocide how will we tell Russia that it cannot do as it pleases to Ukraine how will how will we tell China that it cannot invade Taiwan my last parting question that I urge the members of the council to reflect on do you truly believe Netanyahu in an effort to save his political career wouldn't drag our loved ones into a larger Regional War if your answer is no then the passing of this resolution is where we start to ensure our loved ones are safe within the US and abroad thank you [Applause] next we have makm mizette followed by Sheldon Catz M mayor councilman thank you thank you for having us here to speak out um I'm going to speak out a little different than what those people speak out here in the name of Allah the most merciful the most gracious the prophet Muhammad peace be upon him he is the Last Man For All Mankind he brought the peace and justice for everybody whether black white Hindu everybody For All Mankind now what he said Is there a time will come that the one who speak the truth he will be called liar and the one who who who who told the lies he will be called as truthful and this is the time that we are in now and this is the time that it's called the time of lying everything what I would say 90% is lying what you hear about in the news in the media I'm sorry to say that but that's the truth uh I've been here for over 50 years I'm 70 years old I was born in Palestine 1953 I was under occupation uh or under the Jordanian government and then comes from 1967 under the Israeli government and still now under occupation I have land I have house I have family all of them they live there and we still under occupation and our life is just go go and come go and come just like you're in jail big jail for us now to give you also a history that Israel was established in 1948 prior to that uh the Middle East was occupied through Britain and Britain the one who brought those Zionist to Palestine to uh terrorize people take their land kill people and it's all proven or it's all documented the massacres they did their the massacres they did also in Sabra shatila in Lebanon all of these massacres all those names prominent names uh what's his name herel uh also uh MOS Shon the one he did Sab and shaa uh you know Massacre and in in the front of all the world are watching that where is justice where is justice though we need Justice for everybody no matter where they at now now nowadays what we see in Gaza is the destruction for the everything Destruction for human lives uh Stones uh trees everything that you can imagine you can see you have to watch the news and you have to look for the truth as I said they killed uh the the pediatricians more than 135 if I if I'm correct they killed the media people that they broadcast or tell the truth they killed them one of one of the one of the names also uh probably you you heard akiy her name akiy previously in in the West Bank she was shot and killed and uh also there are so many so many of them they they get killed uh because they are telling the truth and for you know 75 years we still under occupation and what more can I I cannot tell you all of that in 75 years all we here come here you know you are the the people they are denying uh drink food water for everybody you know and they're not letting anything to go through the people of Gaza or we asking uh you the councilman to vote for that with your conscience you know uh to end up this war or to stop have a Seas fire and maybe you say yes maybe you say no but it all goes back to the administration or the the president and the the house and the Senate and those other people to decide that you know we can say we can express our feelings but at all the Deion come to them they can stop say Israel stop stop stop stop killing the people that's it and they can do that thank you uh next we have Sheldon Catz followed by Sunny Garcia thank you for this opportunity to speak to you this evening so a local group has asked you to consider a resolution for a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas in Gaza okay I don't believe this Council has jurisdiction or city business pertaining to the conflict I'm here to speak about the real purpose of this proposed resolution its potential impact on the greater prioria Jewish Community which I am a part of I hope this Council will not further fan the Flames of the controversy locally by even considering the proposal initiatives like this fit into a global effort to restrain Israel and prevent it from defending itself and its citizens from the stated OB objective of Hamas in fact you even heard it this evening to eliminate Israel and the occupation of what is now Israel by all the Jews get rid of them wrapping the proposal in humanitarian terms is effective since we all feel for the residents of Gaza apparently more than their leaders do the efforts of the Israeli Army to facilitate humanitarian Aid to the displaced residents of Gaza are hampered by Hamas and there will be no real relief to the residents until Hamas is gone a ceasefire will only cost more Liv lives on both sides after Hamas would use it to rearm and reorganize Hamas is not giving up their objective of the their organization or their supporters to eliminate Israel forever and all the people therein those are the horrible realities that we cannot change from here apparently even putting this resolution on your docket is enough support to Fan those flames and what is this ceasefire that you're that's being asked for an end to the occupation that is Israel however what actually brought me here tonight is the bigger picture there have been Relentless efforts worldwide on our college campuses and even now in our high schools and City councils to delegitimize Israel erode its status as a nation this has of course also made anti-Semitism more acceptable in social media college campuses and even here in poror we've experienced the effects it's not good for the Muslim Community either I should add I am here this evening because my father is 96 years old and cannot travel anymore he is an expert in the process of delegitimizing and dehum dehumanizing other people so that they can be persecuted he was born in Germany and he saw and experienced himself the process of gradual erosion of people's Humanity my conversations with him lately focus on his warnings that that this is happening again a few blocks from here is the Holocaust Memorial that demonstrates the magnitude of the consequences of not recognizing hate and its disguises now well-meaning people are often caught up in this process throwing around words like genocide and aparte without fully understanding the implications real Li liberation of the Palestinian people requires them to choose different leaders and requires them to choose goals to do not require another Holocaust Israel is pursuing this now for their own security and hopefully for a better chance for their neighbors to live in peace but a ceasefire only slows them down and puts many more lives at risk one one last thing imagine this city council considering a resolution for a ceasefire for any City Council in 1943 between the US and Japan or Germany without them surrendering thank you next we have Sunny Garcia followed by Tyrone [Applause] Campbell good evening my name is sunny Garcia I work for the Muslim Civic Coalition as a Civic Justice organizer um as we speak right now as we postpone a vote on a resolution all eyes are on Rafa the following is a post from a physician is on a mission in Gaza currently these are his words as I am writing you noise of drones and fighter jets is getting louder and louder it's the loudest since I've entered Gaza two days ago I was lucky to get the weaker internet connection today so thought to write it down danger of massive Massacre is eminent now requesting lots of prayers we had a hectic day today and it was unsettling to work under the noise of drones hovering above us now the darkness of the night when there is no electricity food and water we hear that the occupation will launch another attack at any moment there are displaced refugees including many Physicians who are working at the hospital and returning to their makeshift tents without the guarantee of seeing another Sunrise I met a physician today who was actually the head of the health Ministry of Gaza but he is now living in a tent on the streets of Rafa after being displaced he lost all his savings at a split second when Israel bombed his house and he is now struggling just to survive his youngest son only 10 years old only wishes to eat an egg which he has not been able to do in four months what if we take for granted in the comfort of our homes is a wish a dream for these people the story is not in a nobility the story is nearly is of nearly 2 million people that are trying to survive four months of bombing and ground invasion while we sit here and wait and postpone a CI resolution if that doesn't speak to your heart maybe the dollars in sensive it will today today Illinois invests $152 million as their portion for bombs to bomb innocent women and children that money could be better served for households for housing for people around the year could be better served for educ for our educational system could be better served served for youth at risk programs here in the city of Peoria could be better served for a million different reasons but no we want to stay here in silence and allow the genocide and yes it is the genocide I know it [Applause] firsthand my people suffered the same the same outcome on these lands hundreds of years ago and people look the other way I've worked with the Immigrant rights organizations I work with undocumented people I work with black lives matter and today I'm working with Muslims and my fight will always be for justice and for liberty for everyone including Muslims including Jews I've been working with the Muslim Civic Coalition for a couple months I've been working for a free Palestine for years and never once have I heard one of my Muslim brother sisters say an anti-semitic term never once have I heard heard them call for the massacre of Jewish people because of their faith but since October 7th I've heard over and over and over again my Jewish brothers and sisters call for the complete annihilation of my Palestinian brothers and sisters so I Call On You mayor Ali my Muslim sister and the rest of the city council to stop being neutral and support a ceasefire resolution thank you next we have Tyrone Campbell followed by leth katum read um counsel y'all um I'm I would like to talk to them um you know my name is Tyrone Campbell I came to Poria in like 1989 hanging in the Harris in the Warner and I was a young man that was like like well groomed together with friends and family I was raised like that so I asked somebody today I said why are our people divided but during that course of time I had went on like a disciplinary vacation and got a hold of this so I've been reading this since I've been like in the fields cuz I'm like in The Matrix like on the outside looking in at the people like why is Israel and Gaza and Palestine why we all divided when I'm looking at the ab Accord so then God just told me he said no took me the everything is laid naked and open to the eyes of him who we got to give an account to so he said people need to start having Integrity when dealing with these issues they putting out there about we hate Israel hate the Palestine I don't believe that cuz bro of Abraham's sons they was United and I don't see no division in there at all but my thing is I'm like the problem is not people is love we need love to come back to the people but how does that happen it's got to start with the church first the church people I don't get mad at the politicians or the people is the people that's playing church so I don't try to judge them but they judge me because I ain't going along with the process but I've learned it's okay to walk in love and just ministers minister to the word of God and show love but yet everybody's not entitled to love cuz people are living in like fraud attitude no fraud makings like pretending to love you but they really don't so that's why this Division and Chaos coming in you just need to read this and continue to let him guide you and that's when unification begin it start with us they are just people in power I don't disrespect them but I believe when Jesus he died he split the temple into religion spiritual we spiritual I don't believe in religion I believe in relationship and it's got to start somewhere and that's us first that's what I'm want to tell y'all don't be mad cuz I be likeing I ain't even mad at the Palestinians we family how am I divided against myself amen y'all it next we have leth katum followed by Jamal oin am amanola [Applause] okay Este team members of the pur city council I come here not only as a Palestinian but also as an American concerned with the future of this country over the past few months it has become obvious to me that despite the concerning breaches of both the genevia convention and international law we continue to blindly support a country that has repeatedly lied to this country and disrespected us as a whole from the very be beginning is Israel has made their intention clear they want to remove the current population of Gazza through Force displacement and by mass murder it is not like it is not like they're even hiding it either in fact Netanyahu and his Coalition Coalition have frequently used an astonishing amount of dehumanizing language Netanyahu even referred to the Palestinians as the people of amalec a statement that bibl biblically called for the annihilation of men women children as well as their livestock the president of Israel himself is no exception from the very beginning he states that it's an entire nation out there that is responsible it's not true this rhetoric about civilians not being aware and not involved it is absolutely not true and we will fight until we break their backbone clearly this statement shows that they're collectively blaming the Palestinians for the action of a militia that has only 30,000 members these are just statements from the top government members there are hundreds of examples repeated by other concent members as well as military personnel actions speak louder than words but their actions have yet to contradict any of their statements Israel has already began its actions of collective Collective punishment by starving an entire population of 2.2 million people half of which are children while Sim simultaneously decimating the G trip no hospital home school location or even un building has been saved all of it has been turned to dust and Rubble why you may ask in order to remove the population which Israel in order to um in order to remove the population which Israel has attempted to do openly while referring to it as voluntary migration slowly pushing the population deeper and deeper South trapping them in a tight Corner near the raah border they even held a meeting for resettlements a move that breaches international law where 12 canessa members attended the situation is so bad that they're currently on trial for the crime of genocide by the hag contrary to what John Kirby said H has said about the case being meritless that he has determined that there is in fact a case for genocide in fact the cour courts deemed it so plausible that they have even granted many of the provisions required by South Africa and require Israel to check back in a month to see what they've changed rather than complying with the courts Israel has doubled down on their assault and has time and time again ignored all advice from the International Community this arrogance doesn't seem to come from nowhere it is because of the policy of the Biden Administration that Israel is aware of its immunity even with the worrying circumstances in rhetoric coming from Israel Biden still stands firm with Israel despite outrage from the vast majority of the world Josh Paul a former director of the Pol political military Affairs responsible for the US security assistance in arms transfer resigned due the B due to due to the Biden Administration seemingly bypassing the usual Pro protocol for the transfer of weapons to a foreign State he himself called the move shortsighted and Reckless and destructive we also continuously sold weapons and provided them with billions in financial a despite them ignoring all advice or goals of the US uh ignoring advice or goals the US has set out for Gazza the US has even gone so far as to Lobby in Sweden as to avoid a meaning to discuss Israel's breach of the Geneva Convention I'd like to reiterate that Israel again is on trial for genocide many are wondering why the us is going so far for Israel and some are wondering who the hell is in charge here Biden has been making us look like a joke to the the world much of the conflict in the Middle East is all heating up solely because of the current genocide on the in the GDA strip a location that has been repeatedly been called an open air prison if the icj case deems Israel's actions a genocide which it likely will it only reiterates to the world that international law does not matter as long as you have the military capabilities a very dangerous message to send to the world it also makes the US a complicit participant in the a genocide making us no different than China or Russia esteemed members of the city council I regret to inform you all that I have to uh you all that I have a lot to say but not enough time to convey everything that I can say but I do urge you to call for a ceasefire as soon as possible much of the Arab Community has felt forgotten and ignored it seems like our lives don't matter we not when we are nothing more than token members of the country where our presence is acknowledged but our opin our opinions don't matter I'd love to sit with each and every single one of you and talk more in depth about into the situation as well as concerns of the community if you would like to be if you'd like to meet I'd be more than happy to next we have jamaludin amula followed by Natasha divine bah first of all I'd like to begin by thanking each and every one of you for giving us this opportunity to address you all on this very important matter I address you not as an American but as a human being now just Ponder for a while as a human being just keep aside all of your the propaganda that you hear the Prejudice that you might have in your heart what you've seen on the media and just think as a human being all of you have families if you were going through what the entire population in Gaza of millions of peoples are going through every day would your heart not bleed would you not feel sorry for them yes you would because I know each one of you is a human being and each one of us is a creation of God Almighty so I ask you when you when is the time for you to discuss whether to table this resolution or not just think for a while close your eyes and dip down into your faith into your humanity and do what is right for you because remember all of us will be held accountable on the day of judgment by the God Almighty and God forbid if he will ask us for all our omissions and commissions of what we could or could not have done on the day of judgment so fear that my friends and do what is right by God thank you so much [Applause] next we have Natasha Divine followed by Terry Brier hello greetings fellow pians and people from out of town uh I have some prepared remarks uh but before I start I do want to just mention uh that I actually kind of feel sorry for the people um who came here to protest uh some of them with false information uh the mccluggage bridge was not lit up for the IDF it was lit up for the 1200 plus Israelis who were murdered and killed so for you to say that it's now you know the people who are now doing a genocide that's completely inappropriate because that was referring to dead people unless you believe the IDF is a ghost Army that's a completely false statement I'm going to go forward with my prepared remarks now I'm not here to persuade you to change your opinion about the conflict between Israel and Gaza I don't have enough time to argue about thousands of years of history or change people's religious views and frankly none of our personal views should matter here I'm here to inform you of the dangerous precedent that will be set in the city of Poria and this American city in the heart of Illinois in the heart of America if we begin making official City resolutions regarding foreign conflicts the city of Poria or any American city should not be taking aide in any war on polit or political conflict transpiring overseas by doing so the city would not only be promoting division among local people and that is real uh just to clarify they will be inherently promoting the Warfare and or political tactics used by whichever side they side with none of which are appropriate in any domestic American city during peace time this would also apply to taking sides in any other foreign conflict including a war and Russia and Ukraine conflicts between China and Taiwan India and Pakistan Ethiopia and Eritrea Somalia somal land and so on Peoria is in Illinois within the state of uh within the United States and in the end what whatever position the United States federal government ends up taking is the deao position of any governments of the state of Illinois and subsequently the city of Poria unless Poria Illinois intends to stop remitting taxes to the federal government calling for ceasefires or calling for military actions or calling for political action in foreign lands is a virtue signal meaningless performative action which only serves to cause conflict within the local community and does absolutely nothing whatsoever to affect the conflict in question if you want to divide the people of Poria then move forward with making a resolution to take a side in a foreign conflict because that is all such a resolution would accomplish and that would include if you went the other way and supported Israel in this instance or say Ukraine in another instance if the city of Poria takes a side in this conflict they'll be expected to make resolutions taking side in every future controversial conflict are you ready to take time of a part-time government to research and understand and debate the history of not only the Levant in this Israel and Hamas conflict but also the history of ke Bruce regarding the Ukraine and Russia conflict or the history of Ethiopia and Eritrea or the history of Somalia and Somali land rather than focusing on the needs of the local residents if you take one step in this direction you will essentially turn our city council into a billboard for political causes upon which whoever shouts the loudest gets to spray their message every extremist group for either side will continue to descend upon city council as you see here every time a war breaks out anywhere in the world once they know that the city council gives a platform to foreign interests this is not what the people of Peoria want just because some people in Poria agree with this that doesn't mean we all agree people of peor already have arguments and conflicts over about the actions of local government regarding local issues like businesses and infrastructures keep Poria focus on the needs of the people in Poria not Palestinian territories Ukraine Taiwan India Germany Ireland or anywhere else and I have one minute left and I wish one further statement to say that imagine while everybody's doing spoken word tonight and telling you to picture things in your head imagine if Hamas was an East Peoria and they came in and decided to do it October 7th here would we listen to Chicago or St Louis or some place in Canada telling us how to respond it is not the place of the city of P I care about people that are Palestinian I care about people that are Muslims if you really want to know how to help and defend the people of Palestine then I recommend you look up a man called masab Hassan yusf he is the son of the founder of Hamas and he does extensive extensive work telling people about his experience so if you want want to learn about somebody who really experienced it look him up thank you it's inappropriate to boo people I did not boo any of you next we have Noah excuse me we have Terry Brier followed by Noah Palm Terry Brier [Applause] Terry Terry Brink I'm sorry that's okay okay um dear mayor Ali and City Council Members I urge you to support and vote for a ceasefire resolution in Palestine since my visit to the West Bank in the early 90s I have noticed how conditions for the Palestinians have gotten much worse and when I was there Palestinians were subject to administrative detention um settlers with would fire uh machine guns at water tanks that the Palestinians had by their houses for water destroy uh Olive Groves take over houses and it's just gotten much worse in the 30 years since I've been there President Carter was right when he wrote that Israel was a paride state South Africa a country that is very familiar apart hide filed a referral to the international court of justice for an investigation into alleged war crimes committed by Israel in Gaza on January 26th of this year the international court of justice in the hag adopted binding orders that include requiring Israel to prevent genocide against Palestinians in Gaza also had asked him to enable the provision of basic services and humanitarian assistance and prevent and punish incitement to commit genocide over 1.5 million civilians have been displaced by the invasion of Gaza they are in danger of starvation Mal utrition and diseases such as chalera and PTSD every us tax dollar spent in Israel is less money that can be spent on domestic spending such as housing and medical care every dollar provided to Israel pays for the war against Palestinians please send a message to the federal government that peans do not want their money spent for the death maming and displacement of Palestinians pass a ceasefire resolution thank you next next we have Noah Palm followed by May abuli abuli uh good afternoon my name is Noah Palm I'm here to call for a resolution for a ceasefire um I am currently an ICC student on track to become a high school history teacher um I love history because it not only repeats itself but it also give context for the present in preparation for this public comment I did not need to look far to find a historic speech with disturbing parallels to the situation we find ourselves in today Dr Martin Luther King junor needs no introduction especially in black history month but tonight I'm going to talk about one of his more unexplored speeches in 1967 King delivered a controversial sermon at a Baptist Church in Atlanta Georgia titled why I am opposed to the war in Vietnam sharp CR criticism was hurled at King for his position from the Press Congress and other civil rights activists because of the concern that it would distract from the struggle for civil rights one person told King that peace and civil rights don't mix in other words people were telling him to shut up and dribble however King had a very different perspective on the matter and his moral compass would no longer allow him to ignore the issue in the opening minutes he sets the foundation of the argument on the platform of moral obligation he stated I chose to speak about the war in Vietnam because I agree with Dante that the hottest places in hell are reserved for those who in a period of moral crisis maintain their neutrality there comes a time when silence is betrayal like his Mountaintop speech he doesn't stop there despite the belief of others that expanding his Civil Right struggle to include in ational solidarity would be detrimental to the cause King believed that it would be detrimental not to include it King exposes the contradiction of the United States spending $500,000 to kill one person 8,000 miles away when the United States was only spending $57 to help one poor person here at home similar similar to how we currently give approximately 3.3 billion a year to Israel and grants under the foreign military financing program when when district 150 only has 87 cents per student for their art fine arts [Applause] program in a later speech King sums it up by saying the bombs in Vietnam explode at home they destroy the hopes and possibilities for a decent America the last major point I'll focus on is King's perspective on violence in Peoria I think we are all United in the struggle to end violence in our community there are a plethora of violence prevention initiatives over the last few years from city council and non-government organizations however King believed that you could not condemn violence here at home when being silent about violence abroad he stated I knew that I could never again raise my voice against violence of the oppressed in the ghettos without having first spoken clearly to the greatest purveyor of violence in the world today my own government he continues there's something strangely in consistent about a nation or a press that will praise you when you say be nonviolent towards Jim Clark but curse you when you say be nonviolent towards Little Brown Vietnamese children similar to how we would say today there's something strangely inconsistent about a nation or a press that will praise you when you say be nonviolent towards Derek Chauvin but curse and damn you when you say be nonviolent to little brown Palestinian children I'm not the only one looking at this crisis through the historical lens of King Travelers weekly published an article last month by Mark lampin titled what would king be doing today Lampkin agrees and says that he believes that king would likely rail against President Biden for being silent on the bombing of innocent people in Palestine another thing I wanted to say and I didn't write this down but how many people here have are supporting the seire please raise your hand behind me stands a multi National multiethnical multi-generational bisexual uh uh gay straight trans sis everybody is here supporting a ceasefire supporting a CE M multi- religion I I don't understand um how we can stay silent about something that is obviously affecting so many people in our community so in my opinion um that is why I'm here calling for a cease fire I hope that you uh in a period of M crisis you lose your neutrality call for nonviolence call for peace call for Aire thank [Applause] you next we have may abah Huli followed by Rabbi milco hi everyone hi madam uh mayor and honorable City uh council members uh I am here because uh I was born in Gaza I have family there I just uh had 17 members of my family uh got killed a month ago uh including a displaced family who stay who were just with them stayed with them um my family now is in Rafa they moved um and now we are worried about them again [Music] um um just um several weeks ago um M Aiza is a journalist who um was documenting Horrors in Gaza and he was interviewed by um NBC when he asked if he had a message for the American people he said something that really stuck with me he said don't call yourself a free person or a free people if you can't make change don't call yourself a free person if you can't stop a [Music] genocide when 27 out of 50 states have passed an anti-bot legislation to make it illegal to boycott Israel how can we call ourselves a free people when hundreds of thousands of people have protested in the streets calling for a ceasefire when people are losing their jobs for speaking against the occupation when our government ignores our voices and bypass Congress to sell over 100 million worth of weapons to Israel how can we call ourselves a free people I stand here our Council to make the change necessary to to hear our voices and to call for an immediate ceasefire thank [Music] you next we have Rabbi mil calco followed by Miranda Bates so thank you for the opportunity to be here this evening and speak to you all I wish that the circumstances were different and I wish that I could speak to you in a time of peace but not war but that is the reality that we have here I will try not to talk in sound bites nor make false equivalencies such as a war the United States fought in Vietnam that is not relevant there are too many people suffering and this issue is far too complex to be boiled down to a simple slogan about a ceasefire the language of ceasefire is but a smoke screen but I'm not going to debate this point by point I will tell you though that I just returned a few days ago from Israel on this trip I heard many testimonials from people who were survivors of the massacre on October 7th the only other time that I have heard such Devastation is in speaking with Holocaust survivors on October 7th innocent civilians were brutally killed in their own home children were slain in front of parents parents in front of children women were publicly raped many were also mutilated into Crest excuse me I gave I gave you the courtesy you give me courtesy I'm going to have to ask I'm going to have to require order at leaston many of the women were gresly mutilated such as having their breasts cut from them while they were [Music] alive I will remind you that there was no war on October 6th today Israel is fighting for her very existence she has been forced to defend herself but I will also tell tell you what I saw firsthand that no one I spoke within Israel relishes this fight no one is eager or happy to fight they're not celebrating in the streets however they are Resolute about what needs to be done to preserve the only Democratic state in the Middle East and the home and the home of the Jewish people but I also wish that I didn't need to speak to you tonight to reply to talk about an international issue in a city council meeting this issue is not like one of school shootings regardless of what you may believe about the war in Gaza and Israel the issue is not one that should be addressed in this setting porori is a wonderful and diverse Community every CI citizen deserves to feel safe and protected in this city by bringing a contentious and divisive International issue to city council and for the city council to take asides in public will lead to discrimination and hatred of Poria citizens it will make this city less safe regardless of our personal politics I want a city council that will represent every citizen of Peoria regardless of their feelings about the war that is being fought in a foreign country even if it is a foreign country that is my home finally do not think that because Peoria Jewish Community has chosen to limit our attendance here and to limit our speakers that it also limits our commitment to Israel nothing could be further from the truth we care deeply and passionately about Israel and also about the innocence in Gaza and everywhere that there is war today we limit our speakers tonight only because we feel that this is not the correct form for this discussion thank you next we have Miranda Bates followed by Kathy mcneel hi my name is Miranda um as of 2022 us taxpayers have provided Israel with over $ 37.9 billion over the years according to the US state department in 2022 alone us taxpayers gave Israel 3.3 billion in Aid of which 8.8 million went to the state of Israel's economy and the remaining 99.7% of US taxpayer money went to the Israeli military us taxpayers are footing the bill for Israel's genocide campaign against the native people of Palestine the Israeli extremist government providing its citizens with weapons is providing its citizens with weapons and Immunity to perform barbaric acts against regular people who are just trying to live the West Bank area of the occupied Palestine is governed by by the Palestinian Authority not Hamas yet hundreds of women children and men have been illegally detained harassed tortured and murdered simply for being Palestinian Israeli settlers are blocking Aid trucks right this moment as I speak with full support from the state of Israel with the aid sent into Israel in 2022 alone our government could have funded 41,7 35 households with public housing for a year [Music] 1,322,000 563 students with fully covered college loans for decad es a foreign illegitimate country has been tampering with American politics lining our government's Pockets with blood money so that their new US puppets will look the other way and even defend their plan to ethnically cleanse the Palestine of its people I will not waste my breath debating the morality of the genocide in Gaza I have seen countless videos of maimed babies decomposing human bodies and millions ions of Gins who have lost everything if you have not witnessed this that is the American propaganda machine purring we have been denied our first amendment rights to free speech all US news outlets major social media apps and especially our representatives in the US government have been working tyless to censor us and keep us silent I will never be f F silent in the face of genocide I will never accept our tax dollars being spent on genocide when when did saying stop killing babies become left-wing extremism so when P so why should Poria pass a ceasefire resolution simply because it's the right thing to do just as puia city council passed a resolution to prevent companies from shutting off the power to family homes in the winter was the right thing to do you've said it will divide Peoria but if one half says stop killing babies and the other half says keep killing babies I hope you'd say well killing babies is bad it really is that simple I will say one thing on the paper tiger of an argument that calling for a ceasefire is anti-Semitic killing anyone in the name of Judaism is anti-Semitic regular everyday Jewish people are being lumped in with bloodthirsty Psychopaths as for divisiveness I don't think Poria would disagree that we are tired of white men standing on Brown necks in the boots that we paid [Applause] for I will leave you with a quote from Ellie visel whose family was murdered in aitz concentration camp where he was also held we must always take sides neutrality helps the oppressor never the victim silence encourages the Tormentor never the tormented the opposite of love is not hate it is indifference thank you free Palestine we have Kathy mcneel followed by Natalie cook Netanyahu said he will not stop who here would not want to stop the killing the bombing the destruction the violence the Takeover by those who believe they are entitled because what we gave them they want more who's calling for hate not us nor division nor a panic but an ongoing thoughtful decisive call for peace all we are saying is Give Peace a chance let's see I have I'm going to speak from a voice of a Christian and a voice of a Jewish person first Reverend Bishop William Barber co-chair of the Poor People's campaign made a moral case for a Gaza ceasefire in a recent interview he spoke of a vigil held by a group of Christian leaders outside the White House demanding the President Biden support a ceasefire in Gaza and they said then that we must all join forces with Jews and Christians and Muslims around the world who are calling for a seized fire in Gaza and the safe return of all hostages and civilian prisoners and to Stop The Killing to quote Bishop bar Barber excuse me to quote Bishop Barber from an article that he wrote about Hamas I also challenge the apartheid state that the net Yahoo regime has had in Israel had had in Israel we said then we must speak as one voice Christians Muslims and Jews must say the in indiscriminate killing of women and children in this war is immoral if you look at scripture in Isaiah 10 it is straight from text that Muslims Jews and Christians all agree on it ought to be a framework for how we move forward the script scripture reads woe to those who make unjust laws to those who issue oppressive decrees to deprive the poor of their rights and withhold Justice from the oppressed of my people making widows their prey and robbing the fatherless this is a prophetic challenge to governments and to what Netanyahu and these governments are doing today here's a note from anti-zionist writer Amanda G ER I am a Jewish person who opposes the settler colonial state of Israel this is not despite my Judaism but because of it my Jewish Elders warned me about how all of society can converge to commit genocide under the pre pretense of making the world safer they also taught me that our duty to rise against tyranny supersedes any other Earthly loyalty Jewish people of con I know that Israel's Massacre of Palestine is also an assault on the Jewish faith we refuse to sacrifice the Beating Heart of Judaism at zionism's altar of violent nationalism Israel's use of religious symbols in it genocide of Palestinians is an affront to Judaism and has robbed Jews of a faith practice that is divorced from nationalist barbarism anti-semitism you say no it's antiviolence it's anti-genocide it's a call to unite for a ceas fire it's a call for peace all we are saying is Give Peace a chance all we are [Music] [Applause] saying next we have Natalie cook followed by Lawrence Mard [Applause] good evening council members and mayor Ali what is happening in Palestine is a reflection of the US it is a reflection of the grotesque mistreatment perpetuated amongst indigenous people globally and I speak this as we are standing on Stolen land can you imagine being kicked out of your home cut off from basic supplies being starved and dehydrated to witness mass murder and experience constant bombardment displacement and abuse can you imagine being deprived of sleep for over 100 Nights from buzzing drones helpless cries and moans of those pack so near and the cold having no solid shelter to protect yourself and your loved ones from the elements the physical and psychological damage from the bombings and displacement is inhumane in a clear crime not only do the bombs and destruction affect human life but are non-human relatives in the land itself psychological and environmental dysfunction will continue to grow the impact is immense and I believe we are harming more than we can truly conceptualize a call for a permanent and true ceasefire in Palestine is a call to end occupation around the world it's a call from the people that we will not stand for for such brutality on any and all land a call for a lasting ceasefire symbolizes saying no to bombs no to killing no to force labor no to human exploitation we say not in Palestine Yemen Syria Lebanon Pakistan Afghanistan Sudan Congo United States Central America and sadly the list goes on this is something we are able to stand up against no matter how small our voice may seem a ceasefire resolution in Poria may not fix an international crisis but it will show our solidarity for life it is a message to our higher level petitions because the health and the W the health of the world and Humanity depends on our Universal and Collective Health as a people thank you next we have Lawrence Mard followed by AED is [Applause] Assad thank you mayor and thank you folks for listening to us it's a great opportunity and we appreciate it I want to read something from Pastor Seth major he's a great cleric religious cleric here in here in PE very community-minded and he says dear Mary May Ali and the member of PE city council a scheduled commitment prevents me from being present this evening but whoever is reading these words of mine has my permission to do so this evening I call on this Council to join with dozens of other cities across the country in a vote to adopt a resolution calling for a ceasefire in the brutal conflict between Israel and Hamas primarily taking place in Gaza as AAL local member of the Christian clergy of our city as well as a resident of Peoria I have been honored and humbled by the Friendship peace and mutual respect extended to me by the local Palestinian Community as well as their activist allies they welcomed me to speak at one of their public peaceful demonstrations several months ago influenced by the peaceful ethic of Jesus Christ and God's vision for a world without War suffering or pain I have longed for a ceasefire since the moment the conflict began at the moment of the of his arrest Jesus was known to have said to those seeking to defend him put down your weapons since this moment in history there has been a tradition of non-violence within Christianity although like many in this country there has been a warping of the words of scripture to justify violence to be clear Jesus our lord and Messiah wants no one to die I would personally be discouraged if the council was ultimately unwilling to vote on the ceasefire resolution being presented to them to avoid vot voting would be for you to avoid engaging in one of your central functions as elected officials and to not vote in favor of the ceasefire would mean that you do not mind to see the death toll rise please listen to the words being spoken this evening with open ears and vote signed Reverend Seth major okay I also have an announcement here we've reached out to various organizations in the city and they wanted me to say this tonight the Poria proud board met last night for its monthly meeting and voted to sign on to the ceasefire resolution a Bo member has signed the petition on our behalf of Poria proud these are important people in our community like everyone is here like these people like these people like these people and the voices are growing louder you know some of these some of our elected leaders have asked to take a neutral stand archb Archbishop Desmond Tutu said to take neutrality is to side with the oppressor do we all understand this we cannot avoid this situation you worried about division well it's here and let's deal with it in a calm Humane rational way one more thing this is Black History Month does anyone for one second believe that Reverend Dr Martin Luther King Jr that CT Vivian that Mark Clark that them and many more legendary civil rights leaders does anyone doubt for a second that that they would not call for a ceasefire ceasefire now do the right thing adopt the resolution and let's do your [Applause] jobs next we have IAD Assad followed by ladana [Applause] fishkin hi good evening everyone and Salam to everyone uh I had a small speech but I I had a small speech what I uh what I had uh written before I came up here but I had to uh after hearing a few things um I had to counter what they had said about the October 7 I asked show us the pics the videos that you claim about October 7 rapes and babies killings which I know for a fact you don't you don't because I know Muslims represent I know what Muslims represent and true Muslims wouldn't do that it's all propaganda for a free card for a killing spree but I can tell you we have 100s of videos of Zionist killings innocent children in Gaza don't let Jewish Zionist tarnish the image of normal God-fearing Jews and Americans the worst part is is when a group of people try to wipe out a whole nation and in a process play a victim that's the worst part the speech I Have Is I would like to begin with the Palestinian conflict specifically about the Palestinian genocide which by the way and the is the most International humanitarian crisis currently that needs our dire attention now innocent people are dying that have nothing to do with the war between the two governments which is basically Hamas and Israel you don't have to to be religious to defend innocent people from war crimes as a matter of fact you don't have to belong to any religion to know right from wrong the blame game can go on forever roughly 30 to 45 40 45% of in innocent cins are starving While most people are just living their daily lives normally the Gins need our dire help there are Gins that are being displaced from their homes because of the bombs and now live in theet streets with no water food or electricity I'm sure no religion will approve of this kind of genocide no matter what religion you follow all I'm saying is be human and have a heart if this kind of genocide were to happen upon Jews or any religion by God I would I would be the first to protest against it which by the way a lot of respected Jews are doing please demand a ceasefire so the Palestinians and the real God-fearing Jews and Christians that live side by side in Palestine as they did for over a thousand years before the Israeli Zionist government decided to take Palestine from Palestinians in 1948 if you really believe in humanity you would stand up for what's right and do the right thing demand for ceasefire now than we have Ladonna fishkin followed by romez ABI AAR good evening thank you to the city council for allowing this opportunity to address the council and the community we all want to end the loss of innocent life we all yearned for peace we know that Palestinian civilians suffer but a ceasefire that precludes the demilitarization of Hamas and doesn't return the hostages will only take us back to the same dangerous situation we had on October 7th Hamas leadership has repeatedly said they would do October 7th again and again and again until they destroy Israel my opinion of global Affairs is my opinion and I respect that the city council has a right to their own opinions my reason for speaking this evening is to demonstrate my support of the city Council and to encourage the council to remain focused on City Affairs and to not engage on global Affairs it is important for all citizens of Poria to feel supported by the city council and to remain neutral I personally would be happy to share anything that I you know perspective that I have but I think it's very important for you to form your own and um but you're welcome to contact me thank thank [Applause] you next we have romez Abi Abi AAR followed by hen ABI AAR mayor Ali and council members I feel the urgency to take the stand in this respected public forum to focus on a noble cause there is is an ugly Injustice Against Humanity that has been worsening in the Middle East for 4 months and the USA is unfortunately turning a blind eye actually instead USA is helping the Injustice being dreadfully perpetrated innocent people are slaughtered in front of our eyes Around the Clock Plus those who luckily escape death are having their lives scattered their houses bombarded and are undergoing famine disease and horrific living conditions over 28,000 Souls have been killed by now Tak in side or no side it is a genocide [Applause] what an irony Palestinians have lived in their land for centuries but alas they are not at Liberty to govern themselves they've been brutally occupied by the army of another country and are deprived of their freedom the Middle East region has been on fire constantly constantly for seven eight decades be it on the Palestinian land or on the Lebanese one there was a horrific War every 10 to 12 years between Israel and a Palestinian component previous names are were around the past such as PLO Arafat fat and other resistance groups all are bad the most recent War episode is on Gaza this time and the enemy is named Hamas reasonably speaking if occupation will continue a new name would sprout in the near future gentlemen no matter the reasons for such a horrible hysteria there has got to be a way to stop it it's unfortunate that the USA has chosen to veto all proposed Solutions tirelessly crafted by the security Council a number of American cities bravely raised the red flag we wonder why poror cannot do the same we peans have the chance to make an indirect impact otherwise a passive action on this detrimental topic would would strongly stamp Poria as lacking the humanitarian touch our hope is for a ceasefire support from here and a ceasefire support from there that would Inspire the entire nation to believe in a global Humanity oh my God we can't wait for a permanent Seas fire I hope Poria will be the next in joining the right ous group freedom and peace for all our friend here said that they had a bad October 7 may be right Gaza has had an October 7 version every single day in the past three months next we have H ABI AAR Follow by soel a good evening Madame mayor council members I am a longtime resident of Poria and a member of Poria Coalition for Palestine we are here are to ask you to support a seiz fire resolution in Gaza a seiz fire to give an injured toddler the chance to be stitched or amputated with anesia to give a baby a chance to drink clean water to sleep without the terrifying sounds of massive bombs exploding nonstop without the heart piercing sounds of fire of fighter jets diving to bomb their homes to give a father the chance to dig up his children from the rubble of their house where they died most excruciating slow death a house that has not been destroyed by force of nature but by a superpower deliberately acting to decimate everything the people in Gaza have built with their Blood and Tears in this country when few school children are senselessly shot and killed in their school the whole country all of us million are horrified imagine the number number of children killed in Gaza ripped to pieces burned to death buried alive are as many as all the children in Poria School District 12,000 of them in a small population of 2.3 million imagine the horror more than 28,000 civilians killed out of 2.3 million a population less than the the Chicago land a similar number in the US God forbid will be 40 million with an M million a rate of killing and destruction unprecedented in history this genocide is of local interest and local impact we all have we all have paid for every bomb every bullet every bulldozer used to destroy any semblance of life and to annihilate the population of Gaza our government has supported unconditionally this genocide against our values our morals and our laws a continuation of unconditional support for the occupying appti state of Israel for the last 75 brutal brutal excruciating years I have experienced that brutality in 1982 in Lebanon and in 2006 and when you ex when you experience that brutality you will never ever forget it and it's paid by the US this is why it is our issue every every single one of us you can you can choose to say I want the genocide I don't care about the genocide I want it to continue unabated no consequences no red lines not speaking up is calling or calling for a ceas fire is saying yes there is no third option please be brave and don't be intimidated by a loud extremist minority we here are the majority and he want you to be our voice and the moral compass for this country say loud C clear and proud We stand for a durable ceasefire let it play in Poria thank you next we have suel AAR followed by Darcy ktie uh Madame mayor honorable councilman thank you for listening to us taking this uh your time to listen to us my name ish I've been living here for a couple of decades in uh I'm a professor at Bradley University um and we are all citizens uh first let me start by greeting you with a Muslim greeting peace be upon you and what's really interesting is that Muslims are quite often in the mass media U being like you know presented as violent as not peaceloving while they follow the only religion in the world that extracts his name from peace and that's Islam uh which basically comes from the word s Salam which is Peace So peace be upon you all we are citizens of a nation that is one nation under God indivisible with liberty and justice for all these Concepts uh uh that I have always believed in and cherished and they should be the norm for Humanity as a whole however I'm deeply distraught by The Stance our government has taken lately Vis A the plight of the Palestinian people and the genocide being perpetrated by Israel against them a a stance that is dividing our country into three groups those who think that human rights are limited to a certain group of people and who are consequently unconditionally supporting the Israeli genocide those who are not taking a clear stand and those who value the sanctity of a human life and are trying their best to push for Israeli War Machine to be stopped the Biden Administration is creating a division between the people and showing that liberty and justice are not for all people to enjoy the Palestinian people have been under a brutal occupation for more than 75 years and the 2.3 million people living in Gaza have been under a total blockade since 2007 we are talking here about an area that is about 1/4 of the Peoria County County area but listening to the mainstream media and the Biden Administration will make one think that Israeli war against Palestinian people in Gaza and the West Bank it's not a war against Hamas is the result of October 7th attack by the Palestinian resistance they never tell you however about the attacks that the Israeli Army and settlers have been inflicting on the Palestinian people on a daily basis since 1948 they tell you about the 240 prisoners that were taken by the Palestinian resistance and again it's not just Hamas there are many factions but they never tell you about the more than 5,000 Palestinian civilians including women and more than 1500 children that are being held hostage by Israel without any charges and in the darest conditions did anyone ask themselves where the more than 300 Palestinian women and children who were released by Israel in exchange for Israeli women and children came for and where and why they were being held by Israel in the first place our president and others in his administration repeated lies and we heard some lies here on this floor today were presented by Israel as facts to justify the brutal War being perpetrated on the Palestinian people we know now that the only beheaded babies are those who were beheaded by Israeli bombings of heavily populated civilian areas we saw videos and pictures of them and the only women that were assaulted are those who were assaulted by Israeli soldiers and the streets of the West Bank and the and the Israeli jails and these and these and these were are very well documented in many various organizations including some Israeli peaceloving people's organizations we now know that mam muham mammad hospital and Associated Church were bombed by Israel not by a stray rocket from the resistance and yes there are Palestinian Christians living in Gaza we now know that there were no control and command centers in the earth shifa hospital and that the famous list was just a calendar with the names of the days written on it not the names of guards of hostages the war on the Palestinian people has been going on for more than 75 years and it's got to stop this war like the ones before it will not bring peace only peace brings peace isn't it enough if more than 28,000 people including more than 12,000 children and more than 8,300 women have been killed isn't it enough that more than 68,000 people including 8700 women and 6,400 children have been wounded isn't enough that 7,000 people are still missing under the rubble 36,000 residential units destroyed 32 educational facilities 11 of 35 hospitals only remain functional and the the list keeps keeps going consider this every hour in Gaza every hour in Gaza 15 people are killed with six being children 35 people are injured 12 buildings are destroyed Palestinians had nothing to do with the Holocaust but but they are living a holocaust right now it's not it's not a question of being liberal conservative Democrat Republican or even an anti-israel it's a question of either being on the side of humanity or against it you either have Humanity in you or you don't if you ask to have the courage to join a number of other cities in the US to pass resolution for an immediate ceasefire in Palestine that is in Gaza and in the West Bank thank you for your time sorry for going over time next we have Darcy Katie followed by Susan [Applause] Katz good evening council members Madame mayor Dr Ali thank you for hearing our concerns tonight I would like to address everyone in the room to take a moment and that we respect the distinguished Council and this space where we display a freedom of speech it is a tremendous honor in this nation that we have the ability to do so it deserves to be honored truth will prevail I have struggled to put my thoughts into words leading up to today I am here to request a ceasefire resolution be taken to a vote by the council I ask this of you because of the humanitarian crisis and genocide taking place in Palestine before asking this of you all I had to first ask myself am I taking the mail to the right address and then is what I'm asking the council to do reasonable given their role and I feel the answer to both at this time is yes while we are requesting a ceasefire resolution to be voted on and supported by multiple government officials multi- government levels as a local Grassroots Coalition it makes sense that we should start by taking our concerns to local leaders and all of you on city council furthermore what I and other ceasefire supporters are asking each of you to do is reasonable given your role because of the direct ties that tax dollars from local citizens have in funding the humanitarian crisis currently I am well aware that each of you were voted into your roles based upon how you could help the community locally and international diplomacy in this space will feel like a reach but that's not what I am asking of you what I am asking by having a ceasefire resolution taken to a vote is that you serve the best interest of the community locally by openly supporting what we the community do not want our local tax dollars going towards we do not want to support support a humanitarian crisis the loss of life is horrifying 30,000 plus Palestinians killed since October 7th innocent people and that is who I speak for innocent people Palestinians bombed in the North and then fleeing further south to Kan Yunis and later Rafa all while being shot at while fleeing violence and carpet bombs being killed and maimed on the way to their next refugee camp one of the most disturbing things about this is that excuse me Israeli forces want innocent Palestinian civilians to leave an area so they drop leaflets from the sky telling them to take to the road what direction to flee and leave by a certain time such as Sundown or the next day in principle and in theory this sounds reasonable what proceeds to happen is not they are shot and carpet bombed along designated passageways to the next destination why would the Israeli military be killing people in an area deemed safe that they designated openly as safe both passage and for arrival why is the Israel military killing journalists and medical staff at unprecedented rates daily if they're only goal is neutralizing a terrorist threat every single doctor cannot be a terrorist every single journalist 135 cannot be a terrorist you do not police truth and the people who potentially reveal it unless you have a motive which is to sequester it to kill it every single innocent child cannot be a terrorist at some point we have to acknowledge collect I ly as a community as a whole that what is going on defies logic and is inhumane or else what do we stand on as a community as a people I asking that each of you on the council exercise your privilege as individuals selected by the community for your wisdom foresight and Leadership to please support a ceasefire resolution to please account for the local impact of an international crisis that therefore gives you just cause to represent your community on this matter thank you ceasefire now next we have Susan Katz followed by Hassan nevu mayor Le Lee and council members there's a lot here to unpack tonight and I want to thank you for giving me the opportunity I think we all agree that killing babies is wrong but I didn't hear any mention of the dead babies in Israel that were massacred on October 7th and I didn't hear Hamas mentioned much tonight Hamas is an internationally recognized terrorist organization that that killed 1,00 innocent Israelis women men grandfathers Holocaust of survivors babies and young children and took 240 of them as hostages into Gaza these are not resistance Fighters these are terrorists these same and I also noticed a complete lack of respect when we say something that you don't agree with please let us speak as we let you speak thank you and I am speaking the truth when I say that Hamas brought this war on that Israel did not seek this war and Hamas has been oppressing the Palestinian people since they were elected in 2007 and yes there is proof of the massacre and I could give anybody the website who's interested it is horrific absolutely horrific I couldn't look at it it reminds me very sad when I hear people deny what happened on October 7th the way people in this country reacted to Holocaust Survivors when they came over after World War II many of them started to speak about what happened to them in the camps and people absolutely denied it and didn't believe that it happened and they shut down and we found that the Nazis had documented everything just as Kamas did so we have documentation we have proof the war is with Kamas not with the pales inian people we grieve the death hold it Miss Catz please stop anybody who talks when someone else is up speaking I'm going to ask security to remove them the deaths on both sides war is horrible and we'd like to see it end but until it ends with Hamas returning the hostages and becoming demilitarized Israel will face October 7th again and again and again and they cannot do that well they have a responsibility to defend their citizens that being said and there's so much more because I I cannot address all of the pieces of information that I feel were incorrect were presented to you tonight clearly this is a very complicated and divisive issue which is why I ask city council to please not consider a ceasefire resolution this is beyond what we can fix this is beyond City council's Mission this will further divide your community which is already as you see divided I I pray for peace I think we all Pray for Peace but I don't think a ceasefire resolution by the Poria city council is going to get us any closer to peace thank you we have Hassan nevu Hassan navu followed by Malik [Applause] ammed thank you representatives for allowing us the opportunity to sleep speak we have I think it is very important as residents of the community to respect each other and in that regard I hope future people can respect you guys and I was disheartened to hear the way they react acted when you guys spoke um that being said I'm also surprised to hear why this issue is controversial a ceasefire does not mean picking a side I do understand though that some of my fellow residents have fears about Hamas and Hamas has been designated as a terrorist organization but it is important to understand how organizations like this arise if you if a child has seen their parents their siblings their grandparents all killed and they grow up in an atmosphere where they do not have any opportunities how can you expect that person to become anything but an extremist the US has personally experienced this through our 20-year Adventure in Afghanistan we did not defeat Afghanistan or the people over there by bombing them out because what you do is create a next generation of terrorists after the US defeated Germany in the first world war they imposed harsher sanctions on the Germans and it resulted in the horrible regime of Nazis imposing bad conditions on your enemies does not create friends to truly create friends you have to give those people opportunities now I understand that it is not the right place to debate foreign policy however it is the right place I think to talk about the feelings of the citizens of Poria residents residents over here have mentioned how they lost family members residents have mentioned how they know people who have been killed addressing those things are a part of I think your [Applause] jobs therefore I hope I hope that in the Land of Lincoln in the person who pursued freedom for other people that you sign on to this resolution as a symbol for what puia stands for we cannot delegate foreign policy just to the federal government Poria like other small cities can constantly not be ruled over we have to show that we have a voice and by signing on to this resolution that is what we will do thank you we have three more speakers uh the order is Malik ammed Jonathan volto and Kesha hes your honor Madame mayor and City Council Members everybody thank you giving me the opportunity I going to start with a simple story The Story Once Upon a Time in a community there is a family big family and they have a big land in their backyard so that family is very very good family all Community people they know very well suddenly there is a powerful person in that Community everybody kind of get they they listen to him he's very powerful there's no way that you cannot you know avoid him so one day that powerful person came with a needy family that was very needy and it they were kind of forcefully out from some other neighborhood and asked that family member that can you please give me give give him the shelter this family small family just give him sh shelter you have a lot of back big backyard so give him a shelter so that family being very generous very good very naive it's okay no problem let them live there so they built a house in the back and they started living there fine no problem their brothers sisters they all you know just like a family members So eventually what they do that new family they started building another building there and the the main family they said why you doing that I gave you the shelter now you'll be building another house there and bringing another people there why are you doing that you cannot do that so they called the powerful person and the powerful person said no it is fine let them do that they're not harming you it continues So eventually those people the people the new people who are those are sheltered or given shelter try to evacuate forcefully the owner of the main house who originally give the shelter let's call them family a so they're trying to you know take the people out out of their house and doing all kind of thing with the with the help of that powerful person so it's not working and then though those are the KN people good people so whatever they're doing there's no other choice for them other than to kind of get used to that one and try to kind of solve those things so this passes this passes their children see that their fathers their uncles living in the main family a has been forcefully out and they're tolerating to some extent at some point one day family B those are sheltered let's call this family B they were you know kind of out out of their house they went some vacation some other places and meanwhile before few days the family A they're trying to Gathering some people good people around in the community that to help them that hey this is what is going on can you please help us something's going wrong there so those people okay okay we can help you that so they try to help also so but nothing worked so the family family a with those those people one day everybody was on vacation or some other place going outside from family B they tried to come out and you know out of angry completely out of anger they kind of shut the door shut the sorry the bang the door and did all kind of things there right show out of their anger and and took one people there are one or two people in this those family ba a BC and B1 B2 B3 houses one or two people in their house and try to communicate with him that okay try to resolve the issue that hey your family bees are doing this can you please resolve this one all those kind of things now Family B came everybody guess what they eradicate they forcefully out everybody from there kill the people there kill the children there and all family is gone that is the end of the story My honorable Madame mayor you just tell me that day what he did family a out of operation because their wall their back was against the wall nothing to do they cannot do anything else only to raise the voice with their little power they know their little power they cannot do anything else only thing they did just raise show their anger show their anger please don't do that that's why you throw the anger so please your time's up please just s for [Applause] please next we have kashan excuse me next we have Jonathan volto followed by kashan hes one more speaker I think um I kind of want to keep it uh specific and pointed um April 2023 was the last City Council election for the atlarge members I believe just the atlarge if I'm correct maybe I'm not um but I do remember voter turnout was about 16% uh it put Kelly o Oiler vesa uh Gordon young I think you're at large I'm pretty sure I think those are all the outlaw ages I'm not sure it put a few of you here at 16% voter turnout um 2021 uh that election for the districts and for mayor uh had a on average I think it's 177% voter turnout um mayor your uh your margin of victory was 43 votes uh graab you beat cobak by like 200 250 maybe um I think RI and Bach you had a much healthier or much safer margin of it was it was larger I don't remember what Alan you ran unopposed didn't even have to sweat uh I bring this up because I think you should consider by what mechanism are you here which peorian put you here when you say that you are here for the peorian what do you mean because it looks like you are here for some peans a few peorian I don't think we should be clapping because a part of part of this uh I don't know which camera to look at but there's a camera is it that one or is it that one that leads to YouTube and to TV or whatever where is everybody if the other uh 70,000 eligible voters knew that they could be as involved in local Politics as they could would any of you still be here and would we be doing this tonight or or would there be people here who would have known well enough after 30,000 dead civilians that they could they could push the needle as to as to what the public opinion is I uh I it's it's frustrating I it's frustrating but I do want to make make notice that like how many people here tonight did I think maybe some people have left but there was maybe 100 people here that that's enough to change your margin of Victory uh if by the next election we were to theoretically have 50% voter turnout I think this this horseshoe looks a lot different and I think you should really consider way which way that skews for you um I I respect all of you I I don't I don't dislike any of you personally I don't know any of you but politically collectively I think this horseshoe is garbage uh I I constantly have I watch I watch every um meeting on YouTube and constantly there are so many things I want to say there's things I want to say about the agenda tonight I I mean regarding parking and regarding uh a development on the 800 black of Adams but it's not really that important tonight uh I you know I want to comment about the buying the water company which you failed to do I've I what I want to say right now is that I've been watching this this collection of people fumble around pretty low impact issues short-term rentals you you you punt that around over and over again as if as if one person having to put up with one party one time is the epitome of plight in this city and yeah that's sure it's important stuff but I don't know I don't know um I'm I'm rambling and I'm sorry for that but uh I I don't think if there's an if Adam Smith has an invisible hand why is that invisible hand building so many bombs to go to the Middle [Applause] East 19 seconds cease fire [Music] now next next we have Kesha Hess and then our last speaker is Zachary grid hello my name is Kean hes I am a substitute teacher uh I've been doing nonprofit work to help the Poria anywh I can for the last two years um I patiently heard a lot of the words here I was moved by some of them firstly I would like to say genocide and war is sprouted from the seed of Injustice and Injustice anywhere is an injustice everywhere so there isn't any confusion with my next following words I would like to say I support the ceasefire I don't support War anywhere I'm here to talk about the Injustice in Poria um I simply want to ask the people behind me a lot of you have said you guys are the voice of Poria I would like to know where is this outpour and all this clamor when many children in Poria die from gun violence and other types of violence I have memories of students who I will never see again um one of them his name was Maran he had a beautiful smile he played Sports and he loved doing art at Poria High I'm not here to take away from anybody's struggle I'm simply here to put eyes back on Poria and the problems we face in the city once again my name is Kean hes other than that everybody have a nice night [Applause] Zachary gri followed by Seline Corley hello I'm Zachary getrich and here we are in the United States of America where we're all equal I'm equal to my dear friend Andre I'm equal to my dear friend Zach I'm equal to my dear friend Rach I'm even equal to Mr growth over there and that's what the ceasefire actually calls for it is about equality it says Hamas needs to stop and Israel needs to stop it says Hamas needs to release its hostages and Israel needs to release the 8,000 Palestinian hostages that it [Applause] has and and I heard a Zionist recently said they're not hostages they're they're prisoners because they were convicted of they're criminals remember the Palestinian hostages were put through sham military tribunals no objective judge no impartial jury just a bunch of racist IDF soldiers judging on them and by that logic Hamas could do a whole bunch of sham trials on the hostages they have and then they would be prisoners they would be legitimate prisoners according to what the zionists say and I started this by pointing out that we're all equal because I believe we're all equal everybody here believes we're all equal but the zionists don't believe that they're equal they're a special people they're God's chosen people and because they are better than all of us they don't have to follow our rules they don't have to follow International rules at all because they're better than the rest of us I don't believe that I believe we are all equal here I have to follow the same rules as everybody else here and I uphold that it's fundamental but they don't believe that they are a people unlike any other people and therefore they're allowed to do whatever they want no matter how many children are murdered no matter how many innocent hostages that they take F women children children that were that have actually been verified that they were sexually assaulted and raped in Israeli torture Dungeons and that's what this ceasefire says this ceasefire supports equality people that oppose the ceasefire don't they don't support equality they support the continuing idea that somehow they are superior to everyone else and they don't have to follow anybody rule they don't have to follow International rules they're allowed to do whatever they want because they're special and that guarantees that they can simply do more and there's not going to be any consequences for them and it's very unfortunate and so yes we should have a ceasefire I would also point out that the people that say they want the Israeli hostages back so much except for two that just happened two days ago every single Israeli hostage that Israel has gotten back has only occurred during a ceasefire that's it that's the only time they've ever gotten hostages back except two just a couple days ago in fact there were three IDF soldiers that were kidnapped by Hamas that the IDF then murdered when they were trying to escape they had no shirt on they're yelling in Hebrew they got a white flag but the hand anal Doctrine which is an Israeli doctrine that basically says you can do anything you want to prevent any Israelis or idfs from being taken hostage including killing them the the anal Doctrine says well we might as well they killed their own people it's terrible so common sense would say well a ceasefire based off of all the evidence we have is the singular best way to get Israeli hostages back because it's the most effective they gotten the most hostages back by then and in fact there have been recent ceasefires presented that would release all the remaining Israeli hostages and at least some of the 8,000 Palestinian hostages I mean it would be completely disproportional but that's because the people that believe that they're better than everybody else don't view the pales they barely even view the Palestinians as humans as it is so of course you can trade a thousand Palestinian hostages for one Israeli hostage because maybe maybe you're starting to get equal then so for those reasons you should support a ceasefire thank you Seline Corley thank you Council and Madame mayor for allowing us to talk tonight um I'm going to keep this short I would just like to say that for those tonight stating that we should keep global politics out of the puia city council meeting I simply would like to draw attention to the fact that as of 2014 the city of Poria is sister cities to I2 Lebanon Lebanon who neighbors to the people of Israel in the palestin inian people Lebanon who is taking in nearly 500,000 registered Palestinian refugees 500,000 people children and women fleeing for their lives it is important to remember this sister city that we share and as Lebanon takes in more and more Palestinian refugees it is important to remember that because of this relationship that we have with Lebanon this war does affect Poria as well I come for forward today as a citizen of Lebanon and a citizen of the United States and a citizen of Peoria I come today asking that the conversation for a ceasefire remains present within this Council thank [Music] you our last our final speaker is Alyssa McMillan I like everyone else would like to thank you for the opportunity to be here and for you all to listen to us um I want to focus on a term to start off that term is disproportionate there has been a disproportionate amount of violence towards Palestinians as opposed to the violence that has been towards Israel 1,00 Israelis were killed by Hamas 240 hostages were cast captured Israel holds 4500 Palestinian prisoners of which 310 are being held in administrative detention without the right to a trial many women many or children there's also disproportionate coverage while some Outlets are getting a little better many mainstream news outlets are being disproportionate in the details they are providing and what has happened to Palestinians as compared to the details pertaining to the Israelis and the IDF there's been a disproportionate use of compassion towards the victims whether they be from Israel or Palestine in terms used to describe people and the things that are happening to them news agencies are referring to Young Israelis as children whereas Palestinians are referred to as minors the words we use are incredibly important in showing Humanity to all humans and without access to Independent sources we would gather from the disproportionate coverage as mentioned before that October 7th 2023 was the beginning of the struggle between Palestinians in Israel though in 1948 the nakba which I've learned is an Arabic term for catastrophy occurred with the mass displacement and dispossession of Palestinians of their land during the Arab Israeli War based on Research Palestine used to be a multiethnic and Multicultural Society consisting of Christians Jews and Arabs during the Naka dozens of massacres targeting Arabs were conducted and about 400 Arab majority towns and Villages were depopulated either being completely destroyed like we've seen in Gaza and cunis or repopulated by Jewish residents and given new Hebrew names given the recent narrative regarding our own country's genocidal history this is an act of violence through land theft and ethnic or racial Supremacy these Palestinians mentioned in 1948 were pushed in majority in majority to the Gaza Strip 200,000 then since Israel has waged 15 Collective Wars against Gaza these illegal sediments and abhorent acts of violence and Collective punishment and international War crime must no longer be funded by our tax dollars we are now nearing 30,000 deaths of innocent Palestinians the IDF has given the same excuse for these killings time and time again more than 12,000 of those killed have been children to bring up the dis proportionate term once more we have seen with our own eyes via independent sources the most gruesome images I have ever seen we are simply not seeing the same imagery of violence on innocent Israelis Israel is withholding access to life-saving food water and electricity withholding this electricity has resulted in the death of eight babies we watched these babies taken from their incubators crowded together together with no access to oxygen and a large open container exposed to unsanitary and dangerous condition conditions hospitals mosques universities grocery stores un shelters have all been destroyed Hamas has offered to release all of the hostages in exchange for a ceasefire and Netanyahu has made it very clear that the attacks on Palestine will not subside until their absolute victory that Victory to me seems like an annihilation of Gaza and the Palestinian people and a complete theft of their land thank [Applause] you that concludes our our public comment for tonight and I just want to thank everyone for coming out and expressing your heartfelt Expressions uh you took your your first amendment rights to this Podium and you let us know your views they're not all in agreement but you let us know your views so I just I thank you for that aome thank you also I I have well after the meeting I will have released a statement that will be found on the city's homepage under the news section at this point I'm going to turn to Madame Clerk and we're going to move forward Madame mayor if I may I just want to note for the record that we did receive eight citizen letters with regards to um requesting the council to pass a ceasefire resolution and those will be placed in my office on file okay thank you so and with that um we are at executive session okay I would like to invite a motion to adjourn and to convene and close session immediately following following the adjournment of the city council meeting pursuant to the open meetings act 5 i l cs120 2c1 to discuss the pinning and probable or imminent litigation and pursuant to the open meetings act 5 i l cs1 1222 c21 for approval by the body of closed session minutes moved by councilman Oiler seconded by councilman G council member Gordon young uh Council I mean corporate Corporation C Hayes yes did you want to say something no ma'am oh okay your light was on sorry please cash your balance thank you for your service