[MAPC-policy] Berkeley city council resolution on bombing

[MAPC-policy] Berkeley city council resolution on bombing

born-digital

email

yes

no

2001-10-22

FYI, the resolution that Berkeley's City Council passed yesterday, from
http://www.ci.berkeley.ca.us/citycouncil/2001citycouncil/summary/101601S.htm
l

It looks like only 1 and 5 of the separated resolution passed, though it's a
bit unclear to me (Berkeley has 8 alders and resolutions need a simple
majority to pass).  One important thing we have to decide is what balance to
strike between what we'd REALLY like to say and what will possibly pass City
Council.  Although we can generate lots of good community discussion by
bringing a controversial resolution before the Council we know isn't likely
to pass...

I left a message for x about a possible Madison resolution today.

We'll discuss more at our meeting tomorrow (Tues 10/23, 6 pm, Paul Bunyan
room, Mem Union)... See you then!

-x


Bombing of Afghanistan

From:  Councilmember Spring

Recommendation:   1) Request the City Manager send letters to our elected
national representatives asking them to take whatever action they can to
cease the bombing of Afghanistan and to seek a legal, nonmilitary
resolution; 2) Endorse and send  to these officials, the attached letter
recently presented by Vice Mayor Shirek to the Congressional Black Caucus,
which acknowledges and grieves the tragic events of September 11th;  and  3)
adjourn this Council meeting in memory of the innocent civilians in
Afghanistan being harmed and made refugees due to the bombing.
Contact:  Dona Spring, Councilmember District 4, 981-7140
 
Actions:  Moved, seconded, failed (Armstrong/Olds; Noes - Shirek,
Worthington; Abstain - Breland, Hawley, Maio, Olds, Spring, Dean)

To commend our elected officials and our President for performing the
difficult task of bringing together more than 60 countries to join with us
in the fight against terrorism in the world and to ask the City Manager to
communicate with our President commending him for refusing to rush into a
thoughtless response to the 5000 deaths that occurred on September 11th, but
instead taking the time to bring together an international consensus of
countries from Cuba to Canada and from Saudi Arabia to Russia all joining
with us in our fight to defeat terrorism worldwide.
 
Moved, seconded, carried (Shirek/Breland) a revised motion presented by
Councilmember Spring to adopt Resolution No. 61,310-N.S. consisting of five
parts.  The motion was severed and voted on as follows:
 
1.    Condemn the mass murder of thousands of people on September 11, 2001,
and express our profound grief at the atrocities last month that killed
thousands of innocent people in New York, Washington, and Pennsylvania, and
acknowledge, honor, and support the heroic rescue efforts on the part of
dedicated police and fire departments, and the city, state, and federal
governments (Abstain - Armstrong, Hawley, Olds)

2.    Ask our representatives to help break the cycle of violence, bringing
the bombing to a conclusion as soon as possible, avoiding actions that can
endanger the lives of innocent people in Afghanistan, and minimizing the
risk to American military personnel (Abstain - Armstrong, Hawley, Olds,
Dean)

3.    Urge our representatives to concentrate all available resources on
bringing to justice all of those who were complicit in last month1s violent
attack, and work with international organizations toward the same end
(Abstain - Armstrong, Hawley, Olds, Dean)

4.    Urge our representatives to devote our government1s best efforts in
collaboration with governments throughout the world, to addressing and
overcoming those conditions such as poverty, malnutrition, disease,
oppression, and subjugation that tend to drive some people to acts of
terrorism (Abstain - Armstrong, Hawley, Olds, Dean)

5.    Request that we engage in a national campaign to lessen our dependence
on oil from the Middle East and to commit to a nationwide conversion to
renewable energy sources such as solar and fuel cells, within five years
(Abstain - Armstrong, Hawley, Olds)
____________________________________________
East Timor Action Network field organizer   ETAN field office
Social Justice Center
office 608-663-5431                         1202 Williamson St
cell 608-347-4598                           Madison, WI 53703
home 608-255-4598                           fax 608-227-0141

Check out these internet sites!
the East Timor Action Network/US http://www.etan.org
Madison, WI - East Timor projects http://www.aideasttimor.org
Madison's Social Justice Center http://www.socialjusticecenter.org

"We struggled for more than 24 years for independence. We've learned the
lesson that even small people have a voice."
    -East Timorese leader Mari Alkatiri, during the August 30, 2001
Constituent Assembly vote

Monday, October 22, 2001 7:41 PM

[MAPC-policy] Berkeley city council resolution on bombing