Author: The San Marxist

Item 16: Council Resolution Calling for a Palestinian Ceasefire:

Hooboy. Contemplating how to explain all this has me going like this:

But here we go!

Background

I cannot provide you with a 3000 year timeline of Israel. I’m just one tiny marxist blogger.

I also can’t provide a timeline from 1948 to the present day. We’d be here for months. Suffice it to say that there has been a lot of hatred and killing by everyone involved. But Vox attempted a timeline and a summary, if you’d like.

Here’s my summary: War is very bad, and Hamas and Israel should stop fighting one.

…

If I had to summarize the three positions in San Marcos, it would be:

• Activists: Our federal tax dollars are funding mass amounts of killing!! This is horrifying. We must do something, even if it’s just symbolic.
• Passivists: What on earth can little old San Marcos do? This is divisive. Council should stay in their lane.
• The Backlash: We’re going to throw the word “anti-semitism” on any criticism of the war, and also drive up actual anti-semitism!

Let’s be clear on a few things:

1. The activists absolutely have the moral upper hand. The killing of the Palestinians, and leveling of entire cities is a moral black hole.
2. Actual anti-semitism is also on the rise! It’s a real problem! There is real anti-semitism, but calling for a cease-fire ain’t it.
3. Hamas murdered about 1200 people on October 7th, 2023, and kidnapped 400 more, and they have not yet returned about 59 hostages. The Israeli army has killed an estimated 50,000 Palestinians in this war.
4. The US is morally culpable in this specific war because we fund weapons for Israel, in a way that we don’t for other wars around the world. We’re not funding soldiers in Myanmar, Sudan, Ethiopia, etc in the same way.
   
   (We fund Ukraine, but they’re not the aggressor, of course.)

…

Which brings us to today. Alyssa and Amanda put this on the agenda.

Here’s how it’s phrased: “A Resolution Calling for an Immediate, Permanent, and Sustained Ceasefire in Occupied Palestine, Arms Embargo on the State of Israel, Recognition of Palestinian Sovereignty and Protection of Constitutional Rights.” (It’s about three pages long, and you can read it here.)

The Activists: 37 people spoke in favor, and one more at 3 pm.

• The most common argument was humanitarian: the scale of destruction is staggering. We are complicit.
• Therefore we have to do something. Even if it’s symbolic, it matters to the local Palestinian community and to the people showing up.

The Passivists: 17 people showed up against it.

• This is an extraordinarily complex topic that has nothing to do with local politics, and City Council should stay in their lane.
• The brutality of October 7th, and the remaining hostages have gotten lost in all this focus on Gaza.

I don’t know what kind of letters and emails Council got, because they weren’t included in the packet.

The backlash:

At the actual meeting on Tuesday, the speakers on both sides engaged in respectable civil discourse. However, I get the impression that there was an ugly backlash elsewhere. Here’s what I was told about:

Backlash #1, on Facebook:

Listen, when you threaten to call ICE on someone in 2025 for protesting about Gaza, you’re threatening to potentially have someone detained or deported without due process. That’s not civil discourse.

Backlash #2:

This is wild! Also very in line with Texas. (Did you know that all state contractors over $100K must sign a statement that they will not boycott Israel? Boycotting Israel is against state law, for anyone doing business with the state.)

To be clear: Donna Cambell is not our representative:

We’re in the totally normal-looking, not at all gerrymandered District 21:

mm-hmm. ANYWAY.

…

The Council Discussion

Jane starts by reminding everyone that this is just a discussion tonight, and not a vote on the actual ceasefire resolution.

Next Alyssa and Amanda state their cases. I kinda just want to let them use their words?

Alyssa speaks first:

As we begin discussion on the ceasefire resolution, I wanted to take a second – or several minutes – to clarify some things. 

This resolution is rooted in the belief that all people deserve safety, dignity, and justice, under both US and international law. If the moral case made by so many today doesn’t move this body, then let’s talk about what this resolution means for local power and public resources, because both are under attack.

I’ve said this several times. Across the country, and right here in Texas, we’re seeing a coordinated rise in pre-emption laws, which are power grabs by higher levels of government, designed to silence local voices and override local control, and that should matter to all of us.  And to all our neighbors. This isn’t speculation, it’s already happening, and this council and our city leadership have discussed it repeatedly. These types of laws are actively limiting our ability to govern in ways that reflect the needs and the values of San Marcos.

But it goes beyond this type of over-reach. We’re now seeing very real threats to defund cities, counties and non-profits – especially those who dare to push back – under the guise of reducing government spending.

So I just want us to be for real about what that means. Federal and state grants are being frozen or cancelled, including critical funds for infrastructure, climate resilience, and public safety.  Field offices are being shut down in Texas and across the nation, agencies are facing steep cuts to programs that serve many of our residents, from emergency housing, to public health. 

Here’s the important part that needs to be said: these threats to our funding existed long before we put this resolution on the agenda. Over the last four years, (and before, but I can only speak to the last four years), this body has worked diligently to strengthen relationships with the federal government, to bring millions of dollars in federal grants and resources for this community. The federal government knows this and is weaponizing this.  That’s not just for us, that’s for everybody in our country.

Earlier – I guess technically yesterday – I met with nonprofit leaders across Hays who expressed that they’re terrified of losing more federal and state funding, and frustration that this is all under the guise of federal fiscal responsibility.  These neighbors – the people who are doing this work – they are our neighbors.  We know them, we love them.  We know they are underpaid, overworked, and absolutely essential, yet their work is being politicized and threatened by federal government. And yet some folks who spoke today expect San Marcans to plead with that same government to rely on them to stop a genocide? They won’t even entertain the pleas of those who provide lifelines to people in our own country. 

So perhaps if the federal government stayed in their own lane, and stopped funding the continued use of US weapons in violation of international law and humanitarian norms, we might have more money to provide to these lifelines. 

On all fronts, caving to political bullies to preserve funding that again is already being stripped from communities across the nation is not leadership. It’s submission and we cannot like literally the numbers, we cannot afford to stay silent, not when silence means enabling intimidation and injustice. I echo the concerns of our neighbors that said, “You know, you were elected to serve San Marcos.” Our duty is to the people of San Marcos, not to the fragile egos of those who govern through coercion and fear.

Another point of clarity that I want to make is the resolution does not distract from local work.  As elected officials, we must be able to walk and chew gum at the same time. (I remember a constituent emailed me that and it kinda stuck.) I and several of my colleagues have consistently been present in the community even without the support of city council staff, like we don’t get staff, designated support for constituent services, we’re like a one-person show, right? Even while juggling fulltime jobs, a lot of us, a family, and constant community presence, we do that, right? To further highlight this, I think it’s really important to name what sometimes our community doesn’t see. Or all members of our community don’t see – when state and federal systems fail us, we show up.  Right? I show up. During the pandemic, I helped organize food distribution, PPE drives, Mutual Aid for San Marcos. When the county lost that super confusing and ineffective rental assistance program, it was people who came and spoke on the ceasefire resolution who rallied together to set up camp all over the city, with their laptops, to help their neighbors be able to apply, to prevent evictions. Right?  And they were helped by current and past members of this dais.  And also thank you to those who spoke tonight who also helped San Marcans navigate evictions and secure airship documents needed for our home rehabilitation program. Perfect example of someone with a law degree who uses that power and privilege to help our neighbors, instead of threatening to call federal law enforcement on them.  During the winter storm, when our state failed to keep the lights on, who showed up? We showed up. We partnered with unlikely allies to distribute drinking potable water, get warming busses to the east side of San Marcos, and a lot of us, even those of us that weren’t elected and a lot of those who have come and talked about the ceasefire resolution – we showed up to do all that.

So if anything – and this is for those who kept like emailing and just really trying to express that we should focus on local, not let this distract from local work? – I think this resolution is entirely consistent with how I’ve always shown up, practically, compassionately, and rooted in real care for this city, even when it’s not in my lane, especially when it’s an emergency, and this work that a lot of us did, went on to shape several city and county policies reforms or services that benefit us all. I share that to illustrate that all our priority is san marcos, getting policy change requires hard work and imagination that we all do, and when you just read the charter it doesn’t say to do all that, right? it says “Stay in your lane!” But anyways, I think that’s really important to name, and what else? 

This is really important. This resolution didn’t happen on a whim. It was brought forward after over a year of reflection, dialogue and listening. Again, it draws on international human rights, echoes values that are rooted in our constitutional rights, including free speech.

I won’t apologize for centering human dignity over political convenience. I won’t apologize for fighting to protect local power, and for asserting that supporting this ceasefire resolution is one way that we reclaim this power. And I also hope that this has helped our local leadership and neighbors begin to recognize interconnectedness of it all, because this isn’t just about this one resolution or one issue, it’s about the broader pattern of overreach, and we should all be worried about that, where those in power – namely the state and federal government, use fear, funding threats, and red tape to control, not just what we can say, but how we’re allowed to care about it.  It’s clear to me that when they fund bombs but cut aid to housing and education, that’s connected. When they silence protests here, and crush dissent abroad, that’s connected. When they defund local governments and nonprofits, and they call us distracted for standing up, that’s absolutely connected, it’s to keep us divided, distracted, and disempowered so that they can keep consolidating power. I see the pattern. I think a lot of folks who spoke and emailed see the pattern. We have seen the pattern when we talk about how this pre-emption is going to impact our daily operations, so yeah. I won’t apologize for naming it, even in the face of threats aimed not only at our community, right? So senator Donna Campbell’s letter? But also my person, my physical safety, my family, and those that I love – yeah.

I will continue to resist because my abuelo reminded me on his death bed: Si Dios con nosotros, ¿quien contra nosotros?  And that’s all I got, because then I’m gonna cry, you don’t wanna see that.

Amanda goes next:

Thank you all for being here. I’ve spent the past 3-4 days trying to write something down to bring this item forward in a way that does it justice. But after watching this livestreamed for over a year, I don’t know if there’s a word for it.  On Council, we’ve been getting a wide range of emails. Many in support, but some threatening.

I’m not interested in being a politician who can only extend care within the geographical boundaries that I represent. That is such a conditional level of care, and if that’s the kind of politician you all want, I am not that. My term is over in 3 years. I will never be that.

This is not a political issue to me. This is a moral issue. This is the moral litmus test, for many of us.

I want to talk about a little girl who has stayed in my mind, for over a year.

Amanda goes on to describe a girl who was killed so brutally, along with her family, that pieces of her body were found hanging off the wall. (This is Sidra Hassouna.)

And people came here today to invoke God and religion to justify that? I think what breaks my heart is that I hope we’re really not that lost as a society, to where something like Sidra Hassouna’s death is okay, is justifiable. I’m not the most spiritual person in the room, never professed to be. But I’ll tell you: the God that I serve is not okay with that. You should feel shame invoking God as a reason to justify that.

Our tax dollars are literally subsidizing over 70% of this genocide. We meet people every day, they come to this dais, and they say “We can’t afford housing. I can’t afford to take care of my kids.” You go to the schools in this school district, the kids are literally waiting to get to school to eat their first meal. Where have we gone wrong, in our society? Where are our priorities?

I don’t mind being a pariah on this body, if it means standing up for what is right. I’ll be honest with you, and for all the people who have been calling my phone, threatening me, my life, threatening deportation, even though I’m a US citizen, calling me a terrorist, calling me this, calling me that. My own mother is not able to sleep at night, because she’s so worried as to whether somebody’s going to pull up to our house, because I’m literally asking for children and civilians to stop dying? to stop being killed?

I’m so desensitized to death, in a way in which I have learned more about death through my screen than I ever thought I could. I have seen children’s bodies lined up – and I’m not talking two, I’m not talking three – I’m talking 10+ bodies lined up, next to one another. And their pants are stained with pee, because they took their last breath.

And people are coming here to me today, with this whole argument, trying to make me convince y’all whether this is a local issue? My colleagues. Saul. You have grandchildren. Two of which are literally the children of my best friend. I held one of them in my arms the other day, and the entire time I thought, “I have seen so many lifeless bodies the size of theirs.” That is wrong.

It was mentioned, “What about the genocides elsewhere?” First of all, free the Congo. Free Syria. Free Puerto Rico. Free Cuba. It’s the same energy for them all. I want to read a quote. This is following a massacre at Khan Yunis (one of many) on December 15th. This is someone who witnessed literal tents in a hospital being bombed. They said, “Shrieks of rage and grief, coupled with the smell of burned flesh. The only light is the roaring fire in a room of motionless bodies. Those who are left to witness are not the lucky ones.” You have people wishing for death. Because to die is better than to live in the situation that we have helped create.

This isn’t some natural disaster. This is a man-made atrocity. And we are fully subsidizing it.

I have seen doctors who are literally traveling from all parts of the world – including this country! So clearly people of this country can realize this is our fight, too – they describe children who have literally had a bullet sniped through their heads, through their hearts. And for my people who have been in the military? You know how much intentionality it takes to not only set yourself up, look through a scope, and then look at a child and pull that trigger? And we’re not supposed to care about this? Because it’s happening elsewhere?

I’m sorry. But when people on this body go and ask for people’s votes – which you will! – and when you profess to them that you care about them, that you want to see a better livelihood for them, that you want them to be able to take care of their family: all of that is for the birds, if you don’t support this.

This government is choosing not to do those things for our people, in order to fund this. So if somehow, some way, you are so not able to comprehend this on a humanity level? Don’t go and lie to our people, in this city, and say you care about those things. Don’t do it. And I will say, I will actually use a quote by the Israeli Defense Minister, Yoav Gallant, to help people understand how – similar to an email that we all recieved, I know you all probably read it! from a well-known person in this community, but I’ll do her a favor and not call her name out. But referring to Palestinians as “terrorists”, “rapists”, “killers” – he also used that same language. He also said, “We are fighting against human animals. Gaza won’t return to what it was before. We will eliminate everything.”

I appreciate the people who brought up the hostages tonight. I too want to see the hostages returned. But I don’t know how you expect that to be accomplished, with indiscriminate bombing. It was never about the hostages. There was an opportunity, and there have been many opportunities, you have the families of the hostages praying to their own government, saying “STOP. You are going to kill our loved ones.” The bombs don’t sit there and fall and say “oops! let me turn around, that’s a hostage under there!” They hit them, too. So if you care about the hostages, you support a ceasefire.

And I’ll just be quite frank. For all of my friends that are Jewish, who didn’t come here tonight, because of the fact that there has been such a conflation with this resolution being compared to anti-semitism: this resolution explicitly asks and acknowledges both the release of the hostages as well as being absolutely against anti-semitism. But I will say: you cannot tell me that Judaism, as a religion, supports this. Jewish people are not monolithic. That’s why so many people in Israel have spoken out against this. That is why so many people refuse to enlist in an army that is perpetuating a genocide. They don’t want to be a part of it, either.

So I just, I really plead with y’all. It’s been over a year. I sat on that dais a year ago. And I asked each of you, (with the exception of Lorenzo and me), I stayed until a little after the time we’re at now and I asked you explicitly: If a resolution came before you tomorrow, who would support it? For the crowd’s knowledge – and this is on video! – Councilmember Scott and Councilmember Saul Gonzales both raised their hand. They raised their hand.

And so I hope you all would do right today, because I’m telling you, it’s getting more hellish by the day. I don’t know what threshold you all expect us to be okay with. But I’m not okay with this. If I had an opportunity – let’s take it back to the holocaust! – and I was sitting on a city council in America? I would have said the same thing then. Because any genocide is wrong. It’s wrong.

So thank you to the organizers who came, thank you to all the people even who may have come here in opposition, who are able to have conversations with organizers and admit, “Man. I learned something.” I know this may not be favorable to everybody, but this position on this council does not mean more to me than knowing when I go to sleep at night, I did everything I could. Thank you.

…

Council discussion

It is well past midnight at this point, and there is very little Council discussion.

Lorenzo asks about amendments? What’s the best way for everyone to share amendments to the ceasefire resolution? They kick around how best to draft and share amendments.

Several councilmembers express regret that this conversation occurred during Passover – that was not intentional.

Jane Hughson quotes Kirk Watson, from last year when the Austin city council considered a ceasefire resolution:

“The proposed resolution of the Austin City Council will not realistically end the violence on the other side of the globe. Nor will it stop federal taxes from being used to implement foreign policy. That is not in our power. The resolution, however, has the power to divide Austin, and will.”

Jane makes two main points:

1. We can’t do anything that makes a difference.
2. Why this one war, and not all the others?

To the first point, Jane and Amanda quibble about whether this makes a difference or not. Amanda argues that yes, it’s symbolic, but it matters to the local Palestinian community. And after all, activists have been showing up for over a year. Clearly it matters to them.

To Jane’s second point: I mean, this is the only current war where the US is funding the aggressor to this extent. It is uniquely different.

The vote: Do we want to discuss this further?

Yes: Lorenzo, Alyssa, Amanda, Saul

No: Matthew, Jane

I’m Stuck on the Fence: Shane

But four is enough!

So this will come back. Stay tuned.

…

Question and Answer from the Press and Public:

Four people stuck around to ask questions, at 1:00 am in the morning:

• Will amendments be made public?
• Were any of the councilmembers lobbied by rightwing organizations?
• We shouldn’t agitate anyone over this.