[remote] City Council

Politics

Wednesday, Jan. 31, 2024
10:00 a.m. — 12:00 p.m. CST

Remote

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Other notes and pre-research resources

It’s expected that City Council will vote on a cease-fire resolution that would call on President Joe Biden to “call for and facilitate a lasting peace in the Middle East.” The item was deferred from the regular monthly City Council meeting after certain alders took issue with addressing the item at the same meeting they would be acknowledging Holocaust Remembrance Day.
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Reporting

Edited and summarized by the Chicago - IL Documenters Team

Note-taking by Angela Ybarra

City Council passes a cease-fire resolution

View notes

Live reporting by Maureen Dunne

Mo Dunne @rolllingwaves

Good morning Chicago! I'll be live-tweeting this morning's City Council meeting starting at 10 for @CHIdocumenters
Follow this thread or watch with me at

chicityclerk.com

09:52 AM Jan 31, 2024 CST

Mo Dunne @rolllingwaves 2/44

@CHIdocumenters 1: Today, the Council is expected to vote on a resolution calling for a ceasefire in Gaza. If passed, Chicago will become the largest U.S. city to do so

wbez.org/stories/chicag…

Mo Dunne @rolllingwaves 3/44

@CHIdocumenters 2: As of 10:20, the meeting hasn't been called to order and council members talk on the floor:

https://x.com/JakeSheridan_/status/1752726775841398800?s=20

Mo Dunne @rolllingwaves 4/44

@CHIdocumenters 3: Big crowd in City Hall

https://x.com/RebeccaJBurns_/status/1752719937129369931?s=20

Mo Dunne @rolllingwaves 5/44

4: Mayor Brandon Johnson calls the meeting to order at 10:33 a.m. Quorum is established with 43 members present in person. Council members Moore, Taylor, Scott and Mitts are participating virtually.

Mo Dunne @rolllingwaves 6/44

5: Mayor Johnson acknowledges Rev Jesse Jackson Sr. in the chambers.

https://x.com/MariahWoelfel/status/1752397966114210023?s=20

Mo Dunne @rolllingwaves 7/44

6: Public comment commences. Each commenter is allotted 3 minutes.
The first commenter asks the council to call for the immediate release of all hostages, and not to divide the conflict into "oppressors" and the "oppressed," but recognize the humanity of all.

Mo Dunne @rolllingwaves 8/44

7: A member of Jewish Voice for Peace calls for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza. "Never again is not for some people, it's for all," he said.
The next commenter calls in from the 40th ward to support a ceasefire resolution as well.

jvpchicago.org

Mo Dunne @rolllingwaves 9/44

8: The next two commenters, identifying as Arab and Palestinian constituents, thank the co-sponsors of the ceasefire resolution.
"Calling for a ceasefire is the bare minimum ... Allow Chicago to be on the right side of history," the third commenter said.

Mo Dunne @rolllingwaves 10/44

9: The 4th commenter rejects the calls for a ceasefire resolution, comparing the October 7th attacks from Hamas to 9/11.
"Our alderpersons should stick to their jobs of dealing with crime and homelessness," she said.

Mo Dunne @rolllingwaves 11/44

10: The Mayor asks the gallery to take a breath and calm down, or else he will have to clear the chamber. He calls on organizers to keep an open mind and listen to opinions with which they disagree.

Mo Dunne @rolllingwaves 12/44

11: The following two commenters, one from the US Palestinian Community Network, call for the passing of the ceasefire resolution and to pressure President Joe Biden to do the same.
This concludes the public comment portion of the meeting.

uspcn.org

Mo Dunne @rolllingwaves 13/44

12: The committee report portion of the meeting commences with the deferral of a committee report regarding Chicago police officers' disciplinary process.

chicago.suntimes.com/city-hall/2024…

Mo Dunne @rolllingwaves 14/44

13: Ward matters are deferred to different city council committees for hearing.

Mo Dunne @rolllingwaves 15/44

14: Ald Le Spata proposes a motion to substitute the ceasefire resolution w/ new language. Members vote to accept it for consideration.
Ald Sposato says he just got the new version. Le Spata says it was emailed last night.
"Respectfully, just check your email," the Mayor said

Mo Dunne @rolllingwaves 16/44

15: With 30 yays and 18 nays, the motion to consider the updated resolution passes.
Ald. Le Spata opens with remarks to thank all the organizers in the gallery and comment on the devastation he has seen in Gaza and suffering in Israel.

Mo Dunne @rolllingwaves 17/44

16: Ald. Silverstein stands in opposition to the ceasefire resolution.
"Jewish lives matter too," she said. "We should not pass a resolution unless it's clear that Hamas should not and cannot attack again."

Mo Dunne @rolllingwaves 18/44

17: Ald. Silverstein points out that this resolutionshould be opposed because it's modeled on the December UNSC Resolution, which the U.S. voted against.
.

news.un.org/en/story/2023/…

Mo Dunne @rolllingwaves 19/44

18: Mayor Johnson calls a recess in the middle of Ald. Silverstein's comments due to disruptions from the gallery.
He clears the chambers of the public at 11:40 a.m.

Mo Dunne @rolllingwaves 20/44

19: Council is still in recess as the chamber is being cleared.

https://x.com/MariahWoelfel/status/1752752633742258636?s=20

Mo Dunne @rolllingwaves 21/44

20: The public gathers in the hallways during the recess

https://x.com/delvecchiograce/status/1752754711894077716?s=20

Mo Dunne @rolllingwaves 22/44

21: At 12:45 p.m. Mayor Johnson calls the council back to order.
Ald. Sposato proposes a motion to allow Ald. Silverstein to restart her testimony. She expresses want of a resolution that is "fair and balanced, and that won't undermine Washington." She says she has been ignored

Mo Dunne @rolllingwaves 23/44

22: Ald. Lawson (44th) says he cannot support this resolution as written w/o a stronger condemnation of Hamas & other measures.
Ald. Lee (11th) says she will vote Yes despite not agreeing with every word in the resolution. "We need to unite for peace," she said.

Mo Dunne @rolllingwaves 24/44

23: Ald. Nugent (39) shares a statement from 26 council members including herself -- against the resolution.
"We believe the U.S. is the best peace broker in the Middle East," she said, and wants to remain in line with national foreign policies on the conflict.

Mo Dunne @rolllingwaves 25/44

24: Ald. Sigcho-Lopez (25th) frames the resolution as a way to get the federal government's attention to local sentiment, especially as Cook County has the highest population of Palestinian people in the country
He thanks youth & CPS organizers as well

wbez.org/stories/cook-c…

Mo Dunne @rolllingwaves 26/44

25: "How can we want peace but be against a ceasefire?" Sigcho-Lopez said, wearing a keffiyeh over his suit. "It's contradictory."

Mo Dunne @rolllingwaves 27/44

26: Ald. Jesse Fuentes (26th) will vote Yes.
"The purpose of today is to let our Palestinian siblings know that they matter; let our Jewish siblings know we acknowledge their pain."

Mo Dunne @rolllingwaves 28/44

27: Ald. William Hall (6th) stands in support of the ceasefire resolution.

Mo Dunne @rolllingwaves 29/44

28: Ald. Timmy Knudsen (43rd) will vote NO.
He is "gutted" by both Oct. 7 & Israel's response in Gaza and calls for national leaders to broker a two-state solution -- not City Council. He calls the resolution divisive.

Mo Dunne @rolllingwaves 30/44

29: Ald. Sposato (38th) speaks from behind a "We stand with Israel" poster and thin blue line flag to say he opposes the resolution.
He says Hamas is a terrorist organization oppressing Palestinian people and threatening America as well.

Mo Dunne @rolllingwaves 31/44

30: Sposato said he has requested a police detail at his office in light of protests and threats he's received due to his vote today.

Mo Dunne @rolllingwaves 32/44

31: Ald. Desmond Yancy (5th) quotes MLK and comes out in support of the ceasefire.
He calls for more attention to gun violence and missing Black women on the south and west sides. "I pray that after today's vote we are able to work together on other pressing issues," he said.

Mo Dunne @rolllingwaves 33/44

32: Ald. Waguespack (32nd) says he will vote NO on the resolution due to the "divisive and disrespectful" nature of its creation.
He stresses the need to focus on issues in the city and leave foreign policy to the national government.

Mo Dunne @rolllingwaves 34/44

33: Ald. Ray Lopez (15th) calls the council's resolution "misguided." He is a solid NO.
"The irony, Mr. President, is that there's no call for a ceasefire in any of the other conflicts in the world," he said, referencing Russia and Ukraine.

Mo Dunne @rolllingwaves 35/44

34: "This is a diversion of the worst kind," Lopez said. He stresses the need to focus on issues within the city's borders.

Mo Dunne @rolllingwaves 36/44

35: Ald. Jim Gardner (45th) calls the resolution a step in the right direction. He calls attention to the over 25,000 people killed in Gaza.
"Each of us have about 55,000 residents in our ward," Gardner said. "Can you imagine going back to your ward and half of them are dead?"

Mo Dunne @rolllingwaves 37/44

36: Gardner commends the Palestinians, Muslims and Jewish people who have reached out to him to support the measure.
He is a YES.

Mo Dunne @rolllingwaves 38/44

37: The final speaker before the vote is co-sponsor Ald. Rossana Rodriguez-Sanchez (33rd).
"What our resolution calls for is a humanitarian ceasefire, the allowance of aid into Gaza and the unconditional release of all hostages," she said.

Mo Dunne @rolllingwaves 39/44

38: Rodriguez-Sanchez says this is a personal measure for her due to her Puerto Rican heritage.
She sees similarities between Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico and Gazans digging through rubble to find family members after Israeli bombings.

Mo Dunne @rolllingwaves 40/44

39: "We saw the bodies pile up after Hurricane Maria and we still had to go to work; show up every day knowing that people were dying and we couldn't do anything," she said. She sees a similar feeling in Palestinian people.

Mo Dunne @rolllingwaves 41/44

40: Rodriguez-Sanchez says it's possible to help Chicagoans at home and support the resolution.
"If we are committed to peace and liberation, we need to be committed to peace and liberation for all people," she said.

Mo Dunne @rolllingwaves 42/44

41: The vote is now closed with 23 Yays and 23 Nays.
The Mayor is the tie-breaker in such scenarios -- and votes Aye.
The resolution passes.

Mo Dunne @rolllingwaves 43/44

42: The next regular meeting is Friday February 16th at 10 a.m.
The meeting adjourns at 2:18 p.m.

Mo Dunne @rolllingwaves 44/44

43: That concludes today's City Council meeting!
Thank you for following along with my thread (typos and all) and make sure to follow @CHIdocumenters for more public meeting coverage!!! Also subscribe to the newswire! 🌞🌻🌆⭐️🌟

View thread

Attachments

City Counsel

By Angela Ybarra 1/31/2024

Meeting details

By India Daniels 1/31/2024

Agency Information

Chicago City Council

chicityclerkelms.chicago.gov

(312) 744-3166

@ChiCouncil

See Documenters reporting

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