CodePink is horrified and saddened by the murders at the Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh. We send our love to all affected families and the Tree of Life community.
But love is not enough. We must act now to stop the growing fascism in this country that breeds murderous acts like these. Although Robert D. Bowers, the named gunman, may have committed these murders alone, he is part of a movement endorsed by Trump as he encourages racism, xenophobia, anti-Semitism, and hatred of all things non-White.
This fascism at home is part of our global exceptionalism. We have witnessed bombings of mosques, synagogues, and Black churches in this country, along with the murder of Black and Brown men and women by police. Abroad, we have murdered, by drones and other means, thousands of men, women and children in Afghanistan, Somalia, Syria, Mali, Iraq, Niger, and Yemen; and - by proxy - we have displaced and murdered millions of Palestinians. Our exceptionalism allows us to illegally and immorally change regimes by assassination and war. Together we must stop this.
It is time to move beyond prayer. It is time to reject armed security at churches, schools, shopping centers and other public places as ensurers of security and peace. It is time to end the US forever wars if we want peace and justice at home and abroad.
Join CodePink and our allied organizations in calling for peaceful means to a just and peaceful world at home and abroad. Reject hate and embrace love. Rise and Resist. Go to codepink.org and join in actions to move us towards a just and peaceful economy by divesting from the war machine, ending drone assassinations, supporting Palestinian rights, and supporting our Black and Brown communities at home.
We can and will prevail!
Eleanor Levine and Susan Harman, SF Bay Area CODEPINK