FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 6, 2025
MEDIA CONTACT: Melissa Garriga | [email protected]
Bay Area CODEPINK to Hold Press Conference at 3/11 Berkeley City Council Meeting
"SHAME ON YOU FOR YOUR SILENCE ON GENOCIDE IN GAZA!"
Berkeley, CA – CODEPINK will hold a press conference on March 11 at 5:30 PM PT at the Berkeley City Council meeting, 1231 Addison Street, Berkeley, to demand that the Berkeley City Council take action in recognizing the genocide in Gaza. Participants will stand in silence with blood-red hands and banners displaying the names of children murdered by Israeli forces using U.S. weapons. The group’s message is clear: "SHAME ON YOU FOR YOUR SILENCE ON GENOCIDE IN GAZA!" . They will publicly shame the Council for its failure to vote on a resolution condemning the Israeli genocide in Gaza, as well as its refusal to call for a ceasefire and an end to the violence and starvation in Gaza.
The Berkeley Peace and Justice Commission passed a Ceasefire Resolution in October 2024 that former P&J Commissioner George Lippman said focuses “on what must happen right now to end the death and destruction,” recommending that the City Council discuss and vote on it. However, the City Council has ignored the Commission's request, refusing to take any action. CODEPINK is demanding that the Berkeley City Council agendize and vote on the Resolution so that Berkeley can show it cares about a genocide being funded with U.S. taxes, joining cities surrounding Berkeley – San Francisco, Richmond, Oakland, and Hayward– who have all gone on record in favor of a permanent ceasefire.
EVENT DETAILS:
Date: March 11, 2025
Time: 5:30 PM PT
Location: 1231 Addison Street, Berkeley, CA
"The Berkeley City Council’s inaction and silence regarding the genocide in Gaza is unacceptable," said CODEPINK organizer Cynthia Papermaster.
"We are spending billions of U.S. tax dollars on weapons killing children, and given Israel’s human rights violations, that funding is illegal under U.S. and international law. We desperately need funds in Berkeley to address so many issues– affordable housing, healthcare, clean energy, education. If the City Council can’t oppose the genocide on moral grounds, they should at least care about our community’s needs. It’s difficult to understand the Council’s inaction; we know that the majority of Berkeley voters, like those nationwide, overwhelmingly want a permanent ceasefire and end to arming Israel. We are pleading with the Council to uphold Berkeley’s social justice reputation, take a stand, and act by putting the recommended resolution on their agenda and voting on it."
CODEPINK urges all concerned citizens to join the press conference on March 11 to stand silently with us.
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