FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 15 2024
Media Contact: Prairie Johnson [email protected]
Fargo Human Rights Commission Unanimously Votes to Adopt Ceasefire Resolution in Response to Community Advocacy
Fargo, North Dakota – Residents of Fargo and members of the CODEPINK chapter of Fargo-Moorhead are celebrating the City of Fargo Human Rights Commission passing a ceasefire resolution for Gaza. For weeks Fargo residents have been showing up to city commission meetings and meeting with relevant members of the commission to call for a ceasefire. The next step for CODEPINK Fargo-Moorhead and Fargo advocates and organizers is to pass the same resolution at the City Commission.
“I feel guilty for my cousins who saw their sisters and nephews in body bags. I feel guilty for my brother who is a nurse at Al Shifa hospital… I could hear the gunshots, tank shells, and the airstrikes clearly through the phone.” Abdallah, a local student shared stories from his family in Gaza moments before the vote took place.
Days ago, the Prime Minister of Israel Benjamin Netanyahu proclaimed he would not stop until “total victory” before he began bombing Rafah, the most densely populated place on earth, where 1.5 million Palestinians have been evacuated to. Israel killed over 109 Palestinians in the first hour of bombing, where mosques, homes, and refugee tents were targeted. The death toll in Gaza is about 30,000, with thousands missing under the rubble.
Ceasefire resolutions from cities and towns are spreading throughout the country as a means to push back against federally elected officials failure to use action to stop the ongoing genocide in Gaza. Almost 50 cities have joined the call for a ceasefire.
“We applaud the City of Fargo human rights commission for unanimously adopting the resolution for a ceasefire in Gaza.” Lead organizers of CODEPINK Fargo-Moorhead and the greater Fargo community went on, “This is one major hurdle, now we call on the mayor of Fargo to listen to the people in charge of the human rights commission in our city, and support the resolution when it comes to him and the city commission.”
CODEPINK Fargo-Moorhead organizers and other residents are urging people to call Mayor Tim Mahoney to support a ceasefire resolution at the Fargo City Commission. A member of the Fargo City Commission and board liaison to the Human Rights Commission, John Strand, attended the meeting and stated, “We are in the peace garden state. There should be no state that has more voice advocating for peace than the peace garden state.”
Residents of Fargo and CODEPINK Fargo-Moorhead will continue to engage the community on the importance of ending this genocide and have upcoming events with community partners on February 17 and February 28. They will return to the upcoming city commission meeting.
For more information about this community effort, please contact Prairie Johnson [email protected].
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