Since April 9, hundreds of your Oak Park neighbors have urged the Oak Park Village Board to pass a resolution supporting a permanent ceasefire in Gaza. This would create the necessary conditions for vital humanitarian aid to reach the besieged, suffering people of Gaza and for the hostages to be released.
We are asking the board to bring the process of building community support to fruition by putting a resolution on its June 4 agenda. We are notifying them in writing of this request.
We are also asking Oak Park residents to support a ceasefire resolution by sending an email to trustees: board@oak-park.us. Please speak from your heart and personal experience.
Since April 9, fellow residents have spoken at board meetings and met with trustees and village staff. We have met with some residents who opposed our proposed ceasefire resolution to determine what, if any, common ground exists. Unfortunately, no suggestions have been forthcoming.
We are still adding to the hundreds of community signatures at https://www.change.org/OakParkCeasefireResolution (please sign if you haven’t already). Ken Trainor in the Wednesday Journal has called on the trustees to support some form of a statement: “There is something to be said for the Oak Park community making a public declaration on an issue of moral import. There are precedents for starting such groundswells — voice by voice, butterfly wing to hurricane” (1).
As you write your letters in support of this issue, you may want to respond to one of the objections trustees have heard, including:
• They should not be spending any time on this issue: More than 203 municipalities in the U.S. beg to differ. These community governments have discussed resolutions and 75% have passed them (2). Our community members have been models of civic engagement with our federal officials — doing all the necessary emails, phone calls, and visits to their offices. We need our village board to amplify our message to them.
• This situation is an international issue, not of any relevance to other governmental bodies: We don’t think that objection can be selectively applied. Municipalities took positions against apartheid in South Africa and the Iraq War. When Russia invaded Ukraine, Illinois officials, including state Senator Harmon and Governor Pritzker took both a public stand and action against it (3). Since it is American military aid and diplomatic maneuvers that keep the Gaza tragedy going, our community has a special responsibility to speak out.
• This resolution is anti-Semitic: Not only are many of the organizers and supporters of this campaign Jewish residents of Oak Park, but the resolution specifically says, “We condemn all incidents of anti-Jewish, anti-Palestinian, anti-Muslim, xenophobic, and racist rhetoric and attacks that are on the rise nationally.” Those who claim otherwise are uninformed or refuse to recognize the ongoing harm to Palestinian and Jewish community members as long as the situation continues.
• This resolution is divisive: Calling something “divisive” can be used to shut down necessary but difficult conversations or actions. There are people in this community who oppose a ceasefire or any resolution on this issue. But given that 70 percent of likely U.S. voters support a permanent ceasefire (4), this assertion cannot be used as a cudgel to suppress public discussion or debate.
• They should not take sides: The resolution calls for a ceasefire, which would be bilateral and would end the horrific destruction of Gaza and its people and support the return of the hostages held in Gaza, and the flow of critical lifesaving humanitarian aid. If anyone wants to argue that continuing the bombing, destruction, and deliberate starvation of the people of Gaza and continuing the detention of hostages is beneficial to Palestinians, Israelis, or Americans, Jewish, Palestinian, or otherwise, we welcome that discussion during an open community discussion of an Oak Park resolution.
If you know a trustee, please talk with him or her before May 28 to express your support. And please write a letter to the board, urging them to support this issue.
Margaret Mead’s words are instructive: “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world.” With your help, our community can be part of the rising tide of citizens who are committed to justice and peace for the people of Palestine and of Israel.
Deborah Adelman, Faisal Alabsy, Melisa Alabsy, Charlene Cliff, Dean Christ, Pauline Coffman, Tara Dull, John Duffy, Henry Fulkerson, Hajjar Mohammed-Herbert, Lynnae Hill, Sophie Kaluziak, Leila Massouh, Jim Madigan, Tim Milinovich, Angelica Nunez, Rebekah Levin, Nicole Lombardi, Susan Messer, Jim Poznak, Caren Van Slyke
Oak Park
1) “Toward a moral declaration,” Wednesday Journal, 5/8/24
2) U.S. Municipal Ceasefire Tracker, 5/17/24
3) “Governor Pritzker, Senate President Harmon, Speaker Welch Issue Joint Statement on Ukraine,” https://gov.illinois.gov/newsroom/press-release.24653.html, 3/16/22
4) “Support for Permanent Ceasefire in Gaza Increases Across Party Lines,” Data for Progress, 5/8/24