FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 5, 2024
MEDIA CONTACT
Maria Lee, Media and Communications, maria.lee@cityoftacoma.org, (253) 591-2054
Statement by Council Member Kiara Daniels Regarding
Calls for an Immediate Ceasefire in the Middle East
TACOMA, Wash. – “In 2020, the Tacoma City Council adopted Resolution 40622 and committed our city to anti-racist systems transformation. When we talk about an anti-racist systems transformation, I believe we are fundamentally talking about the right of all people to live in peace and security. We are talking about everyone having the right to walk down the street without fear of undue harassment or harm. We are talking about people having the right to live, work, and play in our community without being targeted with violence and hate because of the color of their skin, the language they speak, or the religion they practice. An anti-racist systems transformation means that we are dedicating ourselves to uprooting policies and practices that marginalize, degrade, and dehumanize any group of people.
Our commitment to an anti-racist systems transformation is a commitment to upholding human dignity and human rights for all.
The values this city champions cannot be confined to our city limits. I call on all our leaders to recognize that we cannot uphold peace and security here at home without also defending human dignity and human rights abroad. I also urge our community to condemn all forms of anti-Muslim hate, xenophobia, and antisemitism.
I feel compelled to make this statement due to the mounting loss of life in this conflict and the hundreds of thousands who are at risk of violence. I urge all our leaders in Washington D.C. to support an immediate ceasefire in the Middle East, the release of all hostages, and the provision of robust humanitarian aid to those in need. I want to be clear that my support for an immediate ceasefire does not mean I turn a blind eye to the heinous terrorist attacks conducted by Hamas against the Israeli people. Terrorism is vile and evil, and we cannot tolerate it anywhere in our world.
I am mourning the innocent lives, including those of American citizens, that have been lost and forever impacted by this brutal conflict.”
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