Urbana City Council moves ‘end of the Gaza war’ resolution vote to next meeting
URBANA, Ill. (WCIA) — People were upset after a city council resolution showing support for an end to the war in Gaza failed to meet their hopes.
The resolution had not included the word “ceasefire,” and many people who showed up said that word was a symbolic form of unity with other pushes for resolutions across the country.
However, councilmember James Quisenberry said the word ceasefire has been used before and has become more symbolic of the short-lived events of peace in the middle east.
Quisenberry proposed an amendment to the resolution to include the phrase “immediate and permanent cessation of violence,” instead of “ceasefire.”
About 80 people showed up to Monday’s committee of the whole meeting. There were so many the fire department had to limit those coming in and out of the room.
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Ben Joselyn was one of those who went to the meeting to express his discontent with the resolution.
“There was a cease fire resolution that I put forth along with some other community members back on January 8th,” he said.
Community members came to back a ceasefire resolution that Urbana City Council members were set to vote on at the committee of the Whole meeting.
Joselyn, who gave a resolution to the city with hopes it would be a start to bringing the community together, said his submission could’ve at least been used for a rough draft.
“There’s a petition that’s going around that’s got over 1200 signatures in support of that resolution,” he said. “The mayor decided that that was one sided.”
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Shayna Andrews was at last week’s meeting and she said the proposal was un-even.
“It was not that much representation,” she said. “And I just wanted to come out because it’s something I care about a lot.”
Andrews said a lot of people in the area have been scared since the conflict in the Middle East began.
“Tonight I hope that they do not pass this cease fire resolution,” Andrews said. “There’s a lot of jews in the area and a lot of people are scared to come out.”
Longtime Urbana neighbor Marc Ansel said he has been hesitant for his city government to take a stance.
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“I’m here to hopefully see closure on this issue,” Ansel said, “and find out what the city council really thinks instead of them sitting and listening all this time without ever commenting on their own.”
Monday night Ansel said he wanted to see were the city council stands after months of divisions in the community.
“There’ll be many people going home unhappy,” he said, “but I think that the common ground is a first step and the only way that we can ever heal the situation.”
The public comment segment of Monday’s committee of the Whole meeting went for the allotted two hours with people still waiting in line.
When told people couldn’t continue speaking, they started chanting “ceasefire now.” They could still be heard chanting after the council came back from recess.
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