A RESOLUTION affirming The City of Seattle’s support for its local Iranian-American and Iranian-immigrant communities, recognizing the importance of people-to-people diplomacy at the local level, calling for a de-escalation in the conflict and damaging rhetoric between the U.S. and Iran and an end to the attacks on the democratic rights of people with Iranian heritage in Washington State and requesting the Office of Intergovernmental Relations communicate these positions to the Washington State congressional delegation.
Thank you. The bill passes and the chair will sign it. We'll move on to adoption of other resolutions. Please read into the record. I had number three adoption of the resolutions, agenda item three, resolution 319 25 expressing the Seattle City Council's opposition to the Trump administration's escalation. Toward. War with Iran and to attack an attack on the democratic rights of people with Iranian heritage in Washington State and requesting the Office of Intergovernmental Relations communicate these positions to the Washington State Congressional Delegation. Council Members one Thank you. Council President Pro Tem Herbold. I would like to describe the motivation behind the resolution, but then also make a motion to hold it and explain what it does. Thank you. I wanted to thank all the activists who came here, Veterans for Peace Care, Washington Council on American-Islamic Relations. I really appreciate everybody who's here who testified and who didn't testify, but who are here for supporting this resolution. This is the resolution in opposition both to Trump's escalation toward war with Iran and also in response to reports of Border Patrol agents targeting people of Iranian descent, including U.S. citizens at the border crossing in Blaine, Washington, and also at the Seattle-Tacoma International Airport. Trump's policies towards Iran, including airstrikes and the prominent drone assassination of Iranian Major General Qassem Soleimani, are risking war and it is totally unacceptable. The U.S. wars in Afghanistan and Iraq we have seen, have not expanded the freedom, democracy, standard of living or safety of ordinary people in the Middle East have not increased the safety of people in the United States. Instead, they have caused massive loss of human life and ongoing suffering in Afghanistan and Iraq. And for U.S. soldiers, it is ordinary people, especially women, young people and the marginalized who always pay the greatest price for imperialist war. In 2019, working people in Iran, Iraq and Lebanon built inspiring mass movements against poverty, corruption, women's oppression, ethnic oppression and authoritarian rule. However, what has happened now is that the threat of war with the US has cut across the momentum for this movement and helped strengthen for now, the authoritarian Iranian regime. Injured of threats of war. We need a mass antiwar movement in the United States and globally in solidarity with the movements in the Middle East. In drafting this resolution, my office looked to see if there was any precedent set by the City Council in 2003, when Bush drove the U.S. to war with George W Bush and drove the U.S. to war with Iraq, using similarly sketchy intelligence reports claiming imminent threats but no details. It was shocking, actually, to find that the resolution that was passed in 23 did not actually oppose the war in any way. And I think we need to set a different kind of precedent, actually, for the Seattle City Council to take a stand against any kind of military aggression. Because I know because we know it will be it will it will not favor the safety and security of our country either. And so we need to make sure that our movement is reflected. The movement that has changed the politics in the city and nationwide and internationally is reflected in the resolution that we passed. And I also want to be crystal clear that the way to honestly support the well-being of soldiers is don't start this war. And I think we have broad agreement that was reflected in the public comment that we just saw. We also want to make clear that we are opposed to the border control, border patrol agents in Washington targeting people of Iranian descent. And it and we and I want to speak more in detail about this, but I will reserve more comments for Tuesday, January 21st. And just more like before I make the motion, I want to explain to members of the public and especially who are here for this resolution. We have had requests for amendments to this resolution, which I'm happy to consider, but I would like for time to consider them so that we actually send the amendments to the activists who are involved, the organizations that have been involved in drafting my current resolution. So do you all have a chance to look at it and tell us what you think? And so I think in in favor of that kind of public scrutiny, I will move to hold resolution 31925 until January 21st, 2020. Thank you. And I just want to also add that there are a number of organizations that through the Office of Intergovernmental Relations that I worked with over the weekend, they, too would like. To have. Be an active consultation in the development of the final resolution, and that includes the Iran. An American Community Alliance pay band which supports the University of Washington, Persian and Iranian Studies program. And then finally, the Seattle Esfahan, a sister city advocacy organization who's working where we work with them every year to hold an annual event. And they're working towards also becoming a sister city here with us. So they have expressed that more time would allow us, allow everyone more thoughtful consideration and consensus. And they're very honored to have their work and their community noticed and supported and believe it's really. Critical for. Their community to see this sort of gesture of allyship at this particular time. So thank you for your for your willingness to to work through some of the issues of. A very, very diverse community here in Seattle. Thank you. Let me just add, just to clarify to members of the public, my office was and has been in touch with the Office of Intergovernmental Relations and thus a sister city advocacy organization as well. And we're happy to continue to be in touch with them, but will make sure that the proposed amendments are run through by the other organizations as well and come up with a recommended resolution. That is but but a strong but I would say a strong resolution that takes a position against war in Iran and also against the detaining of people of Iranian descent. Thank you. It has been moved in, seconded that the resolution be held into January 21st, 2020. Any further comments? CNN. Those in favor of holding resolution vote i. I those opposed. But now the motion carries. The resolution is held until January 21st, 2020. Is there any other business to come before the council seeing? Then we are adjourned. It is 2:51 p.m.. Thank you.