The members of the Graduate Employees’ Organization express our support for the resolution brought to City Council by members Ghazi-Edwin, Briggs, Ackmon, and Song. For months, we have watched in horror as tens of thousands of Palestinians have been brutally murdered by the Israeli war machine. The United States government has been an active participant in these acts of genocide: providing cover for these crimes at the United Nations and using our tax dollars to arm the Israeli apartheid state. This has gone on far, far too long.
It is incumbent on every single one of us to speak out and take action against these unspeakable crimes. This is doubly true for our elected officials. We are glad to see this resolution pass unanimously.
The ongoing genocide and ethnic cleansing of Palestinians is a local issue not just because a threat to justice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere, but also because our local institutions are directly connected to Israeli apartheid. The University of Michigan’s $17 billion dollar endowment is invested in companies that sustain and profit from the occupation of Palestine. When U-M students and union members peacefully protested U-M’s complicity in Israeli apartheid, they were met with coordinated repression by a motley collection of local police units, including this council’s AAPD. 41 pro-Palestinian activists were arrested, and further charges are now being threatened. Council must look into AAPD’s involvement in this police action, review its cooperation and coordination with DPSS, and further call on county prosecutor Eli Savit to drop any and all charges against the students.
We as students, teachers, and union members expect leadership from our elected officials in times such as these. That means standing with those who put themselves on the line in the fight against genocide, from the courageous student activists in SAFE and the TAHRIR coalition to Michigan Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib. This resolution is a step in the right direction
Members of the Graduate Employees’ Organization
American Federation of Teachers, Local 3550
AFL-CIO
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