------------------------- Via Workers World News Service Reprinted from the Feb. 6, 2003 issue of Workers World newspaper -------------------------
JERSEY CITY MUNICIPAL COUNCIL: "NO WAR AGAINST IRAQ!" By Michael Kramer Jersey City, N.J. On Jan. 22, Jersey City joined the growing list of U.S. cities whose local governments officially oppose the Bush administration's plans for war against Iraq. The Jersey City Municipal Council voted seven to one to support a "Resolution Opposing the War in Iraq." The city is right across the Hudson River from the site of the destroyed World Trade Center. It is the biggest city in the state, with a population of over 225,000. It is known as one of the most ethnically diverse cities in the United States, with large African American, Latino, Arab, Haitian, Filipino, Latino and South Asian communities. Anti-war sentiment is very deep in Jersey City. So the resolution victory made many people proud of their hometown. It also strengthened the bonds between the different groups and individuals, who, after filling cars and buses to take part in the massive Jan. 18 anti-war demonstration in Washington, D.C., have moved the struggle to the home front. The resolution was drafted by Erik-Anders Nilsson of the Hudson County Coalition for Peace and Justice and Jamie Vazquez, a deputy mayor and director of the city Office of Veterans Affairs. Vazquez, a Marine during the Vietnam War, is a disabled veteran. The resolution refers to the 500,000 Iraqi children who have died as the result of U.S.-imposed economic sanctions, and to the young people of Jersey City who are the prime candidates to be cannon fodder in a ground war. It points out that the financial costs of the war will harm the economy and have an impact on the "educational, health care, housing, employment, infrastructure and social service needs" of the population in this country. It notes the "devastating effect on the ecosystem of Iraq and the entire region due to the use of weapons made of 'Depleted Uranium' and other modern weapon systems." And the resolution calls on the Bush administration and Congress to show "respect for human life in Iraq, the Middle East, the U.S. and throughout the world." The Municipal Council meeting in a City Hall chamber was packed, standing room only, with hundreds of residents. When the anti-war resolution was moved up to become one of the first items on the agenda, residents who had come to press other issues, such as funding the Jersey City Youth Soccer Club or constructing a sewer overflow netting facility on Fisk Street, got to hear the discussion. Speakers in support of the resolution included Nilsson; David Cline, a Vietnam veteran representing Veterans for Peace and Vietnam Veterans Against the War; and Sara Flounders from the Inter national ANSWER coalition--Act Now to Stop War & End Racism. Supporters of the resolution had a strong multi-national and multi-generational delegation. The captive audience began to pay more and more attention with each succeeding anti-war speaker. And the applause grew louder and louder as each speaker finished. A handful of pro-war people failed in their attempt to use parliamentary maneuvers to stop the historic vote. More than 40 cities have passed anti-war resolutions. The list can be found at www.ips-dc.org/citiesfirpeace/resolutions.htm. MORE CITIES TAKE A STAND Listed by state, here are the cities that by the end of January had passed resolutions against a war on Iraq. The list was compiled by Cities for Peace. CALIFORNIA Arcata Berkeley Oakland San Fernando San Francisco San Luis Obispo Santa Barbara Santa Cruz Sebastopol Topanga Canyon West Hollywood COLORADO Boulder Telluride CONNECTICUT New Haven Salisbury IDAHO Blaine County ILLINOIS Chicago, Evanston INDIANA Gary IOWA Des Moines MARYLAND Baltimore Takoma Park MASSACHUSETTS Brookline Northampton Somerville MICHIGAN Ann Arbor Detroit Ferndale Hamtramck Kalamazoo Traverse City NEW JERSEY Jersey City NEW MEXICO Santa Fe NEW YORK Danby Ithaca New Paltz Rosendale Syracuse Woodstock NORTH CAROLINA Carrboro OHIO Cleveland OREGON Corvallis Eugene PENNSYLVANIA Haines Township Philadelphia York VERMONT Burlington WASHINGTON Olympia Seattle WASHINGTON, DC WISCONSIN Madison Milwaukee - END - (Copyright Workers World Service: Everyone is permitted to copy and distribute verbatim copies of this document, but changing it is not allowed. For more information contact Workers World, 55 W. 17 St., NY, NY 10011; via e-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe wwnews- [EMAIL PROTECTED] Unsubscribe [EMAIL PROTECTED] Support the voice of resistance http://www.workers.org/orders/donate.php) ------------------ This message is sent to you by Workers World News Service. To subscribe, E-mail to: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To unsubscribe, E-mail to: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To switch to the DIGEST mode, E-mail to <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Send administrative queries to <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
