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News :: Iraq : Peace |
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Urbana City Council Votes to do the right thing! |
Current rating: 0 |
by Jan Kruse
Email: jandurl (nospam) insightbb.com (unverified!) |
20 Mar 2006
Modified: 08:45:43 PM |
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Tonight on the 3rd Anniversary of the US invasion and occupation of Iraq, the Urbana City council voted 5-2 to adopt a city council resolution calling for the end to the US war and occupation of Iraq and to bring the military home! |
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AWARE (Anti-War Anti-Racism Effort) of Urbana/Champaign, Illinois has been working since last November to gather community support to motivate our local Urbana City Council to consider and then pass a City Council Resolution to bring the US military home from Iraq and to end US occupation. We have held a series of "Voices from Iraq" presentations in coordination with Iraqi/US citizens (members of our local community) who have family living in Iraq. We have held a Town Hall Meeting last February and have since gather over 500 signatures on petitions to support our efforts to bring forth this resolution. We have discussed the devastation of Iraq, it's people and the impact on our soldiers and the economic impact on our state and city due to this pre-emptive US war. Last Monday, March 13 the local city council met and by a vote of 4-3 agreed to move the resolution forward to be formally voted on tonight Monday, March 20.
Tonight we held a vigil from 6:30-7:00 PM as the council prepared to vote on the resolution. There were well over 70 local citizens outside on the street in front of city hall tonight. We held large posters with the photos of casualties of Iraqi civilians and US soldiers killed since 2003 and we held candles. At 7:00 PM the council met and after numerous presentations and only 2 negative speakers, the council voted to pass the resolution by a voice vote of 5-2. A switch from a week ago of one vote in our favor after a eloquent plea from Ward 3's African American community to their city council representative.
With this grassroots local city resolution on record AWARE will now go forward to contact our two US senators from Illinois and our US Representative in Washington DC. One council member (Lynne Barnes) voting against this resolution ran as a democrat in Ward 7, however her campaign was organized by the Republican chair in a neighboring ward. She was the only "Democrat" to vote NO! The other member of the council members voting against this resolution tonight was Ward 6 member Heather Stevenson, daughter of Republican US Senator Timothy Johnson from our US congressional district. Our grassroots community drive to gain public awareness on the third anniversary of "3 years too many" has been in cooperation with a number of local community groups. Other community organizations in Urbana/Champaign together with AWARE are determined to keep the public informed and the voice of the people heard. We have been and continue to oppose the US war and occupation of Iraq! Our goal is to move our National leaders toward the will of the people! The war and occupation of Iraq has gone on too long. 3 years too many! |
This work is in the public domain |
