Text of speech I’ll make at Tuesday’s Las Cruces City Council meeting. But first, here’s a pretty picture for you.

Mayor, city council,

Before I begin, I apologize for the email I sent city council last Thursday. I was wrong. I composed it out of mounting frustration over the ever worsening events regarding the Israel/Gaza conflict. Still, I was out of line, and I apologize to each of you.

“Somehow this madness must cease. We must stop now. I speak as a child of God and brother to the suffering poor of Vietnam. I speak for those whose land is being laid waste, whose homes are being destroyed, whose culture is being subverted.” From Beyond Vietnam — A Time to Break Silence, Delivered April 4, 1967, Riverside Church, New York City.

Las Cruces, it is time to break silence.

There’s a new acronym floating around the internet: WCNSF — wounded child, no surviving family.

From last week’s NPR report on conditions in Gaza… “Children as young as five are contemplating suicide.” Let me repeat. “Children as young as five are contemplating suicide.”

This issue, the ever widening war in the Middle East, while geographically distant, resonates deeply within our community, touching the lives of many who call Las Cruces home. It is not just an international concern; it is a local one, affecting our neighbors, friends, and perhaps, family members.

In passing a resolution urging a unilateral ceasefire in the Israel/Gaza conflict, we demonstrate our commitment to peace and human rights, values that define us as a community.

I understand that navigating international issues at a local level can be challenging. However, I believe that it is not only our right but our duty to do so. The decisions we make in this chamber should reflect the conscience of our community, unswayed by any unseen influences.

And so I appeal to your sense of justice, humanity, and leadership. Let us join the ranks of those towns and cities across America who have dared to take a stand on the world’s stage. Let our actions resonate with that moral courage as a way forward on the path to peace.

Thank you.

According to Newsweek, as of January 10, these are the U.S. cities calling for a ceasefire in Gaza.

San Francisco, California

Oakland, California

Richmond, California

Cudahy, California

Bridgeport, Connecticut

Wilmington, Delaware

Atlanta, Georgia

Detroit, Michigan

Dearborn, Michigan

Dearborn Heights, Michigan

Hamtramck, Michigan

Ypsilanti, Michigan

Albany, New York

Akron, Ohio

Providence, Rhode Island