I am writing to express my strong support for Mayor Brandon Johnson’s cease-fire resolution vote. I was extremely disappointed to see the editorial in the Tribune (“A hateful travesty on the floor of the City Council,” Feb. 2). The mayor listened to the demand of more than 160 Chicago-based organizations, hundreds of Jewish voters, hundreds of youths who walked out of high school on Tuesday and many emails from Chicagoans.
Supporting declarations like the cease-fire resolution demonstrates that Chicago lives up to its progressive values and refuses to support the genocide of Palestinians. I encourage the Tribune Editorial Board to voice its support for this important measure in an upcoming editorial, highlighting the tremendous grassroots and community effort that it took to achieve a cease-fire resolution.
— Darakshan Raja, executive director, Muslims for Just Futures
Being committed in my name
In the recent editorial “A hateful travesty on the floor of the City Council,” the Tribune Editorial Board accuses Mayor Brandon Johnson of supporting “hate against more than 100,000 of your residents, based on their religious or ethnic identity,” due to his support of a resolution calling for an unconditional ceasefire in Gaza.
I am among those 100,000 residents the board refers to, and I do not consider the call for a cease-fire in Gaza hateful or antisemitic. I consider it instead an act of moral clarity in the face of a human rights catastrophe that has led to the murder of thousands of children by bombs, starvation and the deprivation of medical resources. That this catastrophe is being committed in my name — as a man who can trace my Ashkenazi Jewish heritage back several generations — and with my financial support — as a taxpaying American citizen — brings me shame.
The board’s condemnation of Johnson echoes a previous generation’s condemnation of the Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr., this city’s greatest resident, whose principled stance against the Vietnam War cost him dearly.
— Paul Morton, Chicago
Holding Johnson accountable
Chicago, a city infamous for its relentless gun violence and high homicide rate, has resolved that is knows how a foreign country, Israel, should handle its defense and security. The cease-fire resolution is a blatant political maneuver and is the epitome of hypocrisy and hubris. Mayor Brandon Johnson, by casting the tie-breaking vote on the resolution, has compromised any claim to leadership, integrity and independence. He is joined in disgrace, and was no doubt pressured by, the Chicago Teachers Union, endorser of the resolution, and Chicago Public Schools, supporter of an ill-conceived student walkout on the issue.
The passage of this resolution followed the shootings of five Chicago high school students, three of them fatally, on their way home from school in two incidents. In a recent news conference about the shootings, Johnson said, “The city of Chicago continues to grieve, and our hearts are heavy as these tragic shootings happen too often. … If we’re not holding (the shooters) accountable, especially with this level of brazenness, they will continue to do it.”
Johnson’s job is to protect the residents, workers and schoolchildren of Chicago. We are holding him accountable. He should look across his own street, in the neighborhoods and around the city — not across the ocean. Mayor and council members, clean up your own house here in Chicago before you tell others far away how to clean theirs. If a cessation of violence is needed anywhere, it is right here.
— Rachelle Gold, Chicago
Aldermen miss the point
Many on the City Council, including Mayor Brandon Johnson, miss the point of Chicagoans who criticize their spending time on a resolution for a cease-fire in Gaza. The point is they are wasting their time. The resolution will do nothing, zilch, nada, zip, to address violence in Gaza. The youngsters on the council think their resolution is important. Yet the council resolution isn’t worth the paper it is written on regarding any real-world practical implication.
To those on the council who want to believe they have sent a message to the world because it makes them feel important — get over yourselves. The resolution has no resonance on the international (or even national) stage. But that doesn’t mean the council members are unimportant. To the contrary, they can have a significant impact on Chicagoans, but only if they focus their action on issues affecting the city and address them.
It has been pointed out that Chicago has one of the largest Palestinian populations of any city in the U.S. I respect any council member who wants to reach out and directly address the concerns of his or her Palestinian constituents. But the resolution doesn’t even do that, does it?
Aldermen are being paid to do a job for Chicagoans, and despite their statements to the contrary, Chicago does not support their self-important initiatives that do the city no practical good. Criticisms of the cease-fire resolution do not stem from a lack of concern for Palestinians or peace in the Middle East. Instead, they stem from the ridiculousness of the resolution itself. Aldermen would receive similar criticism if they spent bucket loads of the council’s time supporting a resolution that states the city of Chicago is against global warming. Lovely but, again, of no practical effect on global warming.
So focus on things that have real time impact on the daily lives of Chicagoans, pretty please with whipped cream and a cherry on top.
— Clare Connor, Chicago
Cessation of violence here
Since the October attacks on Israel, the Chicago City Council has been heavily debating the language that would be included in a cease-fire resolution, finally passed this past week.
Since the October attacks, more than 150 Chicago residents have been killed. As it is commonly understood that the resolution, a statement of principles supported by only half of council members, will have no meaningful effect on the violence in the Middle East, perhaps council efforts can now be redirected toward the violence that is killing their constituents. A much better use of taxpayer dollars.
— Erica Salem, Chicago
Pritzker makes good points
I totally agree with Gov. J.B. Pritzker in expressing his disappointment in the City Council passing the cease-fire resolution. Why didn’t aldermen acknowledge the terrorists who, without any provocation, attacked Israel on Oct. 7? And as he said, there was no mention of Hamas raping women and kidnapping Israelis.
— Michael J. Medley, Chicago
Well done, Mayor Johnson
Thank you to Mayor Brandon Johnson for his support and the adoption of the the Chicago City Council resolution regarding a cease-fire in Gaza. This positive step is highly appreciated in such a toxic environment where innocent lives are being lost. Thank you to the mayor for his efforts to protect innocent lives and promote peace.
— Sami Uddin, Bolingbrook