Presented at the public Richmond City Council meeting
Tuesday, September 11, 2007, the 6th anniversary of 9/11
By Mayor Gayle McLaughlin

Proclamation Honoring September Eleven
Families for Peaceful Tomorrows

WHEREAS, on September 11th 2001, more than three thousand Americans citizens and foreign residents of the United States became civilian casualties of terrorist attacks in New York City and elsewhere, and

WHEREAS, the residents of Richmond California shared with the rest of the nation the profound grief and consternation that these attacks generated, and experienced deep pain and sorrow for those whose lives were lost and for their families, and

WHEREAS, the City and residents of Richmond, California have learned that many of the families of those who died on September 11, 2001, while grieving their lost relatives, came together by the urgent desire to spare other families, in many parts of the world, the suffering that they experience, and

WHEREAS, these spouses, parents and siblings of persons killed in the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001 have created the organization September Eleven Families for Peaceful Tomorrows, with hundreds of family members who live in 31 states and seven foreign countries, and

WHEREAS, the goals of the September Eleven Families for Peaceful Tomorrows organization are 1) to promote dialogue on alternatives to war and educating the public on issues of war, peace, and the underlying causes of terrorism; 2) to support those seeking non-violent responses to all forms of terrorism, both individual and institutional; 3) to call attention to threats to civil liberties, human rights, and other freedoms in the U.S. as a consequence of war. 4) to acknowledge fellowship with all people affected by violence and war, recognizing that the resulting deaths are overwhelmingly civilian; 5) to encourage a multilateral collaborative effort to bring those responsible for the September 11, 2001 attacks to justice in accordance with the principles of international law; 6) to promote U.S. policy that places a priority on internationally-recognized principles of human rights, democracy and self-rule; 7) to demand ongoing investigations into the events leading up to the September 11, 2001 attacks, including exhaustive examinations of U.S. foreign policies and national security failures; and

WHEREAS, September Eleven Families for Peaceful Tomorrows have come to see their losses in a bigger context, one that cuts across national boundaries and the confines of time, and have connected with many persons around the world who have suffered a similar loss –from the terrorism of war and atomic weapons, to the terrorism of state-sponsored violence; and

WHEREAS, September Eleven Families for Peaceful Tomorrows stands in solidarity with all the ordinary people whose lives have been permanently transformed by violence, be they the children in mortal danger of cluster bombs in Afghanistan, Lebanon or the conflicts in Central Africa; be they the hundreds of thousands of victims of the U.S. war and occupation of Iraq, which has created a world that is less safe, less humane and less likely to survive; or be they the young persons in Richmond, California, and other U.S. Cities, who die a violent death after years of poor resources and little investment; and

WHEREAS, The City and residents of Richmond, California agree with the concept formulated by the Rev. Martin Luther King , Jr. that “Wars are poor chisels for carving out peaceful tomorrows”, which summarizes the spirit and gave rise to the name of this organization; and

WHEREAS, The City and residents of Richmond, California are inspired by the mission of September Eleven Families for Peaceful Tomorrows to turn their grief into action for peace, to develop and advocate nonviolent options and actions in the pursuit of justice, and in doing so break the cycles of violence engendered by war, violence and terrorism; and

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the City of Richmond California proclaims September 11, 2009, the day of the September Eleven Families for Peaceful Tomorrows, honoring with gratitude all the spouses, parents, brothers, sisters and other 9/11 surviving relatives who are working for peace and justice everywhere; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the City of Richmond and all the families of the more than 700 Richmond homicide victims over the last twenty years, as well as other victims of violent crime, take inspiration from the September Eleven Families for Peaceful Tomorrows as we continue our efforts locally to come together and transform our grief and pain into a powerful instrument to build peace and justice for all; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that copies of this proclamation be sent to Representative George Miller and US Senators Diane Feinstein and Barbara Boxer.

Reference: http://www.peacefultomorrows.org/
Read the Contra Costa Times article on this presentation