Ferndale Council Meetings Packed with People Asking for Ceasefire Resolution
(Crystal A. Proxmire, Jan. 20, 2024)
Ferndale, MI – Over 24,000 people have died in conflict between Israel and Hamas, the majority of whom are Palestinian civilians living in war-torn Gaza. Around the world there are people calling for an end to violence, including those in Ferndale who have asked local officials to pass a resolution calling for a ceasefire.
The Ferndale Palestine Solidarity Coalition has had dozens of people come to Ferndale City Council meetings in December and January to ask local officials to pass a resolution similar to those passed in Detroit, Ann Arbor, Ypsilanti, Dearborn and other cities around the country. The Wayne County Commission also passed a resolution “condemning all acts of violence against the Israeli and Palestinian people, and mourning the loss of all civilian lives and hostages.” The Ann Arbor School Board also passed a resolution earlier this week, believed to be the first school district in the country to do so.
The resolutions do not carry legal weight, as municipalities have no authority in international affairs. However those who came to address Ferndale officials during public comment want the City to take a stand. Speakers repeated three demands, an immediate ceasefire, the release of hostages and political prisoners, and access to humanitarian aid.
Ferndale city officials have not put forward a resolution, though Mayor Pro Tem Laura Mikulski and former councilperson Kat Bruner James have been working on a letter from the community expressing a desire for peace. Mikulski spoke at both meetings in response to the public comments.
“We’re limited in our capacity to weigh in on international issues as a council body,” she said on Jan. 8. “In governance, especially at a municipal level, exercised power must be prudent and pertinent to our direct sphere of influence. Provisions of the City Charter and the Home Rule Act 297 of 1909 allows for a broad scope of activities, but this is contextualized within the practical and ethical boundaries of local government. This is not just a matter of legal interpretation, it’s also a question of effective and responsible government.”
The Coalition insists that their concerns are a Ferndale problem. “While it may be tempting to dismiss what is happening there because it is beyond the borders of our city, I urge you to recognize that peace and justice are not confined by borders, our activities. Even at the local level can send a powerful message about our values and our commitment to unity,” said Ahmed Ghanim. “We have neighbors, friends, and family members who have roots in the affected regions.”
Local business owners Alleah Webb and Liv Carlson of Drifter Coffee were also among the speakers.
“We as a local business understand what it feels like to be in the public eye and feel the fear that comes from speaking up in the face of injustice. We know it is scary to upset people, and we know what it feels like to get bullied online,” Webb said.
“Two months ago, we made a statement in solidarity with the Palestinian people calling for a ceasefire. We have received overwhelming support from our community, but there were definitely some upset people. We were on the receiving end of bullying and verbal threats from Zionists online. But guess what? We survived. And you’ll survive too. You’ll be fine. And that’s more than we can say for the people affected by this conflict.”
Webb went on to describe other instances where Ferndale officials took stands. “When George Floyd was murdered and the protests started up for black liberation and the right to live, we spoke up in solidarity with the black community. And we know you did too.
“We speak up in solidarity with the queer and trans community, and we know that you do as well. You spoke up in solidarity with the Ukrainian people and flew their flag at our city hall and decided it was a city matter. We wonder why you won’t speak about the ongoing genocide in occupied Palestine.”
Webb referred to the changing of the lights at city hall to be blue and yellow in support of Ukraine, not an actual flag. The decision on the lighting had been made by city staff, not by a council vote, although the Mayor at the time made a statement and participated in a rally there in support of the Ukrainian people. City council later passed a resolution requiring council approval on all symbolic light changes on city property.
Speakers came from within Ferndale, and beyond. “We have had people from Dearborn, Pontiac, Huntington Woods, Royal Oak and other cities speak to Ferndale Council. So, we hope to do the same for other activist groups,” said Prasad Venugopal who is among the organizers of the FPSC. A similar effort is growing in Hazel Park as well.
Missie Ghanem is a first generation Palestine American who came from Dearborn to speak about what life is like in Gaza for members of her family. “Before Oct. 7, we were treated awfully,” she said. She said that to travel in the region, Palestinians must go through checkpoints where men are forced to drop their pants to be searched for weapons. She said that 83 people in her family’s village have been killed. “I thought I would just let you meet a Palestinian and see that we’re humans,” she said.
Members of the Jewish community also spoke in favor of ceasefire.
Jessica Newman of Ferndale told the council, “I went through 12 years of Jewish education, and that Jewish education taught me that I need to stand here today and say never again, and not in my name… This is a moment where you get to say ‘When I saw injustice, I stood up for the people who were being bombed, who were being murdered, who were being humiliated.”
Mayor Pro Tem Mikulski met this week with members of the The Ferndale Palestine Solidarity Coalition in hopes that they would participate in a community letter to be sent to state and federal officials. The Coalition continues to hope for an official resolution. They continue to have communications in hopes of finding a collaborative solution.
“Debates are over form rather than substance,” Mikulski said at the Jan. 8 meeting. “Every day that we spend arguing over format is a day lost… If what people want is to put pressure on state and local officials, if they recognize that urgent action is needed, digging in our heels of how that message gets delivered is counter to that goal… This is a targeted, strategic approach.”
Mikulski also insists that the letter be unilateral – calling for peace from both sides. Across the country ceasefire resolutions have been mainly prompted by those supporting Palestine, including the coalition in Ferndale, making it difficult for those who also support the Jewish people and opposing the history of antisemitism they face to weigh in without appearing to take sides.
Also challenging is the fact that that the conflict began with an attack on Oct. 7 by members of Hamas on Southern Israel where over 1,200 people were killed and over 200 Jewish people were taken hostage. The growing death toll in response to the attack is now at over 24,000 lives lost, a number that ceasefire activists cite as disproportionate to the original attack.
As various organizations call for a cease fire, and a World Court hearing continues, Israel’s Prime Minister Netanyahu said Sunday “No one will stop us, not The Hague, not the axis of evil and not anyone else.”
The World Court case was brought forward by the government of South Africa. Associated Press reports that Israel asked for the case to be dismissed as meritless, arguing that they have the right to defend themselves, and that South Africa had failed to include information about actions of Hamas leading up to the conflict.
When asked about the potential for a resolution, Ferndale Mayor Raylon Leaks-May told Oakland County Times “Adopting a ceasefire resolution by way of the Ferndale Council will have a polarizing impact on this community and that is something that I am unable to support. I care about this community and am more than wiling to help coordinate community efforts to reach out to our legislators and the White House regarding a plea for peace in the Middle East. There is a community letter that Mayor Pro Tem, Laura Mikulski has been trying to draft and has been trying to solicit input from others .I, as a resident and as Mayor would be wiling to support this type of effort, as it would display community solidarity, not division.”
Ferndale City Council meets next on Monday night. Venugopal says the Ferndale Palestine Solidarity Coalition will likely have members there to speak again. There is no item on the agenda regarding a resolution, though there is time allotted at the meetings for public comment.
Those who want more information on the Coalition can reach out to Ferndalepalestinesolidarity@gmail.com For more on Ferndale City Council, visit https://www.ferndalemi.gov/.
