Statement and Demands from New York City Employees
Good afternoon
We are a coalition of New York City employees of all faiths and backgrounds, who stand firmly with the people of Gaza undergoing a genocide. We are in solidarity with the people of Palestine who have been under brutal occupation by Israel for 75 years.
We refuse to stay silent while our Mayor and Administration show unrelenting support for the ethnic cleansing of Palestinians. We refuse to stay silent while he compromises the safety of all New Yorkers of conscience in support of the Palestinian struggle by aligning with the state of Israel.
We are witnessing one of the most horrific moments in history, as Israel carpet bombs an entire civilian population of over 2.5 million people–
The Mayor and his Administration have exclusively shown an immediate and resounding affirmation of the humanity of Israelis and Israeli New Yorkers, but none for the Palestinian people, for thousands of Palestinian New Yorkers, and all NYers of conscience in who condemn genocide. We gather today as city workers and laborers to demand that this City hears our voice.
Our demands are as follows:
- The Mayor must add his voice to call for an immediate, permanent ceasefire.
- Speaker Adrienne Adams must immediately bring a ceasefire resolution to a vote in the City Council, and Council Members must vote in affirmation – following in the footsteps of cities like Oakland and Detroit.
- Commissioners of every City agency must act to protect the rights of New York City employees and all New Yorkers of conscience in every industry who voice their opposition to the war crimes committed by Israel. There has been significant repression of First Amendment rights for speaking out for Palestine.
- We call for the resignation of Council Member Inna Vernikov who unlawfully brandished a firearm to intimidate peaceful protestors at CUNY Brooklyn College, contributing to a growing atmosphere of violence and hate crimes against Palestinians, Muslims, Sikhs, Arabs and anyone supporting Palestinian liberation.
- The Administration must disclose and terminate all ties between NYPD and the IDF including funding, material support, training programs, offices, contractors, advisors and all other relationships. We refuse to continue to allow for the growing militarization of our City in ways that directly parallel the fascist military state of Israel, including increased uses of drone surveillance, murderous policing tactics that put all New Yorkers, especially Black and brown people, at risk of dying at the hands of the police.
- The Administration must disclose and terminate all City funds invested in the state of Israel. We refuse to allow our tax dollars to fund a genocide and this 75-year long occupation. This is even more egregious while NYC, the largest city in the country, crumbles under the Mayor’s cruel and unnecessary budget cuts. We demand a fully funded New York City, not genocide!
It is a shameful, painful irony to tout New York City as one of the most welcoming cities in the world and in history, a rich microcosm that is meant to represent the entire globe, yet the Administration platforms, supports and celebrates this genocidal, imperial, racist force that is the state of Israel in every way possible.
We are the people that keep the city running– delivering for all New Yorkers. We demand our Mayor and his administration to see the value in all life, regardless of ethnicity, race, religion, or creed and not conditionalize humanity.
Long live Palestine.
Follow our instagram nycworkers4palestine and sign our open letter with nearly 700 signatures. We will not stop until Palestine is free.