Correspondence - #18 - Laserfiche WebLink

Home Browse Search

Advancing social justice and building power with working-class Vietnamese and immigrant communities in Orange County. s /® VMW Garden Grove, CA 92843 1 www.vietrise.org I general(avietrise.org I @vietriseoc March 5, 2024 Dear Mayor Amezcua and Santa Ana City Council Members, My name is Tracy La, and I am the Executive Director at VietRISE, a non-profit organization based in Orange County, CA. On behalf of VietRISE, I am writing in strong support of agenda item #18 and urge you to pass the resolution in support of a permanent ceasefire in Gaza. As you know, for over 75 years, the people of Palestine have endured displacement, violence, and occupation by the state of Israel.' Since October 2023, Israel's attacks on Gaza has killed more than 30,000 Palestinians, wounded over 70,000 people,Z and displaced most of the 2.3 million residents of Gaza.3 Since World War II, the United States has given more than $260 billion in military and economic aid to Israel.' Our tax dollars have aided the state of Israel in causing the death of tens of thousands of Palestinians, the violation of Palestinian human rights, and the displacement of millions. Experts such as Raz Segal, the program director of genocide studies at Stockton University, have called Israel's killing of Palestinians in Gaza a "textbook case of genocide." With our taxpayer dollars funding this genocide, and with the many Palestinian community members who live in our city and county, this is undeniably a local concern. As city council members, your influence can save countless Palestinian lives. By adopting this resolution, Santa Ana can demonstrate its commitment to human rights, joining neighboring cities such as Long Beach, Pomona, and Montebello. We urge you to support agenda item 18, and, at the very least, we implore you to advocate for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza. As Vietnamese Americans, we stand in solidarity with Palestinians in their fight for liberation, self-determination, and justice. Your time and consideration on this matter are appreciated. Sincerely, Tracy La Executive Director of VietRISE 'United Nations. (2023, May 15). UN marks 75 years since displacement of 700,000 Palestinians. The United Nations. httl2s://news.un.org/en/storyZ2023/05/1136662 2 The Associated Press. (2024, February 29). Gaza death toll tops 30,000 as over 100 killed in aid convoy violence. AP News. https: //al2news.com/article/israel-hamas-war-latest-02-29-2024-ae3dl14b28cafd3b la8O6bfaa 9f83cab 3 Masoud, B. (2023, December 5). Gaza families flee again to shrinking, overcrowded pocket of land. Reuters. htti2s: //www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/gaza-families-flee-again-shrinking-overcrowded-12ocket-land-2023-12-05/ 4 Wolf, C. (2023, October 10). How Much Aid Does the U.S. Give to Israel? U.S. News. https: //www.usnews.com/news/best-countries/articles/2023-10-10/how-much-aid-does-the-u-s-give-to-israel