Denver City Council fled a rowdy in-person meeting on Monday night, retreating online to vote against a proclamation declaring Denver's commitment to human rights and support for a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas.
It was council's blunt answer to months of protests by pro-Palestinian activists demanding city government take action on a war thousands of miles away.
Proponents said the city had a moral obligation to take a stand against the mass killing of civilians and genocide, and that the proclamation reflected the violence both Israelis and Palestinians have suffered since Hamas attacked Israel on Oct. 7.
Some opponents of the declaration worried it would stoke antisemitism, while others described the statement as divisive at a time when the city needed to unite to address a variety of pressing issues, from homelessness to budget cuts.
Not all Palestinian rights advocates thought the declaration went far enough.
Abdullah Elagha, who has lost family members in the war, described the failed proclamation as "watered down," though he was appalled Council rejected it.
Other pro-Palestinian advocates echoed that sentiment, frustrated that the proclamation omitted the word "occupation" to describe the Israeli state.
The crowd in the City Council chambers was loudly supportive of Palestinians, often drowning out the voices of the proclamation's opponents.
The declaration was proposed after months of protests, marches and even disrupted City Council meetings.
The document condemned both the Oct. 7 attack and the ensuing displacement of two million Palestinians, the lack of medicine and fuel in hospitals, homelessness, starvation, and disease caused by Israel's war on Hamas.
"Over 1,200 people in Israel and more than 22,000 people in Gaza have been killed in a matter of weeks, of whom over 8,000 are children, and countless others have been injured, traumatized, or left grieving loved ones," the proclamation stated.
It cited the United Nations, the World Health Organization, the U.S. Agency for International Development and the International Rescue Committee's calls for a permanent ceasefire to explain the necessity of the proclamation.
"Hundreds of Denverites have lost loved ones in this conflict and hundreds more continue to fear for the lives of loved ones living in Gaza or held hostage there, living in Israel, and living in the West Bank," the proclamation stated.
Among the demands in the declaration were the following: "An immediate bilateral ceasefire; release of all hostages taken in Israel and of all arbitrarily detained Palestinian prisoners; the unrestricted entry of humanitarian assistance into Gaza; the restoration of food, water, electricity, and medical supplies to Gaza; respect for international law and principles of human rights; adherence to U.S. law regarding arms transfers; and funding to alleviate humanitarian crises."
Had it passed, the letter would have been sent to Colorado's congressional delegate, Gov. Jared Polis, President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris.
Ahead of the vote, the Jewish Community Relations Council urged its supporters to tell City Council members that council has no business weighing in on geopolitics.
"I do not recall the Denver City Council issuing proclamations for a ceasefire in regards to other recent global atrocities perpetuated by the likes of the Sudanese against the citizens of the Darfur region, the Chinese against the Uighurs, the Syrian Alawites against their fellow Syrians, the Tigray War in Ethiopia, and so forth, so I have to wonder why this conflict falls inside the scope of council while the others do not," JCRC asked supporters to tell City Council.
Yet City Council has weighed in on geopolitics. In March of 2022, City Council unanimously passed a proclamation in support of the Ukrainian people that also condemned Russia's invasion.
Ultimately, JRCR encouraged council to create a more local proclamation that addressed the suffering Denverites with connections to Israelis and Palestinians are experiencing.
"If you feel you must respond to the community's pain around the issues of Israel-Hamas, please propose a proclamation that recognizes the pain these communities are feeling right now, right here in Denver instead of proclaiming your opinions of international affairs," members wrote Council.
Councilmembers spoke their minds on the issue before voting.
Bill co-sponsor and At-Large Councilmember Sarah Parady condemned the scale of violence Israel has unleashed on the Palestinian people and detailed how the United States has supported the Israeli military.
She also strongly condemned antisemitism and cautioned people not to conflate criticism of Israel's military actions in Gaza with a hatred of Jews.
She spoke directly to the Jewish Denverites who had opposed to proclamation.
"This is not a room that is filled with hate for you. This is a room that is filled with grief," Parady said.
District 8 City Councilmember Shontel Lewis, another co-sponsor, argued the city must condemn genocide, a message cheered by Pro-Palestinian Denverites.
"The eradication of a population cannot be witnessed in silence," she said. "Every person has a responsibility to say stop."
Denver is not isolated from other cities, she argued, and so the city should take a stand.
"Decisions made on the other side of the world will affect our city," Lewis said.
Several dozen U.S. cities have passed resolutions supporting a ceasefire, including Chicago, Atlanta and San Francisco. Advocates have been pushing city councils in Boulder, Fort Collins and elsewhere in Colorado to pass similar resolutions.
District 6 Councilmember Paul Kashmann, who is Jewish, has been a vocal proponent of a permanent ceasefire.
"The continuation of this war is in no one's best interest - not for Israelis and not for anyone in Gaza," Kashmann told the crowd.
Yet, ultimately, he didn't support the proclamation.
District 4 Councilmember Diana Romero Campbell described the proclamation as divisive and said that both sides wanted peace.
"We want liberation," shouted a Palestinian advocate.
District 5 City Councilmember Amanda Sawyer said she would have preferred a more locally-focused statement that would have dodged Denver getting involved in geopolitics beyond supporting residents from all sides of the issue.
"I wish this proclamation said, 'We see you, residents of Denver, hurting: Whether you are Palestinian or Jewish,'" she said.
The crowd jeered so loudly during Sawyer's remarks that District 3 Councilmember and Council President Jamie Torres declared a recess, and the council members conducted the rest of the meeting virtually, while advocates watched on TVs in the chamber.
Ultimately, City Council voted 8-4 against the proclamation.
Supporters included co-sponsors Parady and Lewis, along with Torres and At-Large Councilmember Serena Gonzales-Gutierrez.
Opponents included Sawyer, Romero Campbell, Amanda Sandoval, Darrell Watson, Flor Alvidrez, Kevin Flynn, Stacie Gilmore and Paul Kashmann.
Councilmember Chris Hinds' vote was not tallied during the roll call.
"We as a community are relieved that Denver City Council decided not to take steps to further divide our community by not advancing this proclamation today," said Dan Leshem, director of the Jewish Community Relations Council, in a statement. "At a time when antisemitic incidents are on the rise both in Colorado and nationally, the city of Denver has already devoted too much time working on a ceasefire proclamation that will not help Jews or Muslims feel any safer here at home, and will not do anything to help Palestinian or Israeli civilians thousands of miles away."
After council voted down the proclamation, several hundred pro-Palestinian protesters gathered in the fourth-floor hallway of the City and County Building, decrying what several said was a "spineless" vote by Council and discussing next steps, including pushing other city councils statewide to make ceasefire proclamations.
They read an alternative statement more to their liking dubbed "The People's Proclamation" that called for an "end to the Israeli Occupation of Palestine," a permanent ceasefire and the "right of return" for people to properties now under Israel's control.
The chant "Free Palestine" echoed through the building as City Council wrapped up its municipal business online.
