Groups demand divestment from Israel at Tacoma city council
By Aife Pasquale and Jami Cortes
Tacoma, WA – The people united to reject the city of Tacoma’s proposed implementation of Israeli-developed surveillance technology intended to escalate the over-policing of Tacoma's low income and oppressed nationality communities.
Gathering outside the city council chambers, a rally celebrated the Palestinian resistance and condemned the militaristic trade relationship between Tacoma and Israel. ShotSpotter, a gunshot-detection system developed in Israel, has been proven to be ineffective in reducing gun violence in cities like Chicago, where its use has been discontinued and denounced by Chicago’s mayor, Brandon Johnson.
At Ben Gilbert park, just outside the city council building, students, environmental activists and anti-war advocates united in support of the Palestinian cause, fighting for divestment and democracy in the city of Tacoma. Kathy Lawhon, a speaker at the rally, told the crowd, “One person’s terrorist is another person’s freedom fighter. We have this way in the U.S. of just calling anyone a terrorist that opposes whatever we want to do. We have to say ‘we’ because it’s our government and we have to take accountability for it. We have to make it stop.”
After rallying and marching, the group arrived at the building’s entrance chanting, “No to ShotSpotter! We won’t pay for people’s slaughter!” The people entered the city council chambers with a prepared joint statement on ShotSpotter, and how this is a direct threat to the people of Tacoma and would contribute to the genocide happening in Palestine. Catelynn Henion, speaking directly to the council, stated, “We demand divestment, and we demand a free Palestine. The implementation of ShotSpotter contradicts both of the people's demands and your commitments made in Resolution 41416, otherwise known as Tacoma's Ceasefire Resolution.”
The ten-and-a-half minute statement concluded with a call to action for community members in the audience to get connected to the people’s movements in Tacoma. The eighth and final commenter addressed the council as well, imploring them to not cast aside the people’s calls for justice any longer, noting that if they do it will force the people’s movement to escalate its efforts to protect the community. The group left the chambers chanting “Free free Palestine!”