Colorado Springs, CO – On February 27, the Colorado Springs People’s Coalition (CSPC) gathered at Colorado Springs City Hall to present a ceasefire resolution to the city council during open comment portion of the meeting.

Before the council meeting, CSPC led a rally outside the hall, engaging passersby and community members. CSPC’s resolution follows the winning examples of cities adopting ceasefire resolutions; including Seattle; Atlanta; Dearborn, Michigan; Albany, New York; Akron, Ohio; Providence, Rhode Island, and even our small neighbor Glenwood Springs, Colorado.

Rallying outside Colorado Springs in whipping wind, which brought snow halfway through the gathering, CSPC and approximately 20 community members gathered in a circle. Together, they chanted and listened to speakers before lining up to speak in the council chambers. As one by one they entered the building, those left on the outside continued to chant “Ceasefire now!” and “Because we dare to struggle, we dare to win!” The chants echoed through the building and up into the chambers.

CSPC organizer Matt Jones insisted, no matter how the council and counter-protesters may react, the movement will not die in the chambers. The movement for Palestinian liberation and the people of Palestine will be successful. CSPC and community members, from U.S. military veterans to Palestinian restaurant owners, used the citizens’ comment section of the meeting to urge the council to adopt a proposed ceasefire resolution.

Tania Soto, a local therapist, stated, “The grief, and sacred rage we are witnessing and experiencing demands to be felt because it is the rage of a collective peoples.”

Soto finished with a call to action, stating, “Together we fight, together we cry, together we grieve, together we rejoice, together we stand as an undeniable and unbreakable force. Viva la resistencia, viva la lucha, viva Palestina!”

Founder and chair of CSPC, Brandon Rincon, also spoke directly to the community at the rally, “We must stop our government from aiding and abetting this genocide. The masses of people have absolutely nothing to gain by standing in complacency in the face of this genocide. We have everything to win by standing in solidarity with the Palestinian people.”

The rally ended with a word from the ceasefire resolution’s drafter, Matt Jones, before the group began headed to the city council chambers.

Individuals signed up to speak during comment section of the meeting and those who signed up to speak were ushered into the chambers while the rest of the crowd was divided into overflow rooms, watching a virtual stream of the meeting within.

Around 20 community members rose to deliver emotional testimony in favor of a ceasefire. Among them were Katrina Nguyen, U.S. House candidate for Colorado’s 5th Congressional District; and Palestinian-American Linda Amin Badwan, who stated, “When you say that you have unwavering support for Israelis, but then you don't include me in the equation, that leaves me feeling extremely alienated and feeling unsafe at the same time.”

If you are interested in learning more about CSPC and their work in the Colorado Springs area, check out cspeoplescoalition.org, and follow them on Facebook and Instagram.

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