The Peoria club stood in solidarity with the Peoria Coalition for Palestine on Tuesday to demand a pro-ceasefire resolution from the city council.
The plan to pack city hall was successful as the city council chambers, overflow room 1, and overflow room 2 were all at maximum capacity. One of the police officers stated it had been years since they had seen that many people present at a council meeting.
An overwhelming majority were there in favor of a ceasefire. However, there was a small minority representing the Jewish Federation of Peoria that was asking the council to not put the ceasefire resolution on a future agenda.
Local news organizations did a lot of reporting on the event, including the Peoria Journal Star, 25 News, and WCBU. We even made the front page of the local Peoria Journal Star!
Peoria Mayor Rita Ali, however, refused to take a stand against the genocide, claiming a ceasefire resolution would be divisive, and saying that the city should not comment on international matters. “Peoria is not Chicago,” she said, adding that city leaders should remain neutral.
Images and video: CPUSA, Peoria club