Dear Councilmember Tammy Kim,

We’re writing to you today as Asian American and Pacific Islander residents of Irvine. For over three months, we’ve witnessed a genocide unfold in Gaza in large part due to the courageous reporting from journalists on the ground. We have also listened to the lived experiences of the Palestinian people and Palestinian diaspora in several contexts—including at our council meetings—as they call for a ceasefire and recount the terrible violence that Israel has inflicted on their loved ones through collective punishment. 

In recent council meetings, the primary argument against the passing of a ceasefire resolution is that any public forum on the subject is either a misuse of resources or outside of the council’s jurisdiction. That line of thinking is patently misguided if we truly live in a functioning democracy. Every level of government, local to federal, is integral to each other’s functioning. How Irvine votes on record is a reflection of its constituents, connecting us to other cities such as San Francisco, Oakland, Long Beach, and Detroit that stand on the right side of history. Conversely, how federal policy is implemented affects us locally. Our demands for a better resourced public education, housing, and healthcare system—issues that are important to your political platform—are neglected by a bipartisan, militaristic government. 

Many of our families emigrated to the United States due to American military campaigns across Asia such as the Philippine-American war, western imperialism in China, the division of the Korean peninsula, and the Vietnam war and its ‘secret war’ in Laos. From these histories, in which millions of people were displaced as refugees, we learned that US-backed wars only exacerbate the suffering of people forced to live through its unspeakable conditions. It does not liberate or resolve urgent socio-political injustices even if government officials claim otherwise. Over 24,000 people¹ have been killed by Israel’s indiscriminate bombing while roughly 85% of Gaza’s 2.2 million residents have been displaced². After more than 100 days, there is still no resolution to the Israeli hostage crisis while the Palestinian death toll continues to rise. As Americans, we must do our part in stopping the flow of weapons and pressuring the Israeli government to resolve the conflict diplomatically. 

The irresponsible, opportunistic peddling of Israeli propaganda by media corporations and political actors has fueled the rise in islamophobia and anti-semitism. Continuing to remain silent on the genocide—to allow dishonest actors to lie without accountability—only further endangers our Muslim and Jewish neighbors here in Irvine. During catastrophes like the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, Asian-Americans witnessed how our communities bore the brunt of violence stoked by xenophobia. On April 13th, 2021 the city council passed a resolution opposing the rise of anti-Asian hate in Irvine³. We must find that same resolve when supporting a ceasefire resolution or risk losing our credibility when speaking to our children and future generations. 

We’re proud to see an Asian American woman representing us on Irvine city council but that diversity must translate into substantive action. We are asking you to represent us as you campaign to be Irvine’s next mayor. We urge you to take a clear ethical stance against the genocide in Gaza. We call for an immediate and permanent ceasefire and an end to the US-backed Israeli occupation of Palestine.

Thank you,

AAPI Irvine Residents and Allies from Surrounding Orange County Cities

¹AJLabs, 2024. “Israel-Gaza War in maps and charts: Live Tracker.” Al Jazeera, October 9 2023, Last updated January 14, 2024. https://www.aljazeera.com/news/longform/2023/10/9/israel-hamas-war-in-maps-and-charts-live-tracker
²Da Silva, Chantel. 2024. “100 days on, devastation in Gaza mounts and hostage families grow desperate.” NBC News, January 14, 2024. https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/100-days-protests-erupt-world-devastation-gaza-mounts-hostage-families-rcna133607
³Irvine City Council Regular Meeting Agenda, Council Business 4.2, Consider adoption of RESOLUTION NO. 21 - A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF IRVINE, CALIFORNIA, AGAINST ANTI-ASIAN HATE, April 13, 2021. https://irvine.granicus.com/GeneratedAgendaViewer.php?event_id=cccb084b-ad7a-4bf5-814d-f8507b31b196