SACRAMENTO, Calif. — An unexpected moment of civility and humanity came after comments at the Sacramento City Council meeting Tuesday night.
During the public comments section at the end of the meeting, a group of Palestinian Americans and their allies voiced concerns and frustration to their local elected leaders about the thousands of Palestinian civilians being killed in Gaza, as part of Israel’s response to the Oct. 7 Hamas attacks in Israel.
“I have asked again for solidarity from this council for the Arab and Muslim communities,” said Makeez Sawez, an Afghan American and Muslim who attended the meeting to support the Palestinian-American community and speak out against Islamophobia. “All except one of you have remained silent. Thank you to Councilwoman Mai Vang. Just this last week, she retweeted a peaceful event that occurred Friday at the Capitol and I appreciate you bringing awareness to that.”
She, Amira Saqqa and Haya Aqqad were among the commenters who spoke in support of Palestinians in Gaza and called attention to the humanitarian crisis there. Many hospitals are running out of fuel. As of Thursday, the Hamas-run Ministry of Health said more than 7,000 Palestinians have now been killed in the war. The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) says there are now more than 220 confirmed hostages in Gaza.
ABC10 met with the three women Thursday to discuss what happened next in the meeting when two people not affiliated with their group got up to speak.
“The first one had said something anti-Semitic and the mayor had shut them down,” said Sawez. “We also, from the crowd, had asked him to please sit down and what he was saying was anti-Semitic.”
The second speaker used profanity and a personal attack while addressing Mayor Darrell Steinberg, who is Jewish.
“My only conclusion is that you’re just racist as f**k,” that speaker said.
“That was just uncalled for,” said Sawez.
Moments later, as seen in a video of the council meeting, members of the Palestinian-American group got up to leave to protest what the commenter was saying.
“We didn't want that type of representation associated with us because it's very disrespectful,” said Saqqa. “We're not there to disrespect anybody.”
“It goes against our message,” said Aqqad. “We were there to spread awareness and push for humanitarian aid, and they're going at him and calling him a racist. Like, it's just not okay and we will never stand for that.”
Seeing the Palestinian American group leaving, Steinberg urged them to stay.
The group returned, and Steinberg addressed them as the meeting wrapped up 10 minutes later.
“When you started leaving the chambers when someone was accusing me of being a racist, your actions moved me,” he said. “We are brothers and sisters. We are Sacramentans. We are friends. We may have different points of view on the history of the wars and conflicts between Israel and Palestine, but there is more that binds us than divides us, and I want to say to you that I recognize your humanity. I recognize the humanity of all the people, including the Palestinian people. I condemn the deaths of all innocent people, including the Palestinian people.”
Reflecting on that moment, Sawez said she was moved by it.
"Even after the meeting, after we adjourned, we had about 10 to 15 minutes maybe with him, where we talked to him and he came and individually shook our hands," she said. "It was really appreciated that he took the time to come and speak to us and make us feel acknowledged and that we didn't come down there for nothing to speak to the council that day.”
ABC10 spoke with Mayor Steinberg the day after the meeting.
“I think what they did is a model for how we might find a better way as people, as Sacramentans, as Americans, as people with strongly held beliefs. How we might listen better to each other, talk to one another and form actual bonds of friendship, even while we disagree,” he said.
Steinberg called it “one of the most powerful moments" of his mayorship.
“The reaction of the Palestinian Americans was surprising and heartening to me and to many others,” he said. “They got up and started walking out in protest of the attack on me. The Palestinian Americans, the Jewish American Mayor. I saw what was happening, and I was just immediately moved.”
Meanwhile, this week the Bay Area city of Richmond passed a resolution in support of the Palestinian people and accused Israel of ethnic cleansing. The local Islamic community is applauding the controversial 5-1 vote while the local Israeli community sees it as unwelcoming.
