A group of about 100 people who support a ceasefire in the Middle East gathered at the Little Rock Board of Directors meeting on Tuesday. The diverse group included Jewish people, Palestinians and a collection of allies.
Retired judge Wendell Griffen, who wore a keffiyeh draped over his shoulders, introduced the group to city officials in the packed meeting space. The Centre at University Park on 12th Street, where the Little Rock city directors currently meet, was at capacity Tuesday. An overflow of some two dozen people were locked outside around 6 p.m., when the city’s meeting was set to begin. At least 10 officers with the Little Rock Police Department were on site.
Ahmed Ali kicked off the group’s call for a ceasefire. He referenced the Little Rock Nine’s fight for equality in the 1950s and said the group before the board on Tuesday was seeking equality, too. Ali said the request for a ceasefire was not taking sides, but rather stopping the loss of life.
“You might wonder if Little Rock is really the place for something like this, and I really think it’s more symbolic than anything to be on the right side of history at this time,” Ali said.
He also acknowledged that while calling for a ceasefire might not be the most popular demand, “it is the right one.”
Fifteen-year-old Samar Adunasrah followed Ali’s speech with a powerful statement with a poem-like cadence. A fifth-generation Palestinian, Adunsarah said she doesn’t feel safe watching while her homeland turns to rubble. She wondered whether her family still in Palestine is dead or alive.
“I feel the stares behind my back,” Adunasrah said. “I feel as if I don’t belong simply because I’m Palestinian. I watch as the racism festers. I see people around the world celebrating the lands of their ancestors, while mine is facing a genocide. I do not feel safe as a Palestinian.”
Stephanie Gray, who said they were proudly Jewish, was the last to speak on the ceasefire. Gray said they have experienced death threats and verbal and physical assault because of their faith.
Sometimes emotional while addressing the board, Gray talked about the loss of people in the Middle East.
“They were mothers, sisters, wives, colleagues, teachers, storytellers and peacemakers,” Gray said. “They were my friends, and they are gone. But their legacy continues in me and all who loved them.”
The members of the Little Rock Board of Directors did not comment or ask questions to those who spoke in support of the ceasefire. This is the normal protocol when residents come to speak.
For a resolution in support of a ceasefire to be passed, a city official would have to call on the city attorney’s office to draft a resolution, or state that one was in the process of being written. It could then be placed on the director’s agenda and be voted on.
Expressing international support like this would not be a first for the board. In 2022, the board approved a resolution to express the city’s support for the people of Ukraine “as they heroically resist the blatant and unwarranted attack on their freedom by Russia.”
Though there appears to be a mock resolution circulating on social media, City Attorney Tom Carpenter said Tuesday evening he was not aware of an official draft resolution concerning a ceasefire in the Middle East.