CITY OF SEATTLE
RESOLUTION __________________
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A RESOLUTION expressing the Seattle City Council's solidarity with farmers protesting the passage of farming bills in India and in support of affected members of Seattle's South Asian community.
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WHEREAS, the State of Washington remains a proud farming community; and
WHEREAS, the State of Washington understands and respects the contributions of farmers in feeding nations; and
WHEREAS, the State of Washington is home to thousands of farmers who still own farmland in their ancestral countries; and
WHEREAS, the Indian government proposed and passed bills in September 2020 to deregulate the sale of crops in India, by dismantling minimum support prices for crops, removing restrictions on purchase of land by corporations, and removing limits on stockpiling commodities; and
WHEREAS, these laws set off protests across north India, particularly in the states of Punjab and Haryana, and resulted in tens of thousands of farmers protesting and blocking traffic outside the capital city of New Delhi in November 2020; and
WHEREAS, the government of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been criticized for silencing religious minorities, including Sikhs, and these policies will likely have negative impacts on food and economic security in Punjab; and
WHEREAS, these bills continue the Modi government's policies, described in City of Seattle Resolution 31926, against which unions and individuals have protested with strikes and demonstrations in rural communities against the oppression and exploitation of farmers; and
WHEREAS, these bills have religion- and caste-specific impacts; and
WHEREAS, most Sikhs live in Punjab and most Punjabi Sikhs are owners and laborers on agricultural lands; and
WHEREAS, inequitable agricultural policies have driven many farmers to try and earn a living abroad, including in Seattle and Washington State, to support their families back home; and
WHEREAS, Dalit laborers continue to suffer from gove...
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