CITY OF SEATTLE
RESOLUTION __________________
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A RESOLUTION affirming and commending the validity and application of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights to peace and human dignity everywhere.
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WHEREAS, the issue of human rights worldwide, while always fundamental to human dignity, has recently pushed itself to the forefront of the world’s individual and collective awareness; and
WHEREAS, as citizens and residents of the United States, we have so often failed to recognize the sovereignty and rights of Native peoples, including those of the Duwamish peoples on whose land the City of Seattle stands; and
WHEREAS, the threat of nuclear war, renewed buildup of nuclear armaments, and rhetoric encouraging nuclear proliferation pose a mortal threat to humankind; and
WHEREAS, the need for concerted international action to address climate change and its current impacts, while mitigating effects looking seven generations into the future, is greater than ever; and
WHEREAS, in the United States dehumanizing policies and practices toward immigrants and refugees, including arbitrary and indefinite detention, diminishing opportunities to apply for asylum, and massive deportations continue unabated; and
WHEREAS, in our country the Trump Administration’s callous separation and detention of immigrant children from their parents at the Mexican border, deployment of the military there, and tear-gassing of asylum seekers have brought widespread condemnation; and
WHEREAS, hemispheric trade policies have not been enacted that would benefit working people with adequate labor and environmental protections, while many workers have been left behind in North and Central America by previous agreements; and
WHEREAS, rampant inequality domestically and locally makes the dream of a sufficient, sustainable livelihood for all more distant for many; and
WHEREAS, the lack of affordable housing and its corollary of growing homelessness is felt most acutely in our county and city and urgent responses are needed proportionate to the level of emergency felt here and in other locations in the United States; and
WHEREAS, recent incidents of racism, hate, and violence in our nation toward people of color and religious institutions remind us once again of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s call to confront the giant triplets of racism, poverty, and militarism; and
WHEREAS, the 70th anniversary of the promulgation of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, passed by the United Nations General Assembly on December 10, 1948, provides a unique opportunity for our country and for the City of Seattle to apply the Declaration’s specific provisions to some of the existing situations of injustice and human rights violations in our own community; NOW, THEREFORE,
BE IT RESOLVED BY THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF SEATTLE THAT:
Section 1. The City Council upholds and affirms the rights and dignity of Native peoples and all residents and visitors to Seattle and recognizes their cultural and economic rights, as well as their political and social rights; and that
The City Council lifts up Articles 13, 23 and 25 of the Declaration, respectively, to be commended as opportunities for action to elevate immigrants’ human rights; just working conditions for all; and the right to housing, food, and medical care for each member of our community and beyond; and that
The City Council calls upon Seattle’s federal representatives to work tirelessly to address the twin global crises of the nuclear arms race and climate change; and that
The City Council commits to solutions by convening stakeholders and the public to provide a proportionate emergency response to the interconnected challenge of lack of affordable housing and homelessness.
Adopted by the City Council the ________ day of _________________________, 2018, and signed by me in open session in authentication of its adoption this ________ day of _________________________, 2018.
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President ____________ of the City Council
Filed by me this ________ day of _________________________, 2018.
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Monica Martinez Simmons, City Clerk
(Seal)