Mayor’s gun violence proclamation met with criticism from protesters

Mayor Christopher Taylor reads a gun violence awareness proclamation at the Ann Arbor City Council’s meeting on June 4, 2018. ( ANN ARBOR, MI – Ann Arbor Mayor Christopher Taylor’s attempt to raise awareness about gun violence was met with criticism Monday night, June 4, for his refusal to mention killings in Gaza. As the mayor read a proclamation observing Gun Violence Awareness Day at the start of the City Council’s meeting, joined by members of the local chapter of Moms Demand Action, a group of demonstrators behind them held signs reading "Boycott Israel." Ann Arbor resident Mozhgan Savabieasfahani, one of the demonstrators, urged the mayor to speak out about the Israeli military’s killing of Palestinians. "Say something about Palestine," she told the mayor. "You have a chance. Say something about it." Taylor declined, saying after the meeting that he doesn’t think what’s happening in Gaza is a matter for the city to address. "Our primary focus is to engage issues that impact members of the Ann Arbor community," he said. "It is not our place or appropriate for us to engage international injustices, wherever they may be." Taylor added he does not support the protesters’ call for a boycott of Israel. He said there are complicated conflicts all around the world and his focus is on improving services and quality of life in Ann Arbor. ‘Boycott Israel’ group speaks out at Ann Arbor City Council meeting Savabieasfahani questioned how the mayor could stand against gun violence yet ignore […]

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