CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Charleston City Council voted down a motion to bring back a tabled resolution that calls for a ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas War.
Council member Beth Kerns asked for the resolution to come back off the table with further discussion amongst council, followed by a roll-call vote.
“A large portion of our community supports the resolution which champions peace, compassion and human rights,” she said.
A majority of council voted against un-tabling the resolution. The voting process was interrupted by some people in attendance as they heard council members voice their vote.
Council moved forward with the rest of their agenda before further discussing the resurfacing of the resolution later on in the meeting. The discussion didn’t come without some shouting from members of the public who were displeased with the decision from council Monday night to keep the resolution tabled.
Fellow council member Shannon Snodgrass said regardless of how any other members felt about the resolution, there should have been a vote on it.
“To simply table something that you see as controversial, I don’t think is doing your duty as an elected official,” said Snodgrass, and that was met with much applause from supporters of the resolution.
Next to speak was Ward 1 council member Pat Jones. He voted the resolution down. He said the matter “is not city business.”
“We’re a city government,” he said. “Why are we getting involved in international problems?”
That’s when the shouting started. People in attendance were then asked to leave the council chambers. Council went into a five-minute recess while the chambers were emptied.
West Side representative Larry Moore was next to speak on the matter following Jones. He said it’s been upsetting to him how members of council have been treated by members of public in the past month. Moore said he’s been called some troubling things.
“To call me a murderer, that’s traumatizing to me,” Moore said.
Moore represents Ward 4. He said he loves representing the West Side and the entire city of Charleston. He wants there to be peace but argued that the city needs the attention more than other areas of the world.
“They come in and call us names and then want your help,” said Moore. “When you come to scream at me, you lose me.”
The resolution was originally brought forth by council member Joe Solomon earlier this year. It was tabled later on in that meeting.