SF Mayor Breed refuses to sign “irresponsible” ceasefire resolution, citing rampant antisemitism
On Friday, Mayor London Breed officially spoke out against SF Supervisors' widely panned resolution that pled for ceasefire in Gaza. In a sharply written and cogently argued letter to Supes, Breed said she can't support “choosing a side” in foreign politics, especially when it jeopardizes San Franciscans' (particularly Jewish residents') unity, safety, and peace. Her statement, excerpted, reads below.
Since the Board of Supervisors introduced their Gaza ceasefire resolution, and certainly since they passed it last week, our City has been angrier, more divided, and less safe. Sadly, that may have been the point. Their exercise was never about bringing people together; it was about choosing a side. And while late amendments mitigated this, the damage was already done.
At the Board's hearing on this resolution, one man spoke about his family members who were killed by Hamas on October 7. people in the crowd made pig noises, devil horns with their hands, and screamed for him to “kill himself” as he walked out the chamber. Protesters surrounded a Jewish city employee in the restroom to intimidate him while he was doing nothing more than being present in his workplace. They shouted down and intimidated those who disagreed, including a legislator offering amendments citing the atrocious acts of Hamas. …
No one should feel unsafe in our communities. And no one should think that while advocating for peace abroad it's okay to stoke division and hate at home. …
A few things guide my decision today.
First, the Board of Supervisors should never have put our City in this position. City Supervisors are neither elected nor qualified to undertake complex foreign policy. Frankly, neither are Mayors. And it was naive to think two hearings and last-minute amendments were adequate to forge San Francisco's official position on a crisis as fraught as this. We should be creating opportunities for conversation, for people to rally around our common values, advocate for peace, and support human life. We should be coming together, supporting each other, seeking the cohesion at home that we hope for abroad. The Board has done the opposite, and I worry their irresponsibility will continue.
Second, my heart breaks for the people of Gaza, the victims of this war on all sides, and their relatives and friends around the world. The loss of life, including children, the violence, and destruction of homes and hospitals are hard to witness and even harder for those who have family members in the region. The war has caused irreparable harm in Gaza. I pray for peace and want to see this end.
Lastly, I must uphold the safety and cohesion of San Francisco. The anti-semitisim in our City is real and dangerous. My veto would send this issue back to the Board of Supervisors, in whom I have no confidence on this issue. It would likely lead to yet more divisive, harmful hearings, which in turn would keep this matter and divisiveness front and center in our City, and fan even more antisemitic acts.
I cannot watch us divide ourselves even more. A leader, like a doctor, should be guided by the basic ethos to “do no harm,” to not make a bad situation worse. The Board of Supervisors has put us in this terrible position and, unfortunately, after much consideration and prayer, the best thing I can do is try to quell it, try to turn down the volume and begin the healing. I must choose unity.
When we advocate for people thousands of miles away, we should still care for the people who are right here in San Francisco, the people who are in pain and are afraid. We are all San Franciscans. We don't close people off; we open our arms and our minds. And we must get through this together.
So let us behave as we believe. Let us reject those that seek to divide us. Let us show that life is sacred, that we are stronger united, and that we all deserve to express ourselves without fear, ridicule, retribution, or division.
I return this resolution without my signature.
London N. Breed
Mayor
Read the whole thing here.
Related:
Why SJ residents opposed the idea of Gaza ceasefire resolution
Santa Cruz rejects partisan ceasefire resolution in 5–2 vote
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