Samad Hakani, Photography Editor

Hundreds gathered at City Hall Monday night for the Board of Alders’ regular meeting and a concurrent “public hearing” held by supporters of a Gaza ceasefire resolution.

Organizers of the New Haven Ceasefire Coalition, which includes representatives from local chapters of Jewish Voices for Peace, Democratic Socialists of America and other socialist organizations, organized a series of testimonies from supporters of a resolution proposed to the Board of Alders in November that calls for a ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza. The protesters gathered at City Hall around 5:30 p.m., and the testimonies concluded at 8:45 p.m. — well after the regular Board of Alders meeting, which began at 7 p.m., had ended.

When a few organizers entered City Hall after the meeting to deliver written copies of the testimonies to Board President Tyisha Walker-Myers, she told them that she recently moved the resolution to the Committee of the Whole, where Alders will hear testimony and decide whether the Board should vote on the resolution. Walker-Myers had not previously announced the move.

“The City of New Haven has not even been able to assign this resolution to a committee, so the community members, the people of the city, aren’t given a public hearing,” organizer Francesca Maria said at the beginning of the protest. “At the same time, other cities like Bridgeport, Windsor, Hartford, Hamden, were able to assign the resolution to a committee to get a public hearing, in some cases even to vote on it, in a matter of weeks.”

New Haven residents have engaged for months in protests urging a ceasefire in the war in Gaza. In response to Hamas’ Oct. 7 terrorist attack on Israel — during which Hamas killed 1,200 people and took 250 people as hostages — Israel launched a full-scale military offensive in Gaza. To date, Israel has reportedly killed over 30,000 people, though experts believe thousands more to be dead under the rubble.

After a resolution was proposed to the Board of Alders advocating for a ceasefire in Gaza, many pro-Palestine protests have focused on encouraging the Board to move the resolution to committee — as other municipal governments in Connecticut have done — so that citizens may testify to support or oppose it.

Pro-ceasefire activists hold “public hearing”

Ahead of Monday’s Board of Alders meeting, the ceasefire coalition advertised a “people’s public hearing” to take place at City Hall an hour prior to the Board’s bi-weekly meeting.

“The Board of Alders has ignored the people’s cries for a Ceasefire Resolution despite multiple meetings, a barrage of phone calls, emails and intense pressure,” the Coalition wrote in a graphic shared by New Haven’s Jewish Voices for Peace chapter on Instagram. “If the BOA won’t give us a hearing, we’ll give ourselves one.”

Organizers, who wore orange and green construction jackets, arrived at City Hall at 5:30 p.m. to put out flags, banners and signs. The organizers also set up a table where several of its affiliate groups including Socialist Alternative, which does not have a chapter in Connecticut, stacked fliers. A crowd of over 100 supporters quickly gathered, surrounding the steps of City Hall. 

The protestsers began a series of chants, including “Alders, alders, you can’t hide, you’re committing genocide” and “Not another penny, not another dime, no more money for Israel’s crimes.” Shortly after 6 p.m., attendees began testifying into a megaphone at the top of the City Hall steps.

Nigel Harris, a CT DSA member who has been active in pro-resolution protests, told the News that over 60 people had signed up to speak, and even more had sent written testimonies to be included in a folder that organizers hand-delivered to Walker-Myers. Some of the planned speakers did not come to the protest, and a ceasefire coalition announced at the conclusion of the testimonies that over 50 people, representing two-thirds of New Haven’s 30 wards, had spoken throughout the evening.

The testimonies included accounts of family members in Gaza, personal experiences of learning about the conflict and expression of doubt in the government’s willingness to take action in support of Palestine. 

Several speakers from socialist groups pointed to election results in Michigan to demonstrate President Joe Biden’s waning support, which they attributed to his policy on Israel. Some speakers also quoted statements from Aaron Bushnell, a U.S. airman who died protesting the war. 

Many, including a New Haven Public Schools teacher, emphasized their connection to the city and expressed their beliefs that New Haven tax dollars could be used for local services instead of “investing in Israel.”

“As educators, we must call for peace even when it feels untenable,” the teacher said. “What if we refuse to let our prosperity be tied to the destruction of others? What if we decided to use our labor power and our people power to demand divestment from war in Israel and beyond?”

The Board of Alders held an internal caucus at 5:45 p.m., so several alders trickled into the building as the protesters were setting up. No alders attended the protest hearing, and several speakers commented on their absence.

Ceasefire resolution moved to committee

Prior to the Board of Alders meeting, Walker-Myers told reporters that she had moved the ceasefire resolution to the Committee of the Whole last week. The Committee of the Whole is chaired by Alder Jeanette Morrison, as the President-Pro-Tempore, and all alders “serve” on the committee. Morrison told the News that ordinances are moved to the Committee of the Whole when Walker-Myers decides the whole Board of Alders should hear deliberations on them.

At the end of the protest hearing, lead organizers told the dwindled crowd that the resolution had been moved to committee. The protesters cheered.

“We’re very excited, but, again, the job’s not done,” Harris told the News. 

The Committee of the Whole last met in June 2023, when it convened three times to discuss the 2023 charter revision proposal. Prior to last year, the committee had not met since 2013, when it deliberated on that year’s charter revision. Morrison said that the committee always meets to discuss charter revisions, but that it has met on other occasions as well.

Morrison told the News that she does not yet know when the committee will meet to discuss the ceasefire resolution. She mentioned that Ramadan, Easter and Passover will be taken into consideration in setting the dates. Morrison anticipates that the committee will only need to meet once.

“The committee process is to allow people to come and say whatever it is they want to say,” Morrison said. “As the chair, my job is just to move the process along, to provide the opportunity to everyone who wants to speak on the topic.”

At the committee meeting, an alder can make a motion to advance the resolution, so that the full Board can vote on it in their meeting. 

Alders support exception to residency requirement for incumbent officials

During their meeting, which ran for under an hour, alders advanced an ordinance allowing incumbent “coordinators” — top city officials — to seek an exemption from the usual requirement that they live in New Haven or relocate to the city within six months of accepting their positions. The proposal, introduced by Mayor Justin Elicker, was approved unanimously by the Board’s Legislative Committee in early February.

The proposal would affect the city’s four allotted coordinator-level positions: chief administrative officer, community services administrator, economic development administrator and a fourth position that the city is allowed to create but does not currently have.

The New Haven Independent previously reported that the three current coordinators all live in New Haven, but CAO Regina Rush-Kittle is seeking permission to live outside the city. Rush-Kittle did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

At the meeting, Alder Anna Festa said she was “torn” about the ordinance.

“It made sense, it’s clear, but I feel strongly that any leadership positions for this city should reside in this city,” she said, expressing doubt that a qualified candidate for a city position cannot be found from New Haven’s 139,000 residents.

In response, Alder Richard Furlow clarified that the ordinance would only affect incumbents, not new candidates seeking jobs. He believes that the ordinance will help city coordinators who can no longer live in New Haven if they run into “hardship.”

Four alders — Festa, Rosa Santana, Thomas Ficklin Jr. and Honda Smith — voted against the ordinance. With all other votes in favor, the ordinance advanced.

“We have a lot of wonderful people that live in the city of New Haven, that pay taxes, and so on,” Smith told the News after the meeting. “You mean to tell me there’s not one that you can appoint to become a CAO that’s a taxpayer? That’s why I voted no.”

Alders will vote to pass the ordinance at the next Board meeting in two weeks.

City Hall is located at 165 Church St.