The St. Paul City Council voted 7-0 on Wednesday to approve a resolution calling for a ceasefire in Gaza, ending their collective silence five weeks after protesters began filling council chambers with signs demanding action.

Council Member Cheniqua Johnson read a two-page resolution into the record that called for the state’s federal delegation and U.S. President Joe Biden to work toward halting Israeli military strikes that have killed upwards of 30,000 Palestinians, most of them civilians.

The lengthy resolution, which took five minutes to read aloud, also called for Hamas to free dozens of Israeli hostages held since the Oct. 7 attacks that killed more than 1,100 Israelis, which the council condemned, and for an end to discrimination against Arabs, Palestinians, Muslims and Jews alike. Hamas has been designated a terrorist organization by the U.S., Canada and the European Union.

Read the full text of the ceasefire resolution

The resolution also called for the U.S. to discontinue unconditional military aid to Israel absent clear guarantees for civilian safety.

“This is a time for our president to be brave,” said Council President Mitra Jalali, noting similar resolutions have been approved in Minneapolis, Hastings, Columbia Heights and more than 70 cities across the country. “The Twin Cities stand for a ceasefire.”

Council Vice President Hwa Jeong Kim spoke at length in support of the language, concluding her remarks with the statement, “Free, free Palestine.”

A resolution approved by the Minneapolis City Council this year was vetoed by Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey but reinstated by the council, which overrode Frey’s veto in February. On Wednesday, a spokesman for St. Paul Mayor Melvin Carter’s office said Carter would not stand in the way of the St. Paul resolution, which was sponsored by Jalali, Kim, Johnson, Anika Bowie and Nelsie Yang.

A difficult process

The St. Paul council meeting was heavily attended by members of the Anti-War Committee, Jewish Voice for Peace and other pro-Palestinian groups, as well as members of the St. Paul Jewish Federation.

At times interrupted by hecklers on either side of the crisis, each council member took the microphone on Wednesday to deliver lengthy, emotional words about the loss of life in Gaza and the difficult, time-consuming process of crafting a resolution that could be supported by all seven members.

“That’s unity, that’s cohesiveness,” said Johnson, acknowledging that completing the resolution language took longer than some members of the public had wanted. “When we look at what that conversation can look like, it’s not just a yes or no, often. … It wasn’t one way or another. … We have to answer to over 40,000 constituents.”

Johnson and three other members of the seven-member council were newly elected in November and sworn into office in January, and their introduction to consensus-building has been breakneck. Bowie said she once considered the war in Gaza a far-off concern that had no business before the council, which focuses on day-to-day issues of importance to everyday city residents.

Bowie said she had since had a change of heart.

“This is not an issue that we chose to ignore. This is not an issue that did not matter,” said Bowie, noting she has held a United Nations Human Rights-People of African Descent fellowship that provided key insights into the history of global diaspora. “This is an issue that needed time to process.”

“There are human beings who did not sign up for war who should not be casualties of war,” Bowie added. “There are people who came here with signs saying this is a local issue. There is truth to that. … This is not a stance on Israel or Gaza. This is a stance for humanity.”

Disagreement among council members

Yang, who had been the sole proponent of a ceasefire resolution two weeks ago, noted to widespread applause that the final resolution was missing “historical context (about) the 75-year displacement of Palestinians,” but she would support it anyway.

She thanked the council members for coming around, but said the process was troubling. Jalali blocked Yang’s attempt to introduce a ceasefire resolution a week ago, and then struck Yang’s proposed resolution from the council agenda late last week.

“I want to ask us to not have a repeat of what happened in the past five weeks,” Yang said. “A huge learned lesson is that silence doesn’t make the issue go away. It’s actually what’s going to be what energizes people, because people are looking for clarity.”

Following the vote, pro-Palestinian demonstrators gathered outside the council chambers for rousing words from organizers. On Tuesday, about one-in-five Democratic voters — some 45,000 voters in the Minnesota primary — chose to vote “uncommitted” rather than cast their support to President Joe Biden for re-election, a sizable protest of the Israeli-Hamas war.

Protester Salah Abu arrived with a sign critical of Jalali for seemingly dragging her feet on a ceasefire resolution.

“Five weeks is way too long,” Abu said. “It didn’t start on Oct. 7. It started in 1948 with the forced displacement of Palestinians.”

Jalali, prior to this week, had told protesters she was in personal support of a ceasefire but did not have sufficient votes lined up for a resolution.

“Council President, you and I have disagreed on this and other issues, and you do not deserve to have your name up on those signs right now,” said Council Member Rebecca Noecker, addressing Jalali before the vote. Noecker noted that a former instructor who had taught in St. Paul at her children’s school had been killed in the Hamas attacks of Oct. 7.

“I continue to believe that passing resolutions on international matters is not what we were elected to do,” added Noecker, while calling the final language “by far more fair, nuanced and justified than any that I have seen to date. We have done this our own way. We have done this the St. Paul way.”

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New Chicago White Sox infielder Nicky Lopez is enjoying the most unforgettable offseason of his life.

That was true even before receiving an honor Friday that he said ranks among the best of his accomplishments.

“It’s been an eventful offseason, for sure,” Lopez said. “A day before I got married, I got traded from the Braves to the White Sox.

“That was something I won’t take for granted, just to be able to come back and play for a hometown team, which is something special.”

But getting the call for the Naperville Central Athletic Hall of Fame is equally special for Lopez, 28, who graduated from the school in 2013 after earning five varsity letters in baseball and basketball. He was inducted Friday, joining a Hall of Fame that already included Candace Parker, Anthony Parker, Owen Daniels, Sean Payton and Casey Krueger.

“100 percent it’s up there, only because it means so much not only to me but my family,” Lopez said. “This is where it started.

“This is a steppingstone for the journey that I’m still on. So that’s what I’m most thankful for, that I’m coming back and seeing all the teachers who have helped me become who I am. That’s why it’s a little bit more special.”

Those teachers include Naperville Central basketball coach Pete Kramer and baseball coach Mike Stock, who were proud to be part of the induction ceremony held before the boys basketball game against Neuqua Valley.

“It being Nicky, there was a lot of excitement in the building, and that would have been the case even if he was playing for the Braves,” Stock said. “But the fact he’s with the Sox adds another layer.

“It’s just a blast. It’s one of the rewards that you get from being around people like this all the time. We want to make sure we slow it down and celebrate. He’s a great young man from a great family.”

Also inducted Friday were 2006 graduate Erica Carter, who helped Naperville Central’s girls basketball team win two state titles and scored more than 1,000 points at Binghamton; pioneering female athlete Lois Madsen, a 1975 graduate who became the first person to earn a full volleyball scholarship at Northern Illinois; wrestling star Rodney Landorf, a 1962 graduate who became an Army officer and received a Bronze Star in the Vietnam War; and late wrestling coach Bill Young.

“I haven’t been back to Naperville since a few months after I graduated,” Carter said. “There are so many amazing times that happened throughout high school and my athletic career.

“Walking through the hallways, it brings back a lot of good memories, and I feel honored to be a part of the Hall of Fame. I know there are so many student-athletes that go through the building at Naperville Central, and it’s just been a day full of amazing memories.”

Lopez’s family, including his parents Bob and Angela and brothers Bobby and Anthony, still lives in Naperville. Angela Lopez presented him for induction.

“Obviously, this honor is humbling,” Nicky Lopez said. “You always hear each year of people getting inducted, so to be able to add to the list is awesome.”

After graduating from Naperville Central, Lopez played baseball at Creighton and was picked by the Kansas City Royals in the fifth round of the 2016 MLB draft. When the Royals called him up in 2019, he became the first Naperville Central graduate to play in the major leagues.

Lopez, who has a .249/.312/.319 career slash line, was a Gold Glove finalist at second base in 2020 and became the first Royals shortstop to hit .300 in 2021. He played parts of five seasons in Kansas City before being traded in July to the Braves, whom he helped win the National League East title.

Lopez said he is thrilled to join the White Sox, who acquired him in November.

“I grew up going to White Sox games,” he said. “I went to Game 2 of the World Series in 2005, so just being able to put the jersey on, wow, it’s cool.”

Long known for his humble, hardworking approach to the game, Lopez is quick to share credit for his ascent.

“When you come to high school, obviously you’re there to learn, but you’re there to grow and also learn life lessons, and these teachers every step of the way helped mold me,” he said. “Whether it was my English teacher or math teacher, we’ve all had conversations with them that have helped me get to where I’m at.

“I can’t thank them enough. They’ve done so good by me with all the respect and love that they’ve shown, and I keep in touch with them.”

Matt Le Cren is a freelance reporter for the Naperville Sun.

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