Lisa Davis Offers Commentary, Praising East Orange Cease Fire Resolution, Calling Out Other Essex County Cities for Lack of Action
ON 4/8/24 EAST ORANGE, NEW JERSEY PASSED A CEASEFIRE RESOLUTION, BECOMING THE FIRST AND PERHAPS ONLY TOWN IN ESSEX COUNTY, NEW JERSEY TO PASS ONE. AND MOST NOTABLY, IT WAS PASSED UNANIMOUSLY WITHOUT OBJECTION! The Resolution is I-140. It passed in a consent agenda. Although the contents of the resolution are not read during the meeting, it does call for the release of ALL THE HOSTAGES ON BOTH SIDES!
But I must ask East Orange, — WHAT TOOK YOU SO LONG? I am glad that you did pass it, but we as Black People have a glorious legacy of being among the first people to stand up and boldly challenge this ruthless system head on! WE SHOULD NEVER ALLOW ANY OF THAT HISTORY TO BE SACRIFICED!
Also, we never gained any significant advances because SOMEONE VOTED FOR THEM. The only advances we have ever gained CAME THROUGH THE BLACK LIBERATION STRUGGLE! HELL! WE DIDN’T EVEN GET THE RIGHT TO VOTE BECAUSE SOMEONE VOTED FOR US TO HAVE IT! It was because WE ROSE UP AND FOUGHT FOR IT! WE OWE NOTHING TO EITHER OF THESE TWO PARTIES AND IT’S TIME THAT WE ALL REALIZE THAT. You owe everything that you have and that you are to the Black Liberation Struggle.
But equally as important to this story is that THE RESOLUTION PASSED UNANIMOUSLY WITHOUT ANY OBJECTIONS AND WITHOUT ANY OF THE OVERT RACISM AND DISDAIN TOWARD THE PALESTINIAN COMMUNITIES THAT HAVE BEEN SHOWN IN THE SUBURBS SURROUNDING EAST ORANGE!
Townships such as West Orange, South Orange, Maplewood, Livingston, Millburn have been ATROCIOUS, WITH CITY OFFICIALS, INCLUDING SELL OUT BLACK POLITICIANS, SIDING WITH ZIONISTS WHO ARE DEVOID OF ANY COMPASSION AND CARING. Even if I did support Isra-HELL, WHICH I DON’T, it would take NOTHING for me to say that I don’t want to see this horror continue. It would take NOTHING for me to express compassion and pain for the THOUSANDS of PALESTINIAN PEOPLE WHO HAVE BEEN MURDERD! But they don’t! People come to those city council meetings OPENLY SUPPORTING A GENOCIDE! And in order to do that, THEY LIE and they LIE ON THE SUPPORTERS OF PALESTINE! But to be clear, there are people in these townships who are standing up and who are bravely speaking out against the atrocities committed against the Palestinian people, and I stand with those people. WE ARE CHANGING THESE NARRATIVES IN THESE SUBURBS, But it is a battle.
So the people who live in these ritzy, manicured suburbs, with their fancy, expensive structures in which they live and their long driveways, can look down upon the poor urban communities all they want. BUT I’LL TAKE THE HEART AND SOUL OF EAST ORANGE ANY DAY OF THE WEEK OVER THE SOULLESS NATURE OF THEM SUBURBS! THEY AIN’T GOT NOTHING OVER EAST ORANGE. And I’ve always felt like that.
And I certainly cannot end this long rant without expressing my utter disappointment in the other Black townships, especially the city of Newark , which is governed by a Black mayor and Black and Brown city council body. AND THEY HAVE REFUSED TO PASS A CEASEFIRE RESOLUTION AND INSTEAD ISSUED SOME NOTHING CAN’T WE ALL GET ALONG RESOLUTION. But they have let their pro Israel feelings be known by allowing the book ” A Little Piece of Ground” to be removed from their curriculum, by having a prayers for Israel rally. And the mayor, Ras Baraka, has repeatedly condemned HAMAS, while not uttering a word of condemnation about Israel and its barbaric actions toward the Palestinian people. while NEVER condemning the actions of Israel.
