Crowd urges Fort Collins City Council to support cease-fire in Gaza. Here's what else happened

At least 100 people crowded into Fort Collins City Council chambers Tuesday night to urge the council to consider a resolution in support of a cease-fire in Gaza.

The campaign was organized by the NoCo Liberation Coalition, which said it expected around 150 people to show up in support of the effort. A precise count of attendance was not available, but nearly 100 people spoke during public comment, which lasted two hours.

A news release from NoCo Liberation Coalition sent ahead of the meeting said City Council's passing a resolution calling for a permanent cease-fire would put it "on the right side of history."

The proposed resolution would include a statement of support for "an immediate and permanent ceasefire in Gaza and occupied West Bank, immediate, unhindered humanitarian aid into Gaza, and release of all hostages and arbitrarily detained Palestinian civilians,” according to a draft. The resolution references both those taken hostage when Hamas attacked Israel on Oct. 7 as well as Palestinians who have been detained by Israel since then.

NoCo Liberation Coalition noted that more than 25,000 Palestinians have been killed, and during their comments, many supporters cited stories of the death, destruction and suffering in Gaza.

Live updates: Netanyahu dismisses Hamas cease-fire offer as 'delusional': Live updates

Its news release said turning to city leadership was the next step after organizing an Old Town march and a die-in at Fort Collins-based Woodward Inc.

“Though city governments do not exercise direct control over, for example, the use of federal tax dollars in defense packages to Israel, ceasefire resolutions put pressure on U.S. senators, representatives, other city governments, and the executive branch to act in alignment with public demands,” the news release said.

Several commenters said the council had the power to amplify the voices of those calling for a cease-fire but who feel unheard by their federal representatives.

"Your constituents are hurting. They are losing their families in this war," speaker Shehab Elhaddad with the Islamic Center of Fort Collins said. "All we want is a cease-fire to spare the lives of innocent children."

He said when the Islamic Center was vandalized in 2017, the Fort Collins community stepped up to show support, and now he is calling on the same community to stand up for Palestinians in the community and the whole world.

Members of the crowd were reminded several times that it was against the rules to clap during public comment in the council chambers. But upon the suggestion of Mayor Jeni Arndt, they instead waved both their hands over their heads to show their enthusiasm for comments.

Some of the speakers identified themselves as ethnic Jews or took to the podium wearing T-shirts that had these words printed on them: "JEWS SAY CEASE FIRE NOW."

Others, wearing headscarves, recounted some of the horrors of war in Gaza.

Among the supporters were individuals affiliated with the Northern Colorado Alliance for a Livable Future and Fort Collins chapter of the Democratic Socialists of America.

Some speakers were visibly upset while describing the conditions under which women are giving birth and talking about the children who are being killed, seriously hurt or orphaned.

The NoCo Liberation Coalition said the United States "has only reaffirmed its allegiance to Israel," and multiple commenters said it's a local issue because tax money has been used to provide aid to Israel.

Speakers on Tuesday also alleged companies with a presence in Fort Collins are supporting Israel, including Woodward, Innosphere and HP.

After the public comment portion, council member Kelly Ohlson said he has no "reluctance or fear" about passing a resolution and hopes council will consider it.

He said he was proud to have been on council when it opposed apartheid in the 1980s and said council has a history of weighing in on national or international issues.

In 2022, for example, council passed a resolution in support of Ukraine, which included endorsement of a cease-fire.

The city's Human Relations Commission is looking at the potential resolution during its meeting at 5:30 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 8, at City Hall, 300 Laporte Ave.

Mayor pro-tem Emily Francis and council member Tricia Canonico said they would like to know their recommendation before moving forward.

Philanthropic donation for pickleball study causes concern

Council OK'd the allocation of money that was donated to the city by residents through the city's philanthropic arm, City Give, to fund a feasibility study and community engagement on a pickleball complex.

But Francis voted no and expressed her concerns that it creates an equity issue if residents with access to resources can influence city projects when others don't have those resources to push for what they want.

Nina Bodenhamer, director of City Give, said donations can't direct projects that aren't already in the city's work plan.

She said this particular gift accomplishes a feasibility study but doesn't mean the project will go forward.

Bodenhamer also said a donation doesn't circumvent the budgeting process, which goes through City Council for approval, and it doesn't override community engagement.

Contention around council liaison to Planning & Zoning board

At its council retreat in late January, members decided by consensus which citizen boards and commissions they would serve on as liaisons.

But the council liaison to the Planning & Zoning Commission wasn't decided because both Francis and council member Susan Gutowsky wanted to serve in the role.

Francis is the current liaison and said she wanted to remain in the role to support the board through changes. Gutowsky said she wanted to provide an alternative point of view on the board.

Gutowsky said another council member had accused her of seeking the role so she could appoint a specific person to the commission.

"I value my reputation in this community, and it was very embarrassing to hear my motives questioned," Gutowsky said. "I want to assure you that I'm much better than that."

She said the real reason she wanted to serve was "to provide a breath of fresh air," noting that it's the council liaison's job to interview community members who want to serve on the boards and the P&Z commission is one of the most influential commissions in the city.

But Gutowsky then conceded the appointment to Francis, saying she believed she had little chance of winning enough votes from council members.

Council decides Polestar development appeal

Finally, council heard an appeal of the approval of the Polestar Village development.

After hearing from both the developer and the appellants Tuesday, council deemed that the Planning & Zoning commission conducted a fair hearing and denied the appeal.

2 upcoming events let you connect with the city

Melanie Potyondy, who represents District 4 in southwest Fort Collins, is holding a listening session at 10 a.m. Saturday, Feb. 10, at Harmony Library Community Room, 4616 S. Shields St.

The annual State of the City event is at 6 p.m. Monday, Feb. 26, at the Lincoln Center, 417 W. Magnolia St. It will also be livestreamed. The event includes reflections from Arndt and City Manager Kelly DiMartino on 2023 and what's ahead.

Editor's note: A paragraph in this story describing what the proposed resolution would include was updated to more accurately reflect what the title of a draft resolution would say regarding hostages. The proposed resolution would include a statement of support for "an immediate and permanent ceasefire in Gaza and occupied West Bank, immediate, unhindered humanitarian aid into Gaza, and release of all hostages and arbitrarily detained Palestinian civilians,” according to a draft.

This article originally appeared on Fort Collins Coloradoan: Here are 4 most notable things from Fort Collins City Council meeting