KC Voices: Constituents confused by Rep. Davids’ delays on Gaza stance as calls for ceasefire increase

Protest on the Plaza, Dec. 19, 2023. // Photo by Brock Wilbur

In the KC Voices column, we ask members of the KC community to submit stories about their thoughts and experiences in all walks of life. If you’ve got a story you’d like to share with our readers, please send it to brock@thepitchkc.com for consideration.

Today, constituents of Rep. Sharice Davids are wondering why after weeks of protests, sit-ins, and meetings with their elected representative, Davids has yet to call for a ceasefire in the Gaza region, where Israel and Palestine have been in deadly conflict for more than 90 days. This open letter to Davids is cowritten by attorney Fatima Mohammadi, an advocate for Palestine and a constituent of Kansas’ 3rd district, and Hannah Bailey—a lifetime Kansas City resident and professional in the nonprofit sector.

Illustration by Jack Raybuck

In 2001, after 9/11, Representative Barbara Lee was the sole member of the House of Representatives to vote against the Authorization for Use of Military Force Act (AUMF), which gave the United States President the ability to “to use all necessary and appropriate force” against the entities that perpetrated 9/11, or may commit terrorism against the United States in the future.

After her lone voice of dissent, Lee received hate mail and death threats for her then vastly unpopular position. Many, however, now critique the AUMF for paving the way for a protracted conflict in Afghanistan. The bill has also allowed the U.S. to carry out “counterterrorism” measures in at least 85 countries, resulting in at least 335,745 civilian casualties.

Protest on the Plaza, Dec. 19, 2023. // Photo by Brock Wilbur

In Representative Lee’s case, the tides turned wildly in twenty years, and many now regard her as a hero for her decision to ask questions in a moment of heightened emotions. Lee has reported that members of the public have apologized for condemning her in 2001.

Today, it is a little bit easier to stand against war. Since Israel’s current full-scale military assault on Gaza began on October 7th, Representative Cori Bush introduced the Ceasefire Now resolution, and 63 members of Congress have called for a ceasefire. But Israel’s assault has not slowed; they have killed at least 21,110 people in Gaza and have destroyed hospitals, schools, places of worship and refugee camps while much of the world watches in horror. This war on Gaza has been funded by the U.S., which gives over $3 billion in military aid to Israel annually. On top of that, the Biden administration has bypassed Congress to send Israel $106 million in tank ammunition and wants to send Israel an additional $14 billion aid package.

Sharice Davids’ election to Congress in 2018 captivated the nation. As a constituent in her district, I was thrilled to vote for her. Her intersection of Indigenous and LGBTQ identities brought the promise that she might be one of those rare Congressional Democrats in Congress who advocates for marginalized people. She was even photographed once proudly displaying a shirt with the words “all of my heroes killed colonizers”—an act for which she was harshly condemned on the right, but that brought praise from Indigenous and pro-Palestine rights activists.

But when it comes to Israel’s assault on Gaza, an act that Columbia Univ. historian Rashid Khalidi has called a “colonial war,” Davids has remained silent.

Former UN Director Craig Mokhiber has called the war “a textbook case of genocide,” and the horrifying death toll and effects of infrastructure collapse are increasing by the day.

In twenty years, how will history regard those who have condoned this war on Palestine, and the massacres in Gaza and related attacks in the West Bank? So far, Israel has killed 1% of Gaza’s population—one out of every 105 people—in under three months. How will history regard the politicians who failed to speak out against this extreme violence, or who failed to use their influence to pressure the Biden administration to withdraw its support for the war?

Representative Davids, many of your colleagues, including your neighbor Representative Emanuel Cleaver, have broken from the influence of lobbyists to listen to their conscience and call for a ceasefire. As Reverend Munther Isaac in Bethlehem recently said: “If you are not opposed to what is happening in Gaza, if you are not shaken to your core, there is something wrong with your morality.”

Representative Davids, you are in a unique position of political influence, where your demand for a ceasefire can exert the pressure needed to end this war. I do not think history will look kindly upon your silence, and I urge you to listen to your conscience and call for an immediate and permanent ceasefire, and an end to the aggression in Palestine.

Protest on the Plaza, Dec. 19, 2023. // Photo by Brock Wilbur