Cleveland City Council passes resolution supporting Occupy

Tonight, by a vote of 18-1, Cleveland City Council expressed its support of the Occupy movement.

Councilman Brian Cummins, who is a Green Party member, has been an active participant in Cleveland's Occupy group and played a key role in shepherding resolution Np. 1720-11.

It says that the resolution is

Recognizing and supporting the principles of the Occupy Movement and the peaceful and lawful exercise of the First Amendment as a cherished and fundamental right in the effort to seek solutions for economically distressed Americans at the federal, state and local levels; committing to work with the Jackson administration to take steps to minimize economic insecurity and destructive disparities in the City of Cleveland; and requesting our County, State and U.S. elected leaders generate solutions for economically distressed Americans.

It goes on at length to talk about the economic struggles and disparities faced by a majority of Americans today.

http://www.scribd.com/doc/74835245/R-1720-11-Cleveland-City-Council-Occu...

It talks about unemployment and the foreclosure crisis which has hit Cleveland hard and decimated its neighborhoods. It speaks about the growing income gap between rich and poor and the increasing amount of income flowing to the few at the top.

It acknowledges

the economic roots of these protests are varied, including sustained unemployment, growing income disparity, banking system failures, stalled earning power, and unjust tax systems, that all contribute to ongoing wealth disparities.

and

the political roots of these protests are also varied, including the growing political power of corporations, influence of money on elections and public policy and inability of average citizens to have their voices heard and needs met through formal political forums, thus contributing to citizens pursuing alternative political arenas.

It's nice that Cleveland's city council — at least 18 of its 19 members — has an accurate grasp of the problem. Unfortunately, fixing it on any large-scale level is beyond their power.

However, they "resolved":

Section 1.
That this Council recognizes and supports the principles of the Occupy Movement and the peaceful and lawful exercise of the First Amendment as a cherished and fundamental right in the effort to seek solutions for economically distressed Americans at the federal, state and local levels.
Section 2.
That this Council commits to working with the Jackson administration to continue taking steps to minimize economic insecurity and destructive disparities in the City of Cleveland.
Section 3.
That this Council requests our Congressional leaders generate solutions for economically distressed Americans.
Section 4.
That the Clerk of Council is directed to transmit copies of this resolution to President Barack Obama and all members of the U.S. Congress. .
Section 5.
That this resolution is hereby declared to be an emergency measure and, provided it receives the affirmative vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to Council, itshall take effect and be in force immediately upon its adoption and approval by the Mayor; otherwise, it shall take effect and be in force from and after the earliest period allowed by law.

By the way, that one "no" was Old Brooklyn councilman Kevin Kelley who is one of five candidates who have thrown their hats in the ring for the job of county prosecutor being vacated by Bill Mason. I don't know if that has any connection with his vote, but to me, that would be a negative. It seems like he's aligning himself with the ones promoting tougher justice rather than the ones promoting fairer justice. But it could be something else. I'm curious to hear his reasoning.