To: Representative Emanuel Cleaver
From: Rachel Singh from Lee’s Summit, MO
Nov 17, 2023
41 days since the start of the genocide in Palestine. At least 11,697 Palestinians (4,710 children) killed.

Dear Representative Cleaver -

I sent you an email a few weeks ago, and I’m sending a fax now. I live in Lee’s Summit, MO and I’m a teacher. I have students and friends in both the Jewish community and the Muslim community. These people are dear to me. I cannot imagine them having to face violence like what we’re seeing in Palestine. One family friend actually is from Syria and came here as refugees with their four children. They are the most wonderful people and the mother is basically my sister at this point. I’ve watched her children grow over the past 5 years, and I am so grateful that they are here and safe and happy.

I’ve been watching footage from Palestine online. I can see live social media stories from the Israel side and the Gaza side and there is a stark difference in the quality of life between the two. I believe that all that Israel is doing right now is just a land grab. With their powerful army and technologies and weapons, how can they act like they don’t have the means to perform a surgical operation to remove the threat they seek to remove? Instead they’re indiscriminately bombing everywhere. Refugee camps, schools, hospitals, homes. This is not a safety measure. This is murder. This is genocide.

In KCUR I read that you won’t sign a resolution calling for a ceasefire in Gaza - "Signing something and trick— and making people think that a ceasefire is going to take place, is just not something I want to do because it’s not true, it’s not real," - and I am shocked. As a citizen, I want my representatives and my country to take a strong stance against what is going on. It feels like everybody is just turning a blind eye. How can others in my community and my government be so dismissive? Even if you don’t think that signing this won’t affect anything, why not do it anyway? We should all be shouting from the rooves of our houses that we won’t stand for this. That we demand a ceasefire.

I feel like nobody in power is doing anything. I’ve been part of many protests and marches and direct action, whether it’s for my own reproductive rights here in Missouri that have been taken away, for the Black Lives Matter protests, for trans pride, and many other things. I feel like it is all being ignored. I don’t know what else to do if I’m not being listened to. I feel like the only thing that matters in this country is money and power so I’ve come to the conclusion that the only thing I can do is to boycott as much of the system as possible. I am not spending money on any non-necessities. I am not buying anything for Black Friday, Cyber Monday, and I am not buying Christmas gifts. I am not buying fast food when I’m busy working.

I refuse to participate and make this country more money, as small of a sliver my share is. I’m also not going to be voting for anyone who isn’t calling for a ceasefire, who isn’t speaking out about these atrocities. The feeling has always been “vote blue no matter who” for years, and what has it gotten us? I am going through fertility treatments, but I want the assurance that if there is a complication that I can safely get an abortion to save my life, minimize my pain and my child’s pain. I am so scared to get pregnant because I am so scared to die needlessly. After BLM our governments just expanded funding for police forces rather than ensuring that people are protected and safe. So many people can barely afford groceries and a home here in the states. What is our government doing for us? If the government isn’t making sure we’re safe, it could at the very least make sure we’re not enabling genocide overseas.

I only have a meager amount of power on my own. I am not buying anything besides groceries and paying bills. I will refuse to vote for anyone who is not calling for a ceasefire, who is not making sure we’re safe. And I have a small subscriber base on YouTube of around 9,000 and I am sharing my views and my boycotts there too, to encourage others to do the same.

Please do the right thing for us and the people of Palestine.