PHILADELPHIA, PA, US – Today, Councilmember Nicolas O’Rourke’s
(At Large) resolution calling on the City of Philadelphia Board of
Pensions and Retirement to consider divestment from nuclear weapons
passed City Council. The resolution urges the City to weigh the threat
that nuclear weapons pose to all of humanity and our environment in
light of the Trump administration’s decision to restart testing of
nuclear weapons and proposal to build a nuclear-powered submarine right
here in Philadelphia. It calls on the City of Philadelphia Board of
Pensions and Retirement to invest in what our residents need such as
safe and healthy homes, affordable transit, working utilities, and
childcare, rather than weapons that threaten life on our planet.
The resolution was championed by the Divest Philly from the War Machine Coalition.
Founded in 2019, the Divest Philly from the War Machine Coalition
consists of 29 organizations raising awareness about the dangers of
nuclear weapons and advocating for the City of Philadelphia to divest
the Pension Fund from nuclear weapons.
“It
is a moral obligation for the City of Philadelphia to invest in what
our residents need,” said Councilmember O’Rourke, of the goal behind the
resolution. “Such as safe and healthy homes, affordable transit,
working utilities, childcare, and more, rather than weapons that
threaten life on our planet.”
“This
is a huge step forward in this grassroots campaign to compel the
Pension Board to divest from these weapons of Mass Destruction,” said
David Gibson, Co-Coordinator for Peace, Justice, Sustainability NOW!
(PJSN). “We are grateful for all the Council members who voted for this
resolution and their brave service to the people of the City of
Philadelphia and beyond. Everywhere we go residents of the City agree
with us and sign our statement calling for divestment from nuclear
weapons. With the passage of this resolution, we expect to receive a
positive response from the Pension Board regarding screening out nuclear
weapons from the portfolio.”
“The
Greater Philadelphia Branch of Women's International League for Peace
and Freedom (WILPF) has advocated for nuclear abolition for nearly 80
years,” said Tina Shelton, Chair of Greater Philadelphia Branch of
WILPF. “We currently see an increased emphasis on the false dialogue
that we do not have resources for human needs. In fact, according to Reaching Critical Will,
a report on the UN meetings for disarmament, there has been record-high
military spending and military solutions are being prioritized over
social and economic justice. This step towards moral investments that
weigh the impact of nuclear threat on all Philadelphia residents and
beyond is celebrated as way to live up to Philadelphia’s obligations as a
member of Mayors for Peace (joined in 1985) and show other US cities
that investing in a nuclear-free world is the financially wise decision
in addition to being moral and just.”
"We
should all celebrate the long, hard, and ongoing work of people in
Philadelphia to allow retirees' who have contributed careers to the
betterment of the world to not have to depend for their incomes on the
sale of nuclear weapons. The global and multifarious movement to reduce
and eliminate the risk of apocalyptic war is strengthened by every
successful divestment -- advancing the arrival of that day when
investment in weapons of mass destruction will be the exception rather
than the norm,” said David Swanson, Executive Director of World BEYOND
War.
"The
Philadelphia Public Banking Coalition is grateful for the resolution
passed by Council today urging the Pension Board to divest from nuclear
weapon components and systems manufacturing,” said Stan Shapiro, member
of the Philadelphia Public Banking Coalition. “These death dealing
instruments have no place in a pension fund whose purpose is to support
human life, not end it. In our view, however, nuclear divestment should
not be followed by reinvestment into other questionable instruments that
do nothing for the people of our City. Instead, the Board should
re-invest money coming out of instruments of war into financially
prudent projects right here in Philadelphia that advance the interests
and needs of the people of our City."
"The
Green Party of Philadelphia (GPOP) has participated in the Divest
Philadelphia from the War Machine Coalition since it was founded in
2019," said Chris Robinson, a member of GPOP. "One of the Green Party's
Four Pillars is peace, so we give hearty support to every effort for
disarmament."
Jean
Haskell, member of Granny Peace Brigade Philadelphia, issued the
following statement: “Thank you Councilmember O'Rourke for introducing
the resolution calling on the City Pension Fund to consider divesting
from nuclear weapons. Thank you, City Council members, for supporting
this resolution today. For 20 years, the Granny Peace Brigade
Philadelphia has called on local and national legislators to support
efforts to rid the world of nuclear weapons. For 20 years we have
described the horror that a nuclear war would bring to our citizens and
our planet. Most recently, we have called on legislators to sign and
ratify the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW), a treaty
that was signed and ratified by 122 nations, none of which actually
possess nuclear weapons. The United States was the first country in the
world to drop a nuclear type bomb. We believe it is now time for our
country to lead the way to ridding the world of nuclear weapons and the
enormous threat they impose. We applaud City Council for taking this
important step today.”
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