Posted on 12/19/23
| News Source: FOX45
Baltimore, MD - Dec. 19, 2023 - Several members of the Baltimore City Council who abstained from voting on an anti-Hamas resolution earlier this month were flooded with angry emails from the public shortly after the vote, documents obtained by FOX45 News show.
The four council members made the decision to abstain from the resolution shortly after it was introduced by Councilman Yitzy Schleifer during a December 4 council meeting. The resolution, which condemned the Hamas terrorist invasion of Israel and denounced antisemitism, closely mirrored a previous measure passed by the council condemning a 2019 terrorist attack on a New Zealand mosque.
Council members Ryan Dorsey, Phylicia Porter, Kristerfer Burnett and Odette Ramos released a joint statement the following day explaining their decision to abstain from the vote, claiming the group "unequivocally condemn(s) the actions of Hamas" but chose to abstain because the resolution failed to "explicitly include the discrimination of the Islamic community."
That didn't stop several prominent members of the Baltimore community from criticizing the four council members via email.
"I wanted to express my disappointment in your abstention on last night’s resolution," Rabbi Tyler Dratch of Beth Am Synagogue wrote to Councilwoman Ramos. "I speak each day with Jews living in Hampden and around the city, many of who are deeply affected by the ongoing war. They are looking for some signal from our leaders that Baltimore is a safe city for people to practice their faith openly."
Councilwoman Ramos also received a note from Maryland state Senator Ariana Kelly, who represents Montgomery County in Annapolis. Sen. Kelly said her daughter has faced the wrath of antisemitism at her college in California, and that she gave up a full scholarship to escape the circumstances on campus and return home to Maryland.
Please, hear me. I know your heart is good. I do not for a second believe you are an antisemite," Sen. Kelly wrote. "But I do believe you do not understand why your actions appear antisemitic, why you abstention vote makes my innocent peace loving daughter feel like you want her and her family dead."
Councilwoman Ramos also received a message from a constituent named Robert Garnet who claims to be a "strong supporter" of hers.
"I am disheartened and disappointed with your decision to abstain from voting in support of the resolution condemning Hamas and antisemitism," Garnet wrote in his email. "Surely one can support such a resolution even as we stand opposed to the violence and killing of civilians on both sides."
Unlike her colleagues, Councilwoman Porter sometimes took a defiant tone against email critics. In one instance, Councilwoman Porter suggested a frustrated emailer "examine [their] conscience" to fully understand why they decided to express their outrage over her abstention vote.
Diane TenHoopen, another frustrated individual who emailed Councilwoman Porter, accused her of playing "semantics" by claiming she abstained from the vote because Palestinians and Muslims were left off of the resolution.
Shame on you for not including the millions of Palestinians in your advocacy," Councilwoman Porter wrote back to TenHoopen. "Do their lives not matter in your condemnation of this terrorist group?"
Several individuals took the opportunity to email all four council members at once. Aharon Katz told the council members he was "ashamed to be a Baltimorean" for the first time in his life.
"This should not be a political issue. This resolution did not seek to support Israel in its war against Hamas, it did not seek to support Israelis or Palestinians," Katz wrote.