Res No 056-20-15496RESOLUTION NO.056-20-1506
A Resolution of the Mayor and City Commissioners of the City of South Miami
supporting the ADL's (Anti -Defamation League) anti -hate resolution standing
against the targeting of individual communities during the COVID-19
pandemic.
WHEREAS, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, as of May 13,
2020, there have been 1,364,061 cases and 82,246 deaths reported in the United States since the
outbreak of the COVID-19 virus; and
WHEREAS, COVID-19 will not be stopped by political boundaries and was not created
or caused by any race, nationality or ethnicity, and the World Health Organization has cautioned
against using geographic descriptors that can fuel ethnic and racial discrimination; and
WHEREAS, COVED-19 has infected people from all racial, national and ethnic
backgrounds; and
WHEREAS, the City of South Miami is fully committed to the safety, security, and equal
anent of its residents as it confronts the COVID-19 pandemic; and
WHEREAS, each individual has the ability to promote inclusiveness, celebrate diversity,
support all fellow community members, prevent the spread of misinformation, and reject hate and
bias in all forms; and
WHEREAS, hate crimes, discrimination and aggression against Asians and Jews are on
the rise throughout the country as these groups are being blamed for the COVID-19 outbreak and
spread; and
WHEREAS, our history has shown that in times of great fear, uncertainty and unrest can
lead to the demonization, blaming, and scapegoating of groups as the "other," and
WHEREAS, extremists are taking advantage of COVID-19 to spread their hateful
ideologies, including antisemitism, racism, Islamophobia, and Sinophobia; and
WHEREAS, amid the growing spread of COVID-19, there are surging reports of bias -
motivated incidents targeting members of the Asian and Pacific Islander communities in the U.S.;
and
WHEREAS, COVII)-19 is a public health issue, not a racial, religious or ethnic one, and
the deliberate use of terms such as "Chinese virus" or "Kung Fu virus" to describe COVID-19
only encourages hate crimes and incidents against Asians and further spreads misinformation at a
time when communities should be working together to get through this crisis; and
WHEREAS, the Jewish community has been targeted with blame, hate, antisemitic tropes
and conspiracy theories about their creating, spreading and profiting from COVID-19; and
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Res. No. 056-20-15496
WIWREAS, to target and stigmatize specific communities for the COVID-19 outbreak
and world-wide spread creates an inexcusable risk to all community members; and
WHEREAS, it is critical that the City of South Miami take leadership and stand in
solidarity with its Asian and Jewish communities to send a message that discriminatory and hate -
motivated behavior or violence will not be tolerated; and
WI�REAS, all persons are encouraged to report any such antisemitic, discriminatory or
racist incidents to the proper authorities for investigation; and
WHEREAS, the Mayor and City Commission wish to affirm their commitment to the
well-being and safety of its Asian and Jewish community members and ensure they know they are
not alone and that the City of South Miami is committed to ending the spread of all forms of hate
and bigotry.
NOW THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE MAYOR AND CITY
COMMISSIONERS OF THE CITY OF SOUTH MIAMI, FLORIDA:
Section 1. The foregoing recitals are hereby ratified and confirmed as being true and they
are incorporated into this resolution by reference as if set forth in full herein.
Section 2. The Mayor and City Commission of the City of South Miami:
1. Denounce antisemitism, antiAsian bigotry, and all hateful speech, violent action
and the spread of misinformation related to COVID-19 that casts blame, promotes racism
or discrimination or harms the City of South Miami Asian and Pacific Islander, Jewish,
immigrant or other communities.
2. Joins cities, counties and states across the country in affirming its commitment to
the safety and well-being of all community members, including the Asian and Jewish
communities, and in combatting hate crimes targeting Asians, Jews and Pacific Islanders.
3. Continues its efforts to protect residents and targets and victims of hate, and to
prosecute and curb hate acts related to COVID-19.
4. Pledges to support the inalienable rights of all people in our community, who
should be treated with respect and must remain safe during this pandemic and call upon all
our residents to treat each other with respect.
5. Urges all residents of the City of South Miami to call attention to these harms, to
denounce hate, and to help keep us all safe during this unprecedented pandemic and
beyond.
Section 3. Corrections. Conforming language or technical scrivener -type corrections
may be made by the City Attorney for any conforming amendments to be incorporated into the
final resolution for signature.
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Res. No. 056-20-15496
Section 4. Severability. If any section clause, sentence, or phrase of this resolution is for
any reason held invalid or unconstitutional by a court of competent jurisdiction, the holding shall
not affect the validity of the remaining portions of this resolution.
Section 5. Effective Date. This resolution shall become effective immediately upon
adoption.
PASSED AND ADOPTED this 2nd day of June, 2020.
ATTEST: APPROVED:
�II�I
CITYUCLE MAYOR
READ AND APPROVED AS TO FORM,
LANGUAGE, LEGALITY AND
EXECUTION THEREOF
CITY ATTORNEY
COMMISSION VOTE: 5-0
Mayor Philips:
Yea
Vice Mayor Welsh:
Yea
Commissioner Harris:
Yea
Commissioner Liebman:
Yea
Commissioner Gil:
Yea
Page 3 of 3
Agenda Rem NoA.
City Commission Agenda Item Report
Meeting Date: June 2, 2020
Submitted by: Thomas Pepe
Submitting Department: City Attorney
Item Type: Resolution
Agenda Section:
Subject:
A Resolution of the Mayor and City Commissioners of the City of South Miami supporting the ADL's
(Anti -Defamation League) anti -hate resolution standing against the targeting of individual communities during
the COVID-19 pandemic. 3/5 (Mayor Philips)
Suggested Action:
Attachments:
Reso Anti -Hate rev.docx