1 RESOLUTION NO. 201080
2 Condemning and Denouncing Genocide, Crimes Against Humanity,
3 and Other Mass Atrocities and Affirming the City of Gainesville’s Duty
4 to Educate People About and Take Action to Prevent Genocide, Crimes
5 against Humanity, and Other Mass Atrocities in Compliance with the
6 Genocide Convention
7
8 WHEREAS, after the atrocities of the Second World War, the United Nations adopted
the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide on December 9th 9 ,
10 1948; and
11 WHEREAS, that treaty defined “genocide” as any of the following acts committed with
12 intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnical, racial or religious group, as such:
13 (a) Killing members of the group;
14 (b) Causing serious bodily or mental harm to members of the group;
15 (c) Deliberately inflicting on the group conditions of life calculated to bring about its
16 physical destruction in whole or in part;
17 (d) Imposing measures intended to prevent births within the group;
18 (e) Forcibly transferring children of the group to another group.
19
20 WHEREAS, Crimes against Humanity are defined according to Article 10 of the Rome
21 Statute as:
22 For the purpose of this Statute, ‘crimes against humanity’ means any of the following acts when
23 committed as part of a widespread or systematic attack directed against any civilian population,
24 with knowledge of the attack:
25 (a) Murder;
26
27 (b) Extermination;
28
29 (c) Enslavement;
30
31 (d) Deportation or forcible transfer of population;
32
33 (e) Imprisonment or other severe deprivation of physical liberty in violation of
34 fundamental rules of international law;
35
36 (f) Torture;
37
38 (g) Rape, sexual slavery, enforced prostitution, forced pregnancy, enforced
39 sterilization, or any other form of sexual violence of comparable gravity;
40
41 (h) Persecution against any identifiable group or collectivity on political, racial, 42 national, ethnic, cultural, religious, [and] gender…;
43
44 (i) Enforced disappearance of persons;
45
46 (j) The crime of apartheid;
47
48 (k) Other inhumane acts of a similar character intentionally causing great suffering, or
49 serious injury to body or to mental or physical health.
50 WHEREAS, Gainesville residents and the Commission of the City of Gainesville value
51 universal respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms and believe that all persons and
52 citizens of the world deserve justice, equality, safety, and security; and
53 WHEREAS, The City of Gainesville routinely purchases from and invests in
54 corporations having global operations and supply chains; and
55 WHEREAS, Gainesville residents and the Commission of the City of Gainesville
56 recognize the role that local communities and government can take to promote the practice of
57 ethical procurement and ethical investment in accordance with our values.
58 NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE CITY COMMISSION OF THE CITY
59 OF GAINESVILLE, FLORIDA:
60 Section 1. That this Commission condemns and denounces genocide, crimes against
61 humanity, and other mass atrocities. Further, that this Commission condemns and denounces
62 corporations and/or other organizations and associations complicit in genocide, crimes against
63 humanity, and other mass atrocities. Finally, this Commission condemns and denounces all
64 corporations and/or other organizations and associations that provide support or otherwise do
65 business with governments engaged in genocide, crimes against humanity, and other mass
66 atrocities.
67 Section 2. That this Commission affirms its and every Gainesville resident’s, moral
68 obligation and duty to educate people about the atrocities of genocide, crimes against humanity,
69 and other mass atrocities.
70 Section 3. That this Commission commits to educating citizens about genocide, crimes
71 against humanity, and other mass atrocities. In this regard, the Commission recognizes the work
72 in this area of the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum, Genocide Watch, Global Centre for the
73 Responsibility to Protect, and No Business With Genocide.
74 Section 4. That this Commission commits the policy and practices of responsible
75 procurement and ethical investment of Gainesville taxpayers monies in the marketplaces for
76 goods, services, and capital in accordance with our values and to employ our economic power
77 in the marketplace as part of a global constituency against genocide, crimes against humanity,
78 and other mass atrocities.
79 Section 5. That this Commission supports and promotes that all persons, regardless of
80 where they were born, have basic human rights and fundamental freedoms, and that it is all
81 governments’ and citizens’ moral obligation to recognize and respect these rights and freedoms.
82 Section 6. That this Commission, along with the citizens of Gainesville, Florida, rededicate
83 themselves to the prevention of mass atrocities such as genocide and crimes against humanity and
84 to the basic principles of justice, fairness, and empathy that all persons are entitled to.
85
PASSED AND ADOPTED this 17th 86 day of June 2021.
87
88 __________________________
89 Lauren Poe
90 Mayor
91
92
93
ATTEST:
Omichele Gainey, City Clerk