SILVER CITY, New Mexico - May 31 - Last week, Silver City, a town of 10,000 people in southwestern New Mexico, became the most recent municipality to call for creation of a U.S. Department of Peace and Nonviolence. By a 3-1 vote, the city council adopted a resolution endorsing legislation currently in the House and Senate (HR 3760 and S. 1756) that would establish such a Department. By doing so, it joined a growing list of cities, large and small, that have announced support for this legislation that is rapidly gaining traction among citizens and grass-roots organizations alike.
Supporters in Silver City gathered over one hundred signatures on a petition urging their city council members to adopt the Resolution, and a dozen people attended the council meeting to speak on its behalf.
"A lot of polls lately show people have lost faith in the upper levels of government," Larry Weiss of Silver City said. "The one government body that's retained trust is the local body."
According to Richard Mansbach, State Coordinator for the New Mexico Department of Peace Campaign, Silver City could directly benefit from programs the Department would develop or distribute that deal with societal challenges like drug abuse, domestic violence, school violence, guns, racial and ethnic violence. These, he said, in turn, could reduce the number of dangerous encounters for police.
"Holding peace as an organizing principle," Mansbach said, "will help change the tone of our society."
A U.S. Department of Peace would fund and circulate existing programs proven to reduce violence within the United States. A curriculum aimed at grades kindergarten through 12 would be created to teach violence prevention and mediation to America's school children.
Internationally, the Department would research and analyze foreign policy and recommend to the President ways to address the root causes of war. A Peace Academy, on par with the Military Service Academies, would train civilian peacekeepers and the military in the latest nonviolent conflict resolution techniques and approaches. The Department would also provide expert advice to the President when diffusing or dealing with international crises.
The Silver City Resolution urges Republican Representative Steve Pearce, whose district includes Silver City, and Senators Pete Domenici (R-NM) and Jeff Bingham (D-NM), to co-sponsor the legislation. The bills currently have 64 supporters in the House, and two in the Senate.
Other cities endorsing the legislation include: Atlanta, GA, Berkley, CA, Cambridge, MA, Cleveland, OH, Detroit, MI, Everett, MA, Hamtramck, MI, Kuai (County), HI, Lincoln City, OR, Oakland, CA, Palo Alto, CA, San Jose, CA, Santa Cruz, CA, and Sebastopol, CA.
For more information on this legislation and our campaign, please visit The Peace Alliance website at: www.thepeacealliance.org.
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