Cleveland City Council holds public meetings most Monday nights, where laws are passed, condolences and congratulations are handed out, and residents speak directly to elected and city officials through public comment. 

Up to 10 residents can speak at every regular City Council meeting, for up to three minutes each. Some residents come to speak about issues that directly affect them and their communities. Others come as part of an organization they represent or work for.  

We’re looking back at some highlights from more than 200 public comments residents made at Cleveland City Council this year. 

Toward the end of 2023, Greater Cleveland residents showed up in force to support Palestinian people affected by the war in Gaza and call for action. Residents admonished Cleveland Mayor Justin Bibb for publicly backing Israel and also pleaded with council members to pass a resolution calling for a ceasefire in Gaza. Council did not introduce or pass a resolution.

On Oct. 16, Summer Husein, who said she met Bibb while interning for a state senator in 2022, said the mayor had rushed to judgment by publicly declaring his support for Israel in a statement made on Oct. 7 after the Hamas attack. 

I’m going to ask you to not be quick to judge, to carefully consider all you hear today and to consider all you will hear from the media after today. As we’ve seen and proven numerous times in the past, the devil works hard, but the Western media works harder.”

Summer Husein, Berea 

Watch Husein’s full comment. 

Also on Oct. 16, Strongsville resident Omar Kurdi told City Council about finding a photo posted online of him during a TV interview wearing a Palestinian keffiyeh scarf. The poster of the photo labeled him a ‘terrorist.’ Kurdi said he feared for his safety and that of the wider Arab community. 

I should not fear for losing my job or my life, and for simply demanding that Palestinian innocent lives be given the same amount of concern, love, mourning, and outrage as Israeli lives. If humanity is what you stand for, do something. Demand a ceasefire and stop the cycle of violence while also protecting us here in our home of choosing. We could all do better.”

-Omar Kurdi, Strongsville 

See Kurdi’s full comment. 

Several members of Cleveland’s Jewish community also spoke to City Council. On Oct. 23, Ward 15 resident Adam Rosen asked Palestinians to reject Hamas and recognize Israel’s right to exist with Palestine, saying that could lead to lasting peace. 

I resoundingly reject anti-Muslim, anti-Arab, or anti-Palestinian sentiments that you may interpret in my remarks tonight. I want to use my voice to help secure a world in which the safety and security of both Jews and Palestinians between the river and the sea is intertwined and guaranteed. But I need help doing it. We need to do it together. I remain confident that the Jewish people will demand that Israel create the conditions for a Palestinian state without Hamas, but only if Palestinians recognize Israel’s right to exist alongside of it.”

-Adam Rosen, Ward 15 

See Rosen’s comment in full.    

Beachwood resident Lucie Shiffman spoke to City Council on Nov. 20 about her experiences being a Jewish person who took it upon herself to learn about Palestine as a young adult, and she asked others in the Jewish community to “educate yourselves.”

I have always been proud to be Jewish and a Jew from Cleveland. I am grateful that I was raised in such a strong Jewish community with such strong Jewish values, because it makes me feel safe. I’m here today because I can’t stand by as my community continues to act in ways that take away the safety of millions of others.”  

-Lucie Shiffman, Beachwood

Watch Shiffman’s full comment here. 

Basma Hamid, 69, who was born in Palestine and now lives in Cleveland’s Ward 13, spoke to City Council four weeks in a row asking for the city’s support, saying, “I would love to retire in my homeland” but that conditions in the region make it impossible. 

 Instead of sending our tax money overseas to kill children in cold blood in Gaza and Palestine, in my opinion, it should be spent here to fix the problems of drugs, alcohol, addiction, homelessness, poverty, homicide, robberies, gun control. Cleveland does not stand with Israel. Mayor Bibb, when you say that Cleveland stands for Israel, you are just speaking for yourself.” 

-Basma Hamid, Ward 13 

Watch Hamid’s full comment. 

Read all public comments given at Cleveland City Council this year at PublicCommentCLE. Sign up to give public comment at the Cleveland City Council website. Learn more about how to sign up and tips for how to make your comments shine in Signal Cleveland’s guide to public comment.