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Pack the Room at SJ City Council to Demand an Ethical Investment Policy!

On March 24th 1:30PM, we will be mobilizing at the San Jose City Council meeting where they will be voting on their annual investment portfolio. We will be there to demand that they introduce and pass an ethical investment policy.

If you can’t make it, send an email at https://bit.ly/ethical-sj

Here are the talking points for making public comment! These will be provided by us in-person!

San Jose Ethical Investment Policy: Suggested talking points

Introduce yourself: Hello City Council and staff, my name is [___] and I’m a [ community member / resident /  alumni / union member / etc. ] of San Jose. 

ETHICAL INVESTMENT

  • People from San Jose’s diverse communities have shown up today to demand that the city of San Jose pass an ethical investment policy that will permanently divest from corporations with ties to ICE, the prison industrial complex, and Israel’s genocide against Palestine. We have the moral urgency to take action and stand firmly on the side of peace, justice, and human dignity. We must show that San Jose stands against genocide and human rights abuses and guarantee that our city will be recorded on the right side of history.
  • I am proud to be a resident of the diverse and multicultural city of San Jose. Our city has a proud history of being a leading center in the struggle for justice and freedom for all people. I ask that you build upon our city’s legacy by passing an ethical investment policy to divest all City funds from ICE, the prison industrial complex, and Israel’s genocide against Palestine. Other Bay Area cities like Dublin and Albany, CA as well as Alameda County have already taken the courageous step of passing an Ethical Investment Policy. I urge you to demonstrate your leadership and moral fortitude by joining them.
  • In 2020 City of San Jose aligned with its constituents’ values and chose to amend city council investment policy so that the city would  “make no new direct investments in entities that directly engage in exploration, production, refining, or marketing of fossil fuels”. 6 years later there have been no negative effects on the fund. The precedent has been set regarding letting justice and equity guide investment decisions. The people of San Jose do NOT want blood on its hands. Be consistent with our city’s clear values by introducing and passing an ethical investment policy.
  • I’m calling on San Jose to divest from war profiteers Caterpillar, Alphabet, Microsoft, Honeywell, and Amazon; investments which amount to around 4% of San Jose’s investment portfolio. Continuing to invest in these companies breaks public trust and corrodes the values of this city as a public service institution. The benefits of divestment far outweigh any risks or inconvenience associated with this 4% divestment. What is preventing the City Council from divesting from genocide and standing up for human rights by introducing and passing an Ethical Investment Policy?

ICE

  • I am here to demand that the San Jose City Council pass an ethical investment policy that permanently divests from companies complicit in ICE’s terror operations nation-wide. The city currently has $15 million invested in Alphabet, whose subsidiary Google is integral to ICE’s detention & deportation operations, and which has a direct contract with Lockheed Martin, and Customs and Border Protection supplying AI and technology to the US-Mexico border. The city also currently has $12 million invested in Microsoft which, for years, has maintained secretive, ongoing, and increasing business relationships with ICE. The city also has $31 million invested in Amazon, which provides crucial technology to ICE, CBP, and DHS which they use to track, monitor, and deport immigrants. We must not be complicit in Trump’s terrorization of our immigrant neighbors.
  • I’m here to demand the city of San Jose show up for their most vulnerable residents by introducing and passing a much needed Ethical Investment Policy which will divest city funds from companies with direct ties to ICE. San Jose is a sanctuary city and we should reaffirm this by divesting and barring any further investment into companies such as Alphabet, Microsoft, and Amazon who have with contracts with ICE and other deportation operations.

PALESTINE

  • According to the City of San Jose’s most recent quarterly investment report, over $115 million dollars of our City funds are currently invested in corporations with direct ties to Israel’s genocide against Palestine, including Caterpillar, Alphabet, Microsoft, Honeywell, and Amazon. These corporations provide equipment and services which Israel uses to commit war crimes against Palestinian civilians. Divestment is an effective way to exert pressure on Israel until it complies with international law. I call upon you to divest our city funds from these corporations.
  • Israel’s genocide against Palestine is far older than the current conflict and it will not be resolved by the current ceasefire agreement. Since the announcement of the ceasefire, Israel has continually violated the ceasefire hundreds of times and killed hundreds of Palestinians in Gaza, wounded several hundred more, and continued illegal military offensives in the West Bank. We must pass an Ethical Investment Policy and divest in order to exert pressure on Israel until it complies with international law and ends the genocide entirely.
  • I, along with over 2300 other people, have signed a petition demanding that you divest all city funds from Israel’s genocide against Palestine. Over fifty community organizations, non-profits, and small businesses have endorsed the petition as well. It is clear that the diverse and multicultural communities of San Jose refuse to be complicit in genocide. I call on you to exercise your leadership and stand with your constituents by introducing and passing an ethical investment policy.

San Jose is a diverse city and the City Council must recognize the community in its entirety. Palestinian residents are experiencing pain and suffering as a result of Israel’s genocide, and they belong in our community. I urge you to pass an Ethical Investment Policy. We must show that San Jose stands against genocide and guarantee that our city will be recorded on the right side of history.