Dear City Council, Sister City Committee, Clay Curtin (Public Engagement Mgr.) and Starla Jerome-Robinson (City Mgr): A friend and Menlo Park neighbor of mine, Richard Duda, and I hope to speak tonight during public comment about a global issue that we want to put before the Council members as they prepare for Wednesday's Goal Setting workshop, on an urgent global/local issue, like climate change that cities must address. Nuclear weapons issues are not usually on city agendae, but just as climate change is a global threat to the planet that cities must make plans to protect lives and resources, so are nuclear weapons in an unstable and increasingly violent world. We are proposing that Menlo Park, as it joined Mayors for Peace in 2018 on Hiroshima Day, August 6, now join the "Back from the Brink" movement founded by the Union of Concerned Scientists and Physicians for Social Responsibility. This year, now, as the Council sets its plans for its many projects, there is time to plan for the peaceful change this terrible anniversary requires: to strengthen the ties with Sister Cities, to educate about cultural diversity and the power of non-violence; to promote peace and understanding, conflict resolution skills on all levels of human interaction; and to support treaties that protect us from nuclear disasters; to teach science and the art of peace-making on all levels. The city has taken the first stop by aligning with Mayors for Peace; we urge the city to take the next step to join "Back from the Brink" and work with volunteers and other cities to forge a peaceful world and step back from the brink of global disaster. This ideal has a practical goal, survival. There are resources we must use to de-fuse violent conflict and avoid the unthinkable climate change vector, a nuclear accident or intentional use of nuclear weapons. Your in peace, Judy Adams Richard Duda backfromthebrink.menlopark_at_(domainremoved) application/pdf attachment: Back_From_The_Brink_1-page_overview_for_MP_City_Council.pdf
