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Armenian National Committee - San Francisco Bay Area
51 Commonwealth Avenue
San Francisco, California 94118
Phone: 415.387.3433 Fax: 415.751.0617
[email protected] www.ancsf.org
PRESS RELEASE
November 1, 2007
Contact: Roxanne Makasdjian (415) 387-3433
SAN FRANCISCO BOARD OF SUPERVISORS CALLS UPON CONGRESS TO ADVANCE THE
ARMENIAN GENOCIDE RESOLUTION
SAN FRANCISCO, CA - The San Francisco Board of Supervisors today adopted by
unanimous vote a resolution calling upon the Speaker of the U.S. House of
Representatives, Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi (D-CA-08), to continue to
support and immediately schedule a vote on the Armenian Genocide Resolution
(H. Res. 106).
"It is time for our government to speak with moral clarity on the historical
record of the Armenian Genocide rather than be bullied by Turkey's brazen
threats," said Haig Baghdassarian, a representative of the Bay Area Armenian
National Committee who attended the Board of Supervisors meeting. "The Board
of Supervisors vote demonstrates the support for the Armenian Genocide
Resolution by the people of San Francisco."
Over the past few weeks, the Armenian Genocide has captured the attention of
U.S. leaders and policymakers in an unprecedented fashion. The attention was
triggered as a result of the House Committee on Foreign Affairs' passage of
a resolution re-affirming the U.S. historical record on the Armenian
Genocide, in which 1,500,000 were massacred by the Ottoman Turkish
government in 1915. San Francisco Board of Supervisors President Aaron
Peskin introduced the resolution in support of H.Res.106 on October 23rd,
which was immediately co-sponsored by nine fellow supervisors.
H. Res. 106 "call[s] upon the President to ensure that the foreign policy of
the United States reflects appropriate understanding and sensitivity
concerning issues related to human rights, ethnic cleansing, and genocide
documented in the United States record relating to the Armenian Genocide."
The resolution is necessary now because the Turkish government has been
carrying out an increasingly aggressive campaign of genocide denial,
including demands that the U.S. government join Turkey in denying the
Armenian Genocide.
San Francisco residents and elected officials, who have frequently been at
the forefront of human rights issues, have consistently supported efforts
for just policies regarding the Armenian Genocide. In 1997, the voters of
San Francisco approved the sale of Mount Davidson Cross to Armenian-American
organizations, which maintain the property for public use and as a memorial
for the victims of the Armenian Genocide. The civic leadership in San
Francisco supported these efforts and fought attempts by genocide deniers to
prevent the sale of the Cross to Armenian-Americans, who also conducted a
lengthy, unsuccessful, legal battle to remove the memorial plaque. In
September, the plaque was stolen, and has not yet been replaced.
Mayor Gavin Newsom has consistently communicated his support for H.Res.106
to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Representative Tom Lantos, Chairman of the
House Foreign Affairs Committee.
President Peskin introduced the San Francisco measure to support San
Francisco's Congressional members in their effort to promote a just U.S.
policy regarding the Armenian Genocide. Calling upon the Speaker to schedule
a full vote on the bill, the San Francisco resolution states "the proper
recognition of the crime of genocide and other crimes against humanity
should never be sacrificed for perceived political benefits."
The Armenian National Committee of America is the largest and most
influential Armenian American grassroots political organization. Working in
coordination with a network of offices, chapters, and supporters throughout
the United States and affiliated organizations around the world, the ANCA
actively advances the concerns of the Armenian American community on a broad
range of issues.
51 Commonwealth Avenue
San Francisco, California 94118
Phone: 415.387.3433 Fax: 415.751.0617
[email protected] www.ancsf.org
PRESS RELEASE
November 1, 2007
Contact: Roxanne Makasdjian (415) 387-3433
SAN FRANCISCO BOARD OF SUPERVISORS CALLS UPON CONGRESS TO ADVANCE THE
ARMENIAN GENOCIDE RESOLUTION
SAN FRANCISCO, CA - The San Francisco Board of Supervisors today adopted by
unanimous vote a resolution calling upon the Speaker of the U.S. House of
Representatives, Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi (D-CA-08), to continue to
support and immediately schedule a vote on the Armenian Genocide Resolution
(H. Res. 106).
"It is time for our government to speak with moral clarity on the historical
record of the Armenian Genocide rather than be bullied by Turkey's brazen
threats," said Haig Baghdassarian, a representative of the Bay Area Armenian
National Committee who attended the Board of Supervisors meeting. "The Board
of Supervisors vote demonstrates the support for the Armenian Genocide
Resolution by the people of San Francisco."
Over the past few weeks, the Armenian Genocide has captured the attention of
U.S. leaders and policymakers in an unprecedented fashion. The attention was
triggered as a result of the House Committee on Foreign Affairs' passage of
a resolution re-affirming the U.S. historical record on the Armenian
Genocide, in which 1,500,000 were massacred by the Ottoman Turkish
government in 1915. San Francisco Board of Supervisors President Aaron
Peskin introduced the resolution in support of H.Res.106 on October 23rd,
which was immediately co-sponsored by nine fellow supervisors.
H. Res. 106 "call[s] upon the President to ensure that the foreign policy of
the United States reflects appropriate understanding and sensitivity
concerning issues related to human rights, ethnic cleansing, and genocide
documented in the United States record relating to the Armenian Genocide."
The resolution is necessary now because the Turkish government has been
carrying out an increasingly aggressive campaign of genocide denial,
including demands that the U.S. government join Turkey in denying the
Armenian Genocide.
San Francisco residents and elected officials, who have frequently been at
the forefront of human rights issues, have consistently supported efforts
for just policies regarding the Armenian Genocide. In 1997, the voters of
San Francisco approved the sale of Mount Davidson Cross to Armenian-American
organizations, which maintain the property for public use and as a memorial
for the victims of the Armenian Genocide. The civic leadership in San
Francisco supported these efforts and fought attempts by genocide deniers to
prevent the sale of the Cross to Armenian-Americans, who also conducted a
lengthy, unsuccessful, legal battle to remove the memorial plaque. In
September, the plaque was stolen, and has not yet been replaced.
Mayor Gavin Newsom has consistently communicated his support for H.Res.106
to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Representative Tom Lantos, Chairman of the
House Foreign Affairs Committee.
President Peskin introduced the San Francisco measure to support San
Francisco's Congressional members in their effort to promote a just U.S.
policy regarding the Armenian Genocide. Calling upon the Speaker to schedule
a full vote on the bill, the San Francisco resolution states "the proper
recognition of the crime of genocide and other crimes against humanity
should never be sacrificed for perceived political benefits."
The Armenian National Committee of America is the largest and most
influential Armenian American grassroots political organization. Working in
coordination with a network of offices, chapters, and supporters throughout
the United States and affiliated organizations around the world, the ANCA
actively advances the concerns of the Armenian American community on a broad
range of issues.