CODEPINK Intervention Week: Targeting AIPAC Bought Ritchie Torres, Hakeem Jeffries, and Gregory Meeks
Krys Cerisier
The week of July 16th, CODEPINK's New York and DC chapter held a three-day intervention action in front of the offices of AIPAC-funded representatives Ritchie Torres, Hakeem Jeffries, and Gregory Meeks. All three representatives are currently playing key roles in supporting the ongoing genocide in Palestine; CODEPINK New York went to remind the representatives of their responsibility to their community, demand they stop taking AIPAC funding, and support our demand for an immediate ceasefire.
The first stop during our Intervention Week was Representative Ritchie Torres's office on Fordham Road in the Bronx. Rep. Torres was the second largest recipient of AIPAC donations from the House and has maintained his unwavering support for Israel's ongoing genocide in Palestine. With hardly any Zionists in the constituency, Rep. Torres has received $1,766,086 in total from AIPAC, so Code Pink New York and allies gather in front of Rep.Torres to remind him of his progressive origins and hold him accountable to the demands of his actual constituency.
For months, Rep. Torres has been repeating classic AIPAC lines when questioned about Israel, such as, "Israel has the right to defend themselves." and "Do you condemn the terrorist group Hamas?" despite international condemnation of Israel's war crimes. This is the type of brainwashing effect that the Zionist lobbying group has on our elected officials.
The second stop for intervention week was Representative Hakeem Jeffries who has received over $1.5 million from AIPAC so far. Rep. Jeffries, who is House Minority Leader and Leader of the House Democratic Caucus, has stood silent on the sidelines while AIPAC spent $15 million to unseat fellow Democrat Jamaal Bowman, only commenting, "The results speak for themselves. The voters have spoken."
CODEPINK, along with activists from Brooklyn for Peace, showed up to Rep. Jeffries' office to encourage him to reject AIPAC influence but were turned away by his office. AIPAC's control over Rep. Jeffries has prevented him from calling out the Zionist lobby group for their attacks on progressive democrats across the country and advocating for true democracy.
Rep. Gregory Meeks's office in Far Rockaway was the last stop during our intervention week. CODEPINK joined organizations like Rockaway for a Ceasefire and Surfers in Solidarity for their weekly Friday speak-out.
Rep Meeks, who currently sits on the foreign affairs committee, has been in part responsible for approving massive arms trade to Israel. Meeks holds the power to veto arms sales to Israel, including the recently approved 50 F-15 fighter jets worth more than $18 billion, but has not despite clear evidence that these weapons are being used to commit war crimes.
This past election cycle, Rep. Meeks has received $292,777 from AIPAC to turn a blind eye to the atrocities happening in Gaza and continue to approve weapon sales. Meeks feigns concern over weapon sales in Israel, saying, "I don't want the kinds of weapons that Israel has to be utilized to have more deaths," he said. "I want to make sure that humanitarian aid gets in. I don't want people starving to death". However, that is exactly what is happening: starvation has taken over North Gaza, and Israel continues to bomb schools, shelters, and aid facilities indiscriminately.
Ritchie Torres, Hakeem Jeffries, and Gregory Meeks won their seats being supported by working-class Democrats and progressives and are now turning their backs to us to support a genocide for AIPAC funds. Their constituency demands a ceasefire and an immediate end to weapon sales. As elected officials, they deserve to be held accountable for those demands. FREE PALESTINE!
Krys Cerisier is CODEPINK’s East Coast and War is Not Green Organizer.
Krys is a passionate Organizer, Journalist, and Activist, proudly hailing from the Bronx, New York, born to Panamanian and Haitian immigrant parents. Graduating in 2021 with a degree in international relations from Global College, they honed their focus on Black Indigenous studies, delving into the intricacies of identity and social justice, studying in South and Central America, the Caribbean, and Pacific Islands. Transitioning into activism, Krys began organizing against imperialist U.S. foreign policy in Latin America. In 2023 their journalistic pursuits led them to conduct an investigation in 2023, delving into the histories, visibility, and ongoing struggles of Black and Indigenous communities throughout the region. Through their work, Krys is a fierce advocate for Black Indigenous and Queer voices, amplifying narratives often overlooked.
The irony of anyone - much less people of color- supporting an apartheid state befuddles me. Nelson Mandela was on the United States terrorist watch list until 2008- almost 20 years after his election as president of South Africa. That meant that members of the the African National Congress (ANC) in his government had to apply for permission from the State Department to enter the United States.
In 2008, President George W. Bush signed legislation that lifted that requirement.
Political decision-making is the product of many alliances, and degrees of intersectionality. In the case of Reps. Torres, Jeffries and Meeks- and the overwhelming members of Congress- it comes down to a lack of principle, and a lust for money. Why else would any elected official in the United States support an apartheid, ethno-state that is led by a racist butcher who is staring down an arrest warrant from the International Court of Justice for committing crimes against humanity? It is not about the strategic interests of the United States.
And if "democracy is on the ballot” as Democrats sloganeer, why are Democrats joining Republicans in supporting the sort of authoritarian, fascist, religious state in the mideast that evangelcial Republicans aspire to erect in America?
A shout-out to CODEPINK for their extraordinary advocacy for humanity- which is on the ballot. Use your leverage to push for a reset.