After admitting that neither the language, nor the intent behind the Ceasefire Resolution contained a trace of antisemitism, after the cries of the people in attendance rose above the microphone, after months of hearing the people demand action and not empty words, five council members decided that their business had concluded for the night. The people of Rochester disagreed.

As the majority of the body stood and left the chambers, the community made it clear that their business was not finished. For the second time in less than a week City Hall is filled with people after 10pm. There is an emerging movement – supported by council members Lightfoot, Lupien, Martin, and Smith – that is bringing together issues from across the spectrum and uniting people from across the city.

With two more hours before the deadline to sign-on, we don’t know what will happen with this resolution, but without a doubt, we learned something about the city of Rochester tonight. We learned that when the people of our city come together to make demands of our government, there are only two options: do your job, or lose it.