BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — The Bloomington City Council voted unanimously Wednesday to override the veto by Mayor Kerry Thomson against a resolution calling for a ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas conflict.
Thomson used what is known in Indiana as a “pocket veto,” meaning that she didn’t sign the bill and instead let the resolution sit on her desk for ten days without a signature. In March, Thomson had previously warned the council that she had no intention of signing the resolution.
The veto override comes after a week of the IU Divestment Coalition’s Gaza encampment protest at Dunn Meadow, which entered day 8 on Thursday. This week, the council also issued a statement condemning IU’s response to the protest, which resulted in 57 arrests in two separate clashes with police.
As part of the resolution, City Clerk Nicole Bolden will send a copy of the resolution to the Indiana Congressional delegation and President Joe Biden.
Adopting such resolutions is nothing new to the Bloomington City Council. In 2003, when the U.S. was preparing for a possible war in Iraq, the council passed a resolution that opposed a war. Several major U.S. cities, like Chicago, and San Francisco have adopted their own resolutions asking for a ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas conflict.
