TNT Statement in solidarity with Palestine
Palestine flag waving in the wind
As an organization committed to racial and economic justice, with a particular aim of eliminating police and state violence from our society's response to mental and emotional distress, it is imperative for us to speak out against the current Israeli-led genocide of Palestinians in Gaza.
We hold much grief and pain for the great loss of innocent Israeli lives and the still imperiled hostages taken on October 7th. The violence that took place on that day was deeply painful in and of itself, and also brings up historical and intergenerational trauma of Jewish people in Israel and around the world. We reject the targeting of civilians and mourn the loss of all civilian lives.
We strongly condemn federal, state, and local government officials in the US cheerleading the seemingly endless bombardment of Gaza while simultaneously refusing to acknowledge the genocide of Palestinian peoples. We are resolute in our call for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza and an end to the longstanding occupation and blockade of Palestinian territories as well as the system of apartheid inflicted upon Palestinians.
As a multiracial group of therapists, lawyers, and community advocates living in the US, we are outraged by the use of our tax dollars to fund systematic violence that has oppressed Palestinians, and lent to unimaginable generational trauma. Just as we call for a shift in funding in Philadelphia away from violent systems and toward compassionate care for all people, we call for the same in Palestine and Israel.
The Philadelphia Police Department, like many US police departments, has participated in training initiatives with the Israeli Defense Force, the very same military that is waging this terrible violence. This only serves to illuminate the fact that our oppressions are all interconnected, and we strongly believe that justice and freedom for each of us is thus dependent upon the collective liberation of all.
We condemn the rise in Islamophobia and Antisemitism currently happening around the world, and commit to increasing our consciousness of these forms of hatred wherever we see them, including in movement spaces. We commit to allyship with our Muslim and Jewish siblings, and oppose all forms of Islamophobia and Antisemitism.
We will continue to work towards our particular aim of justice and the elimination of state violence in the mental healthcare system in Philadelphia while being in firm solidarity with those fighting for justice in Palestine, Israel, and the world over.