Press Release: 10/24/2023

Warren open letter

Dear Senator Warren,

We, the undersigned former staffers of the Warren for President campaign, write this letter while mourning the Palestinian and Israeli lives that have been lost in the past 13 days. We were horrified by the Hamas attack on October 7, and we are devastated for those who are dying as the Israeli army continues to commit unconscionable horrors in Gaza. Through our grief, we implore you to take action. You must demand an immediate ceasefire in Palestine and the return of Israeli hostages, and take concrete steps to end Israeli occupation. A child is killed every 15 minutes in Gaza — if you continue to be silent, you are complicit in this genocide.

In its attacks against Palestinians in Gaza, Israel has demonstrated a brazen disregard for human life — with some officials going as far as to make their genocidal intent public — and has broken international law repeatedly. Both the United Nations and the World Health Organization are calling for aid for the Palestinians trapped under rubble, without electricity, without food, without water. Major humanitarian organizations such as Doctors Without Borders and human rights organizations like Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch agree: the two million people in Gaza — half of whom are children — are experiencing collective punishment, and all people of conscience must call loudly and vociferously for a ceasefire.

Since October 7th, Israel has:

• Withheld access to water, food, electricity, and fuel, which constitutes collective punishment;


• Limited freedom of speech by preventing outside journalists from entering Gaza and cutting internet amidst an air siege on Gaza;


• Used white phosphorus on civilians, a serious violation of international humanitarian law;


• Forced displacement of an estimated 1.1 million Palestinians in Northern Gaza;


• Bombed Palestinians fleeing along the declared evacuation route in Northern Gaza;


• Bombed hospitals and ambulances;


• Refused to create a humanitarian corridor to provide food, water, and medicine to reach Gaza for 10 days during bombardment;


• Killed entire bloodlines, wiping over 20 families from Gaza’s civil records.

The United States cannot continue to give a blank check to the increasingly fascist Israeli government to commit war crimes and to continue to enforce the brutal apartheid, settler-colonial regime that has led to the devastating violence we are witnessing now. We are not alone in this point of view — across the country, tens of thousands of protestors, including your own constituents and supporters, are mourning, marching, and coming together to demand an end to Israeli oppression and violence.

We spent months, some of us years, fighting for you because we believed you shared our dream for the world to be a place in which every human being can live in dignity. Your lack of moral clarity in the face of the genocide of Palestinians is a direct contradiction of the values your campaign stood for. One of your last calls to action for us at the end of your presidential campaign was to “always choose to fight righteous fights.” We call on you to live up to your own words by demanding an immediate ceasefire, advocating for de-escalation, and addressing the root causes of the violence of the past 13 days — 75 years of brutal apartheid and occupation.

As former staffers who admire you for your courage and your willingness to challenge powerful entities for the common good, we implore you to take the following actions immediately:

1. Publicly call for an immediate ceasefire, put pressure on your colleagues and the Biden Administration to do the same, and introduce a ceasefire resolution in the Senate similar to the resolution introduced by Congresswoman Cori Bush;


2. Advocate for de-escalation in the region, including demanding that Hamas release all hostages, Israel release over 1,200 detainees — 99% of whom are Palestinians — being held without charge, and that the US end unconditional military aid to Israel;


3. Condemn Israeli violations of international law and call for independent investigations of human rights violations in Gaza.

Long term, we call on you to take the following actions:

1. Demand that the Israeli government lift the military siege on Gaza, which has made it uninhabitable;


2. Investigate whether Israel’s war on Gaza violates the Leahy Law, prohibiting U.S. military aid from funding foreign military units implicated in the commission of gross violations of human rights;


3. Oppose U.S. aid that funds the imprisonment and torture of Palestinian children, theft and demolition of Palestinian homes and property, and annexation of Palestinian land;


4. Oppose federal tax breaks for donations to settler organizations that actively fund the ongoing dispossession and expulsion of Palestinians;


5. Demand that the Israeli government end settlement expansion and return land to dispossessed Palestinian families in the West Bank;


6. Support Palestinians’ right to self-determination.

Ultimately, the only path to true freedom and safety for Israelis and Palestinians is immediate de-escalation and ending the occupation that led to this current nightmare. We can achieve a just peace only when Palestinians are free in their homeland and we recognize that the safety of the Jewish people — in Israel and around the world — is not predicated on the suffering of the Palestinian people.

Dream Big, Fight Hard,

Warren Alumni for Peace and Justice

Warren for President National HQ

Amelia C Montooth, Paid Media Strategist 

Anna Kelsey, Email Fundraising Associate

Basmah Nada, Post Production Manager, Video Team

Brett Andres, Later States Data Desk

Camonghne Felix, Head of Strategic Communications and Black Media

Carolina Zamora, Spanish Content Associate

Carter Kalchik, National Deputy Data and Analytics Director

Chelsey Cartwright, Southern Regional Political Director

Christine Vapsva, Email Organizing Production Coordinator

Colin Le, Product Manager

Connie Gao, Voter Engagement Analyst

Dana Larkin, National Advance Associate

Divya Samu, Senior Media Planner

Eliza Wiant, Grassroots Mobilization Team

Emma Dessau, Video Editor

Emma Friend, Distributed Events Manager

Ernie Britt, Deputy Director, Email Organizing 

Esther Chan, Lead Video Editor 

Gabriela Cid, Spanish Content Manager

Grace May, Policy Staff Manager

Grace Scoggin, National Distributed Organizer 

Helen Brosnan, Regional Political Director

Iram Ali, Senior Content Strategist

Isabel Farrington, Senior Video Producer

Izzy Zheng, Winter Organizing Intern

Jack Arnheiter, Digital Organizer

Jade Ngengi, National Distributed Organizer

Jasmine Bolton, Policy Analyst 

Joe Kent, Tech Lead

Joe Njoroge, Early States Data

Jonathan Jayes-Green, National Latinx Outreach Director 

Judy Su, Senior Designer

Julia Cohen, Fundraising

Julia Schultz, Software Engineer

Juliana Pajdo, Senior Media Strategist

Kate Hilts, Regional Mobilization Director

Katherine Swanson-Palmer, Senior Digital Organizing Strategist

Kiera Manser, Fundraising Producer 

Kohar, Video Producer 

Kunoor Ojha, States Organizing Director

Lana, Email Writer

Lee Sova-Claypool, Director of Influencer Engagement

Lili McFarlane, Media Strategist

Lizzie Heyboer, National Training Desk

Lydia Paver, Senior Research Associate

Maggie, Ad Ops Lead

Marina Sullivan, Digital Organizer

Mary Lou Akai-Ferguson, Asian American Pacific Islander Outreach Dir

Matteo Banerjee, Senior Software Engineer

Matthew Blizek, Deputy Training Director 

Max Berger, Director of Progressive Outreach 

Michele Gilliam, National Deputy Political Director

Mikala Paula Cohen , Media Strategist

Misha, Deputy Director of Surrogates 

Molly Broderick , Legal Research Fellow 

Monica Masiello, Short Code Production Coordinator

Nadia Semmar, Distributed Organizer

Natalie Green, Community Manager

Olivia Robinson, State Data Lead

Paola Rolon, Deputy Social Media Director 

Priya Millward, Social Media Organizer

Rabiah Elisa, Director of Online Engagement

Rachel Funk, Lead Fundraising Analyst 

Rachel Wishnie-Edwards, Late States Data Desk

Raquel Breternitz, Design Director

Shannon Cooke, Travel Desk

Sophie Ota , Grassroots Fundraising and Social Content Manager

Spencer Neiman, National Texting Manager

Tisya Mavuram, Fundraising Associate

Victoria Adams, Product Design Lead

André Crombie, Deputy Early States Director

Ben O’Keefe, Senior Creative Lead

Cory Beaudoin, Regional IT Manager

Cynthia Carrizales, National Press Assistant

Eric Ziminsky, Senior Designer

Kayla Marquez, National Distributed Organizer

Tazmin Kaldhusdal , Research Associate

Annie, Research Associate

Davis Leonard, Digital Correspondence Manager

Kristin Turner, Director, Ballot Access & Voter Protection

Miranda, Legal Research Associate

Patrick Higgins, Software Engineer

Harman Droge, National Distributed Organizing Phones Director

Erin Purdie, Senior Research Associate

Michelle Butler, National Training Team Associate

Jace Ritchey, National Organizing Advance Lead

Jason Katz-Brown, Software Engineer

Rizalina Hernández, Designer

Morgan Searcy, Designer

Rodney Smith, Direct Mail Manager

Nicole Jevons, Travel Coordinator for HQ Operations Team

Alabama

T. Iman Packer, Organizing Director

Austin Noble, Regional Organizing Director

Arizona

Bren Pantilione, Arizona Organizing Director 

Emily Kate Copenhaver, Regional Organizing Director

Abigail Luminiarek, Regional Organizing Director

California

Anthony Galace, Community Organizer

Ciara Simonian, Field Organizer

Eric Babb, Training Associate

Israel Molina, Training Associate

Kristy Boer, Training Associate

Laura Mannino, Field Organizer

Michaela Alexandra, Mobilization Director

Nayeli Maxson Velazquez, Regional Organizing Director (SF Bay Area)

Pamela Gidwani, Training Associate

Pedro Lira, Norther California Organizing Director

Violeta Aguilar-Wyrick, Regional Organizing Director

Lavianna Felder, Southern California Organizing Director

Jenna Buchwach, Community Organizer

Kevin Scott, Field Organizer

Michael Barth, Field Organizer

Alicia Nichols-Gonzalez, Regional Organizing Director 

Beryl Lewis , Mobilization Hub Manager

Colorado

Adrastos Da Silva, Field Organizer

LuTisha Buckner, Mobilization Hub Field Organizer

Florida

Aida Mackic, Organizing Director 

Emily Frost, Deputy Organizing Director

Jaime A. Lopez, Mobilization Director

Kevin O’Hare, Regional Organizing Director 

Salvatore Vieira, Field Organizer

Devan Cheaves, Training Director

Jasmen Rogers, Statewide Black/AfAm Outreach Director

Whitney Murray Brown, Community Organizer

Ant Avila, Field Organizer

Illinois

Becca Litt , Field Organizer 

Catherine Valdez Doyle, Organizer 

David Guirgis, Field Organizer

Dennis Granados, Latinx Community Organizer 

Devon Simonne Carlton, Field Organizer 

M Daugherty, Field Organizer

Nicole Gray, Regional Organizing Director

Tori Hill, Field Organizer

Vida Rangel, JD, Organizer

Erica Sagrans, Illinois Mobilization Director

Nura Zaki, Regional Organizing Director

Iowa

Aeshna Sarkar, Field Organizer

Agatha Fenech, Organizer

Ale Gomez , Field Organizer

Alessandro Clark-Ansani, Organizer

Alex Teodorescu, Field Organizer

Allison Hunt, Field Organizer 

Ana Hall, Organizer

Andrew Wasson, Field Organizer

Anna Navin, Field Organizer

Annika Cole, Organizer

Arden Levy, Field Organizer

Aria Snedegar, Field Organizer

Ashley Brennan, Organizer

Ben Donnelly-Fine, GOTC Organizer

BJ Nadig, Field Organizer 

Bobby Bauch, Training Director

Brandon Katz, Field Organizer

Brian Gregory, Organizer 

Bryce Peppers, Field Organizer

Caitlin Wilson, Organizing Intern

Camryn Hicks, Organizer

Caroline, Field Organizer

Catherine Miller, Field Organizer

Cecilia Bernard, Organizer 

Chelsea Carrier, Deputy Organizing Director

Eliza Fox, Field Organizer

Emily Curtis, Field Organizer

Emma Dinneen, Intern

Emma Welsh-Huggins, Digital Director

Graham Bishai, Field Organizer

Haley Dansby, Organizer

Hanna Haddad, Deputy Data Director

Harry Goldfisher, Field Organizer

Harry Walton, Field Organizer

Heather Ayer, Field Organizer

Herb Meisner, Field Organizer 

Isabel Alter, Organizer 

Jackson Ave, Field Organizer

Jarae Hines, Organizer

Juliana Amin, Organizing Director

Kaitlin Menzie, Iowa Deputy Data Director 

Kevin Nash, Organizer

Lexi Kennard, Scheduling and Political Assistant 

Lynsey Hart, Field Organizer

Lindsey Rayner, Field Organizer

Madeline A, Field Organizer

Madeleine Moore, Field Organizer

Maggie Kennedy, Field Organizer

Marcos Descalzi, Organizer

Marselena Romero, Field Organizer

Maya Handa, Iowa Digital Tools Manager 

McKenzie Burton, Field Organizer

Morgan Sperry, Organizer 

Nelowfar Ahmadi, Field Organizer

Ngakay Wong , Field Organizer

Nicole Danberg, Organizer

Nora Gunning, Field Organizer

Olivia Ellis, Organizer

Owen Elrifi, Field Organizer

Parker Houston, Organizer

Patty Matos, Field Organizer

Quemars Ahmed, Organizer

Quinn Dunlea, Out of State Director

Rachel Cowell, Deputy Organizing Director

Rachel Risoleo , Field Organizer

Raquel S., Field Organizer

Raven Bradfield, Organizer

Sabina Dirienzo, GOTC Organizer

Sam Blatt, Field Organizer 

Samantha Kovacs, Regional Special Projects Director

Sandy Henshaw-Greene, Field Organizer

Savannah Fritz, Intern

Shelby Fisher, Out of State Volunteer Coordinator

Shivani Desai , Field Organizer 

Sonia Schlesinger, Organizer

Sonia Storck, Field Organizer

Sophia Passacantando, Digital Press Assistant 

Stephanie Medina, Regional Political Director

Stephen Bauer, Field Organizer

Stevie Harrington, Field Organizer

Sydney Gass, Field Organizer

Taylor Nelson, Field Organizer

Trenton Seubert, Iowa Youth Vote Director

Zoe Tran, Field Organizer

Alexis Salcedo, Field Organizer

Brent Efron, Field Organizer

Maya Benson, Field Organizer

Sarah C, Field Organizer

Cale Lockhart, Organizer

Madeline Sinovic, Field Organizer

Kalie McGuire, Field Organizer

Elizabeth Marino, Organizing Intern

G Clay Miller, Field Organizer 

Greg Self, Field Organizer

Jonathan Jarmon, Iowa African American Outreach 

Julian Iriarte, Field Organizer

Matthew Felsenfeld, Organizer

Olivia Glen-Rayner, Field Organizer

Danny Finley, Organizer

Betsy Butcher, Field Organizer

Misora Enslein, Field Organizer 

Sarah Fellman, Regional Special Projects Director

Walker Cook, Organizing Intern

Libby Kernahan, Organizing Intern

Karla Galvan, Digital Programs Manager

Connor Duff, Field Organizer

Priya Mehta, Field Organizer

Maine

Jacqueline Merrill, Regional Organizing Director

Massachusetts

Anthony Collins, Mobilization Hub Manager

Elliot Richardson, Regional Organizer / MA Campus Organizer

Erin Quinnan, Regional Organizer 

Ryan Schaefer, Mobilization Hub Organizer

Zack Mooney, Organizing Director

Kelvin Green II, Regional Organizer

Michigan

Abigail Sokoll, Organizer

Julie Thompson, Michigan Mobilization Director

Kortni Malone, Community Organizing Director

LaMar Thompson-Hightower, LMSW, Black/Af Am Community Organizer

Callie Bruley, Training Director

Quentin Turner, Regional Organizing Director 

Sarah Murphy, Field Organizer

Minnesota

Ashley Bair, Field Organizer

Kathleen Cole, Training Director

Rita Farmer, Mobilization Hub Field Organizer

Mississippi

Nic Nichols, Organizer

Jon Clancy, Organizing Director

Missouri

Morgan Lowe, Community Organizer

Nevada

Alison Erdmann, Field Organizer 

Blanca Ortiz, Organizer

Casey Wong, Field Organizer

Cassidy Chassagne, Regional Organizing Director 

Catherine Forthofer, Field Organizer 

Christopher Yamas, Field Organizer

Eileen Eady, Field Organizer 

Gabbie Syed, Field Organizer

Itzel Rios-Vega, Field Organizer 

Jodi Helsel, Field Organizer

Lizzy Ganssle, Field Organizer

Marcus Manbat, Field Organizer

Nick Steele , Field organizer

Olivia Komanduri, Organizer

Oriana Shulevitz Rosado, Field Organizer

Ryan Kearney, Field Organizer

Samyuktha Mahadevan, Field Organizer

Selena Santiago, Field Organizer

Shasun Sulur, Field Organizer

Jazmín Cortez, Field Organizer

Nnedi Stephens, Regional Political Director

Robin Blue, Field Organizer

Maria Paglieri, Field Organizer

Craig Bakerjian, Field Organizer

Alex Guy, Regional Organizing Director

Rebecca Brubaker, Digital Organizer

New Hampshire

Abby Cox, Campus Organizer

Ally Benjamin, Field Organizer

Amanda Knightly, Organizer

Avery M, Field Intern

Bryn Hammarberg, Organizer

Casey Accardi, Organizer

Cassie Castro, Field Organizer

Christina Warriner, Regional Organizing Director 

Claire Cheramie, Regional Political Director

Claudine Cho, Field Organizer

Colleen Olsen, Field organizer

Elice Rojas-Cruz, Digital Organizing Director

Jackie Rothmeier, Organizer and Union Steward

Jane Chung, Organizer

Javi Garcia, Field Organizer 

Jillian Singer, Organizer

Maria Dieters, Regional Organizing Director

Marlee Bird, Field Organizer

Melissa Mejia, Organizer

Morgan Stahr, Organizer 

Rebecca Day, Organizer

Shan Morrell, Organizer 

Timothy LaRose, Field Organizer

Emma Mintz, Field Organizer

John Mellow, New Hampshire Data Director

Ian Gonzalez, Organizer

Martha Willey, Field Organizer

Olivia Brochu, Campus Organizer

Tessa Kaneene, Deputy Director of Voter Contact

North Carolina

Alexandria Coburn, State Director

Dominique Waters, Field Organizer

Clayton Robinson, Field Organizer

Sam Stites, Field Organizer

Gabe Cartagena, Regional Community Organizer

Mia Ives-Rublee, Community Regional Organizing Director

Isabella Fleenor, Organizer

Loren Whitaker , Constituency Organizer 

Trey Roberts, Community Organizer

Francisco Garcia-Luna, Community Regional Organizing Director

Ohio

Courtney Flynn, Regional Organizing Director

Pennsylvania

Rachel Tait, Mobilization Hub Manager

Anne Wakabayashi , Senior Advisor for Pennsylvania

Olyvia Armstrong, Mobilization Hub Organizer

South Carolina

Eli V, Regional Organizing Director

Hannah Shepard, Field Organizer 

Hope Basil, Regional Organizing Director 

Tonianne Beals, Field Organizer

Michael Gesme, Field Organizer

Joel E. Emerson, Voter Contact Program Director

Kelsey Moore, Field Organizer

Leila Mohaideen, Digital Press Secretary

Stephanie, Operations Director

Auburn Wideman, Regional Political Director

Shaila Bornstein, Field Organizer

Tennessee

Cody Pruitt, Regional Organizing Director

Texas

Billy Poer, Regional Organizing Director

Natalie Marquez, Field Organizer

Valerie Ramos, Field Organizer

Chris Robles, Community Organizer

Jess Moore Matthews, Mobilization Director

Elizabeth Kloser, Texas Data Director

Emma Niewald, Regional Organizing Director, Dallas

Utah

Sydney Butler, Organizer

Virginia

Alexis Conavay, Training Director 

Maddie Abbott, Regional Organizing Director

Megha Upadhyaya, Constituency Organizer

Rylie Cooper, Regional Organizing Director

Sara Sanatkar, Organizer

Sarah Flourance, Organizer

Washington

Abigail Clauson-Wolf, Field Organizer

Anna Carlson, Field Organizer

Emma Mudd, Field Organizer

Felipe Rodriguez-Flores, Community Organizer

Hana Mahmud, Field Organizer

Ian Nickel, Field Organizer/Native Outreach 

Joanna Liu, State Data Director

Maria Oyama Leininger, State Director

Nicholai Rosoff, Regional Organizing Director

Dylan Cate, Deputy State Director, WA

Cacima Lee, Regional Organizing Director

Seferiana Day, Community Organizing Director