December 7, 2021

Assyrian Democrats of the Bay Area Resolution  

On Amah Mutsun Tribal Band and Protecting Juristac 

WHEREAS Assyrian Americans, who still carry the generations-deep scars of oppression, genocide, displacement, and marginalization in the countries of their ancestral origins in the Middle East, hence can fully relate to the history and struggles of Indigenous peoples of the United States; and 

WHEREAS the Amah Mutsun Tribal Band is composed of descendants of Indigenous peoples

who inhabited their ancestral lands in the Greater Monterey Bay region for thousands of years

and hundreds of generations before they were forcibly removed and taken to Missions San Juan Bautista and Santa Cruz; who experienced three periods of brutal colonization under Spanish, Mexican, and U.S. Californian rule; and

WHEREAS the creation story of the Amah Mutsun tells them that it is their responsibility to take care of Mother Earth and all living things, and the surviving descendants of the Amah Mutsun are working to restore their indigenous knowledge and practices so they can honor their ancestors, fulfill their sacred obligation to Creator and heal from their historic trauma; and

WHEREAS the Sargent Ranch Management Company has applied to the County of Santa

Clara (File #10747-15P), to obtain the permits necessary to commence operating a quarry that would severely harm Juristac: the most sacred ceremonial site of the Amah Mutsun, the traditional home of their spiritual leader, and the location of many tribal cultural resources; and

WHEREAS the proposed quarry threatens to disrupt the natural ecosystem in an area that has

remained relatively undeveloped for thousands of years, that is home to threatened and

endangered species, that is an important wildlife corridor connecting the Santa Cruz, Gabilan,

and Diablo Ranges, and that is situated within a sensitive watershed; therefore

BE IT RESOLVED that the Assyrian Democrats of the Bay Area as a voice of Progressives and Democrats in the Assyrian American community, supports the efforts by the Amah Mutsun Tribal Band to protect their most sacred ceremonial site, Juristac, to restore their culture, and to recover from their historic trauma; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Assyrian Democrats of the Bay Area urges the Santa

Clara County Board of Supervisors, Planning Commissioners, and other relevant government

agencies to affirm the cultural, spiritual, and conservation values of Juristac by denying Sargent Ranch Management Company the permits necessary to operate its proposed quarry; such action will also have wider implications internationally making it known that preservation of cultural,  spiritual and historical sites do matter.

Adopted by the Executive Board of Assyrian Democrats of the Bay Area, December 7, 2021