A. The intentional destruction of cities in war is the rule and not the exception.

B. State, national and international governmental bodies have failed to control war and in fact, have in many cases, been responsible for war and the conditions of war.

C. The wealth that could be spent to help the poor, heal the sick, house the homeless, educate the children, and care for the elderly is now spent on ever more costly weapons of mass destruction.

D. Peace is not a fictitious tranquil end-state, but the process of solving differences constructively, creatively, and non-violently.

E. Peace is inseparable from justice.

F. The present threat of nuclear or biological holocaust is not peace, but a condition of war against all humanity.

G. Initiatives are needed to reverse the drift toward war and to remove the causes of war.

H. Our best protection lies in initiating, devising, and promulgating peaceful and just policy alternatives.

I. Individual citizens, unless organized, are virtually powerless in confronting and influencing larger governmental bodies.

J. It is the responsibility of one and all to labor hard for peace and justice within forums of appropriate scale.

K. The residents of Berkeley have continually demonstrated their concern for peace and justice based on equality among all peoples.

L. The residents of Berkeley have welcomed to our City those who have been forced into exile, and who have come fleeing torture and death.

M. The Berkeley City Council, to act successfully in furthering peace and justice, must have wise counsel, accurate research, vigorous analysis, articulate formulation of issues and proposals for action, and thus the establishment of a Peace and Justice Commission is proper. (Ord. 5705-NS § 1, 1986)