At midnight on March 6, dueling chants of “shame” and “cease-fire now” erupted from citizens in the public seating area and in the hallways of city hall.

Council President Michael Colon could barely be heard telling everyone, “We have a motion to adjourn the meeting.”

In the middle of the room, Bethlehem City Police Chief Michelle Kott is doing her best to keep everyone safe and calm.

It was the climax of a very tense and emotional five-hour meeting, in which residents representing the positions of both sides of the Israel-Hamas War pleaded with council to listen to their constituents and take a stand.

Over 200 people, mostly students from across the Lehigh Valley, had gathered on Payrow Plaza before the start of council. Many voiced their disappointment that a motion calling for a cease fire was not placed on the evening’s agenda, something promised to them two weeks earlier.

Colon opened council by addressing their concerns.

Explaining much had changed since the last meeting, including high level elected officials such as U.S. Rep. Susan Wild and President Joe Biden calling for an end to violence in Gaza, council agreed on sending a letter expressing the views of their constituents, and condemning the violence.

It was clear that to those present, this was not an acceptable response to their calls for action.

Over the next five hours, Mayor William Reynolds and council members heard 56 individuals bring home the message about how events unfolding on another continent were directly impacting them.

The events of Oct. 7, where Hamas attacked Israel and the later responded, starting the war in Gaza was often referred to throughout the night by both supporters of both sides of the war. Some equated it to genocide, while others spoke of the Holocaust and protecting Israel.

Several Jewish people spoke in support of their Arab “cousins,” and many spoke of the rise of anti-Semitism and anti-Muslim sentiment.

A few spoke of the innocent children caught in the crossfire, with one speaker giving council members pictures of alleged young victims of the war.

Personal testimonies of loss of family and friends in wars in the region over the years were the most compelling as emotions ran high.

At one point, a Moravian University student challenged the mayor for not taking a stand and even saying the word “cease fire” at Feb. 20 meeting.

Throughout the night, accusations were voiced to Colon about shows of disrespect and intolerance toward some of the speakers at the podium.

Kott stepped in a few times to calm things down, while two of her officers stood guard at each side of the council table.

At the end of public comments, Council Solicitor Stephanie Steward started to explain the Sunshine Act and the rules of advertising for anything to be voted on by council. She was drowned out within moments by the chants of “shame” and “cease-fire now.”

As everyone left Town Hall, a small group gathered on Payrow Plaza to hear Lehigh County Commissioner John Irons speak of the need for peace and a cease fire in the region.

City Council’s next meeting is scheduled for March 19.