Bay Area community leaders shocked, concerned over Trump's airstrikes on Iran: 'We want peace'
SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) -- In Downtown San Francisco and across the Bay Area, there were concerns over President Donald Trump's airstrike on three nuclear sites in Iran on Saturday.
"We just want peace. We want diplomacy. We want peace," said Cynthia Papermaster, with the Bay Area Chapter of Code Pink. "Our security absolutely depends on all countries kind of cooperating together and not going on the attack like this. Especially when it involves nuclear power like this."
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The United States' entrance into the war between Iran and Israel caused pause for both communities in the Bay Area.
"Very shocking. There are a lot of unknowns right now. One is the impact on the people of Iran," said Ardavan Amini, a member of Bay Area 4 Iran. "There's not a lot of experience seeing a nuclear site bombed. So we don't know what kind of effect that will have on innocent people who live around those areas. We don't know what kind of political impact it will have on the government."
Meanwhile, the Bay Area Jewish community is also grappling with the potential impacts of the air strikes.
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"We have folks that agree and disagree with it, but the reality is we're most concerned about the civilian impact, and what this might mean for our families over there," said Tyler Gregory, the CEO of the Jewish Community Relations Council. "We're very concerned both about what it means for Israeli civilians, what it means for Iranians caught in the crossfire, as well as what the consequences are for our local community in light of the heightened security environment here in the Bay Area."
Meanwhile, back in downtown San Francisco, a call for diplomacy.
"Eventually, we get to negotiations between the parties," said Papermaster. "So, do it at the outset. so that people's lives are saved."
