Palm Desert to Consider Erecting Peace Pole

City Council to Consider Proposed Peace Pole Later This Month

PALM DESERT — Will this community be the next to embrace a Peace Pole? Time will tell as the City Council will have its first opportunity to weigh in on the issue on March 28.

Peace Poles have found homes in several Coachella Valley communities, including Cathedral City, Desert Hot Springs, Palm Springs, Mecca and Thermal. A Peace Pole has been dedicated at the Congressional Cemetery in Washington, D.C. There is also now one in Joshua Tree.

Because the City of Palm Desert greatly values input from its residents and stakeholders, the public is always welcomed and encouraged to speak during the public comment portion of City Council Meetings, Public Affairs Manager Thomas Soule told Uken Report. This is a crucial part of our democratic process, allowing for diverse perspectives to be heard and considered.

The opportunity for a Peace Pole in Palm Desert has not yet been presented to the City Council, nor has it been discussed by them. Following requested input from the Jewish Federation, the City Manager will bring an item to the March 28th Council meeting to discuss a potential revision of the wording on the Holocaust Memorial plaque, Soule said.

“Pending the clarification of what language would be included on the Peace Pole, the City Manager also plans to bring up this topic at that meeting. At that point, the City Council will have its first opportunity to weigh in on the proposed Peace Pole project,” Soule said

The Palm Desert Greens Democratic Club has donated $100 and endorsed the project, according to Tom Swann Hernandez, founder and president of Veterans for Peace Jon Castro Chapter 19.

Last year, the city of Twentynine Palms rejected a peace pole saying it was not compatible with its park system.

The Peace Pole will say “May Peace Prevail on Earth” in four languages plus a braille plate. The languages are English, Spanish, Hebrew and Arabic. Arabic is the language of the Palestinians.

Europe is involved in the first land war since World War II Swann Hernandez said. Thousands of people have been killed in Ukraine. Thousands of people have died in the war between Israel and Hamas. The Hamas attack in October killed the most Jews since the Holocaust. The Palestinians lose a child in the war in Gaza every eight minutes. The Virgin Mary at her monthly apparitions at Medjugorje has been telling her children to pray for peace.

There currently are more than 200,000 Peace Poles around the world in more than 180 countries.