TAKOMA PARK, Md. -- The City Council passed a sweeping nuclear-free proposal that gives the city of 18,000 a special distinction in the nation's grass roots anti-nuclear movement.
Backers of the ordinance passed Monday say it makes Takoma Park the first city to prohibit its funds from being invested in any industry that produces nuclear weapons.
The ordinance also requires recipients of city contracts to certify they are not involved in the production of nuclear materials.
There are 32 other nuclear-free zones in the United States, but none has provisions that apply to a city's finances, according to the Takoma Park Nuclear Freeze Task Force.
In testimony before the vote, Joshua Leavy, 8, told the council he was scared to grow up on a planet that is threatened by a nuclear fireball. 'I am here to express my concern and the concern of my friends,' he said. 'We want to grow up on a peaceful planet.'
Representative from several groups, including the Democratic Socialists of America and the Psychologists for Social Responsibility, testified in support of the ordinance.
Joe Learner, a Takoma Park resident, spoke out against it. 'What happens if someone in the city of Takoma Park wants to design something to call the missiles back if they are fired? Are we going to prohibit that?' he asked.
The ordinance was introduced the day following the broadcast of the television movie 'The Day After,' which depicts the effects of nuclear war on Lawrence, Kan.
'The ordinance is appropriate following the 'The Day After' and is especially appropriate in that it falls during the city's centennial celebration,' said Councilman Carl Iddings, a cosponsor of the bill.
Takoma Park is the fourth such zone in Maryland, joining the Village of Wildlake in Columbia, Garrett Park and Sykesville.
