At the start of this week, the Jewish community once more faced a terrorist attack as Mohamed Soliman allegedly targeted those participating in a "Run for Their Lives" in support of those taken hostage by Hamas on October 7, 2023. The attack took place in Boulder, Colorado. While the city council for the most part appears to have rallied around those affected, one member couldn't be bothered to sign a statement: Taishya Adams.
Marina Medvin highlighted over X the absence of Adams' name as well as the text of the statement, which is posted to the official Boulder website and is featured at the top banner of the homepage as part of the "Community Resources"
Boulder City Council put out a statement condemning the terror attack on Jews.
— Marina Medvin 🇺🇸 (@MarinaMedvin) June 3, 2025
Only one council member refused to sign on. Taishya Adams. pic.twitter.com/7cQ4qsCWGS
As the statement reads in full, before mentioning the signers:
As our community continues to reel from the act of violence and terror that occurred on our beloved Pearl Street Mall yesterday, we, as Boulder City Council members and city manager, acknowledge in the strongest possible terms that this was a targeted, antisemitic attack.
We stand in solidarity and sadness with those directly impacted by the attack as well as Boulder’s entire Jewish community. We are united in condemning this hateful act of terror against Jewish people.
The right of individuals to gather peacefully to express their viewpoints and show support for causes they care about is fundamental to democracy and a core tenet of our local values.
We are committed to doing all we can to help law enforcement and prosecutors bring the individual responsible for this heinous attack to justice. As such, we will refrain from any commentary or speculation about the suspect.
Instead, we choose to focus today on our Jewish community members who are in hospitals fighting for their lives and struggling to come to terms with deep physical and emotional injuries. They will have a long road to recovery, and we pledge to support them and their families in the ordeal ahead.
Terror is not just about causing pain and chaos in the moment. It is intended to sow division and create fear that lasts much longer than any single attack. We understand that for our Jewish community, dread and insecurity, backed by a history of persecution, are all too familiar. We cannot – and will not – allow antisemitism to become normalized here.
We resolve to continue to support our community through this challenging time.
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Adams has not been active on X since late 2021. However, she did offer a statement over LinkedIn and has been using Facebook, as was highlighted by the Daily Camera. She also sought to explain herself over Instagram.
As she mentioned in part in that statement:
What I felt the statement lacked was an acknowledgement that, based on his recorded comments, this was both an act of antisemitism and anti-Zionism. If we are to prevent future violence and additional attacks in our community, I believe we need to be real about the possible motivations for this heinous act. Denying our community the full truth about the attack denies us the ability to fully protect ourselves and each other.
This one change was not accepted by some council members, and due to work travel, I was unable to have conversations with my colleagues before the statement was released. I would have been eager to sign the statement if my colleagues could agree to my edit.
The Daily Camera also provided comments from the city council member, who further lamented that the statement did not include what she wanted it to say, as if to make it about herself. She also put out a rather odd Facebook comment.
As the outlet mentioned:
“I’m disappointed that there was an unwillingness to somehow not include the other key motivator,” Adams told the Daily Camera prior to issuing her statement. “When we exclude all of the reasons and rationale provided for this horrific and unacceptable act of violence, we leave our city vulnerable because we haven’t told them the full truth.”
Antisemitism refers to hatred of the Jewish people, whereas anti-Zionism is a belief that the creation of the Jewish state of Israel was, in some way, unjust.
Essentially, Adams said she believes it was important to include that the man’s actions appear to be fueled by both antisemitism and anti-Zionism.
Adams also responded to a Facebook comment early Tuesday morning and said, “Sadly I fear we will continue to see more vigilante justice if we do not allow our systems and institutions to follow and enforce the rule of law equally.”
That response drew criticism from users, with some criticizing her use of the phrase “vigilante justice.”
Adams said she understood how that phrasing could be misconstrued.
“I wanted to make the distinction between (antisemitism and anti-Zionism) — vigilantes tend to be people who are responding to the lack of accountability and so if they’re not getting justice (from) the systems like the U.N. … or Congress or whatever, they take it into their own hands. And I am vehemently against vigilante-type people,” Adams said in an interview.
The article does not mention that the vast majority of Jews are Zionists, thus believing in the idea that Jews deserve to have their own homeland in Israel. It's also worth asking that if Adams claims to have understood why people would criticize her phrasing, why did she make it?
That Adams did not sign onto such a statement is not exactly surprising, given that her profile page lists her as a "Sister City Liaison" in "Palestine." Her page also includes her pronouns.
Adams' refusal to sign her name to such a statement has garnered attention from Israeli outlets, such as The Times of Israel, in addition to other local Boulder outlets as well as national ones, like the Daily Mail. An article from the Daily Mail, "Meet Boulder's 'special liaison' to Palestine who clashes with Jewish constituents and thinks America has 'blood on its hands,'" not only references Adams' role as a "special liaison" in "Palestine," but also plenty of other ways in which Adams has demonstrated pro-Hamas views, including and especially since the October 7 attack that Hamas perpetrated against Israel.
The New York Times also referenced Adams and her refusal to sign such a statement in their lengthy coverage, "Before the Attack in Boulder, the Gaza War Consumed the City Council."
This may have something to do with it? pic.twitter.com/rOWAucVvvH
— Rebecca Downs🇺🇸🟦🇮🇱 (@RebeccaRoseGold) June 4, 2025
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