July 4, 2009

Honorable Mohammad Baquer Qalibaf
Mayor of Tehran
Office of Tehran Municipality
Behesht Ave
Tehran
Islamic Republic of Iran

Dear Mr. Qalibaf,

My name is Sepi Richardson, Mayor of the City of Brisbane located in the San Francisco Bay Area, California. I have the distinct honor of being the First Persian American Elected Councilwoman and Mayor in the World. I am writing to you as one public servant to another and also as a an Iranian American.

Over the last ten days, I and the citizens of my community along with the citizens of the world have watched the events unfold in Tehran. We have seen protests by Citizens of Tehran and we have seen the harsh response by various elements including Tehran's Police towards these protests leading to loss of life and property.

In his speech, late President John F. Kennedy cited the following powerful quote: "The word crisis, when written in Chinese is composed of two characters, one represents danger and the other represents opportunity''. When w e took office as Mayors of our respective cities, we took an oath to protect our Citizens and their property. I know you are and will be doing whatever in your power to ensure the citizens of your city are protected. This is our opportunity to act and demonstrate our leadership. For Democracy to be truly meaningful, it must be put into practice. I want to express my concerns and those of my constituents for the basic rights of Iranian Citizens.

Mr. Mayor, the world is watching and history will judge us as we serve our sacred offices. I send you my sincere well wishes and prayers in these defining moments.

Sepi Richardson
Mayor
City Of Brisbane
California
United States of America