Mayor Gordo Issues Proclamation Recognizing Armenian Genocide

Mayor Victor Gordo issued a proclamation recognizing the Armenian Genocide.

The genocide, or the Great Crime as it is known among Armenians, began in 1915. Over the next years, 1.5 million Armenians had been hanged, poisoned, drowned or marched into the desert to die at the hands of soldiers from the Turkish Ottoman Empire. Along with the Jewish Holocaust and the enslavement of African Americans, it remains one of the darkest episodes in human history.

Gordo said we should always remember a chapter of our shared human history that must never be forgotten.

“In Pasadena, we stand united with our Armenian brothers and sisters. We honor the memory of those who were lost,” Gordo said. “And we reaffirm our collective responsibility—to speak truth, to combat denial, and to ensure that such atrocities never happen again.

“Let this remembrance be more than a reflection on the past. Let it be a call to build a future grounded in justice, compassion, and enduring peace.

“On behalf of the City Council, I proclaim April 24, 2025, as a Day of Remembrance of the Armenian Genocide in the City of Pasadena.”

Gordo made the proclamation at last week’s City Council meeting. There is no meeting before Arpil 24 which commemorates the Genocide.

The City has no events planned to commemorate the events.

The Armenian community in Pasadena began to form in the early 20th century. By 1923, there were an estimated 2,500-3,000 Armenians in the city, many of whom were survivors of the Great Crime.

“The scars are not healed. The wounds are still festering, and the suffering is real. Today, the trauma, the pain continues,” said Former Mayor Bill Paparian in a guest opinion in Pasadena Now. “We are still haunted by the emptiness that comes from losing entire families. When a loved one disappears, the disappearance lasts forever.”

The Turkish government vehemently denies the event took place, and for decades Congress and the White House under Democrats and Republicans did not acknowledge the tragic events for decades.

As a presidential candidate in 2008, President Barack Obama promised to recognize the event as historical fact, but time and time again he passed up the chance to do so including 2015 which commemorated the 100th anniversary of the Armenian holocaust.

Biden recognized the Great Crime in 2021.

“Whereas, as a community, it is appropriate for us to stand together and join our Armenian brothers and sisters in an effort to memorialize their fallen ancestors and to ensure that this horrible act is not repeated; and whereas, as we remember the past, let us also dedicate ourselves to building a greater future, as a testament to mankind’s indomitable spirit;