Every year the City Council remembers the Armenian Genocide with a presentation in City Council Chambers. This morning I was pleased to welcome dignitaries from Los Angeles's active Armenian community to City Hall for this somber, but important occasion.
The attempt to exterminate a people and their culture became a model for all subsequent genocides in the 20th Century, including the Holocaust. During the Armenian Genocide, nearly 2 million Armenians were expelled from their homes. Only 500,000 survived and those who did were exiled from their historic homeland. Remembering this horrific time in world history will help us to ensure that it never happens again.