Letter to the People Dear Delegates, Welcome to VAMUN XL! We are so honored and excited to be hosting you over conference weekend. Considering all the craziness of the past year, we hope our committee can act as a refuge, carrying you out of the real world and into the lives of Danville citizens. I'm Avneet Chhabra, your Chair, and I'm a second-year student studying Politics and Economics. Upon entering the University, I decided to join UVA's very own travel team despite having zero experience, and it was one of the best choices I've ever made! I'm thrilled to be acting as Chair of the novice committee and encourage all newcomers to find the same joy in Model UN as I did. Outside of MUN, I love to cook, read, and go on long walks with friends around UVA's Grounds. We can't wait to virtually host this committee and see all the creative ways that you guys explore the Phineas and Ferb universe. Please reach out to us via email with any questions or concerns you may have! Avneet Chhabra [email protected] Letter to the People 1 Background Danville is a peaceful yet bustling major city in Jefferson County, located in the tri-state area with a population of 241,000. A geographic anomaly, Danville is just a car ride away from extensive forestry, beaches, lakes, and Mount Rush- more. It is governed via a mayorship, with the office being currently held by Roger Doofenshmirtz. Danville is home to a vibrant suburban community, with diverse families and friendly neighbors. Within these suburbs exists Maple Drive, an epicenter of young innovation and ruckus, led by Phineas Flynn and Ferb Fletcher within the Flynn-Fletcher household. Much of the craziness surrounding Maple Drive occurs in the summer sea- son, due to Phineas and Ferb, as well as other neighborhood children like Bal- jeet, Isabella, and Buford, hoping to fill in the long days away from school. Often, their endeavors include elaborate, life-sized and considerably dangerous construction projects. At the same time, the boys' pet platypus, Perry, serves as a secret agent for the O.W.C.A., or Organization Without a Cool Acronym, fighting against evils plaguing Danville like the work of Dr. Heinz Doofenshmirtz. The O.W.C.A. is a government agency intended to prevent evil scientists from wreaking havoc and succeeding with their diabolical plans. The organization is set up with human leadership and animals serving as agents. Daily operations are led by division leaders, who need only to contact the President in times of emergency. There are two known division leaders; Major Francis Monogram and Admiral Wanda Acronym. In this case, we will focus on the former as he is in charge of Background 2 Agent P's (Perry the Platypus) division, with the assistance of his intern, Carl. Agents are extensively trained, with expertise in disguise and various forms of martial arts. Each agent has their own nemesis, likely based on proximity to that agent's homebase. Agent P is one of the agency's most highly respected agents, whose nemesis is Dr. Heinz Doofenshmirtz. Much of Danville's peace and safety can be attributed to the work done by Agent P, who lives his days acting as your average house platypus to Phineas and Ferb. With Danville being such a large metropolis, it is inevitable that a power struggle would occur. Currently, the Tri-state area is facing trouble from three separate gangs, each of which are at odds with one another. The Danville Police Department, as well as many local citizens, have begun to worry about Danville's future if these gangs continue to destroy the city and its surrounding suburbs. Background 3 Topic One: Addressing the Increase in Organized Crime in the Tri-State Area Background Ever since the beginning of the year 2020, the Tri-State area has been in a deep state of peril. Three organized crime groups or \gangs" have managed to not only control many of Danville's politicians, but also silence the oppositional views against those in Danville's government. The Danville Police Department has been unable to identify the origins of these organized crime groups and has yet to locate specific members. In the year 2020, the three gangs have manipulated Danville's economy, held notable citizens hostage, and destroyed acres of land through battles amongst one another. What the Danville Police Department and the uncorrupt citizens of the Tri State area have realized is that the three gangs are clearly vying for control of the tri-state area as a whole, but each gang has a different reason for doing so. The Gangs Hate Handel Colors: Red and Black Logo: Smashed Drums In honor of Danville's very own celebrity boy-band, Love Handel, the first gang has adopted the name \Hate Handel." As of today, there is no evidence that any Love Handel members have any association with the group as all three members have spoken out denouncing the gang's name and actions. Hate Addressing the Increase in Organized Crime in the Tri-State Area 4 Handel dominates much of northern Danville which consists largely of the fi- nancial district and the wealthy suburbs. The gang often operates in broad daylight with members working undercover in some of Danville's top invest- ment banks like \Momo Sachs" and \Bank of Danville." It is rumoured that these undercover workers funnel enormous amounts of money to residents of the wealthy suburbs that have long controlled Love Handel. This committee must work diligently to end Hate Handels power, not only to free Love Han- del from association but to end the corruption and money laundering that is crushing Danville's economy and giving the one percent of Danville numerous tax-breaks. The Panda's Power Colors: Black and White Logo: Sharpened Bamboo This gang is believed to be controlled by Perry the Platypus's arch-nemesis Peter the Panda, hence the name \The Panda's Power." The Panda's Power dominates downtown Danville which includes the Mayor's office, the school board building, and other local government agencies. Many reports have been made to the Danville Police Department from Danville's top politicians because of threats they've received from the Panda's Power. In 2019, three local politi- cians went missing and still have not been found; however, evidence from each of the politicians' last known whereabouts show traces of the Panda's Power gang. The Danville Police department has concluded that some of Danville's top politicians are being blackmailed or have been bought out by the Panda's Addressing the Increase in Organized Crime in the Tri-State Area 5 Power to pass legislation that loosens property laws in Danville. Rumours state that Peter the Panda is vying for looser property laws in order for large Chinese corporations to slowly buy out land in order to have greater control in the area. This committee must stop the Panda's Power and Peter the Panda in his tracks to ensure that Danville's residents have control over their land and government. Fireside's Fury Colors: Orange and Brown Logo: Marshmallow on Fire This last gang was formed by ex-members of the Fireside Girls, a girl scout group that has called Danville home for ages. These ex-members who still remain anonymous are believed to have been removed from the Fireside Girls due to bad behavior and sociopathic tendencies. Feeling betrayed, the ex- members founded the Fireside's Fury, a gang which seeks daily to undermine any of the Danville society's progress or innovation. The Fireside's Fury recruits many of Danville's younger population and predominantly controls the poorer neighborhoods of the city which are located in the South. The Danville Police Department's records indicate multiple attacks by the Fireside's Fury on some of Danville's top science centers and factories. These attacks have even included bombings, one even destroying 20 acres of solar panels. This committee must destroy the Fireside's Fury to protect both Danville's youth and ensure that the city can return to thriving politically, economically, and socially. Addressing the Increase in Organized Crime in the Tri-State Area 6 Questions to Consider 1. Which of the three gangs should the committee aim to destroy first? 2. Would the committee consider cooperating with one of the gangs in order to destroy the two others? 3. Should the gangs be destroyed with military force or through social manip- ulation and undercover agents? 4. Is anyone in the committee secretly supporting these gangs? 5. What strategies can ensure the sufficient gathering of evidence for prosecu- tion? Questions to Consider 7 Topic Two: The Search for Perry the Platypus Background Phineas and Ferb's beloved pet platypus, Perry, has been reported missing in the Tri-State area. However, after further investigation by the Danville Police Department, many citizens have reported seeing Perry in an entirely different form than Phineas and Ferb have described. Certain residents like Dr. Doofenshmirtz noted that Perry often wears a fedora and walks on his hind legs only. Phineas and Ferb have publicly denied this claim and insist their pet is a completely normal platypus that is not involved in any sort of crime fighting whatsoever. These combatting descriptions have made it very difficult for the police department to conduct a thorough search through the city for Perry since they haven't been able to pinpoint which version of the platypus they are looking for. It is recommended that an official investigation is launched and the gangs and other parties are questioned for possible involvement.