What percent of a new tax would go to a Whatcom jail?: officials don’t know yet / Noisy Waters Northwest

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August 16, 2023 Dena Jensen

[Editor’s Note: The original blog post contained only two emails sent to and from myself and Jed Holmes on August 16, 2023. Below the copies of those emails included in this post, I have provided an update with two additional emails between myself and Mr. Holmes from August 17, 2023]

The following statement by Jed Holmes, Community Outreach Facilitatory for the Whatcom County Executive’s office, is something we have been missing regarding the 2023 Whatcom County ballot measure sales tax related to a new jail and other Justice Project projects that we will be voting on in November:

“The revenue scenario and allocation plan presented here should not be confused with a spending plan. Actual revenues received, recommendations of the advisory bodies contemplated in the ordinance, and decisions of future County Councils will ultimately determine how revenues from the new sales and use tax are spent.”

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Lack of places to which LEAD can lead: Task Force members / Letter to the Whatcom County Incarceration Prevention and Reduction Task Force

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August 7, 2023 Dena Jensen

Sent: Monday, August 7, 2023, 04:11:24 PM PDT

Subject: Regarding 2E2SSB 5536 and the LEAD program

Dear Incarceration Prevention and Reduction Task Force:


I am writing related to the portion on your July 17, 2023 meeting where there was a brief discussion of the changes in state legislation – specifically 2E2SSB 5536, on controlled substances, possession, and treatment.

It is noteworthy to me that I am hearing a continued focus on the Law Enforcement Assisted Diversion (LEAD) program when some government bodies are speaking of services to address dangers posed by public drug use and possession. This has been the case at Bellingham City Council meetings surrounding both their own legislation outlawing public use of controlled substances in Bellingham that was passed back in April, and their more recent adoption of the state legislation. 

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‘What we’re trying to say is that there is a built-in exclusion’: Bellingham Immigration Advisory Board member / Noisy Waters Northwest

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Click the graphic to access Community Voz podcasts, including the episode, “The Uses of Anger – IAB Update”

August 4, 2023 Dena Jensen

I listened to this great episode of the Community Voz podcast yesterday that brings up such valuable points related to oppressed and marginalized communities. Here is the link where you can find the episode “The Uses of Anger – IAB Update”: https://www.foodjustice.org/community-voz-radio

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What if long-term homeless solutions are increasingly too little too late? / Noisy Waters Northwest

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Click the image to access nightly Base Camp shelter numbers on the Lighthouse Mission Ministries website

July 28, 2023 Dena Jensen

After about a month of nights where beds were not quite filled up at Base Camp, numbers have been back up near capacity (and above) this week. 

I realize that people are working on putting things in place for services that may possibly emerge in the future, but severe weather season starts in three months and I want to point out a list of things that have been happening this year, some of them in the last few months, some in the last few weeks, and some loom ahead as possible in the future.  

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Seth Fleetwood: keeping up or falling behind with homeless services? / Noisy Waters Northwest

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https://www.whatcomcounty.us/DocumentCenter/View/75702/2023-PIT-Count-Report?bidId=
https://noisywatersnw.com/2021/07/29/chapter-two-city-staff-and-the-mayor-whatcom-barriers-to-equity-a-review-for-2021-candidates-noisy-waters-northwest/

July 22, 2023 Dena Jensen

For folks who are receiving campaign literature with claims like this one of current Bellingham Mayor Seth Fleetwood’s, “Sustaining and expanding shelters, with a threefold increase in facilities for our unhoused population.” >>>>>>> 

Be sure and do your homework to prevent yourself having illusions of grand services being provided without context for what terms like “threefold increase” really mean related to benefits to the community. In other words, does this mean are we actually getting ahead or falling behind in getting folks into stable living situations?

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Indefensible injustice in Whatcom County: no end in sight to public defender shortage / Noisy Waters Northwest

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Click the image of a YouTube video screen to access a portion of the recording of the July 6, 2023 Whatcom County Incarceration Prevention and Reduction Task Force Steering Committee meeting discussion of the shortage of public defenders

July 16, 2023 Dena Jensen

In a Bellingham Herald article back in mid-May this year, Denver Pratt had reported on the local shortage of defense lawyers during that timing when Whatcom County was waiting for a public defender to be named.

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2023 Opportunity Council update to Whatcom County Council on 22 North / Noisy Waters Northwest

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July 14, 2023 Dena Jensen

At yesterday’s Whatcom County Council Public Works and Health Committee meeting, there was a presentation from the Opportunity Council on the status of the 22 North 40-unit apartments that are aimed at providing permanent supportive housing. The presentation comes about a year after the County approved funding in the interest of significantly improving services to the residents, as well as their hopes of reducing crime and disturbance to neighbors in the area. 

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Public hearing on jail-first sales tax coming up on 7/11/23 / Noisy Waters Northwest

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July 7, 2023 Dena Jensen

There are two public hearings scheduled for the Tuesday 7/11/23 Whatcom County Council meeting. The one for the sales tax for the jail and services comes first. (The second is about Nooksack River tubing regulations to better protect endangered-species-listed salmon). Here’s the link to the Council meeting agenda: https://whatcom.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=A&ID=1007093&GUID=EB6D8780-A7ED-41A1-B94C-DAFDD2B40057

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Whatcom proposed sales tax revenue won’t fund crisis relief center first / Noisy Waters Northwest

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July 5, 2023 Dena Jensen

I am almost done listening to the Bellingham City Council’s 6/26/23 Committee of the Whole meeting. That’s the one where they were having discussions about adopting the state legislation making drug possession and public use a gross misdemeanor (which I’m going to talk about in a later post) and about the City Council’s “Resolution Affirming the City of Bellingham Values with Regard to the Proposed Ballot Measure for the Purpose of Providing Funds for Costs of Public Health, Safety and Justice Facilities and Services, Including Behavioral Health, Housing, Public Safety, and Criminal Justice Facilities and Programs.” 

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