September 17, 2023 Dena Jensen
It’s unfortunate and disappointing that ballot measure sales tax proponents Peter Frazier and Stephen Gockley are making some misleading and inaccurate assertions such as the ones below from sections of their September 15, 2023 guest commentary, “Voters can have both: a safe jail and more treatment,” in Cascadia Daily News:
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September 14, 2023 Dena Jensen
From a recently closed Whatcom County Request for Proposal (RFP): “The County and the City would consider making additional funding available to support the operation of a continuous Winter Shelter, if necessary.”
“…if necessary”??? What kind of language is this after years of brutality to many community members otherwise left to sleep outside during winter?
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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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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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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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July 26, 2023 Dena Jensen
Last month a number of local political organizations were engaging with candidates running for office in the November 2023 election who were seeking those groups’ endorsements. On June 10, I attended the meeting of the 42nd Legislative District Democrats to hear the statements of those candidates who were present.
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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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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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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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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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noisy waters northwest 
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