Open letter to Bellingham City Council / Victoria Matey and Maru Mora Villalpando

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Excerpt from the March 6, 2019 “Open letter to Bellingham City Council” by Victoria Matey and Maru Mora Villalpando

March 6, 2019 Victoria Matey and Maru Mora Villalpando

On February 25th, 2019 the City of Bellingham, in Washington State, reviewed the ordinance–#2017-02-008 and BMC Chapter 2.25 regarding immigration matters in the city. Two years ago, undocumented students and community members advised the city not to collaborate with federal immigration officials in order to make Bellingham a safer city for everyone by addressing racial profiling. Instead, the city passed an ordinance that not only dismissed everything the undocumented community was collectively working towards, but also passed an ordinance supposedly to protect the undocumented community with zero enforcement and accountability, and with no promise of keeping our community safe from immigration enforcement families being torn apart. 

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Homelessness is a human rights issue / Press release, Whatcom Human Rights Task Force

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Click the graphic to access this press release on the Whatcom Human Rights Task Force’s Facebook page

March 4, 2019 Press release, Whatcom Human Rights Task Force

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Homelessness is a human rights issue

Whatcom Human Rights Task Force calls on local officials and agencies to take consistent and deliberate action to address the homelessness crisis in Whatcom County now

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Some same old lines and some questionable progress on immigrant protection: notes on the 2/25/19 Bellingham City Council Justice Committee meeting / Noisy Waters Northwest

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Click the graphic to access video of the 2/25/29 Bellingham City Council Justice Committee meeting

It’s been two full years since the City of Bellingham abruptly pushed aside the Keep Bellingham Families Working ordinance in favor of approving their own ordinance regarding immigrant protection. In all that time there has been no amending of that ordinance or activation of civilian oversight or of a safe space to report discrimination or persecution.

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Notes on Whatcom County Council 1/15/19 discussion on repealing code regarding correctional facility standards / Noisy Waters Northwest

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Screenshot of files received through a Public Records Request of correctional standards, policy, and procedure materials that were provided to the Whatcom County Council by Whatcom County Undersheriff Jeff Parks at the 1/15/19 Criminal Justice and Public Safety Committee meeting

February 22, 2019 Dena Jensen

I have written a couple posts now on the part of the January 15, 2019 meeting of Whatcom County Council’s Criminal Justice and Public Safety Committee related to the Whatcom County Sheriff’s proposal to repeal and replace Whatcom County Code (WCC) 1.28 regarding correctional facility standards.

According to the documents supplied to the Council Members on the committee and the presentation given by Whatcom County Undersheriff Jeff Parks, the Title 289 Washington Administrative Code (WAC), which Whatcom County had adopted as WCC 1.28, had been deemed obsolete and was done away with in 2006.

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Sluggish and inadequate government response to local extreme weather threats to the unhoused / Facebook post, Sj Robson

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City of Bellingham Mayor Kelli Linville, left. Whatcom County Executive Jack Louws, right.

February 14, 2019 Sandy Robson

It is painful to witness the continued sluggish and inadequate response from the City of Bellingham and Whatcom County governments to the critical situation facing some unhoused/unsheltered people in Whatcom County during this current period of very cold weather and the accompanying build-up of snow.

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Council Members lead charge to immediately open emergency shelter in the Garden Room

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Whatcom County Council Member Barry Buchanan
Whatcom County Council Member Barbara Brenner

About 2 hours into the Whatcom County Council’s 1 p.m. meeting for their discussion regarding the possible opening of an emergency shelter, there was a wonderful and compelling public comment from one of our valued community members, that closed with asking the County Council (serving as the Board of Health at the meeting) what they were going to do about keeping people from freezing tonight, not sometime in the future.

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County Executive takes no immediate action to provide additional shelter space under extreme weather conditions / Facebook post, Sj Robson

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https://app.leg.wa.gov/rcw/default.aspx?cite=38.52.070

February 14, 2019 Sandy Robson

For almost two weeks now, advocates for unhoused people have been asking Whatcom County and City of Bellingham officials to open up additional shelter during the severe winter conditions our county has been enduring.

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Down the rabbit hole of requesting mail-in ballots for the March 26, 2019 Whatcom Conservation District board supervisor election / Facebook post, Sj Robson

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https://survey.whatcomcd.org/limesurvey/index.php/62682?newtest=Y&lang=en

February 6, 2019 Sandy Robson

First, and most importantly, the deadline for requesting mail-in ballots for the WCD election is February 8, 2019, by 4:00 PM. Here is a link to request a mail-in ballot. https://www.whatcomcd.org/board-elections

What follows is my rabbit hole report: This afternoon, February 6, I called the Whatcom County Auditor’s office to confirm exactly how my name is listed on my voter registration for Washington state. The reason I did that was because I had seen a friend’s Facebook post today reminding people to request a mail-in ballot from the Whatcom Conservation District (WCD) for its upcoming March 26 district supervisor board election.

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Community steps up, but people could still freeze in Bellingham and Whatcom County / Noisy Waters Northwest

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https://www.facebook.com/groups/WinterHavenTentEncampment/permalink/316039602591758/

February 4, 2019 Dena Jensen

Accuweather said that it got down to 18 degrees last night in Bellingham and tonight the low forecast is for 16 degrees. Below freezing nighttime temperatures are expected for the next few days. In such extreme conditions, people who don’t have houses or other shelter which provide warmth and protection are in extreme peril. It just takes some sudden bad fortune, like slipping on ice unexpectedly, or having your car/sleeping quarters window smashed, to bring on deathly outcomes.

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