You can run (for office), but you can’t hide: Documenting some nonpartisans’ partisanship / Facebook post, Sj Robson

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Republican recommendations 2016

3 hrs August 23, 2017  Sandy Robson

If you pay attention to local politics you probably know that in the 2016 general election, the Whatcom County Republican Party officially recommended then-candidate for President Donald J. Trump and his VP running mate, Mike Pence, on its 2016 “Republican Recommendations” list (shown in attached screenshot photo). And, even though many people have expressed disgust and anger with some, or most, of the Trump administrations’ actions thus far in his presidency, the Whatcom County Republican Party (known as the “Whatcom Republicans”) still displays, on its Whatcomgop.com website’s homepage, a graphic featuring the 2016 Trump/Pence logo with the “Make America Great Again” slogan alongside it.  Continue reading →

Bellingham’s ‘Fortress of Faith,’ listed as a hate group by the SPLC / Facebook post, Sj Robson

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splc Fortress of Faith

5:21pm  August 18, 2017  Sandy Robson

Recently, I learned of a group based in Bellingham that is classified by the Southern Policy Law Center as an anti-Muslim hate group. It’s name is the Fortress of Faith.

According to nonprofitfacts.com, the listed address for Fortress of Faith is 2501 Orleans St., Bellingham, WA. 98226. According to Superpages.com, that is the same street address for the Bellingham Baptist Church, which bills itself in that listing as, “The friendliest church in town.”

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Tell the County Council to Send the CAO Back For Revision / Facebook post, Whatcom Hawk, Wendy Harris

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WAC critical areas

August 16, 2017  Wendy Harris  Action

The [Whatcom] county staff and council are not including the proper legal standard for CAO [Critical Areas Ordinance] protection. We must protect critical areas and the ecosystems in which they are located against a net loss of ecological function and value. Instead, the county limits review to critical areas to the development site, and maybe a short distance beyond (I am not sure if this has been changed.)

Tell the county to follow the law. Continue reading →

Bellingham City Council, 8/14/17 Committee of the Whole discussion regarding renaming the Pickett Bridge / Noisy Waters Northwest

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april barker cob committee of the whole pickett

Click the graphic to access the 8/14/2017 Bellingham City Council Committee of the Whole meeting. Discussion regarding the Pickett Bridge starts at about 2:02:00 on the video.

August 15, 2017  Dena Jensen

At last night’s August 14, 2017 Bellingham City Council meeting, there was a brief discussion which touched on a bit longer discussion held earlier that day at Council’s Committee of the Whole meeting regarding renaming Bellingham’s Pickett Bridge.  Council Member April Barker said the issue is being raised due to constituent’s concerns that the name of the bridge “is celebrating a man who has a legacy of pro-slavery and had a strong alliance with the Confederate Army.”  In the summer 2015 The Bellingham Herald ran a story saying discussion of renaming of the bridge came forward when Community to Community Development and the Racial Justice Coalition, held a protest of crime-mapping software being considered by the Bellingham Police Department.  Pickett Bridge was the site of their protest.

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Gerald Baron’s incorrect characterization and marginalization of Community to Community and FUJ’s efforts / Facebook post, Sj Robson

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seattle times sarbanand

August 13, 2017  Sandy Robson

The August 12, Seattle Times article provided a good report on the recent events surrounding Sarbanand Farms and the tragic death of H-2A farm worker Honesto Silva Ibarra. However, in the article, local public relations guru Gerald Baron took an opportunity to defend Sarbanand Farms, and to hurl accusations at two local organizations which are trying to help the fired and displaced H-2A farm workers. Continue reading →

After Fellow Worker Dies, Guest Workers Take Action / Press Release, Community to Community Development

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c2c logo

August 7, 2017  Community to Community Development

Bellingham, WA- After learning of the death of fellow worker Ernesto Silva Ibarra, who requested medical care from his employer Sarbanand Farms and not receiving it, guest workers recently fired for trying to organize, will march tomorrow [Tuesday, August 8, 2017] to the company’s management office in Sumas to demand accountability for Ernesto’s death, as well as to demand pay of their owed wages, and renewal of their expired visas for which the company is responsible.  Continue reading →

2016 Racial discrimination charges received no apology from Taylor Shellfish; Lawsuit is now settled / Noisy Waters Northwest

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eeoc taylor 0717
August 5, 2016  Dena Jensen

It’s time we get the apology that Taylor Shellfish failed to offer when charges were originally brought against their company in September of 2016 for racial discrimination.

The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) found that former Taylor Shellfish employee Jeremy Daniels was called various racial slurs (noted in the EEOC press release linked to in the post) by his supervisor at Taylor Shellfish (based in Shelton and one of the largest producers of shellfish in the country) and was directed by management to ignore this discrimination. Continue reading →