Elected officials, beacons, and blind spots / Noisy Waters Northwest

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Click the graphic to access the Facebook event for the January 14, 2019 Monday Dignity Vigil at Bellingham City Hall

January 10, 2019 Dena Jensen

When I received a response email from Bellingham City Council Member Michael Lilliquist today, I had to think hard about whether or not I should publicly remark on it. It’s not like it was, in many ways, remarkable in comparison to the few other email responses I have received from him. In fact, some Bellingham City Council Members do not respond to me – ever – regarding my emails asking them to reach out and develop relationships with frontline and marginalized community members. Most of the time, I don’t even expect them to email me back. I just want them to take action.

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Whatcom County Sheriff receives Operation Stonegarden Grant funding in joint mission to secure U.S. borders / Noisy Waters Northwest

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kbfw rosalinda stonegarden

Click the graphic to access this Keep Bellingham Families Working Facebook post on their Facebook page

September 19, 2018   Dena Jensen

In light of our heightened awareness of threats to Whatcom County residents through the initiation of  deportation proceedings against immigrant’s rights activist and Bellingham resident Maru Mora-Villalpando in December of 2017, and the August 29, 2018 ICE raid against employees of the Bellingham location of Granite Precasting, I am going to try to shed some light on this Operation Stonegarden Grant funding that the Whatcom County Sheriff’s Office has been receiving for years now with the approval of the Whatcom County Council. Continue reading →

Court Slashes Fine for WA Farm Where Worker Died / Public News Service, Suzanne Potter

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public news service sarbanand hearing photo

Click the graphic to read or listen to the complete Public News Service report

 

June 20, 2018  Suzanne Potter

BELLINGHAM, Wash. – Farm-labor advocacy groups are furious after a District Court judge in Bellingham slashed the fine to $35,000 on Tuesday for a berry farm accused of unsafe working conditions, after a worker there collapsed and died last August.

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Bellingham: The City of Insidious Discrimination / Noisy Waters Northwest

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February 23, 2018  Dena Jensen

Monday February 19, 2018 was the one year anniversary of the Dignity Vigils in Bellingham, where community members have been gathering to stand in solidarity with undocumented and immigrant families and people as well as joining to stand against law enforcement and federal immigration collaboration which leads to deportation. These weekly events, part of the Keep Bellingham Families Working campaign, have been occurring every Monday during the lunch hour in front of civic buildings downtown, and often on Monday evenings at the WTA station on Railroad Avenue. Continue reading →

One Year Anniversary for Dignity Vigils in Bellingham / Letter to Bellingham City and Whatcom County Councils, Dena Jensen

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https://www.facebook.com/events/144972296180055/
http://sanfrancisco.cbslocal.com/2018/01/17/oakland-bans-cooperation-federal-immigration-agents-braces-for-ice-raids/

February 13, 2018  Dena Jensen

Dear Bellingham City Council and Whatcom County Council:

I am writing early this week to let you know that next week there will be a special Dignity Vigil honoring the one year anniversary of these vigils in downtown Bellingham held in solidarity with immigrant and undocumented people, and to stand against law enforcement and federal immigration collaboration which leads to deportation. I hope you will all plan on attending during any portion, or all of the 11:30 a.m.-1:00 p.m. time period. I will send you more details about next Monday’s vigil when they are available!:

https://www.facebook.com/events/144972296180055/ Continue reading →

On the Take / Salish Sea Maritime, Jay Taber

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[NWNW Admin’s Note: This post by Jay Taber on Salish Sea Maritime points us to some historical material with which to gain perspective on the current smear campaigns against Whatcom and Skagit County farm worker and immigrant advocacy groups like Community to Community Development and the farm worker union Familias Unidas por la Justicia, along with campaigns against grassroots social and environmental justice group, Redline Salish Sea, and the non-profit environmental advocacy group RE Sources for Sustainable Communities. 

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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 →

Elfo asks, why citizen oversight for community safety? Answers become apparent / Noisy Waters Northwest

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August 2, 2017  Dena Jensen

On Saturday July 22, 2017 Community to Community Development posted a live-feed of their Family Forum for Community Safety that was held that evening at the Bellingham Public Library.

Near the end of the event, the facilitator, Rosalinda Guillen of Community to Community Devolopment, explained why she was being direct and public with this discussion.  She said that people are concerned about the federal government finding ways to impose immigration regulations and to make the county sheriff comply with immigration enforcement. Whatcom County Sheriff Bill Elfo responded, indicating that federal officials had already tried to exert pressure and impose regulations, but that his sheriff’s office had said no and that they would continue to say no to federal mandates. Continue reading →