March 14, 2023 Press release, Community to Community Development
For Immediate Release:
For a Just and Resilient Food System, Nothing about us without us! Farmworkers hold their 10th Annual Farmworker Tribunal at the Capitol
OLYMPIA, WASHINGTON – Community to Community and Familias Unidas por la Justicia hold their 10th Annual Farmworker Tribunal at the State Capitol today in Cherberg JAC at 1:30 pm. The tribunal is an opportunity for lawmakers and allies to witness the power, vision, and self-determination of the Farmworker Movement.
On February 21, 2021 Whatcom County Council voted 7-0 to approve a resolution accepting the the Justice Project Needs Assessment Report. The report includes many recommendations developed during the Stakeholder Advisory Committee needs assessment process, including one to “build a new jail.” The County will now be moving forward with an implementation plan. The resolution states that part of the plan will be efforts to hear our input.
Time to call on Whatcom County Council Members to be proactive in making sheltering a priority. Contact info is at the bottom of this post.
With forecasted lows in the 20s starting to show up for next week this time, it’s all the more relevant to consider the on-the-fly severe weather shelter update that Whatcom County Health Department’s Community Health and Services Manager Ann Beck gave to Whatcom County Council’s 2/7/23 Finance and Administrative Services Committee which I’m including in this post.
The latter portion of this post contains the more detailed remarks, which included the statement in the graphic on this post, that were made at the 12/15/22 Justice Project Stakeholder Advisory Committee meeting by the Director of Whatcom County’s Public Defender’s Office Starck Follis.
Subject: Update on previous email related to information and activation for accessible severe weather sheltering
Dear Whatcom County Health Department, Whatcom County Council, and Whatcom County Executive Sidhu:
Below my signature line, I am including a copy of the email I sent you earlier today regarding information on the County website and various social media pages related to severe weather shelters being available.
I wanted to write again on a related matter having to do with the recording on the night by night shelter hotline, at 360-788-7983.
Included in this post are some important points to consider regarding questions and input for the Whatcom County Justice Project (jail and services) Town Hall Listening Session on November 15th at 6:00pm. Click here to join via Zoom or attend in person at 311 Grand Avenue, Bellingham, WA 98225.
I spent the time-changed hour “early” that I woke up today thinking about moldy kitchen and bathroom ceilings in the Whatcom County Jail, and encampment sweeps happening in Bellingham when our one 24/7 emergency shelter in the County is full. I thought about how legal codes and laws are being broken by officials month after month and year after year.
Click the screenshot of a NEWS webpage on the website of the United States Interagency Council on Homelessness to read the statement from USICH Director Olivet, “Collaborate, Don’t Criminalize: How Communities Can Effectively and Humanely Address Homelessness”
Keep sharing the things you learn and observe with our officials that will help result in more and better services for our community members who are in crisis or are in danger of being so.
Here is an email I sent this evening to the Whatcom County Council and the County Executive:
Sent: Tuesday, October 18, 2022, 05:31:04 PM PDT
Subject: Services needed to address more regular occurrence of severe smoke events
Dear Whatcom County Council, and County Executive Sidhu:
I have been watching the rapid increase today in poor air quality due to wildfire smoke. I am including a couple screenshots.
Click the image of a screenshot of a chart that is included in the Whatcom County Coalition to End Homelessness 2022 Annual Report to access the chart in the report on the Whatcom County website
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