Chapter One: What IAB members had to say – An imposition of indignity, the tale and trail of Bellingham’s immigration board suspension ordinance / Noisy Waters Northwest

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September 28, 2024 Dena Jensen

Link to ‘Introduction – An imposition of indignity: the tale and trail of Bellingham’s immigration board suspension ordinance’ : https://noisywatersnw.com/2024/02/23/introduction-an-imposition-of-indignity-the-tale-and-trail-of-bellinghams-immigration-board-suspension-ordinance-noisy-waters-northwest/

Chapter One

First, some fresh news

Bellingham City Council Member Hannah Stone will be presenting an ordinance at Monday’s City Council, September 30, 2024 Committee of the Whole meeting, that would dissolve the Immigration Advisory Board. People can attend the meeting which starts at 1:00 p.m., and the topic of dissolving the board is also on the agenda for the Council’s regular meeting at 7:00 p.m that night.

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Evidence update on Immigration Advisory Board information void and Police Chief remarks / Noisy Waters Northwest

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July 24, 2024 Dena Jensen

For the last six and a half months, the majority of my research and writing time has been focused on matters leading up to and including the Bellingham City Council’s February 2024 suspension of their Immigration Advisory Board’s meetings.

It may look a little like a lonely obsession at this point. There isn’t much material in local media or public government conversations about the sidelined body which had 8 of its 12 seats filled at the time meetings were halted, with 7 of those 8 positions being filled by people of color.

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More flaws in case made against Bellingham’s Immigration Advisory Board / Noisy Waters Northwest

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May 20, 2024 Dena Jensen

When government officials make a statement claiming something happened, when information available in public records shows it didn’t happen, it’s a reason for concern. When such instances of faulty statements start to stack up in the officials’ process of targeting a group focused on removing dangers from a specific marginalized community, I’d say there’s good reason for folks to be as alarmed as they can be about it.

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‘What we’re trying to say is that there is a built-in exclusion’: Bellingham Immigration Advisory Board member / Noisy Waters Northwest

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Click the graphic to access Community Voz podcasts, including the episode, “The Uses of Anger – IAB Update”

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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Chapter Two: City Staff and the Mayor – Whatcom Barriers to Equity, a review for 2021 candidates / Noisy Waters Northwest

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July 29, 2021 Dena Jensen

From Introduction – Whatcom Barriers to Equity, a review for 2021 candidates : 

Materials that were responsive to a number of recent public records requests obtained from the City of Bellingham, and one request from Whatcom County, provide insights into notable communications strategies of existing City staff, the mayor’s office, and some City Council Members regarding many of the winter’s events related to homelessness. On some of these matters, communications were being coordinated between the City and County executive branches.

Based on information contained in those materials, an important question arises regarding future actions of folks newly stepping up to run, or those continuing on to serve their community in public office: will they take action to eliminate government approaches that view or portray individuals and community organizations serving people in crisis as adversaries?

Chapter One: The County Executive – Whatcom Barriers to Equity, a review for 2021 candidates

Chapter Two: City Staff and the Mayor

By the time the December 7, 2020 Bellingham City Council meeting arrived last year, the protest calling for more homeless services known as 210 Camp or Camp 210, had been occupying the lawn at Bellingham City Hall for almost a month.

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First glimpses of immigration enforcement communications data, police attendance at first Immigration Advisory Board meeting / Noisy Waters Northwest

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Screenshot graphic shows small Zoom meeting image of City of Bellingham Administrator Brian Heinrich at the top of a shared computer screen image displaying text, in spreadsheet format, providing data regarding Customs and Border Patrol calls related to CBP dispatches to the City of Bellingham

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June 26, 2020  Dena Jensen

On June 23, 2020 the first meeting of the City of Bellingham’s Immigration Advisory Board was held remotely, via Zoom.  A recording of the meeting has not yet been posted on the COB website. The meeting primarily covered member introductions and housekeeping issues such as whether Roberts Rules of Order would be adopted for meeting procedures, or if other models would be preferred and adopted.  However, some of the items being evaluated that night could prove critical in their impacts on how effective the IAB can be in addressing concerns and needs of immigrants, regardless of their status, in Bellingham. The notes below primarily cover those type of items that came up during the meeting. Continue reading →