Severe weather homeless strategies: picking up the pace to come from behind / Noisy Waters Northwest

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Click the graphic of Bellingham City Council Member Dan Hammill wearing a gray and white plaid shirt sitting in a black chair in Bellingham City Council chambers to access video of the 8/26/19 Bellingham City Council Committee of the Whole meeting

August 30, 2019 Dena Jensen

“Okay, I’ll just take a quick point of privilege just to say that we absolutely recognize we have the need for shelter, especially – we have it all year round – but especially in the winter months. The group I believe, that Council Member Lilliquist is referring to, is the Homeless Strategies Workgroup. Council Member Barry Buchanan from the County’s side of the street organized that group. Stakeholders, several of us, attend that every two weeks. We take that issue very seriously and we want to come to a resolution on providing safe shelter for our most vulnerable neighbors. So, we absolutely take it very seriously.” – Bellingham City Council Member Dan Hammill

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It looks like a workgroup on immigration will be moving forward for Bellingham City Council’s Justice Committee / Noisy Waters Northwest

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Click the graphic of a quote from Bellingham City Council Member April Barker at the 8/19/19 Council Meeting to hear her remarks at that meeting regarding a presentation on immigration issues by community members

August 20, 2019 Dena Jensen

Last night’s Bellingham City Council meeting provided a pretty good lesson in what white fragility does – and doesn’t – look like.  To the majority of the Council Member’s credit that night, most of them did not seem to exhibit “discomfort and defensiveness on the part of a white person when confronted by information about racial inequality and injustice,” which is the definition of white fragility offered by Oxford’s Lexico dictionary.  But a couple of them did. 

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Part Two: Notes on the 7/15/19 Bellingham City Council Justice Committee meeting regarding immigration / Noisy Waters Northwest

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Click the graphic – of a screen shot of a YouTube video frame showing Bellingham City Council Member Hannah Stone sitting in a chair in Council Chambers with a U.S. flag behind her – to access the video of the 7/15/19 Justice Committee Meeting

August 10, 2019 Dena Jensen

Time is flying and I am finally getting to posting notes on the second 15 minute segment of Bellingham City Council’s July 15, 2019 Justice Committee meeting where they were discussing issues related to immigration.

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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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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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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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Jim Peterson is stoked: Winter Haven is a go! / Facebook post, Noisy Waters Northwest

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Jim Peterson on Winter HavenScreen Shot 2018-11-03 at 10.08.24 PM

Click the graphic to access this video in the Homes NOW! Bellingham Facebook group

November 3, 2018  Dena Jensen (Thanks to Jim Peterson’s video)

Jim Peterson of HomesNOW! Not Later. is stoked!:

“Winter Haven, our temporary emergency encampment for the winter, is a go. We got a green light today. We met with the City. We don’t have a site yet, but there will be a site…Not this coming Monday, but two weeks from this coming Monday, the site will be announced publicly.

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Overseeing the fight for civilian oversight to protect immigrants and people of color in Bellingham / Noisy Waters Northwest

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you don't have my vote postcard front cropped

postcards to mayor redacted aqua

Graphics show one postcard front side (top), and multiple reverse/message sides of postcards sent to Bellingham Mayor Kelli Linville by community members in June of 2017

May 23, 2018  Dena Jensen

The following report offers information gained through a public records request I made of the City of Bellingham on January 18, 2018.

Protecting vulnerable members of our community is a shared responsibility that none of us should take lightly. As much as government agencies may strive for and purport transparency, it is generally human nature to not be able to recognize our own flaws and, if others point them out, to do our best to excuse them or deny that this flaw, which another person sees, is really there.

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Time to stop increasing liability and accept accountability for our neglect of the existing jail / Letter to Whatcom County Council, Dena Jensen

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kelli and korthuis no spell check 3 mill jail

September 22, 2017  Dena Jensen

Here’s my latest letter to the council regarding the need to renovate the existing jail facility now. It was sent to council@co.whatcom.wa.us, and copied to all the city councils, the County Executive, and the Sheriff. Keep writing and calling!

Dear Whatcom County Council:

I am writing to call on you to move forward as quickly as possible with renovations on our existing Whatcom County Jail facility on Grand Ave., that will address necessary and critical life safety issues.  Continue reading →