Ending homelessness in our community by 2020 / Letter to Bellingham City and Whatcom County Councils, Dena Jensen

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my answer to ken manns question

Click the graphic to view Jim Peterson’s video response to a question from Whatcom County Council Member Ken Mann regarding solutions to ending homeless camp sweeps

November 15, 2017  Dena Jensen

Dear Whatcom County Council and Bellingham City Council:

I am writing to encourage all of you council members forward in actions toward ending homelessness in Bellingham and Whatcom County. This week, a post was shared in the Riveter’s Collective Facebook group alerting people to a new Facebook page called Stop the Sweeps Bellingham. HomesNow. Not Later. President Jim Peterson wrote the description for that page, which is as follows:  Continue reading →

You did NOT “Stand Down” – Rejection of the Jail Sales Tax / Letter to the Editor, Irene Morgan

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justice innovation to go with Irene Morgan LTE

November 12, 2017  Irene Morgan, Founder, Restorative Community Coalition

Acknowledgement

A hardy THANK YOU to everyone who stood tall in opposition to the now defunct jail tax – Proposition 2017- 6.  You did NOT “Stand Down”, it was NOT a “Done Deal”, the “Ship had NOT Sailed”, the “Train is STILL in the Station” and it was NOT “a waste of our time”!  The voters said NO, with an even greater margin – again! Continue reading →

Stay on top of actions that will help reduce further injustice at the Whatcom County Jail / Noisy Waters Northwest

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Scope of services being proposed incremental jail renovations

November 7, 2017  Dena Jensen

To try to stay on top of actions that will help reduce further injustice being perpetrated on incarcerated individuals at our downtown Bellingham jail I sent a letter today to Whatcom County Council and Deputy Executive Schroeder today about the consent agenda item on the Council’s Finance and Adminstrative Services Committee agenda tomorrow (11/8) about renovations on the downtown Bellingham jail. You can send one too! : council@co.whatcom.wa.us.

Continue reading →

Notes and perspective: The 9/12/17 design2 LAST presentation on renovation of the Whatcom County Jail / Noisy Waters Northwest

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September 15, 2017  Dena Jensen

On September 12, 2017, Lauri Strauss, CEO of design2 Last, gave a presentation to the Whatcom County Council’s Finance and Adminstrative Services Committee regarding anticipated renovation to the existing county jail facility located adjacent to the Whatcom  County Courthouse in downtown Bellingham. Continue reading →

Whatcom County Council turns down citizen input by ballot on eminent domain by pipeline companies / Facebook post, Noisy Waters Northwest

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tribune eminent domain

The proposition to create an advisory ballot measure to be voted on in November to seek citizen input on eminent domain being used by oil pipeline companies did not pass at the Tuesday, July 25, County Council Meeting. Council Members Browne, Weimer, and Brenner abstained and Council Member Mann was absent, so the motion failed. Thank you to all who spoke to and wrote in to the County Council about this topic. Continue reading →

Both Councils Ignore Jail Studies / NorthwestCitizen, Juliette Davis

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Jul 15, 2017  Juliette Daniels

On Monday, July 10, The Vera Institute presented its preliminary data findings on the Whatcom County justice system at a special meeting of the Incarceration Prevention and Reduction Task Force (IPRTF). It took months for the Vera Institute to obtain the necessary data on the County Jail population in 2016, but the results confirmed stunning racial disparities in the jailed population, as well as a sizable pre-trial population that could be significantly reduced with the use of evidence-based methods of incarceration prevention. Continue reading →

County Council is uninformed on community concerns about immigration policies at 6/27/17 Whatcom County Council Meeting / Facebook post, Noisy Waters Northwest

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donovan june 27 2017 immigration

Council Member Todd Donovan brings forward concerns of community members regarding immigration policies at the June 27, 2017 Whatcom County Council Meeting

1:08pm  July 4, 2017  Dena Jensen

I am posting this link to a portion of last week’s [June 27 2017, Whatcom] County Council meeting where Council Member Donovan says he is trying to figure out how to procedurally approach addressing an ordinance and concerns people have expressed having to do with how our law enforcement agencies might be interacting with people of the immigrant community. He says that a group of people have brought this to the attention of himself and Council Member Weimer. Continue reading →