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

Posted on by
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

Continue reading →

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

Posted on by
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. 

Continue reading →

Part 3: Notes on the 7/15/19 Bellingham City Council Justice Committee meeting regarding immigration – new meeting on 8/19/19 / Noisy Waters Northwest

Posted on by
Click the graphic – of a screen shot of a YouTube video frame showing Bellingham Mayor Kelli Linville in a purple shirt sitting in a chair in Council Chambers – to access the video of the 7/15/19 Justice Committee Meeting

August 16, 2019 Dena Jensen

This is the final installment of notes on the July 15, 2019 Bellingham City Council Justice Committee meeting regarding immigration issues. The next Justice Committee meeting will occur this Monday, August 19, 2019 at 10:00 a.m. in Council chambers. Here is a link for the agenda for that meeting https://meetings.cob.org/Meetings/ViewMeeting?id=2059&doctype=1

Continue reading →

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

Posted on by
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.

Continue reading →

Rosalinda Guillen: ‘…it’s a critical moment for immigrant families, immigrant children.’ / Video Transcript, Noisy Waters Northwest

Posted on by
Click the graphic to access the Community to Community Development August 5, 2019 Facebook post of a video of Rosalinda Guillen who is picture in the screenshot of the post standing on a downtown Bellingham street corner holding a sign with a drawing of a red broken heart with tears and the name of the city of El Paso on it.

August 6, 2019 Dena Jensen

“So, it doesn’t mean that we don’t want politicians with us when they’re with us. But we will not be used for campaign photos. We will not be used as tokens to make it appear like they really believe in our movement, like they really believe in what we’re doing, like they will really protect our families. 
“We believe they won’t. It is an opportunistic, privileged action. ” – Rosalinda Guillen

Continue reading →

Why there was reform to talk about at the Whatcom County Community Justice Forum / Noisy Waters Northwest

Posted on by
Click the graphic image of the Whatcom County Courthouse with people on the steps and a branch in the foreground to access audio recording of the Whatcom Community Justice Forum on Soundcloud

July 26, 2019 Dena Jensen

I listened to the KGMI recording of the Whatcom Community Justice Forum today. There was a lot of good information presented, however it did seem rather like a giant campaign ad for Sheriff Elfo with a final plug for a new jail thrown in at the end. There was actually less focus on a new jail in the forum, though, than there was when Sheriff Elfo was on KGMI’s Saturday Morning Live radio broadcast last weekend.  

Continue reading →

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

Posted on by
Click the graphic to access the YouTube video of the Bellingham City Council’s 7/15/19 Justice Committee meeting

July 21, 2019 Dena Jensen

Due to my own time constraints and a desire to get some information out about this as promptly as I can, I am going to provide my notes in installments, on this July 15, 2019 meeting where Bellingham City Council’s Justice Committee discussed work-plan items related to immigration.

Continue reading →

Don’t let Council Members confuse you about whether Bellingham is a sanctuary city / Noisy Waters Northwest

Posted on by
Click the graphic to access the July 15, 2017 Bellingham City Council Justice Committee meeting on YouTube

July 17, 2019 Dena Jensen

On Monday, July 15, 2019, Bellingham City Council’s Justice Committee met in Council Chambers at City Hall, with their one focus being, “Deliberation Regarding Work-Plan Items Related to Immigration.”  I will work on publishing notes on this meeting soon. But first, I did want to draw people’s attention to a particular statement of City Council Member April Barker’s at that meeting. Council Member Barker serves on the Justice Committee, with Council Member Pinky Vargas, along with Council Member and Justice Committee Chair Hannah Stone.

Continue reading →

Notes from the 7/1/19 Bellingham City Council Committee of the Whole meeting regarding an immigration workgroup / Noisy Waters Northwest

Posted on by
Click the graphic to access the Facebook event for the 7/8/19 Monday Dignity Vigil

July 6, 2019 Dena Jensen

During Old/New Business at the July 1, 2019 evening Bellingham City Council Meeting, Council Member Hannah Stone made an announcement regarding the formation of a workgroup, connected to the Council’s Justice Committee, focused on immigration issues.

Continue reading →

Are Bellingham 2019 mayoral candidates watching ICE? / Noisy Waters Northwest

Posted on by

June 28, 2019 Dena Jensen

“If the person you are voting for does not have a very specific way of how they are going to implement the Keep Washington Working Act at the local level; if they are not in absolute agreement that they will fight for a sanctuary ordinance in Whatcom County; if they are not very, very clear that they will support sanctuary for undocumented families, they are not a progressive candidate.” – Rosalinda Guillen

Continue reading →