It’s Time Our Elected Officials #ActOnIt and Move Their Talk into Action to #FreeThemAll
Go to https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=2632349890425924 to watch and share La Resistencia’s latest video, featuring testimonies from family members with detained loved ones, Senator Rebecca Saldaña, essential workers, formerly detained community members, lawyers, Shutdown Coalition members and more. Everyone has a shared message: #FreeThemAll!
Detention Centers have been and always will be a public health crisis. Both before and during the COVID-19 pandemic, the Tacoma City Council, state legislators and Gov. Inslee have all expressed concern over the neglect and mistreatment of people detained at NWDC. It’s time they #ActOnIt to #FreeThemAll from NWDC and take steps to #ShutDownNWDC during this global pandemic.
This week, you can help us pressure our electeds to send a letter to the local ICE Field Office Director Nathalie Asher, urging her to free everyone from NWDC immediately. Emptying the cages is not just the right thing to do for public health, it’s a path to shutting the facility down!
3 Things You Can Do TODAY
Email and call elected officials. You can find scripts below in this email or a text-only version online at https://docs.google.com/document/d/13CHKUD7bI2WkiNsvLjW_1aLG3LXvUpogMBw7i68wMLo/edit
After you’ve sent those emails & calls, make it public! Tweet at your elected officials, tagging them. And share our video, FB post and IG post on your social media!
Share this CTA, take a picture of yourself with the text #ActOnIt #ShutDownNWDC #FreeThemAll and tag 5 friends to join you in action. Tag us @LaResistenciaNW
Today’s Action Contact Info & Templates
Governor Inslee
Governor Jay Inslee, 360-902-4111
David Postman, Chief of Staff, david.postman@gov.wa.gov, 360-902-4112
Alejandro Sanchez, Special Assistant, Alejandro.Sanchez@gov.wa.gov, 360-902-4124
Molly Voris, Senior Policy Advisor, Public Health and Health Care, molly.voris@gov.wa.gov, 360-902-0557
Tacoma City Council, Mayor Woodards
Mayor Victoria Woodards, (253) 594-7848, Victoria.woodards@cityoftacoma.org
CM John Hines, (253) 591-5470, john.hines@cityoftacoma.org
CM Robert Thoms, (253) 594-7848, robert.thoms@cityoftacoma.org
Deputy Mayor Keith Blocker, (253) 591-5470, keith.blocker@cityoftacoma.org
CM Catherine Ushka,(253) 594-7848, catherine.ushka@cityoftacoma.org
CM Lillian Hunter, (253) 594-7848, lillian.hunter@cityoftacoma.org
CM Conor McCarthy, (253) 594-7848, conor.mccarthy@cityoftacoma.org
CM Kristina Walker, (253) 591-5470, kristina.walker@cityoftacoma.org
CM Chris Beale, (253) 591-5470, chris.beale@cityoftacoma.org
Assistant to the City Manager Anita Gallagher, (253) 591-5133, anita.gallagher@cityoftacoma.org
State Legislators
House Speaker Laurie Jinkins, Laurie.Jinkins@leg.wa.gov
Legislative Assistant for Laurie Jinkins, Ann Dasch, Ann.Dasch@leg.wa.gov
Senator Jeannie Darneille, J.Darneille@leg.wa.gov
Legislative Assistant for Darneille, Lisa Fisch, lisa.fisch@leg.wa.gov
Representative Jake Fey, Jake.Fey@leg.wa.gov
Legislative Assistant for Jake Fey, Anna Nepomuceno, Anna.Nepomuceno@leg.wa.gov
Draft Email Template for Governor
Email addresses to send to:
david.postman@gov.wa.gov
Alejandro.Sanchez@gov.wa.gov
molly.voris@gov.wa.gov
Dear Governor Inslee,
I am a [WASHINGTON RESIDENT/HEALTHCARE WORKER/ETC] and I am [WRITING/CALLING] to ask that you write a follow up letter (view template letter here) to ICE Field Director Nathalie Asher, urging her to release everyone from NWDC and provide weekly updates on the number of people released.
In your own words, “We do not accept preventable death in Washington.” Conditions in detention were already deplorable, but under the threat of a global pandemic it is imperative to release everyone in detention before it is too late. We know there are over 900 positive cases of COVID-19 in detention sites across the country, minimal testing and transparency from ICE, and at least one “recovered positive” inside NWDC right now. We also received news from people detained that ICE officers at NWDC are staging photos in a pod under quarantine (where one person is awaiting a test) to make it look like social distancing is possible.
Please act on your written commitment to “protect the health of those detained at the Northwest Detention Center” and amplify the voices of your constituents in demanding mass release and transparency from ICE.
Sincerely,
[YOUR NAME]
[ANY ORGANIZATIONS YOU REPRESENT]
Draft Email / Phone Call for Mayor and City Council
kristina.walker@cityoftacoma.org
conor.mccarthy@cityoftacoma.org
lillian.hunter@cityoftacoma.org
catherine.ushka@cityoftacoma.org
keith.blocker@cityoftacoma.org
robert.thoms@cityoftacoma.org
john.hines@cityoftacoma.org
Victoria.woodards@cityoftacoma.org
chris.beale@cityoftacoma.org
anita.gallagher@cityoftacoma.org
Dear Tacoma City Council Members, Mayor Victoria Woodards, and Assistant to the City Manager Anita Gallagher,
I am [WRITING/CALLING] to urge you to follow up on your April 24th letter to ICE with the following actions to protect the health and safety of the people inside the Northwest Detention Center:
- Pass a non-binding resolution calling for the immediate release of all people from NWDC
- Write a follow up letter (view template letter here) to ICE Field Director Nathalie Asher, urging her to release everyone from NWDC and provide weekly updates on the number of people released
On April 24th, you wrote that you “remain concerned for all individuals detained at the Northwest ICE Processing Center as they are residents of our community while under ICE’s care.” During a Town Hall on May 7th, Mayor Woodards vowed to “continue to fight for the shutdown of private prisons in our state” and stated, “If we have to go down there every day, send a letter every day until we get some action, we will do that.” Inquiring with ICE is not enough. We need you to act on your words, pass a resolution and urge ICE to free everyone from NWDC.
Conditions in detention were already deplorable long before this crisis, but under the threat of a global pandemic it is imperative to release everyone in detention. We know there are over 900 positive cases of COVID-19 in detention sites across the country — and at least one “recovered positive” inside NWDC. We also received news from people detained that ICE officers at NWDC are staging photos in a pod under quarantine (where one person is awaiting a test) to make it look like social distancing is possible. Please act now, before it is too late.
Sincerely,
[YOUR NAME]
[ANY ORGANIZATIONS YOU REPRESENT]
Draft Email / Phone Call for State Legislators
J.Darneille@leg.wa.gov
lisa.fisch@leg.wa.gov
Jake.Fey@leg.wa.gov
Anna.Nepomuceno@leg.wa.gov
Laurie.Jinkins@leg.wa.gov
Ann.Dasch@leg.wa.gov
Dear House Speaker Jinkins, Senator Darneille, and Representative Fey,
I am a [WASHINGTON RESIDENT/HEALTHCARE WORKER/ETC] and I would like to thank you for contacting ICE in DC on May 5th with your concerns about the well being of people detained at NWDC. I am [WRITING/CALLING] today to remind you that the privately-run Northwest Detention Center continues to pose an urgent public health threat, and to ask that you write a follow up letter (view template letter here) to ICE Field Director Nathalie Asher, urging her to release everyone from NWDC and provide weekly updates on the number of people released.
In the words of your colleague Rep. Lillian Ortiz-Self, “It is wrong and immoral to profit from the misfortune of others.” It’s time to act on those words.
Conditions in detention were already deplorable, but under the threat of a global pandemic it is imperative to release everyone in detention. We know there are over 900 positive cases of COVID-19 in detention sites across the country — and at least one “recovered positive” inside NWDC. We also received news from people detained that ICE officers at NWDC are staging photos in a pod under quarantine (where one person is awaiting a test) to make it look like social distancing is possible. Please act now, before it is too late.
Sincerely,
[YOUR NAME]
[ANY ORGANIZATIONS YOU REPRESENT]
Updates from Inside
Stay updated on conditions inside by listening to testimony from those detained at the NWDC here.
Since late March people detained have staged at least 3 hunger strikes and one work stoppage. All calling for immediate release of all people detained who are “sitting ducks” for a contagion of COVID19. Detention conditions have worsened in the middle of the global pandemic; we’ve received reports of scabies, mistreatment from guards, denied medical care and access to COVID19 tests, transfers to other facilities, and ongoing deportations. People detained staged a SOS action at the yard last April 15th, sending us a distress signal in hopes we would listen and act. There are over 900 positive cases in detention centers across the country. ICE rate of testing is low because they have tested a small number of people out of the 28,000 plus people they continue detaining.
This is why we support the call to #FreeThemAll and #ShutDownNWDC.
Download #FreeThemAll Coloring Book
A group of 20 artists from across the US released a print-at-home coloring book to raise funds for undocumented communities impacted by COVID-19. In exchange for a free download, the artists are asking folks to make a donation to one of several funds listed on our website, which includes Resistencia!
You can download the entire book (more than 50 pages!) or just individual artworks that speak to you. Share your creations with the hashtags #freethemallcoloringbook #freethemall #liberenatodos #liberenatodx.
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