January 25th, 2018
Dear ROPnet,
We hope you’re finding a moment to celebrate the passage of Measure 101, an inspiring organizing victory made possible through thousands of conversations that cut through the anti-immigrant rhetoric and amplified what Measure 101 would do for rural Oregon! We are grateful to hear stories about folks reaching out to their conservative neighbors about Measure 101, learning that they were not only voting YES, but eager to plug in, help spread the word, and get their neighbors’ ballots in! Measure 101 secures healthcare for more than 440,000 Oregonians, including tens of thousands of immigrant youth, and will reduce healthcare costs for more than 210,000 Oregonians.
With this victory under our belts, the fight for human dignity and immigrant fairness continues. Maru Mora-Villalpando, a respected leader and activist, has been served notice of deportation proceedings by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in retaliation for her powerful organizing. Maru and Northwest Detention Center Resistance have supported hundreds of hunger strikers in the regional, for-profit immigrant detention center in Tacoma, WA and organized alongside ROP and Gorge ICE Resistance as ICE detainees went on hunger in NORCOR, a public jail located in The Dalles, OR. Please sign and share this petition from Mijente to support Maru and to resist the use of ICE in retaliation for organizing for human dignity. Political pressure has succeeded in getting immigrant leaders out of deportation proceedings before, and we are proud to join the growing coalition resisting ICE acting as secret police to retaliate against political activists like Maru.
Just like the neighbor-to-neighbor conversations that made the Measure 101 victory possible, folks across the country are sitting down together to talk about how we can keep our communities whole while inhumane immigration policies tear families and communities apart. We found this short video from the BBC about rural Pacific County, Washington a powerful tool for conversations with our neighbors. Featuring local youth, educators, undocumented residents, and law enforcement, the video explains how ICE detaining and deporting people has impacted the economy, local schools, and the community in their own words. The video concludes with a self-proclaimed conservative police chief describing his shock when he learned his friend was detained. The video concludes with him saying, “I didn’t sign up for this. Shame on me for being short-sighted. It’s not just.” This video can help start powerful conversations with neighbors, community leaders, churches, Rotary clubs, and more about how detentions and deportations hurt our small towns and rural communities. Check out the video and let us know how you could incorporate it into your conversations!
We know that when we come together we can move mountains. Let us use this victory as a reminder of what we can accomplish when we work to find common ground and build with our neighbors!
In solidarity,
Jess, Cara, Emma, Grace, Hannah, and the ROP Team