Topic: A continuation of January’s Roundtable discussion on being a Sanctuary City and how we move forward for our community as well as our organization. We came up with some action plans at the January gathering that we will further develop.
We were encouraged to press the city to strengthen our sanctuary city status. The group also suggested that RPA make a statement in solidarity as allies. We can become allies with the Stand Together Legal Services with Contra Costa County and train our members to be informed on these rights as well as become legal observers should we be present at raids and report ICE through a rapid response line. We also hope to canvass areas in our city that are inhabited by large groups of immigrants. Our door-knocking will include a bi-lingual (or more languages as appropriate) educational sheet with the “Know Your Rights” information as well as RPA’s statement of support, noting this has been part of our history since our founding. Two participants agreed to seek information on getting a larger venue to host a training to become better informed on the topic.
RPA’s elected council members also need support on this issue, necessitating stronger regional alliances. Do we limit our reach and weaken our influence if we confine ourselves to already progressive arenas?
We want to hear your ideas about ways to build our organization and broaden local politics to include our amazing successes as progressives. This work on sanctuary and immigration might also help RPA frame our work anew.
Join the conversation and bring your ideas to our table