The Safe Communities Resolution was developed by local advocate, Luis Lecanda to end collaboration between local police and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

The Safe Communities Resolution falls directly in line with the mission, vision and values of The Hunger Coalition, and will help make our community more safe and inclusive as a whole.

Part of our mission is to build a healthy community while we address the root causes of hunger with our community partners. Having a healthy community means having access to medical services, good nutritious food, and public safety. People who are at risk of being profiled and/or detained because of their immigration status can’t safely access those resources without putting themselves or their families in jeopardy. When someone is profiled and detained while performing their daily activities, such as driving to work, it causes additional emotional, family and financial stress. That one interaction may mean that a person loses their job while being detained or that their spouse gets deported, all because of a minor infraction while being brown or black. The local police departments can be community partners who can be encouraged to help us build that healthy community by not breaking up families when it’s not legally required to do so. 

Our vision for Blaine County includes all community members being empowered to speak up and be heard. When a community member is hindered by their legal status, they don’t feel empowered to stand up or advocate for themselves for fear of exposing themselves. This can include being a victim or witness to a crime where an undocumented person does not want to get involved to get justice for themselves or another person because they might be afraid of the ramifications if the police were to run a background check. 

Two values we honor as The Hunger Coalition include inclusivity, which means that all voices are recognized as essential parts of the good food community, and equitable communities where opportunities are not limited by one’s race, class, gender, sexual orientation, ethnicity, disability, religion or citizenship. For all of us to be included in an inclusive, equitable community, the Safe Communities Resolution must pass so all of our community members are treated equitably. No one should be scared to drive to the store for fear of being detained. No one should have to be worried that their family member isn’t going to come back from running errands. We as The Hunger Coalition proudly stand behind the Safe Communities Resolution as a way of getting closer to fulfilling our mission of addressing the root causes of food insecurity.