More working on the dove

More working on the dove.

Here Kolette, Megan and I are working on the blue background.  Originally we weren't going to have the background but it looked like it needed it and we had the tiles, so we filled it in.  Somebody said we only spent 40 minutes there.  Though we got some looks, no ICE or Geo folks came out to question us.  That was one reason why I wanted to do it on a weekend.  We really lucked out on the weather.  The forecast called for rain and a lot colder.

We could never have done it without Susanna's coding of the rows.  She had things all ready to go.  Super helpful.

Second picture is a shot of the dove in relation with the RV parked in front of the Detention Center.

In an October gala, one speaker said "New York has the Statue of Liberty, Tacoma has the Aid-NW RV parked in front of the Detention Center.

Inside the old AID-NW RV

This picture is taken inside the old RV used by Aid Northwest to help immigrants released by ICE from the Northwest Detention Center (AKA ICE Processing Center).  Dennis and I have a shift in a few weeks in the new RV.  Big news!  This one was really breaking down, falling apart.  Some people got together and worked to fund-raise to get a new (to us) one.  I hear it's really great.

The RV is parked outside the Detention Center and is staffed by volunteers every weekday.

We went to a fund-raising gala last night for Aid Northwest.  (Why do we have *4* of these events this month???)  One of these speakers talked about symbols of freedom.  He said that New York City has the Statue of Liberty and Tacoma has the Aid Northwest RV parked outside the detention center.

It made perfect sense.

This image used without permission from opb.org  Oregon Public Broadcasting.

New RV for AID NW

Tomorrow Dennis and I take a shift at the AID-NW RV assisting people who have been released from the private immigration prison in Tacoma.  Used to be called Northwest Detention Center; recently changed its name to Northwest ICE Processing Center.

Processing Center implies that there's just a bureaucratic process and then you're done.  Not a prison where you can be unlawfully detained for months even years.

But the big news is that through fundraising, this small non-profit was able to replace their doddering crumbling 25 year old (or so) RV with this new-to-us one.  Looks like a huge improvement.  The old one was so broken down, just not built for the number of people we bring through, climbing in and out.  So some people worked approaching small foundations to get us a new RV.  Looks nice!

Every weekday, we usually have 4 or 5 volunteers, maybe 8 or so releasees.  Plus other people come by, attorneys, translators, family members, volunteers bringing stuff.

Dennis prided himself on knowing how to get that old puppy open and ready for business.  Lots of fiddling with fuses and broken key boxes.  Hoping that the generator won't go.  The generator did die on the very last day....

Farewell old friend

Who would have thought that people would get sentimental about the old RV we have been using outside of the Northwest Detention Center in Tacoma.  It's been our headquarters to help people released from the private immigration jail.  It was old, worn out, lots of things were broken, the kitchen didn't work, most of the curtains wouldn't stay up, the toilet didn't work reliably, the couch sagged and it was generally beat up and broken.  Apparently the generator died on the last day.

Some enterprising fundraisers got together and got enough grants to replace it with a newer better model.  It's coming next week when we go out there.  People are looking forward to the new one and, as much as we've complained about this old puppy, it witnessed a lot of hope and joy and a lot of worry and frustration.

One of the volunteers showing his affection for the old girl.

Wild times helping released detainees

Yesterday Dennis and I worked our shift at Aid-Northwest at the Northwest Detention Center, a large privately run immigration jail in Tacoma.  Our job is to assist those released with their short term plans usually traveling to their home or to family.  A number of detainees are usually released every day usually on some huge amount of bond (40K not uncommon), some granted asylum, a very few released.  They just dump them onto the Tacoma tide flats.  Our job is to greet them (we have a beat-up motor home), other families that might be waiting (and whoever else comes by) and help those released to get to where they are going next.  Usually they know but sometimes they don't.

You never know what's going to hit you.  We work on a Jewish affiliated group, first Monday of the month.  Dennis and I worked with two older adults yesterday.  We knew we were weak because we had no Spanish speaker that day.  Sometimes you don't need one.  But this time we did.  9 released including six from Cuba who had no English at all.  We agreed later that it might have helped if we had slowed down.  We used help from some Spanish speakers we could call, Google translate.  By this morning, we think everybody was on their way.  But some in this group couldn't communicate where they wanted to go; neither did they have money.  People released are in an odd liminal state, they are happy to be released but they're also dazed and sometimes don't know what to do next.  One Cuban woman, she knew she wanted to get to Miami but she had no idea how far away she was from Miami.  She did not know where she was located in the US.  When somebody showed her a map, she looked so crestfallen and worried.  She couldn't get hold of family.  How would she get to Miami??  We heard this morning that our part time director helped her with her travel plans.

Aid-NW also rents a small house with a part-time attendant for those who need short-term housing for those who need a little help.  We took two to the house including one man whose cousin was arranging for an Uber to take him to the bus station this morning.  Dennis worried that they would hook up but they did.  I took two to the bus station, one woman who looked like she had a flight to Miami but was very worried about the whole deal; one man wanting to take the Greyhound to LA.  By the end, even though it was a short time, we were all exhausted and not sure we had served our clients well.  But I think we did, it was just a hard slog this time.