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To: Tacoma City Council and Mayor Woodards

No Fences, No Cages -- Revoke GEO's business license to operate the NWDC!

We call on city government to enforce Tacoma Municipal Code 6B.10.140(6) to revoke GEO Group’s business license because its conduct has resulted in a danger to the public health and safety of all detained immigrants, and by extension those who work in or visit them.

Exigimos al gobierno de la ciudad que haga cumplir el código municipal 6B.10.140(6) para revocar la licencia de negocio a Geo debido a su conducta la cual ha resultado en poner en peligro la salud pública y la seguridad de lxs inmigrantes detenidxs, y por extensión a aquellos que trabajan ahí o aquellxs que visitan el lugar para ver a sus seres queridos.

Why is this important?

On July 6th, 2018, Mayor Woodards stated, “I vow that I will continue to fight for the health, safety and success of immigrants and refugees.” At the same time, the City of Tacoma is building a fence to prevent activists from calling attention to human rights abuses at the NWDC. The fence is merely a symptom of the disease of detention and deportation that the city facilitates. This reveals the contradiction in Tacoma City government.

How can Tacoma call itself a “Welcoming City” with people who fight for the health and safety of immigrants when city government fails to enforce health and safety regulations at the detention center? We say that it cannot. Amid long-term issues regarding a lack of nutritious food, clean clothes and drinkable water, the NWDC is right now experiencing a health crisis -- a chickenpox outbreak. GEO Group’s failure to manage the health and safety of the people there is currently on display, as even US Representative Derek Kilmer was unable to visit to investigate conditions due to health concerns in June 2018.

El 6 de julio la Alcaldesa Woodwards dijo “Me comprometo a seguir luchando por la salud, seguridad y éxito de inmigrantes y refugiados.” Al mismo tiempo la Ciudad de Tacoma está construyendo una barda para prevenir que lxs activistas sigan llamando la atención a los abusos a los derechos humanos en NWDC. La barda es sólo un síntoma de la enfermedad de la detención y deportación que la ciudad permite.

¿Cómo puede Tacoma autodenominarse una “Ciudad Acogedora” con la gente quien lucha por la salud y seguridad de inmigrantes, cuando el gobierno de la ciudad fracasa en enforzar las regulaciones de salud y seguridad en el centro de detención? Nosotrxs decimos que no puede. Entre varios preocupaciones que han ocurrido por mucho tiempo con respecto a la falta de comida nutritiva, ropa limpia y agua potable, en el NWDC hay una crisis de salud - un brote de varicela. Es obvio que el Geo Group ha fracasado en manejar la salud y la seguridad de la gente, como el representante Derek Kilmer no lo dejaron entrar a investigar las condiciones debido a las preocupaciones de salud en junio del presente año.

How it will be delivered

On July 10, 2018, we turned in the first 600 signatures of our petition to the Mayor and City Council.
As long as city representatives fail to address the public health crisis -- notably the varicella outbreak -- we will continue the campaign to revoke GEO's business license.

Tacoma City Hall, Market Street, Tacoma, WA, USA

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Updates

2018-07-12 20:02:41 -0400

On July 10, 2018, we turned in the first 600 signatures of our petition to the Mayor and City Council. City Manager Elizabeth Pauli asserted that the fence was erected because “we were concerned that use of structures in that restricted area was raising public health and sanitation concerns." We responded that the #1 structure that should raise public health and sanitation concerns is the Northwest Detention Center itself. The NWDC is months into a chickenpox epidemic, which is a major public health concern that the City, County and State have failed to address. Join us in telling them to #ShutItDown and #RevokeGEOsLicense!

2018-07-10 12:20:58 -0400

500 signatures reached

2018-07-09 18:05:46 -0400

100 signatures reached

2018-07-09 14:35:30 -0400

50 signatures reached

2018-07-08 02:02:49 -0400

25 signatures reached

2018-07-07 20:30:19 -0400

10 signatures reached