WA State JwJ Update and Local Victories
Winter 2010

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On this page:

• "Sick Rick" Talbert -- Dropped from the City Council and Health Board
• Immigrant Worker Harassing Pacific Police Chief Found to Abuse Position and Power - MLK Jr County Council Declares Not to Divert Law Enforcement Resources to Harass Immigrant Workers
• JwJ's Whatcom Big Box Ban Holding Strong Against Corporate Attack
• Tacoma Council Considers Linking Worker-affordable Housing to Development Incentives

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Sick Rick Talbert Dropped from the City Council and Health Board

Tacoma City Council decided that Rick Talbert should no longer make policy about what is right for residents. During a lengthy campaign, JwJ exposed how Mr. Talbert served luxury developers to the detriment of Tacoma's workers and residents. He was scorned by working people and progressive leaders and no longer could effectively play on both sides of the corporate war against workers. Mr. Talbert sought refuge with anti-worker County Councilmember Shawn Bunney and when a County executive position didn't pan out, retreated from his ambitions as Tacoma's Mayor.

Not only was he an enemy of local workers and residents, Mr. Talbert aggressively attacked American freedoms and civil liberties. At the behest of luxury developers, he coordinated tax-payer funded harassment of all-American activities such as leafleting, bannering, and free speech. Without any investigation or proof, Mr. Talbert readily embraced developer claims that local free speech was linked with vandalism at other locations, projects and cities. Mr. Talbert's motivated Police went so far as to flag Homeland Security on these all-American activities.
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Immigrant Worker Harassing Pacific Police Chief Found to Abuse Position and Power

MLK Jr County Council Declares Not to Divert Local Law Enforcement Resources to Harass Immigrant Workers

By an independent County Sheriff investigation, this bully was found to use his police issued gun and car to intimidate and, in the case of another officer arresting him for drunken driving, to use his badge and title to try to intimidate.

Police Chief Calkins became famous to JwJ activists when he began to extend his local authority to federal matters in order to harass documented Latino residents and low-wage immigrant workers. No law requires local police to divert local tax-dollars intended for criminal enforcement to enforce federal administrative matters of immigration status. Recently led by JwJ member organizations El Comite and IRAC's campaign, the Martin Luther King County Council has reinforced this principle by law.

The Police Chief was the subject of a police investigation for alleged intimidation with a weapon, drunk driving, witness tampering and trespass. In each of the cases of alleged wrongdoing there were also allegations that he used his badge and his police position to threaten and intimidate.
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JwJ's Whatcom Big Box Ban Holding Strong Against Corporate Attack

Despite Big Business putting a two-year target on JwJ's famous Whatcom achievement, the Big Box Ban, we're still standing. Recently the media conglomerate McClatchy has been doing the shrill bidding for Wal-Mart and the Chamber of Commerce. The latest attempt is to agitate workers and small business to join Wal-Mart and turn against the principle that democracy should regulate corporate greed. This is no joke; it's blatant:

"Consumers do a fine job of determining if a business should succeed or fail. Governments should stay out of it. Finally, a word of warning to other business people and employees everywhere. If the City Council can hurt some big businesses on purpose, it's not a stretch to think they will come after you and your job next."

The Big Box corporations have lined up some politicians and advertising media that have resulted in more McClatchy Bellingham Herald editorial rants than any other topic. As an underlying principle, Big Business wants us to return to the dark ages of child labor or perhaps just exacerbate modern times deregulated banksterism. Numerous green-washing compromises are being offered by Bellingham Mayor Pike to undercut one of Washington State's highest standards of local sustainability, corporate accountability, and responsible development. JwJ will continue to fight for living-wage jobs and a quality of life that can sustain our communities for the long haul. The next City Council show down will be on April 12.
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Tacoma Council Considers Linking Worker-affordable Housing to Development Incentives

Tacoma's City Council Neighborhood & Housing Committee has finally recommended a plan to prioritize constructing homes that Tacoma workers could afford. JwJ publicly brought such a proposal in 2007 but luxury property developers opposed it.

Acting through their voice Master Builders, luxury property developers refused to moderate their profiteering feast on our tax-dollars and refocus some resources to worker-affordable housing in 2007. Within days, Council-members stated on record that they planned to slam the door on community attempts to raise these issues in the future. At that point JwJ launched campaigns to put a face on the injustice, exposing prominent advocates of the competing luxury scheme such as Rick Talbert.

More than two years later, it is a victory itself that the City Council publicly began to debate incentives for housing affordable to Tacoma's workers just as they subsidize luxury housing. Unfortunately, the Council continues to postpone bringing this principle to a vote after putting it on the agenda twice in December. Never the less, it's good to see the Master Builders finally at the table on the verge of compromise. It is not clear whether the final proposal will require standards that actually benefit Tacoma's workers or become another vehicle to subsidize luxury market-rate development with our tax-dollars. Community organizing must continue to be vigilant.
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