These summer days, we are grateful for all the work being done at local levels to address police brutality and accountability. Last night, the Governor’s Task Force on Independent Investigations of Police Use of Force met for the first time. FAN is very involved with a new policing reform coalition called WA Coalition for Police Accountability (WACPA) that is led by impacted family members who have lost loved ones due to use of deadly force by police. Both taskforces will be bringing forth legislation to the next legislative session in January.

Meanwhile, FAN joins our partner coalitions in multiple meetings this summer to clarify legislative changes needed in light of the economic impacts of COVID-19 and to address systemic racism. We share some of the actions you can join below. This summer, FAN will be happy to work with you to arrange Interim meetings with your state legislators or members of Congress, and provide support if you’d like to host a candidate forum. Contact us at fan@fanwa.org.

In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, our communities have been hit hard. Communities of color, undocumented folks, and those with low incomes are disproportionately impacted by the dual health and economic crisis. COVID-19 has exposed just how many people across the state were one paycheck away from being unable to meet their basic needs. People who were experiencing economic hardship before this crisis are falling further behind.

Federal action to expand unemployment protections and provide stimulus payments were important first steps, but too many people – especially undocumented workers – were excluded, and much more needs to be done to ensure everyone can meet their needs while staying safe. Learn more about why Washington must put cash assistance at the heart of its recovery plan: budgetandpolicy.org/schmudget/washington-needs-cash-stimulus/

The scale of this economic crisis warrants bold, unprecedented action from Washington state lawmakers. Now is the time for lawmakers to invest in a statewide Recovery Rebate – direct cash assistance for people with low incomes – including undocumented immigrants. This puts cash directly into the pockets of the people who drive our economy and who have been most impacted by the fallout of COVID-19.

Recovering Together means investing in communities: In light of the state’s revenue forecast in June, FAN signed on to this letter to lawmakers alongside more than 70 partners across the state for progressive revenue solutions.

Learn more and find out how you can help: Join in the Recovery Rebate Webinar, next Thursday, July 16 at 5:30PM. Hear from local elected officials, small business owners and community members on what recovery looks like in Washington state. Register for the Webinar here.

From the Jewish Coalition for Immigrant Justice NW: On June 15, the Departments of Justice and Homeland Security jointly released a series of proposed changes to the asylum system that, if implemented, would essentially make it impossible for almost anyone to find safety in the United States.

By July 15, you can comment on these proposed changes, which include:

• Completely barring granting of asylum on the basis of gender
• Changing the very definition of “persecution.”
• Redefining some of the core grounds for asylum claims, including membership in a “particular social group,” which could have a dire impact on women and LGBTQ individuals.
• Denying asylum to people who transited through other countries on their way to the United States.
• Denying asylum seekers basic due process and their day in court by allowing immigration judges to decide cases just based on asylum seekers’ written applications.
• Ending asylum for those fleeing violence from intimate partners and family members, gangs and other non-state actors.

Before the proposed changes can be finalized, the administration must review each unique comment that they receive; your comments are important! Make a unique public comment online by July 15 to help keep this rule from going into effect.