​What happened to Renee Nicole Good on January 7 is scary, because it is what Rapid Response trains us to do. Don't get out of your car, don't open your door or let U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in, take videos, don't resist. This woman was doing all of that. She seemed to be trying to comply and leave the situation. So the question is, how do we respond then? What do we need to do to be as safe as possible when we bear witness? 

The laws are clear regarding unarmed civilians in a car, moving or not, but in this climate, the rule of law is not being upheld. So, how can we retain the right to resist peacefully and the right to safely live our lives? Every day, Trump creates a new diversion, whether it is murder on the seas or murder in your neighborhood. It is out of control; he is out of control. What are the rules, and how can we safely protest, in a car or not?

This Administration seems to be sending a message: If you obstruct ICE, even peaceably, you can be shot. It is intimidation at its max. Sadly, we are not safe in this USA; this is not what any of us voted for. The video of Renee Nicole Good’s murder speaks volumes. That woman could be any one of us; however, we cannot sit idle. Don't just ask, "what can we do?" Get out and do it, get involved, participate, use your outside voice, and learn to do it safely. Your freedom is at risk.

[EDITOR’S NOTE: Using fear to discourage dissent is a common tactic used by authorities, organizations, and political actors to suppress opposition and enforce conformity. This strategy can lead to widespread self-censorship and hinder critical thinking and innovation. Most disastrously, it can lead to inaction. With immigration, there are a lot of ways to get involved. It’s important to know how our community is being affected and how important it is to document what's happening. Below, the chair of the Immigration Action Group shares several action items you can use to safely fight back.]

​The Democratic Party has long considered itself a ‘big tent’ party with a wide range of ideological viewpoints, ranging from progressive to center-right positions. But the labels for the different viewpoints also act as triggers for some people, causing them to react negatively, often without understanding what those terms represent. What is your reaction when someone says they are liberal? Or progressive? Or socialist? What if they say they are a ‘social democrat’? 

​Young Democrats have the potential to be a vibrant, active organization for people 18 through 35 who want to make good trouble and political change. I connected with Clark County Young Democrats (CCYD), and interviewed Kieran Kardong, who is clearly one of their rank-and-file leaders.

​In many ways, we live on an island. The North Olympic Peninsula is isolated, with only three highways that access it – U.S. Highway 101 on the coast and along Hood Canal, and State Route 104 over the Hood Canal bridge. When it comes to power supply, we are even more isolated. All our electric power is supplied by the Bonneville Power Authority (BPA) on a main trunk line that follows Hood Canal from the south. One disaster that cuts that line, such as a windstorm, landslide, or earthquake, and our entire region is without power until the line is repaired. And, as folks out on the westside know all too well, the line serving them frequently goes down.

​On Wednesday January 14 our community was honored to have Anthony Flaccavento, Executive Director of the Rural Urban Bridge Initiative (RUBI), join us for a discussion of building community and better communication. 

Alex Fane, member of Clallam County Democrats and Indivisible Sequim, reflects on what he learned from that discussion: