In 2023, our community sent a clear message: we need a justice system that prioritizes community health. By voting to fund a modernized facility alongside behavioral health and supportive housing, residents issued a definitive mandate for alternatives to incarceration, robust diversion, and absolute accountability. We… Read More »Keep the promise of a community-health-driven justice system
Update: On Tuesday, November 18, 2025, Riley Sweeney, the County’s Policy and Communications Specialist, responded to our questions. Our Justice System Committee (JSC) has diligently followed the Whatcom County Justice Project and its Implementation Plan, which was enacted after the 2023 jail sales tax ordinance… Read More »Where is the progress? We demand answers on the status of the County’s Justice Project
September 10, 2025 To: Satpal Sidhu, Whatcom County Executive; Whatcom County Council members, and IPRTF members Dear Whatcom County leadership, We would like to applaud the services of Village Reach and their analysis of the success of the sales-tax-funded Justice Project goals. We concur with… Read More »Justice System Committee calls for better data collection and hiring of full-time staff to support Justice Project
June 27, 2025 Dear Executive Sidhu and Council Members, Re: Justice Project’s Implementation Plan status The Riveters Collective follows the Justice Project and appreciates the quarterly summary updates. As residents and sales tax payers in Whatcom County, we are attentive and concerned about how our… Read More »Justice System Committee requests public Implementation Plan status update
Below is the letter our Justice System Committee sent to Executive Sidhu and County Council members. April 8, 2024 Dear Executive Sidhu and County Council Members, The Riveters Collective Justice System Committee has followed the efforts of Whatcom County’s Justice Project with great interest. Voters… Read More »We want data and accountability for jail sales tax revenue
Our Justice System Committee reviewed the Public Health, Safety, and Justice Facilities and Services Ordinance (full text) that the County will place on the November 2023 ballot. In the following table, we provide a summary of the main topics covered in the ordinance to help… Read More »Learn About the Jail Ordinance
On June 22, 2023, the Riveters’ Justice System Committee sent County Executive Satpal Sidhu and Councilmembers the letter below regarding the draft jail funding ordinance they intend to place on the November 2023 ballot. We recommend contacting these local officials to support these changes and… Read More »Read our recommendations for improving the County’s jail funding ordinance
On May 24, the County will hold a Town Hall Listening Session to discuss how they plan to improve our local justice system. The meeting agenda states they will provide background on the Justice Project and a 1.5-hour public comment period. We expect the presentation… Read More »Provide feedback about the County’s jail implementation plan
Update: The Cascadia Daily reported that “local Democrats in the state Legislature helped pass a new law criminalizing drug use and possession during a one-day special session in Olympia on May 16, but some said the new law was less than ideal. The bill passed… Read More »Contact your legislators during the drug possession law special session
In March 2023, the Cascadia Daily published a series of four articles titled Beyond Bars: the Future of Justice in Whatcom County. In these investigative reports, they explain Whatcom County’s plan to approach voters with a 2023 jail replacement funding proposal. For your convenience and… Read More »The Cascadia Daily reports on plans for funding a new jail and services facilities