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Alliance San Diego Newsletter
May 25, 2022

Community engagement is a personal journey
By Eryn Wilson Nieves
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Eryn Wilson Nieves, Alliance San Diego civic engagement program director, organizes canvassers making phone calls to San Diego residents.

As a Black woman born to a Black immigrant mother, I have seen the constant struggle of Black families looking for a place in society where our thoughts, ideas, and dreams are held with regard. This is why working with Alliance San Diego and organizations across the region to engage community members is so important.

Community participation in the civic process has significantly increased since the start of the pandemic. Communities of color have, historically and present day, been pushed out of the process that informs and shapes the very policies that impact our lives the most. It is the Civic Engagement department's primary focus to encourage this increase by ensuring all community members, regardless of background or status , can utilize the various tools needed to advocate for equity, justice, and accountability. Recently, Alliance San Diego as a member of the Community Budget Alliance, activated community members to provide public comment at San Diego City Council for a budget that creates a housing stability fund, expands youth services, and encourages small business and entrepreneurship. This level of community engagement forces San Diego leaders to prioritize their responsibility to ensure all community members have access to essential programs and services. The most impacted should be provided the space to influence policy and policymakers.

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Equity & Access: Building inclusive democracy through community workshops
Alliance San Diego’s Human Rights team is committed to working and sharing resources with the community in an environment of safety, justice and inclusion. We provide legal services [[link removed]] , education outreach, and informational workshops to immigrant and refugee communities about their rights and the resources available to support their lives. This month we partnered with the Somali Family Service of San Diego and the Chicano Federation to offer Somali and Spanish-speaking communities information about Temporary Protected Status, Family-Based Immigration, Medi-Cal Expansion, and more. We will continue to develop workshops with our partners that empower our community during these unprecedented times. Every person regardless of their status deserves the opportunity to participate in creating a more inclusive democracy.

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Safety & Justice: Finding ultimate justice
Alliance San Diego Executive Director Andrea Guerrero introduces Maria Puga, widow of Anastasio Hernández Rojas, during a press conference where Maria calls for border agents to be held accountable for killing her husband.

Earlier this month, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Commissioner Chris Magnus announced the elimination of Border Patrol Critical Incident Teams (BPCITs), an admission that BPCITs were operating unlawfully across the borderlands. This is an important step that wouldn’t have been possible without the courageous families and individuals affected by these units who spoke their truth and called for accountability. These units obstructed justice in countless cases, including in the Anastasio Hernández Rojas [[link removed]] case where border agents destroyed, concealed, and tampered with evidence to protect agents. We know that our communities are safer because these units will no longer operate. But the work doesn’t stop there. Alliance San Diego will continue to push against this decades-old system of oppression and call for an account of the harms done by BPCITs to ensure that families find justice, so that agents are held accountable, and to ensure border communities can live freely from rogue law enforcement.

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Wielding our collective power for good
Earlier this year, we shared that the San Diego City Council would vote on a restrictive sidewalk vending ordinance which would cause economic harm to small business entrepreneurs who are predominantly from immigrant communities. Last week, the San Diego Immigrant Rights Consortium (SDIRC), a program of Alliance San Diego, and community members shared their voices in person and virtually during a May 17 City Council meeting calling for a fair sidewalk vending permit fee that supports sidewalk vendor’s ability to operate a small business and earn a living during a difficult local economy. After hearing from community members, the San Diego City Council amended and approved SDIRC's recommendation to lower the sidewalk vending permit fee from $230 to $38 to match the fee for the city's business tax certificate. This will help ensure that sidewalk vending remains accessible to low-income community members.

However, the fight is far from over. Despite claiming that the ordinance was intended to balance public safety with support for sidewalk vendors, the funding in the City of San Diego Fiscal Year 2023 budget includes over $5 million dollars for the enforcement of the sidewalk vending ordinance – with $2.3 million of that allocated for impoundment alone. We will continue to fight for a fair, balanced policy and budget that treats people humanely and supports their ability to operate a small business.

Don't forget to vote in the June 7th Primary Election [[link removed]]
Donate Today [[link removed]]

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Alliance San Diego
P.O. Box 12266
San Diego, CA 92112
United States
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