If you’ve been curious what the impact of the current political climate is on the most vulnerable in our community, you needed look no further than to the packed house at Sunday afternoon’s Plática Comunitaria, hosted by local nonprofit Corazón Healdsburg.
Over 175 members of the Latino community in Healdsburg attended the Plática (which translates to “talk” in Spanish), in the St. John’s Church Hall to get reassurance about their status in our current political climate.
The afternoon gathering offered straight talk and clear information to Spanish speaking members of the community concerned about their status and assuaged uncertainty about what could happen next. Leticia Romero, Executive Director of Corazón Healdsburg, opened the Plática saying “we have brought together our local police and public defender to tell us what we need to know to be prepared and ready to respond should anything happen.”
She likened the readiness to preparing for natural disasters like earthquakes, “This is no different than preparing for a natural disaster – we know we live in earthquake country, so we keep certain supplies around the house just in case, and we make sure everyone in the family knows what to do should something happen – this is the same, we don’t know when, or even if, it will happen but we do what we can to be prepared.”
Healdsburg Police Sergeants Hector Altamirano and Nick Castañeda spoke to the men, women and children in attendance about the role of the police department in the community, with both sergeants sharing that they, too, are immigrants and can relate to the concerns people are having right now. Sergeant Altamirano clarified the intentions of the department saying, “We know that there can be hesitation when people see us in our uniforms and we want everyone to know that we are here to support you and we want to know what the concerns are in the community so we can be effective in serving the community.”
Healdsburg Police reassured the standing room only crowd that they know there have been rumors of ICE presence in town and that they are not true. The sergeants reaffirmed that they do not share information with ICE and that they do not cooperate with their operations.
Romero introduced Sonoma County Public Defender Bernice Espinoza next, who provided an overview of existing laws and the newly issued Executive Orders, demystifying what they mean for green card and visa holders and undocumented residents of our community. Attendees were given advice about their rights and what to do if they are stopped or questioned at work, on the road, at home, or out in the community.
After both presentations, the audience had an opportunity to have questions answered and concerns addressed by the police and public defender before the end of the Plática.
“Corazón Healdsburg exists to create programs and services that meet your needs and give you access to the services that are available to support you and your families,” said Romero as she invited community participation in key upcoming discussion that affect their lives. Members of the community signed up to attend school board and city council meetings to share their views on pending resolutions before leaving the Plática, and Corazon invited representatives to serve on a committee to organize support and connection in relation to key community needs.
For more information about Corazón Healdsburg, or to get involved, visit www.corazonhealdsburg.org or www.facebook.com/CorazonHealdsburg.
Taya Levine is a Healdsburg resident.
