Public comment: Protect our neighbors targeted by hateful rhetoric

Presenter: Public comments ask the Lane County commissioners to act swiftly to protect all who are threatened by hateful rhetoric from the president-elect. On Jan. 14, Anna Lardner:

Anna Lardner: My name is Anna Lardner, and my pronouns are she/her… It has become clear that the Board (of Lane County Commissioners) is now moving forward with a promise of a sanctuary county. It’s very exciting to us, but there are some provisions that need to be included in this, and myself and others are here today to talk about those provisions.

[00:00:28] Specifically, undocumented immigrants and transgender individuals have become the thin end of the wedge in this upcoming administration that they are using to try to rip apart the old alliances that have existed among people like us and in our county. And I want to talk about areas that undocumented immigrants can be targeted as well as transgender individuals and how the county board can prevent that.

[00:00:52] With respect to undocumented immigrants, there are currently sanctuary laws in the state of Oregon, as well as affirmations by the Sheriff’s Office and by the board itself about following those laws. Those laws have loopholes that need to be addressed before the administration comes in and exploits them, specifically two I want to talk about.

[00:01:10] The first is that in Section 5 of the actual ORS for the Sanctuary Law, it talks about how law enforcement, notwithstanding the provisions that prevent them from doing this, may in fact arrest undocumented immigrants if they are charged by the United States with a criminal violation of federal immigration law under 18 U.S. Code, as well as if they are subject to the arrest for a warrant by a federal magistrate.

[00:01:39] What could happen in the next few years is federal judges could issue these warrants. Currently, (U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement) ICE agents typically detain under administrative detention warrants, which are not federal warrants. If judges start to use federal warrants, though, to enforce immigration laws, we’ll suddenly find ourselves in a place where local law enforcement may have to arrest on those warrants.

[00:01:59] The other loophole is, of course, if the Supreme Court or if federal district courts decree that Oregon’s sanctuary law is unconstitutional and tell us that we cannot enforce that.

[00:02:09] Morality and legality are not the same. Even if the Supreme Court and federal district courts tell us that the sanctuary law is unconstitutional, we must still hold by it because that is the spirit of Oregon.

[00:02:20] As far as transgender individuals goes, I’ve been asked and others have been asked for specific requests of the board. Our specific request, one of them, is that the board use the power of the county community clinics to purchase and stockpile HRT drugs, gender affirming care drugs, similar to how the West Coast has done so for reproductive health care drugs, mifepristone specifically. This would include puberty blockers as well as hormones.

Finally, we want to make sure that the county community clinics continue to provide gender-affirming care for adults and minors.

[00:02:54] We’ll talk more about those transgender elements in the future, but thank you so much. I know that a lot of folks are going to talk more about this today.

[00:03:00] Sherri Jones: My name is Sherri Jones. I use the pronouns she/her and I want to share that I have family members in the transgender and nonbinary community who are small business owners and pillars in their community. They are loved and respected, yet there is not a day that goes by that they cannot be wary of the unknown, and those moments when they can feel truly safe are few.

This affects all of us. This is a community issue. Just as we have supported our state and county with sanctuary laws for our immigrant and refugee community, we must also include transgender and nonbinary people in our sanctuary work, as they are the focus of the authoritarian regime that is returning to power and are targeting our family and friends by creating lies and misinformation, stoking deeper hatred and marginalization.

[00:03:47] How can this county continue to talk about the need for more mental health care and access, while the need to also support our trans and nonbinary youth is such a huge part of that? Sanctuary would not be a Band-Aid, it would be a movement and a statement to attempt to counter hate and violence before it happens.

[00:04:04] According to the Trevor Project‘s report on state level anti-transgender laws, there have been 48 of them. From 2018 to 2022, there have been increases in suicide attempts in those states increasing from 7% to 72%. That is not for all LGBTQIA+ youth. That is only transgender and nonbinary youth ages 13 to 24 years.

[00:04:28] We can suggest from the rhetoric over the past two years that this data has increased. According to Every Town for Gun Safety, some of which was reported recently on Congress.gov, the homicide rate for transgender and gender-nonconforming people nearly doubled between 2017 and 2021. And if we include data to 2023, there were 263 homicides and nearly 63% of those on Black trans women, 10% were Latina women, and 57% were under the age of 30.

[00:05:01] This must stop. Let’s all imagine our own coming into existence. Let’s remember that you, and you, and me, that we are all born into a situation not of our choosing. Some of us are born into loving homes and some of us are not. Some of us are born into war zones or extreme poverty and some are not. Some of us are born with gender identities that match our body’s expression and some are not.

[00:05:24] We cannot continue to allow government rule over our own bodily autonomy for some and not for others. We must work to allow all humans to live, love, and be who they are. We can set an example for other counties across the country. We can actually do this and be who we say we are. I believe that the people of Lane County want to live and thrive in a community where we can all be who we are, we can worship or not, in the way they believe, and feel safe and supported in the community where we all work, play, and live our lives.

[00:05:55] If we are a sanctuary county, then we can counter the hateful rhetoric of the Trump MAGA agenda building a stronger and more resilient community to all people.

[00:06:05] Commissioner David Loveall: Next is Margot Helphand.

[00:06:07] Margot Helphand: I’m here today to speak on behalf of the Jewish Community Relations Council, which is part of the Jewish Federation of Lane County, of which I am the chair.

[00:06:17] On behalf of the JCRC, as we are known, we ask Lane County government and the Sheriff to uphold the laws and values of our community and state by not participating in the separation of families and by protecting all in our community.

Specifically, we asked the county to not permit the Immigration and Customs Enforcement branch of DHS to use Lane County jail to house its detainees as it pertains to immigration sweeps, where the only issue is not possessing proper immigration paperwork.

[00:06:53] The history of our global Jewish community is fraught with moments where families have been separated, fraught with forced deportation, loss of income and home. As a community, we are morally and spiritually compelled, especially when we anticipate a repeat of history, to speak up. If not now, when. We also encourage the Board of Commissioners to issue a statement to this effect.

[00:07:22] This is one tangible step that can be taken to help reduce fear in our community.

[00:07:28] Emily Heilbrun: My name is Emily Heilbrun. I use she/her pronouns. Thank you for the opportunity to speak today and for the intention you have expressed to support and protect vulnerable members of our community. I have friends who are trans and who find themselves in a very frightening position.

[00:07:47] There has been a lot of talk among members and supporters of the incoming administration about actions they intend to take which amount to targeting trans people. Now is the time for the county to do all it can to support and protect the trans people who are part of our community and to let them know that you have our backs, have their backs, and all of our backs.

[00:08:09] One very practical step you can take is to stockpile hormone replacement therapy meds. This is an essential and practical way to support the trans folks who are our neighbors here in Lane County.

[00:08:21] Oregon is already stockpiling mifepristone, the drug used for abortion, so there is a model to follow. It’s also very important that the county commit to continuing to provide gender affirming care at its health clinics. This health care is essential. Like every other member of our community, trans people have the right to have their medical needs addressed.

[00:08:46] There are many immigrants in our community, including refugees, asylum seekers, dreamers, and those without documentation. President-elect Trump has expressed his intent to deport many of them. These people are our neighbors. They contribute to our community by doing essential work. Were they to disappear, we would find ourselves in a very difficult situation.

[00:09:10] Please do all you can to make sure that the county not only follows the provisions of Oregon’s Sanctuary Promise Act, but also its spirit by doing all it can to protect immigrants. They too need to know that the county will do all it can to protect them.

[00:09:26] Mahatma Gandhi is said to have said: ‘The true measure of any society can be found in how it treats its most vulnerable members.’ I urge you to carry through on the commitment you have made to protect the vulnerable, which now particularly includes trans people and immigrants.

[00:09:45] Jacob Griffin: My name is Jacob Griffin. The other people are speaking directly to the issues and to the responses, so they’ve given me the privilege of talking about why this moment matters so much.

[00:09:56] And one of the things I want to say is one of the reasons we moved to Eugene is exactly the things I’m hearing from these people this morning who got up and came out on this cold morning to speak for people who they are not part of the community and yet they feel part of the community and truly are.

[00:10:12] We moved back to Eugene because I loved Eugene when we were here and we bought a house a year before we moved here and six months before I knew I was going to be a grandfather.

[00:10:25] I planted fruit trees when we moved here so that my grandchild and I could eat fruit there and we could be protected a little more from the continuing climate change.

[00:10:35] And there is a room in my house that is everything I hated as a child. It is completely pink. It is full of Barbies and I play happily for hours with this little child because I’m in the right body and because it feels safe and lovely to do that because I am assigned Ken jobs. Mostly I’m Ken pet keeper.

[00:10:58] But what I want to say today is that when I leave here today, this afternoon I’m meeting with a real estate agent and I’m signing a contract to sell my house. And that contract will be open for the next four years. Not because I want to be there, not because I ever want to leave here, not because I don’t want to watch my grandchild grow up, but because I do not know if I will be safe here.

[00:11:22] Trans people are making various decisions about what they will do if they were denied their T- HRT. For me, the idea comes to, I flee or I die. I cannot go back to that body. So I need protection, and I need your protection. I need to know.

[00:11:40] But the man who is coming in as a president has said that on day one, he would eliminate transgenders from this country. I’m one of the transgenders that he would hope to eliminate, and I need your protection. I need your community. We make up something like 0.5% of the population.

[00:12:00] And immigrants are in the same situation, with even less ability to come here and talk to you than we have. And so I need you to stand up and be brave for us when we will no longer be able to be brave for ourselves.

[00:12:13] I’m also Jewish. I’m on the board at Temple Beth Israel (TBI). I know how much that community is fearful. We need to hear a strong voice from you now. We need you not to obey in advance. And we need you to take care of us.

[00:12:29] Amanda Noble Flannery: Hello, my name is Amanda Noble Flannery. When I spoke here last month, I thanked you for the recent and important progress that’s been possible because of the Board of County Commissioners and county programs prioritizing equity. Today, I want to thank you for the exploratory work you’re undertaking related to sanctuary county actions and urge you to put protections in place right away.

[00:12:51] Local governments serve as a crucial buffer against potential inequities or rollbacks at the state or federal levels. We rely on you to be an unwavering layer of protection for our diverse communities. As speakers before me have shared today, this is especially vital for our immigrant and trans communities.

[00:13:09] The threats are real and the time to put safeguards in place is now. It is essential that no county employee, law enforcement or otherwise, provide information to ICE or any federal department. I’m asking you to create a policy to ensure staff are not acting as enforcers of federal immigration or transphobic laws.

[00:13:29] HIPAA protections for medical settings aren’t enough because we aren’t sure what will happen at the federal level. In August 2023, the board issued an order reaffirming the county’s commitment to support LGBTQIA2S+ individuals. As you know, the T stands for trans people, and there are two specific actions I’m asking the board to take that will show that the August 2023 order was more than words.

[00:13:56] One is to stockpile hormone replacement therapy meds, modeling after the state stockpiling of mifepristone that has already happened. The second is a commitment to continue providing gender-affirming care at all county health clinics. Supporting immigrant and trans rights strengthens our commitment to dignity, respect, and equity for everyone in Lane County.

[00:14:19] Your leadership and equity reminds us all that justice begins at home. I’m asking you to take swift action and make sure immigrant and trans protections are in place before we need them.

[00:14:29] Heather Scott: Hi, my name is Heather Scott and my pronouns are she/her. I’m here to ask that you designate Lane County a sanctuary county for undocumented residents and transgender individuals and that you enforce and expand on existing state sanctuary laws.

[00:14:45] I ask that you also include stockpiling replacement therapy medication for trans adults and youth. I feel afraid for the safety and well-being of our community due to the threats made by the incoming federal administration against immigrants, undocumented, and transgender people.

[00:15:03] As a community member, parent, and psychologist, I’m aware of the high level of daily fear and uncertainty that undocumented residents and transgender people experience. Among my clients and clients of other therapists I know, symptoms of PTSD, depression, anxiety, and suicidal ideation have increased since November.

[00:15:26] I understand that nearly a third of youth in our county identify as LGBTQIA+ and this includes my daughter.

[00:15:35] As a queer woman and parent, infringements on other groups’ rights make me fear for mine and my children’s rights and for those of other people I know and love who worry about their jobs and livelihood.

[00:15:47] I believe that most people in Lane County value safety, respect, and dignity for all people and want to help protect vulnerable groups. We value families and community, self-determination, and personal freedom. We value learning and growing from each other. We value fairness and equity.

[00:16:04] We need to safeguard all people’s basic human rights in our town. I’ve witnessed harassment of transgender people and people of color, and feel a deep sense of anger, grief, and disquiet about the longstanding history of racism, homophobia, and transphobia in our state and county, fueled by leaders who pit people against each other. We need local leaders who bring us together and support safety, justice, and essential services for all.

[00:16:30] It is unconscionable to use documentation status to deny basic human rights, detain individuals not convicted of crimes, and separate family members from one another, which has generational consequences. It is unconscionable to deny people crucial medical care and deny them privacy about such care based on their gender identity.

[00:16:50] These things should be unacceptable to all of us. None of us are safe if we don’t care for the most vulnerable among us. Lane County should be a place where everyone belongs. Please expand and improve upon existing sanctuary laws and make our county a sanctuary. Thank you.

[00:17:06] Rose Wilde: I’m Rose Wilde. I speak from my personal experience. In 2021, my cousin Lavender ended her life at the age of 23. I’m sharing the program from her memorial, which (County Administrator) Steve (Mokrohisky) has.

[00:17:18] Lavender was an ally when other people’s rights were trampled. When the sovereignty and water quality of the Standing Rock Sioux tribe were violated and threatened by the Dakota Access Pipeline, Lavender went to Standing Rock and fearlessly joined in the actions to block the development.

[00:17:32] Lavender was not Sioux, but she recognized that when the rights of Indigenous people are threatened, all of our rights are threatened. And if our constitutional rights and the promises our government make do not apply to some of us, they do not apply to all of us.

[00:17:46] Lavender experienced serious mental health struggles and abuse through the criminal legal system, which punished her and created barriers in her life, preventing her from moving forward at a critical point as a teen and young adult.

[00:17:58] Her crime was possessing a small amount of marijuana just before it was made legal. And that harmed no one. The challenges of navigating the system and experiencing rejection and bigotry because of their gender, her gender, was too much to bear. One day she could not be found. After hours of anxiously searching, her sister found Lavender at the bottom of a cliff, at a local wilderness area that she loved.

[00:18:21] So I raise those issues because we’re in a county where people voted to expand funding for our jail with the promise that people who desperately needed mental health support would receive it through that. It highlights the lengths that we will go just to address the deeply inadequate support for people experiencing mental illness.

[00:18:37] Lavender certainly would not have received support through that system. One in three Oregon eighth-graders reported attempting suicide one or more times, according to the Oregon Healthy Teens Survey.

[00:18:49] And I also know that the election of Trump, whose agenda includes rejection and harming of transgender people, aggravated the feelings of fear and rejection among local trans youth.

[00:18:59] So I ask that we take a holistic approach to equity, diversity, and inclusion, a sanctuary policy that obligates our county to protect the rights and dignity of all people, and specifically trans, other queer, and gender- diverse people, and immigrants, threatened by assaults from the Trump administration as a starting point.

[00:19:16] But the county should also expand funding for DEI program staff and grants, task human resources to understand how the climate in each part of the county impacts trans and queer employees, create a plan to address those harms and improve the climate for those employees, center the voices of trans and queer folks and immigrants and the creation or expansions of all policies impacting them, and learn from local trans advocates and communities to understand their experiences by showing up in spaces organized by and for them.

[00:19:45] Sue Barnhart: Hi, Sue Barnhart, and I’d like to say that many people who’ve spoken before me speak my mind, in particular Margot and Emily and Jacob and another Emily and Heather and Rose, so I won’t repeat all that they’ve said.

[00:20:04] But I would also like to say that when I worked for the county, I worked for folks with developmental disabilities, So I’m very concerned as well as immigrants and trans people, what may happen to people with any kind of disability, mental health disabilities, developmental disabilities, all sorts of disabilities, from what may happen to them and how scared they all are.

[00:20:30] And then since I’ve retired I’ve been working with immigrants and asylum seekers, and so of course I know how concerned they are. And then I also have adopted daughter from India, and I know how concerned she is. So I hope that our county will do what’s right, and take into consideration what everyone else has said before me, because the future is very scary to many, many people, as you well know…

[00:21:00] Do your best to make sure that all of Lane County residents feel safe.

[00:21:07] Commissioner David Loveall: Next up is Ashley Wright,

[00:21:08] Ashley Wright: I’m a busy working mom, but I have friends in the Diversity Equity and Inclusion Department for Lane County who have experienced a lack of support, and so much so that it can be hard to continue showing up.

[00:21:28] And with the upcoming administration, they are more concerned that there will be less support. I’m so moved by what you all have said. And I have a big heart for all people who have been oppressed and rejected. And particularly the trans community, queer people are so beautiful and vibrant. And I’m so grateful that you got to hear so many people speaking up for them.

[00:21:59] But just to continue to support the DEI work. I lived in a part of the country for many years with many more Black people. And the few people of color that we have here, there’s just been such a deep and tragic history of so much oppression. And for this year I took my children to the Springfield Library and we got to hear from a Native American basket weaver and I could feel the pain that runs in her veins and all of the generations that came before her.

[00:22:40] And I know we’ve made so much progress in the last 10 years, 50 years, 100 years towards lifting up people who have been oppressed. But let us please continue to show up and be the country that we have always hoped to be.

[00:23:02] Amie Annsa: Hello, everyone. My name is Amie Annsa. I want to start by thanking you all for the exemplary work you’ve been undertaking related to sanctuary county actions, and I urge you to put those protections in place right away or as soon as possible.

[00:23:14] Local politicians have the very important role of being able to make the most effective everyday change in all aspects of the lives of your constituents. Another thing I want to bring up is the important work that is being done for LGBTQIA2S+, older Oregonians, including by those on the LGBTQIA2S+ subcommittee of the Governor’s Commission of Senior Services, which I am proud to be a member of.

[00:23:41] And I don’t think it has been mentioned here specifically, but I want to ask you to think about what happens after a transgender person dies. Very often, even today, with all of the protections and all the progress that are in place, the name and pronouns of transgender people, if respected in life, which we are all striving to do, must be respected even after death, even if they are not legally changed.

[00:24:05] Economic issues including homelessness, job insecurity, and general discrimination affect trans folks disproportionately, which can make it extremely hard for them to get their documents in order. Every time someone has this disrespect happen to them in death, it disrespects all of us, dead or alive.

[00:24:23] I want you to draft rules making sure that who a person is in life continues to be who they are in death.

[00:24:30] I also want to echo the need for hormone replacement therapy medication stockpiling, modeling after the state stockpiling of mifepristone that has already happened, and I want the commitment to continue providing gender-affirming care at county health clinics. Your leadership in equity reminds us all that, like I said before, justice begins at home and you have the big ability to make that change in people’s lives.

[00:24:58] I’m asking you to take swift action to make sure that also the immigrant communities, documented or not, are protected. And of course, like I said, trans folks protections living and dead are in place before we need them, and we are going to need them sooner rather than later. That I promise you.

[00:25:15] Kristin Yarris: My name is Kristin Yariss. I use she/her/ella pronouns. I’m an associate professor of global studies and the department head for women’s gender and sexuality studies at the University of Oregon. I hold a seat for District 4 on the Lane County Public Health Advisory Committee. I also sit on the Oregon Health Authority’s Health Equity Committee.

[00:25:35] As we know, the incoming presidential administration has made attacks on immigrants and transgender communities a policy cornerstone, and racist, xenophobic, and transphobic discourse and attacks are on the rise once again. I was here about seven years ago providing testimony on a similar issue.

[00:25:52] In the coming weeks, we are likely to see numerous orders issued from the executive branch curtailing rights for undocumented and immigrant Americans, as well as trans and other gender diverse Americans. It matters to Lane County residents who identify as members of these targeted groups and vulnerable communities to know that local government elected officials and community leaders will take a stand on their behalf, offering them protections and using the power of local government to ensure their safety and well-being.

[00:26:22] Now is the time to take affirmative statements and and take actions across county departments to ensure that immigrants and gender-diverse residents and Lane County employees know that county government departments and programs have their backs. For immigrant communities, this can mean reaffirming state and local commitments to law enforcement disentanglement from federal immigration enforcement activities and upholding the provisions of Oregon’s Sanctuary Promise Act, as well as reaching out to impacted communities so that they know that they can continue to trust local institutions and access programs to which they are eligible, and that Lane County will use available resources to shield them in case of mass raids, terrorist detentions, or deportations.

[00:27:08] In the realm of health care this means affirming Cover All Oregonians means all Oregonians regardless of immigration status or gender identity. For trans and gender-diverse folks, Oregon has taken numerous steps already on a state level to ensure gender-affirming care will be provided and that medical professionals will not be prosecuted for providing such care.

[00:27:30] A next step locally can be reaffirming Lane County as a sanctuary county, where immigrants and all gender-diverse people are welcome, can access needed services, and have the support of local government and elected officials. Let’s take this step now, joining other cities and states across the country who have already passed sanctuary and shield laws, protecting gender-diverse communities, trans communities, immigrant communities, and the health care professionals who serve them.

[00:27:57] Presenter: With the inauguration of President-elect Trump less than a week away, public comment to the Lane County Commissioners Jan. 14.