What sanctuary also means: The hit-and-run driver who left us to die on the highway

Presenter: By a vote of 3-2, Lane County commissioners Tuesday reaffirmed the Oregon Sanctuary Promise Act, and affirmed equity and respect for transgender people and immigrants who reside in Lane County. But not all Lane County residents have had a positive experience with the county’s sanctuary policy. During public comment April 22, Jennifer Tinsley:

[00:00:23] Jennifer Tinsley: My voice is going to crack, but we’re going to get through this. I’m going to go back to a date that is hard for me to go back to, but I want to get into the public record my personal experience of the sanctuary policy.

[00:00:34] July 13, 2023, I was a passenger on a motorcycle, a beautiful summer day coming back from Cottage Grove, Oregon, by the lake. We were almost, almost into town. When we were hit, we were traveling 55 miles an hour. We were hit head-on. The accident reconstructionist told us we were found 50 feet from where we were hit.

[00:00:59] The driver of the motorcycle was life-flighted to RiverBend and I was taken by ambulance.

[00:01:05] The driver fled from the scene. KEZI put out on a newscast later that night as the sheriff’s department was looking for help: ‘Please help us identify the suspect in this car.’ They were able to find this person a few days later. This person came into the country illegally from Guatemala and is here under our sanctuary policy.

[00:01:27] This person did not have a job, did not have a driver’s license, did not have car insurance. I didn’t know at the time, but my personal car insurance, when I told them I was on a motorcycle, they said, ‘Oh, you didn’t know, but because you’re on a motorcycle, your insurance isn’t going to cover this.’ Because he didn’t have insurance, I was left with all of the bills.

[00:01:49] When we went to court, the judge before sentencing, in this building actually, asked: ‘Why did you not call 911? I understand the fear that you had. You left. But why didn’t you not call 911? You left those people to die on the side of the highway.’

[00:02:08] And I quote, he said to the judge, with his court-appointed interpreter: ‘I didn’t call 911 because I don’t speak English.’

[00:02:20] It took me months of recovery. I had broken feet. I was missing toenails. I was covered in road rash. I’m lucky to be alive though. I’m thankful to be alive. Most people who have that kind of accident don’t make it out. I work a full-time job, but have had to get another job, DoorDashing nights and weekends, just to keep up on the medical bills that have impacted me.

[00:02:49] I’m just asking that my story get into the public discourse and be taken under consideration when you are considering what it truly means to be a sanctuary state and to be a sanctuary county: What does that really mean? And please consider everybody that it does impact, because it impacted me greatly, and I have physical scars. They’re never going to go away. I have mental scars that aren’t going to go away.

[00:03:18] Presenter: Commissioners Pat Farr, Laurie Trieger, and Heather Buch vote to reaffirm the Oregon Sanctuary Promise Act, and to uphold protections granted to our immigrant, refugee and transgender communities. Commissioner Laurie Trieger:

[00:03:32] Commissioner Laurie Trieger: So I think most folks in the room know where I stand, which is in strong and full support of this statement, of all the work that went into it, and of every member of this community who has spoken in favor of it. But as others have said, I am also supportive of, and deeply distressed that there are so many people who see themselves as being excluded from care and consideration by this organization from this statement.

[00:04:06] I printed it out and highlighted, in fact, it says the words “every person” three times. It says the rights of people in our community, it refers to everyone and it explicitly and specifically calls out the need to ensure we are clear in our commitment to protect some folks explicitly named.

[00:04:32] But the statement is for everyone, it says it right in it, so I, I’m sad on behalf of folks who feel that they are excluded with the…passage of this statement, because you most certainly are not.

[00:04:45] And if you are ever explicitly at risk of being denied services or your rights, I am here to help and protect you as well. That is an absolute commitment that I would hope and assume everyone at this dais shares.

[00:05:02] To the person who talked about being in an accident, the incidental fact of the immigration status of that person that was involved has nothing to do with the Oregon Sanctuary Promise Act. This is specifically about cooperation across governmental entities when it comes to immigration enforcement. That’s what it means.

[00:05:27] Presenter: That’s Lane County Commissioner Laurie Trieger responding to a constituent from her South Eugene district. Jennifer Tinsley tells commissioners that Lane County’s status as a sanctuary county is the reason she crossed paths in life with the hit-and-run driver who left her to die on the road.

This story produced by John Q. for Whole Community News, on KEPW 97.3, simulcasting at KEPW.org, Eugene’s PeaceWorks community radio.