By Trisha Walker
Columbia Gorge news
HOOD RIVER — Council President Gladys Rivera began the Jan. 26 city council meeting by sharing words by Alex Pretti, 37, killed on Jan. 24 by immigration enforcement agents in Minnesota. Pretti, an ICU nurse who worked at the Minneapolis Veterans Affairs (VA) hospital, wrote the following after one of his patients lost his life:
“Today we remember that freedom is not free,” Rivera read. “We have to work at it, nurture it, protect it, and even sacrifice for it. May we never forget and always remember our brothers and sisters who have served so that we may enjoy the gift of freedom. So in this moment, we remember and give thanks for their dedication and selfless service to our nation in the cause of our freedom. In this solemn hour, we read them our honor, and our gratitude.”
She also recognized people “who are parents, members of our community, our neighbors” taken by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents, and those who have been killed.
Doug Stepina also issued a statement, this time during council comments, quoting Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey after Pretti’s death, ending with, “Your grandchildren will ask you what you did to act to prevent this from happening again. What did you do to protect your city? What did you do to protect your nation?”
He emphasized that the city cannot stop ICE from coming to Hood River, and the police cannot prevent the unconstitutional tactics that violate the right to due process. “However, by the extensive research by our city manager, our council president, myself, the rest of the councilors, we’re beginning to understand the most impactful ways in which we can fight this unprecedented evil,” he said.
Councilors then began a conversation about what the city can do and is doing around immigration enforcement work, and how that work is being communicated to the public. Prior to council comments, City Manager Abigail Elder gave an update on what the city has done and what is in the works, such as working to schedule a series of listening sessions and a town hall with The Next Door and training city employees on how to handle requests from federal agents.
“Where I feel like we’re falling short is the communications plan to inform the public about what we’ve learned, what our city police is able to learn about each incident, what our police do or do not or cannot do when ICE is in Hood River, what the city can and cannot do when ICE is in Hood River,” Stepina said, adding that many Hood River residents get their news from social media posts.
“It is times like these that we need clear, accurate and consistent communication from the city. And this isn’t just helpful, it’s essential,” Rivera said, noting the need for clarity around various agencies’ authority and limitations, posting Know Your Rights information, consistent and bilingual messaging across all channels, and that the tone be calming and fact-based instead of fear-driven. When people don’t have information, they make assumptions, she added.
“I was born and raised here and when I was growing up, I felt like, specifically to immigration, that our city leadership just didn’t always speak up during difficult moments and that there were long stretches of silence even when many families were scared and uncertain,” Rivera said. “And I just want to, again, continue to express gratitude and sincerely thank this council for being willing to do something and to say something because it truly matters. It sends a message that our local government sees people, that we hear them, and that we understand that it is our responsibility to the community that we serve.”
The topic will be continued at the Feb. 9 council meeting.
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