Nearly 100 people attended the YI General Meeting on Saturday, March 14 at the Mighty Tieton warehouse. Scott Dolquist brought us up to speed on what the group is doing. Some highlights:
- Thanks to donations, we’re $4,500 in the black
- Volunteers are needed for social media, technology support, Spanish translation, and finance committee support
- Collaborations are expanding our reach and power
- We are working with Congressional District 4 groups from the Canadian border to the Tri-Cities
- We are also collaborating with groups including Yakima Immigrant Response Network, Washington Youth Alliance, and Rural Americans United
Cristina Gonzalez Torres of the Latino Community Fund (LCF) spoke of the 60 families their organization is currently assisting, whose family members have been seized by ICE. Yakima county saw the highest rate of ICE arrests per capita of any county in Washington and Oregon in 2025 – 185 per 100,000 people.
Giovanni Severino of LCF discussed successful legislation in Olympia this past session, including the passage of a measure banning law enforcement from wearing masks on duty, a measure protecting domestic workers, and the millionaire’s tax.
Scott described an upcoming video project which will feature local people reading from the Declaration of Independence.
Doug White of Rural Americans United described a project that will bring billboards to rural areas of Washington state featuring messages on health care and voting rights.
Lastly, Scott described the efforts YI is making to create the largest demonstration we’ve had yet – No Kings 3 March 28. There will be an after-party at Bale Breaker, and a streaming speakers panel that evening.
