Dawn,

This is the ordinance - removing “domestic violence” from the City's nuisance code - that I described in my call with you earlier today. As I mentioned, the Policy & Advocacy Committee of the Tacoma Human Rights Commission researched the issue for several months and met with the Councilmember to urge them to remove DV. Having it in the code here, and in other cities, has/can have a discriminatory impact on women (especially poor women of color). 

The Council is expected to pass the ordinance after its second reading this Tuesday, 2/25/20. The meeting starts at 5 pm and the agenda, see item #9, can be found here:

The proposed ordinance can be read here:

I am also attaching a screenshot of the first page of the ordinance. 

The July 2019 research memo prepared by the P & A Committee, which was presented to the Council, highlights statistics and legal arguments on why DV should not be in nuisance codes, is here:

It is vitally important that advocates, landlords, victims of domestic violence and intimate-partner violence, police, judges and court personnel, and residents learn about this positive step on behalf of victims. Removing DV from the code will help take a “weapon” of control and fear away from abusers and reduce (attempted) evictions by landlords of tenants who report DV to law enforcement. 

I respectfully ask you to share information and links about the ordinance on relevant list serves and to urge advocates and others to attend the 2/25/20 meeting to support the ordinance (and, if possible, express such support during the public-comment period of the meeting). 

Thank you so much for helping to spread the word.

Rebecca 

ps: On Tuesday, 2/18/20, at the Council’s first reading (and discussion) of the proposed ordinance, HRC Commissioner/P & A Committee Chair Kim Tosch and I each spoke in support of passage during the public comment period. Several Councilmembers and the Mayor later voiced strong support for the measure. It would be very powerful to have more speakers make public comments at the 2/25/20 meeting. 

The 2/18/20 comments of Kim, me, Councilmembers, and the Mayor can be found here: