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Residents urge council to adopt ACLU model immigrant‑protections and press for affordable‑housing funding
Summary
Two public commenters called on Jamestown to adopt an ACLU model ordinance to protect immigrant communities and asked the council to pursue larger funding for affordable housing, including a town bond and use of conveyance‑tax revenue.
During open forum, two speakers urged the council to act on separate community priorities.
Mariel Ferline told the council the ACLU of Rhode Island has distributed a model ordinance communities can adopt to limit local cooperation with federal immigration detainer requests, arguing such ordinances promote public safety by preserving trust between immigrant communities and local law enforcement. Ferline noted that other Rhode Island municipalities have adopted similar language and cited a recent joint statement by state attorneys general saying local law enforcement cannot be commandeered for federal immigration enforcement.
Quaker Case, vice chair of the Affordable Housing Committee, urged the council to pursue larger funding sources for housing, including a local bond to support multi‑unit projects and a combined senior center/affordable housing project similar to an example in Portsmouth. Case also urged the town to consider using a portion of conveyance‑tax receipts and a proposed building‑permit fee as on‑going revenue sources for Jamestown’s affordable‑housing trust and noted the committee’s support for smaller projects such as accessory dwelling units and land‑trust initiatives as well as larger projects that would require additional funding.
There was no action during open forum; councilors and staff acknowledged the requests and said topics would be followed up in future agenda items.
