- Community Action IDs allow people who cannot access a government ID to prove who they are.
- Such IDs are accepted by the Raleigh Police Department and the Wake County Sheriff’s Office.
RALEIGH, NC.- Residents of Wake County and the City of Raleigh who, for various reasons, cannot access a government-issued identity document, will have the possibility of processing a community identification under the “Community Action ID” program. ” of the FaithAction Network, which has been operating for several years in other North Carolina jurisdictions.
These Community Action IDs will be accepted by the Raleigh Police Department and the Wake County Sheriff’s Office. Also, by the Alliance Medical Ministry.
Behind This Win
The issuance of these identification cards comes after nearly seven years of numerous conversations with different authorities and law enforcement agencies in the county and the City of Raleigh and, thanks to the work of various grassroots groups and local non-profit organizations, who formed the “Community Action ID Coalition”.
“Much of our community needs a form of identification, I am one of them because of my status,” said activist Griselda Alonso of Women Organizing Remarkable Opportunities (MOON). “I am also happy for the LGTBQ community that they will have the benefit of bearing the name they have always wanted.”
For his part, Julián Abreu from the Raleigh Dominican Association (ADORA) highlighted the achievement and the impact on the community.
“Finally, after so much work that we have been doing as a Coalition, we are seeing the fruit of our work,” he said. “As a Dominican community, it takes a weight away from us because many of our people who do not have identification will finally have a way to verify who they are.”
The “Community Action ID Coalition” has been made up of grassroots groups and non-profit organizations: Alliance of AIDS Services, – Carolina, ALPES, Guardian Angel, Association of Dominicans of Raleigh (ADORA), Popular Action Committee, Committee Popular Somos Raleigh, Comunidad Vida Nueva, Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Raleigh, El Pueblo, Equality NC, Gardner Law, InterAct, Justicia y Esperanza, Legal Aid NC, LGBT Center, MOON, NC Asian Americans Together, NC Council of Sweets, NC Justice Center, Raleigh PACT, US Committee on Immigrants and Refugees, Sí a las licencias NC.
ID Characteristics
Community Action IDs have a distinctive design from other FaithAction Network IDs.
It has orange tones, a watermark, the Coalition logo and will include the information of the person who has applied for the ID. In addition, on the back it has El Pueblo’s telephone, email and website so that people can access more information.
The IDs have a cost of $10 dollars, an amount that covers the printing and mailing of the card. In addition, they must be renewed one year after their issuance.
IDs Produced by El Pueblo
The organization El Pueblo will be in charge of carrying out the entire process of issuing the IDs, which includes the days of issuance, data collection, printing of the cards and mailing of the identifications.
The first day of broadcast to the public will be on Saturday, February 26 at the offices of El Pueblo.
“We celebrate this achievement as a Coalition because we are confident that these identifications will give our communities more security,” said Iliana Santillán, executive director of El Pueblo. “We are aware that this does not replace a state driver’s license, nor does it solve the lack of an official identification for our communities, but it is an important step forward. We will continue to advocate for a driver’s license.”
Accepted by the RPD and Sheriff of Wake
IDs will be accepted by the Raleigh Police Department (RPD) and the Wake County Sheriff’s Office.
“The RPD decided to accept the IDs to help build a meaningful relationship with our Hispanic and Latino communities,” said Raleigh Police Chief Estella Patterson. “We hope that by working closely with the FaithAction program, residents will call in to report crimes and provide information on who may be committing crimes in their neighborhoods.”
Patterson indicated that “the benefits of recognizing the IDs will be a great victory for our immigrant communities and an opportunity for these communities to know that RPD is here to serve and protect them just as we do with any other segment of the population.”
To ensure recognition, officers will undergo a tutorial session on what the program is, what the IDs look like, and the process for residents to obtain IDs.
“It will be emphasized to our officers that this ID is not a substitute for a North Carolina driver’s license or ID, but rather serves as a means to help identify an otherwise unidentifiable person,” Patterson said.
For his part, Wake County Sheriff Gerald Baker said “this program will offer the opportunity for those who cannot obtain a government ID to at least be in possession of a formidable non-government identification card to assist with identification.”
“The decision to support the ID program is based primarily on a past history of poor and/or failed communications that resulted in our inability to serve our Hispanic and Latino communities throughout Wake County,” he said.
Courtesy: El Pueblo Press Inc.
