Records, 1983-1986

Overview of the Collection

Creator
Seattle (Wash.). Citizens' Commission on Central America
Title
Records
Dates
1983-1986 (inclusive)
Quantity
1.6 cubic feet, (4 boxes)
Collection Number
4102-01
Summary
Records of the Citizens' Commission on Central America (1983-1986), including meeting minutes, correspondence, and draft legislation.
Repository
Seattle Municipal Archives
Seattle Municipal Archives
Office of the City Clerk
City of Seattle
PO Box 94728
98124-4728
Seattle, WA
Telephone: 2062337807
Fax: 2063869025
archives@seattle.gov
Access Restrictions

Records are open to the public.

Languages
English
Sponsor
Funding for encoding this finding aid was provided through a grant awarded by the National Endowment for the Humanities.

Historical NoteReturn to Top

At the November 8, 1983 election, Seattle voters passed Initiative 28, titled "For Peace in Central America." This initiative outlined the opposition of Seattle's citizens to United States support of the governments of Guatemala, El Salvador, and Honduras, supporting a peaceful resolution to the the conflicts and human rights violations in those countries. The initiative further asked that "...federal funds now being used to promote destruction in Central America be redirected to promotion of services vital to the welfare of the City of Seattle" and other American cities.

Initiative 28 also required the City Council to create the Citizens' Commission on Central America. Members would "monitor events in the region and propose further actions" that would further the end of United States support to Central American governments and encourage redirection of the funds to meet the needs of American cities. The twenty members included representatives from El Centro de la Raza, the University of Washington, the Jewish Federation of Greater Seattle, the Catholic Archdiocese of Seattle, and the Global Reach Consortium, among other organizations.

The Citizens' Commission on Central America initiated and supported a wide variety of activities; its committees included the Delegation to Central America, Central America Documentation Center, Education, Media Relations, and Interdepartmental Liaison Committees. Projects and activities included meeting with various international visitors, endorsing the Managua-Seattle Sister City relationship, sponsoring a Citizens' Commission representative on a fact-finding visit to El Salvador, and organizing and sponsoring public hearings and an in-depth study on the issue of becoming a "sanctuary city" for refugees from Central America.

In January 1986, a resolution declaring Seattle a "city of refuge" was passed by the City Council, stating that the city "reaffirms the American tradition of providing refuge to law abiding persons who have fled...for fear of losing their lives." The resolution pertained particularly to Guatemalan and Salvadoran refugees, few of whom had been granted "temporary safe haven" or political asylum by the United States government. The resolution also urged other cities to voice support for the application of the Refugee Act of 1980 for Guatemalan and Salvadoran refugees.

In November 1986, Seattle voters passed Initiative 30, which rescinded the City of Refuge resolution and dissolved the Citizens' Commission on Central America. The Initiative stated that Seattle's citizens supported the immigration laws of the federal government and that the City should focus on its own problems rather than spending its resources on involving itself with foreign policy. In part, Initiative 30 states that "it appears the Citizens' Commission on Central America has become or been used as a platform for political activities sympathetic to anti-democratic governments and political movements seeking to discredit or obstruct American policies and laws."

The Citizens' Commission on Central America was dissolved in December 1986.

Content DescriptionReturn to Top

The files contain correspondence, memoranda, press clippings, and draft legislation; minutes of monthly meetings between March 1984 and November 1986 are also included. Subjects covered include the "City of Refuge" or sanctuary city resolution, the Seattle/Managua Sister City Program, Contra aid, immigration reform, and Initiatives 28 and 30. Photocopies of newspaper clippings are included in many files. These clippings often provide background information on the issues as well as articles relating specifically to the Commission's activities and interests.

Use of the CollectionReturn to Top

Preferred Citation

[Item and date], Citizens' Commission on Central America Records, Record Series 4102-01. Box [number], Folder [number]. Seattle Municipal Archives.

Administrative InformationReturn to Top

Arrangement

Records are arranged in four subseries:

I: Citizens' Commission on Central America Administrative Records

II: Meeting Minutes

III: Resolutions and Initiatives

IV: Reference Materials

Detailed Description of the CollectionReturn to Top

The following section contains a detailed listing of the materials in the collection.

Citizen's Commission on Central America Records, 1983-1986Return to Top

Container(s) Description Dates
COCA Subject Files
1984-1986
Box/Folder
1/1
COCA Board/Commission Report
1986
1/2
COCA Bylaws
1985-1986
1/3
COCA Correspondence (Incoming)
1985-1986
1/4
COCA Correspondence (Responses to information requests)
1986
1/5
COCA Education Committee
1986
1/6
COCA General Information
1983-1984
1/7
COCA General Information
1983-1984
1/8
COCA Information Packet
1986
1/9
COCA Liaison Committee
1986
1/10
COCA Library Committee: Central America Documentation Center
1986
1/11
COCA Mailing List (Members and others)
1984-1986
1/12
COCA Mailing List (Press)
1984-1986
1/13
COCA Membership: Attendance and Resignations
1984-1986
1/14
COCA Membership: List of Members, July 1986
1986
1/15
COCA Membership: Member Information and New Recruitment
1984-1986
1/16
COCA Membership: Original Recruitment
1984
1/17
COCA News Conference: "City Commission Opposes Contra Aid"
1985
1/18
COCA Progress Report
1986
1/19
COCA Project Proposals
1986
1/20
COCA Staffing
1986
1/21
COCA Welcome Packet for New Commissioners
1986
1/22
Congressional Delegation: Correspondence and Information
1986
1/23
Delegation to El Salvador
1986
1/24
Delegation to El Salvador: Human Rights/Background Information
1986
1/25
International Affairs
1984-1986
1/26
Managua-Seattle Sister City Relationship
1984-1986
1/27
Mayor's Letter on Contra Aid
1986
1/28
National Conference of Democratic Mayors: Correspondence and Agenda
1984
1/29
National League of Cities Convention: Information and Planning
1985
1/30
National League of Cities Convention: Pamphlet and Report
1985
2/1
Proclamation: Peace in Central America Week (March 17-24, 1986)
1986
2/2
Tax Dollars At Work in Central America
n.d.
2/3
University of Washington: Reception and Class
1985
2/4
Veterans Fast For Life/Seattle Citizens' Fast
1986
2/5
Veterans Fast For Life/Seattle Citizens' Fast - News Conference
1986
2/6
Visitors
1984-1986
COCA Meeting Minutes
1984-1986
Box/Folder
2/7
COCA Meeting - 3/22/84
1984
2/8
COCA Meeting - 4/12/84
1984
2/9
COCA Meeting - 5/3/84
1984
2/10
COCA Meeting - 7/10/84
1984
2/11
COCA Meeting - 8/8/84
1984
2/12
COCA Meeting - 11/8/84
1984
2/13
COCA Meeting - 1/10/85
1985
2/14
COCA Meeting - 2/14/85
1985
2/15
COCA Meeting - 3/14/85
1985
2/16
COCA Meeting - 4/11/85
1985
2/17
COCA Meeting - 5/9/185
1985
2/18
COCA Meeting - 6/13/85
1985
2/19
COCA Meeting - 7/11/85
1985
2/20
COCA Meeting - 8/19/85
1985
2/21
COCA Meeting - 9/5/85
1985
2/22
COCA Meeting - 10/10/85
1985
2/23
COCA Meeting - 11/14/85
1985
2/24
COCA Meeting - 12/12/85
1985
2/25
COCA Meeting - 1/16/86
1986
2/26
COCA Meeting - 2/17/86
1986
2/27
COCA Meeting - 3/13/86
1986
2/28
COCA Meeting - 4/10/86
1986
2/29
COCA Meeting - 5/8/86; Executive Committee Meetings - 5/15/86
1986
2/30
COCA Meeting - 6/12/86
1986
2/31
COCA Meeting - 7/10/86
1986
2/32
COCA Meeting - 8/14/86
1986
2/33
COCA Meeting - 9/11/86
1986
2/34
COCA Meeting - 10/21/86
1986
2/35
COCA Meeting - 11/18/86
1986
2/36
Media Project Minutes
1985-1986
Resolutions and Initiatives
1983-1986
Box/Folder
3/1
Initiative 28 "For Peace In Central America" / Resolution 27035
1983-1986
3/2
Initiative 30 "For Responsible Immigration": Correspondence and Information
1986
3/3
Initiative 30 "For Responsible Immigration": Election Information
1986
3/4
Initiative 30 "For Responsible Immigration": Proposed Initiative
1986
3/5
Initiative 30 "For Responsible Immigration": Yes and No Committees
1986
3/6
Sanctuary City Resolution: Articles
1985-1986
3/7
Sanctuary City Resolution: Background Information
1985
3/8
Sanctuary City Resolution: Correspondence
1984-1986
3/9
Sanctuary City Resolution: Correspondence, Drafts, Information
1985-1986
3/10
Sanctuary City Resolution: Correspondence and Memoranda
1984-1986
3/11
Sanctuary City Resolution: Drafts
1985-1986
3/12
Sanctuary City Resolution: Findings and Recommendations
1984-1986
3/13
Sanctuary City Resolution: Funding Correspondence
1985-1986
3/14
Sanctuary City Resolution: King County
1986
3/15
Sanctuary City Resolution: Organization Input and Correspondence
1985-1986
3/16
Sanctuary City Resolution: Other Cities' Resolutions
1984-1985
3/17
Sanctuary City Resolution: Press Conference
1985
3/18
Sanctuary City Resolution: Public Hearings
1985
3/19
Sanctuary City Resolution: Public Hearings - Expert Testimony
1985
3/20
Sanctuary City Resolution: Questions and Answers
1985
3/21
Sanctuary City Resolution: Report on Sanctuary Issues (Bibliography)
1985
3/22
Sanctuary City Resolution: Report on Sanctuary City Issues (Draft)
1985
4/1
Sanctuary City Resolution: Report on Sanctuary City Issues (Draft)
1985
4/2
Sanctuary City Resolution: Report on Sanctuary City Issues (Final Draft)
1985
4/3
Sanctuary City Resolution: Report on Sanctuary City Issues (Footnotes)
1985
4/4
Sanctuary City Resolution: Research Memo
1985
4/5
Sanctuary City Resolution: Resolution 27402 As Passed
1986
4/6
Sanctuary City Resolution: Sanctuary Church Break-Ins (articles)
1985-1986
4/7
Sanctuary City Resolution: Washington State Legislature re: Sanctuary
1985
Reference Materials
1984-1986
Box/Folder
4/8
Asylum: Adjudications (INS)
1982
4/9
Asylum: Articles and Statistics
1986
4/10
Asylum: Grants and Denials
1985
4/11
Asylum: Grants and Denials
1986
4/12
Baptist Churches v. Meese (includes Status of Refugees information)
1986
4/13
General Accounting Office Report on Illegal Aliens
1986
4/14
Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986
1986
4/15
Medical Reports: El Salvador
1980-1985
4/16
Out of Balance: Central America News Coverage in the Seattle Times, Seattle Post-Intelligencer, and the New York Times
1985-1986
4/17
World Affairs Council Newsletter
1986
4/18
World Without War Council: Panel on Kissinger Report
1984

Names and SubjectsReturn to Top

Subject Terms

  • Refugees--El Salvador
  • Refugees--Guatemala
  • Refugees--Services for--Washington (State)--Seattle
  • Refugees--Washington (State)--Seattle

Corporate Names

  • Seattle (Wash.). Citizens' Commission on Central America

Geographical Names

  • El Salvador--Politics and government
  • Guatemala--Politics and government
  • Nicaragua--Politics and government
  • Seattle (Wash.)--Politics and government

Form or Genre Terms

  • Correspondence
  • Minutes

Other Creators

  • Personal Names
    • Brenneke, Andrea (creator)
    • Royer, Charles, 1939- (creator)
    Corporate Names
    • Seattle (Wash.). Mayor (creator)