A Bridgeton Municipal ID
By Albert B. Kelly
I know I can get go on at length about “community” and I
also know I can get downright passionate about my community- the great City of
Bridgeton. As I’ve often said, our community, any community, is about more than
the brick and mortar of its buildings and far more than its programs and
policies.
Community is all about people and the identity of any
community cannot be extracted out and separated from its members because it is
tied to them in so many ways. But community and identity is a two-way street
and just as people can give the community its identity, so the community can do
the same for people.
That theme of identity and community is part of the thinking
behind creating a municipal ID for residents in Bridgeton that do not have the
conventional forms of identification which is so much a part of functioning in
today’s world. I’m talking about driver’s licenses, student ID’s, credit cards,
and other such common forms that say “this is who I am”.
For those lacking such ID, the benefits of having a
municipal ID that establishes proof of identity as well as proof of residency include
obtaining a library card, in health care facilities, local pharmacies, most
clinics, social service providers; and in facilitating interactions with
emergency responders, local government, or law enforcement.
Beyond these, it is not uncommon to need identification as a
way to access community-specific programs, activities and benefits that are
designed or intended exclusively for residents in the community whether it
involves discounts on the retail side, getting a permit of some type, or even reserving
a public venue.
A municipal ID is also about helping the most marginalized
in the community such as individuals who have a gender identity that is
different from the gender identity on other forms of ID, immigrants, those with
disabilities, previously incarcerated persons, homeless individuals, youth, and
senior citizens.
Those people who so often get pushed to the margins should
have the ability to conduct business in the community as any other citizen-
having a municipal ID will allow them the ability to do so more easily.
Another consideration, primarily for immigrants, is access
to basic banking services. This is more than an issue of convenience; it goes
directly to the issue of safety. What I mean to say is that far too often,
immigrants are perceived to be “walking ATM machines” as one law enforcement
person put it.
By that, they meant that because it is well known that the
unbanked (read immigrants) do not have accounts, they likely carry around cash,
especially on payday, making them easy marks for the bad guys.
With this in mind, my goal is to try and work with local
banks so that the unbanked portion of our community might have access to basic
services making them less of a target to the knuckleheads.
As with all such forms of ID, it will be necessary to
provide documents through a point system to authenticate identity and this will
include in various combinations a birth certificate (U.S. or foreign),
passport, current Visa, Green Card, Consular ID, foreign driver’s license, and
a utility bill with name/address.
Use of the municipal ID outside of the greater Bridgeton area
would not necessarily be discouraged, but holders of the card should know that the
ID card may not be honored in other locations and the ID card will not be
accepted by State and Federal agencies, but then it is not meant to serve as an
equivalent form of ID accepted by those agencies.
Looking past the practical uses of such an ID card, there is
another consideration that no less important and it has to with creating a
sense of connection and belonging to our community.
Living in our current season of “them and us”, there are
countless ways to stoke division and segregation along with hostility, fear,
and resentment. This “separateness” comes in many forms both real and symbolic.
In much the same way, the ID card provides benefits both real and symbolic.
It might be a small thing, but I’d like to think that having
a municipal ID, especially for those marginalized folks in the community, might
remind them that they’re welcome here, that they have a connection here, with
the privileges and responsibilities that come with belonging..
We will be moving forward on a Bridgeton ID soon with all
the details to follow.