Casa Latina closes Seattle employee middle, saying protests have induced unsafe atmosphere

At a chaotic press conference interrupted by protesters, the organization for immigrant rights, Casa Latina, said Wednesday an escalating campaign against the nonprofit for dealing with allegations of sexual misconduct created an unsafe environment and forced them to temporarily close their doors.

Casa Latina is best known for posting day laborers and domestic workers to employers across the region and continues to do so as best it can from an off-campus location in the Central District, according to managing director Marcos Martinez.

But a month of protests – now in the form of a camp and hunger strike in the courtyard of the Casa Latina campus – has led the organization to suspend its other personal programs, including ESL courses and food distribution.

“We are heartbroken about the impact this is having on our community,” said Board Chairman Pilar Pacheco, adding that many immigrants depend on Casa Latina for a living.

The organization typically provides thousands of jobs for more than $ 20 an hour each year, Martinez said. The 25-year-old nonprofit is funded largely through private donations and government contracts and grants, including more than $ 626,000 from the City of Seattle in 2020.

Martinez and Pacheco held their remarks in a driveway next to the building on South Weller Street where they were going to hold their press conference. Just as it was about to begin in the offices of the immigrant group OneAmerica, Martinez announced that it could not continue as planned because protesters had arrived. About a dozen stood in front of the entrance, picket lines and shouted “Shame!

After moving outside, Pacheco described what she described as harassment and intimidation by protesters. Last Friday, she said, workers arriving on the Casa Latina campus were greeted by protesters who had set up tents, speakers and porta potties, blocked access to the buildings and yelled at those trying to distribute work orders and receive.

The protesters, who crashed the press conference and eventually followed the leaders of Casa Latina outside, denied this portrayal. “We don’t touch anyone. … We don’t say anything to the workers, ”said Lucina Carrillo, an employee whose allegations against a male employee and the failure of Casa Latina to act decisively had initially led to the protests.

Two other women have since made allegations against the same former colleague, ranging from verbal harassment to fondling. Workers said the man appeared to have operated with impunity because of his personal relationship with one of the organization’s leaders. Still others have complained of sexual harassment and, in one case, an alleged rape in which people come to Casa Latina to find work.

Workers have also made broader complaints about the organization’s executives, citing issues such as perceived favoritism in posting jobs, bossy behavior and the expectation of overtime.

The board of directors of Casa Latina hired D Diamond Consulting to investigate the allegations and hired a mediator.

Protesters calling for the sacking of Casa Latina leaders say they refuse to partner with D Diamond, citing Director Deborah Diamond’s previous career with the IRS.

“The fact that you have hired someone who has worked for the IRS for many years shows that you have no connection with the migrant community, which, for good reasons, is afraid to give information to government agencies like the IRS,” protesters said in a statement .

Reached by phone, Diamond said she couldn’t comment on the objection, but noted that the IRS does not share information with other government agencies such as Immigration and Customs. She said she worked in a variety of jobs during her 33 years with the IRS, including investigating civil rights complaints.

Instead of Diamond, the protesters want a panel of survivors, day laborers, employees and community organizers to hold leaders accountable and make reparations for those who have suffered harm.

“We recognize that there are people who have suffered harm and a way must be found to repair that damage,” said Rufina Reyes, a leader of the La Resistencia immigrant group, who spoke at the press conference. In this way it should “build, not destroy”.

“We need Casa Latina alive,” added Delmys Argueta, one of the around 220 people who come to the organization for jobs. “I think this is a personal situation that should be clarified between the board of directors and those affected,” added the domestic servant, demanding that “third parties who have nothing to do with Casa Latina” be kept away.

Some activists for a variety of reasons have joined the protests, including a woman who came to the press conference and said she was for the Movement of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women.

The demonstrators at the event then returned to their camp, where they were applauded by those who stayed behind. A hunger striker was rushed to hospital on Tuesday but has since returned, protesters said.