Spokane contracts with Mujeres in Action to improve domestic violence response for Spanish speakers

Over the next year, Spokane will contract with local nonprofit Mujeres in Action to improve its responses to domestic violence and sexual assault calls when victims do not speak fluent English.

The $120,000 contract, approved 6-1 by the Spokane City Council on Monday, covers cultural competency training for officers responding to these calls, education and trust-building for the community, and direct translation assistance for domestic violence calls.

Mujeres in Action was formed in 2018 to support Spanish-speaking survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault through advocacy and direct support services, including its current development of Casa MiA, a housing development for survivors who are homeless or at risk of becoming homeless. With the new contract, Spokane police will be able to get assistance from the nonprofit when officers are sent to sensitive calls with Spanish-speaking victims and connect victims with the nonprofit for follow-up and other support services.

Without these kinds of translation services, victims can suffer further during police interactions, said Executive Director Ana Trusty.

“We can even have survivors going to jail,” Trusty noted, adding that the primary breadwinner in a household is often the one more fluent in English.

“We have seen it where the person who causes harm tells police that the survivor is the one causing harm, and the police don’t have language access and don’t talk to the survivor, so the survivor goes to jail,” Trusty said.

In a brief Friday interview, Spokane Mayor Lisa Brown said the contract is a necessary part of the city’s response to domestic violence.

“Unfortunately, we have a relatively high rate of domestic violence, and we’ve been working hard to raise awareness on that,” Brown said, noting that federal funding for crime victims advocacy has been slashed.

In its application for the contract, Mujeres in Action underscored the additional difficulties marginalized communities face.

“Spokane’s Latine and immigrant DV survivors, already disproportionately impacted, are even more fearful to get help and are now more vulnerable than ever,” the organization wrote. “Cultural and language barriers significantly compound these challenges, creating a cycle of barriers to reporting, getting support, communicating with police, and accessing protection.”

Councilman Michael Cathcart was the sole vote against the contract on Monday. He emphasized that he supported the work that Mujeres in Action was doing in the community, but he voted against the contract and a number of unrelated purchases that evening out of a broader concern about the city’s budget.

“The point being, we are not flush with cash, and I pointed to these dollars, if they weren’t going to go to their original intent, which was COPS, this was $120,000 we could have used to close our deficit,” Cathcart said.

Funding for the project came out of the police department’s public outreach budget, and had initially been slated to go toward the previously city-funded nonprofit, Community Oriented Policing Services, or COPS. In the past, that nonprofit almost entirely relied on city funding to keep the lights on, but was offered less money last year, in part because it declined to work to “enhance engagement with historically marginalized communities.” The organization lost its city funding altogether after declining to sign its contract for months, according to city records.

“We gave them more leeway than we would give other potential contractors, and when they refused to sign that contract, we said we’d move forward and use these funds elsewhere,” said Erin Hut, city spokeswoman.

The Mujeres in Action contract is the second time in just over a month that funding previously budgeted for COPS ended up going instead to an immigrant-focused nonprofit. In February, the City Council approved $100,000 of police outreach funds going to the Spokane Immigrant Rights Coalition’s Community Justice Fund. The coalition of nonprofits, which includes Mujeres in Action, has used this justice fund for purposes such as transportation to immigration hearings in Tacoma, as well as temporary lodging or emergency child care during those hearings.

In an emailed statement, Spokane Police Chief Kevin Hall emphasized that the contract approved Monday was not simply intended to fund a program, but to improve the department’s relationships with the community.

“I am particularly proud of this contract and what it represents,” Hall wrote. “By working with a community-based organization that is trusted and local, we’re creating more accessible pathways for engagement, improving communication, and ensuring that we serve all segments of Spokane in a respectful manner to ensure their safety and well-being.”

“This program is about building relationships, not just programs, and strengthening the connection between our officers and the communities we serve,” he added. “It is community-centered policing at its core.”