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Judge approves restraining order freezing Casa Ruby bank accounts

Ruling on request to place LGBTQ group under receivership postponed

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Casa Ruby’s former executive director, Ruby Corado, retains full control of Casa Ruby’s finances, according to testimony Wednesday. (Blade file photo by Michael Key)

A D.C. Superior Court judge on Aug. 3 approved the first of a two-part motion filed on Monday by the Office of the D.C. Attorney General seeking a temporary restraining order to freeze all bank accounts and PayPal accounts of Casa Ruby, the D.C. LGBTQ community services center that shut down its operations last month.

During a 55-minute virtual court hearing, Judge Danya A. Dayson postponed until Aug. 11 a ruling on the second part of the motion, which calls on the court to appoint a receiver on a provisional basis to help stabilize Casa Ruby’s management and governance and to ā€œmaintain and control the funds of Casa Ruby.ā€

Dayson told Assistant D.C. Attorney General Geoffrey A. Comber, who represented the Attorney General’s office at the hearing, that under the city’s receivership statute, an organization must be officially served with notice that a receivership request was pending to provide it an opportunity to respond before a court can approve such a receivership.

The judge said she saw in the motion filed by the AG’s office that the office had attempted unsuccessfully to reach Casa Ruby’s former executive director, Ruby Corado, who the motion alleges retains full control of Casa Ruby’s finances. But Dayson said she wanted to give Corado more time to respond after which the D.C. receivership statute should be able to provide her sufficient grounds to approve the receivership motion. 

Neither an attorney nor another person representing Corado, or Casa Ruby attended the virtual court hearing on Wednesday.

The hearing took place five days after the Office of the D.C. Attorney General filed a separate motion on July 29 alleging that Casa Ruby and Corado had violated the D.C. Nonprofit Corporations Act in connection with its financial dealings over the period of eight or more years.

Among other things, the earlier motion along with the motion approved by Dayson seeking the restraining order, which are the equivalent of a civil lawsuit, allege that the Casa Ruby Board of Directors failed to provide required oversight over Corado’s actions in clear violation of the Nonprofit Corporations Act.

Both Corado and Casa Ruby are named as defendants in the two court filings alleging violations of the Nonprofit Corporations Act.

During Wednesday’s court hearing, Casa Ruby official Holly Goldman testified as a government witness. Goldman said she has served since 2018 as Casa Ruby’s Director of External Affairs.

In response to a series of questions by Judge Dayson, Goldman confirmed, from what she said were her personal recollections, that the allegations made in the Office of the Attorney General’s court filings regarding the issues she had information about were correct.

Among other things, Goldman, who testified under oath, said she knew of just one meeting held by the Casa Ruby Board of Directors in the past four years. Although she was involved in various aspects of Casa Ruby’s management, she said she had never seen copies of minutes or any official decisions made by the Board of Directors, including a decision to approve the opening of a Casa Ruby shelter in El Salvador.

The Attorney General’s motion alleging violations by Casa Ruby and Corado of the Nonprofit Corporations Act state that Corado sometime last year illegally used Casa Ruby Funds to open a Casa Ruby shelter for homeless LGBTQ youth in El Salvador without the required authorization.

ā€œThis preliminary and emergency relief is needed to prevent the ongoing misuse of Casa Ruby’s charitable funds by Corado, who is the only individual authorized to access Casa Ruby’s accounts, despite purporting to resign from the organization in the fall of 2021,ā€ the AG’s motion seeking the freezing of the bank accounts states.

Comber told Dayson at Wednesday’s virtual court hearing that the AG’s office did not object to her decision to postpone a ruling on the request for a receivership order. He said the AG’s office would arrange for the person it will name as a candidate to become the receiver to be present at the Aug. 11 court hearing. Dayson said the hearing would begin at 9:30 a.m.

According to Comber, the AG’s office believesĀ a receiverĀ could stabilize Casa Ruby’s finances and possibly enable it to resumeĀ operating as an organization providingĀ importantĀ services for the LGBTQ community in the D.C. area.Ā 

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District of Columbia

D.C. police seek help in identifying suspect in anti-gay threats case

Victim threatened with assault, called ā€˜faggot’ as he left Capitals game

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D.C. police are seeking help from the public in identifying a male suspect whose image was captured by a video surveillance camera.

D.C. police are seeking help from the public in identifying a male suspect whose image was captured by a video surveillance camera after he allegedly shouted anti-gay slurs and threatened to assault a man at 6th and H Streets, N.W. on March 20 at about 9:54 p.m.

A police report says the victim told police the incident took place shortly after he exited the nearby Capital One Arena where he had attended a Washington Capitals hockey game.

The police report says the incident began when the victim saw the suspect yell a racist slur at a person behind the victim and started to berate a valet operator.

ā€œSuspect 1 then turned his attention to Victim 1 and called him a ā€˜faggot’ among other homophobic slurs,ā€ the report says. It says the victim then used his phone to record the suspect, prompting the suspect to walk away before returning and ā€œsnatchingā€ the phone from the victim’s hand.

ā€œSuspect 1 walked several feet as Victim 1 followed, requesting his phone back,ā€ the report continues. ā€œSuspect 1 stopped and turned to Victim 1 and while yelling other obscenities exclaimed ā€˜if you keep recording, I’m going to kick your ass.ā€™ā€ The report concludes by saying the victim was able to recover his phone.

It lists the incident as a ā€œThreats To Do Bodily Harmā€ offense that is a suspected hate crime.

ā€œAnyone who can identify this suspect or has knowledge of this incident should take no action but call police at 202-727-9099, or text your tip to the Department’s TEXT TIP LINE at 50411,ā€ according to a separate police statement released April 23.

The statement says police currently offer an award of up to $1,000 to anyone who can provide information that leads to an arrest and indictment of the person or persons responsible for a crime committed in D.C.

D.C. police spokesperson Tom Lynch said the case has been under investigation since the incident occurred on March 20. He said the video image of the suspect, most likely obtained from a security camera from a nearby business, was released to the public as soon as it was obtained and processed through the investigation.

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District of Columbia

Wanda Alston Foundation names new executive director

Longtime LGBTQ rights advocate Cesar Toledo to succeed June Crenshaw

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Cesar Toledo is the new executive director of the Wanda Alston Foundation. (Photo courtesy of the Wanda Alston Foundation)

The Wanda Alston Foundation, the D.C.-based organization that has provided housing and support services for homeless LGBTQ youth since its founding in 2008, announced it has appointed longtime LGBTQ rights advocate Cesar Toledo as its new executive director.

In an April 22 statement, the organization said that as part of a planned leadership transition launched in November 2024, Toledo will succeed June Crenshaw, who Alston Foundation officials and LGBTQ community activists say has led the organization with distinction in her role as executive director for the past nine years.

In a statement released last November, the foundation announced Crenshaw was stepping down from her role as executive director after deciding to ā€œto step into her next chapter.ā€

ā€œJune’s leadership has been truly transformative,ā€ said Alston Foundation Board Chair Darrin Glymph in the group’s April 22 statement. ā€œWe are immensely grateful for her dedication and equally excited for the energy and experience that Cesar brings to lead us into this next chapter,ā€ Glymph said. 

ā€œA seasoned LGBTQ+ advocate, Cesar brings over a decade of experience leading national campaigns, shaping public policy, and building inclusive communities,ā€ the statement released by the group says. ā€œMost recently, he served as the National LGBTQ+ Engagement Director for the Harris for President Campaign and has built a career focused on advancing equality and equitable education,ā€ it says.

Biographical information about Toledo shows that immediately prior to working for the Harris For President Campaign, he served since April 2023 as deputy director for Democrats for Education Reform DC (DFER DC),  a political group that helps to elect candidates for public office committed to quality education for all students, including minorities, people of color and LGBTQ youth. 

Before joining DFER DC, Toledo served as political director for the LGBTQ+ Victory Fund, where he assisted in electing out LGBTQ candidates to all levels of public office across the U.S.

ā€œI’m really excited about joining the Wanda Alston Foundation,ā€ Toledo told the Washington Blade. ā€œAfter a decade of working at the intersection of politics and policy and advancing political candidates and equitable education here in D.C., I wanted to shift my career to direct services to the most vulnerable folks in the LGBTQ+ family and our homeless youth,ā€ he said.

Among other things, he said he would push for increasing the Alston Foundation’s visibility and mainlining its services for LGBTQ youth at a time when the national political climate has become less supportive.

A statement on its website says the Alston Foundation was founded in 2008 ā€œin memory of Wanda Alston, a fierce LGBTQ+ activist, national advocate, and government official who was admired by District residents.ā€

The statement adds, ā€œThe foundation opened the first housing program in the nation’s capital in 2008 providing pre-independent transitional living and life-saving support services to LGBTQ+ youth.ā€

In a separate statement, the Alston Foundation announced it would hold a ā€œthank youā€ celebration of appreciation for June Crenshaw from 6-8 p.m. on May 20 at Crush Dance Bar located at 2007 14th Street, N.W. in D.C.

ā€œLet’s come together to celebrate her dedication and commitment for everything she has done for the LGBTQIA homeless youth population,ā€ the statement says.

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District of Columbia

New DC LGBTQ Center to celebrate grand opening

Permanent location in Shaw debuts with Saturday celebration

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"The DC LGBT Center moved out of its longtime home in the Reeves building." (Washington Blade file photo by Lou Chibbaro, Jr.)

After more than 20 months of demolition, construction, and development, Washington finally has a brand new LGBTQ Center. On Saturday, April 26, the doors will officially open at the DC LGBTQ Center for the first time following the groundbreaking in June 2023. 

The new DC LGBTQ Center, located one block from the Shaw Metro station, aims to educate, empower, uplift and celebrate Washington’s LGBTQ community. Spanning 6,671 square feet of intentionally designed space, the center will offer a wide range of resources for LGBTQ individuals in need – including mental health services, job readiness programs, cultural events and community support groups, all under one roof.

The space, located in The Adora building at 1828 Wiltberger St, N.W., has a food pantry, STD and HIV testing space, therapy room, boutique with a clothing closet, an ADA-accessible shower, a mailroom to help those without an address receive mail, and a large kitchen.

The new DC LGBTQ Center will also house office space for nine local LGBTQ organizations. Groups like SMYAL, which supports and uplifts LGBTQ youth, and the Wanda Alston Foundation, which provides transitional housing and support services for homeless or at-risk LGBTQ youth, are central to the center’s mission: to educate, empower, uplift, celebrate, elevate and connect Washington’s LGBTQ community. The center will also become the new home of the Capital Pride Alliance, the organization behind Capital Pride and this year’s WorldPride celebration.

The Reeves Center, the former home of the DC LGBTQ Center, is slated for redevelopment. Located at 14th and U streets, N.W., the building is expected to become a mixed-use hub featuring the NAACP’s national headquarters, a hotel, restaurant, comedy club, housing and more.

On Saturday, the new DC LGBTQ Center will celebrate its grand opening with a full day of events designed to showcase the space’s potential and mark its long-awaited return. The ā€œFriends & Family Dayā€ celebration begins with a brunch at 10 a.m., followed by an open house featuring tours, team introductions, and a look at how the center came to life. The day concludes with a ā€œHoney, I’m Homeā€ cocktail celebration at 5 p.m.

Some events are open to the public, while others, such as the brunch, require an RSVP. To RSVP, visit this link or email [email protected] with any questions.

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