Casa Ruby, the non-profit LGBT community center on Georgia Avenue, was recently vandalized and a staff member was assaulted. Their Facebook page and multiple news reports have the story.
The incident happened on Sunday, when a man was asked to leave after harassing people in the center. He returned shortly and threw a brick through the glass front door and poked and aggressively bumped a staff member, also throwing objects. Police arrived shortly and they are seeking the suspect, who was caught in pictures and video taken by staff.
Casa Ruby staff say this is the third similar incident in two weeks: previously another man came in and made sexual advances towards people in the center, then punched a hole in the wall and was arrested. He came back later and did it again. This suspect is a different man.
The bilingual center was founded and is run by Ruby Jade Corado and has a lot of different programs and services for LGBT people:
Our goal is to support the most vulnerable in our LGBT community when need it most. Staff and volunteers working together to provide basic human services to more than 150 clients per week which include but are not limited to:
* Hot Meals,
* Clothing Exchange,
* Cyber Center,
* Support Groups,
* Case Management,
* Emergency Housing Referrals,
* Legal Services Counseling (Criminal/Immigration)
The damage is estimated to cost about $2000. If you’d like to donate to the center, here’s their donation page.
The Blade has a lot more about the center and its services. It seems like a great organization, and it’s very sad that someone would do this and harass people.
