Go on NextDoor or Facebook, and it's no secret that some in the West Hills neighborhood are adamantly opposed to Catholic Charities' Catalyst Project. They worry about crime, drug use and visible homelessness. They say they want their kids to feel safe.
While the former Quality Inn on Sunset Boulevard wasn't perfect before — nearly every room had to be treated for methamphetamine contamination when Catholic Charities bought the property — the supportive housing there now is meant to transition people into permanent housing, with resident-driven progress plans and wraparound services. More than 50 people live there, and Catholic Charities of Eastern Washington's CEO Rob McCann says they've tried to address neighbors' safety concerns and talk about their mission to help the vulnerable.
Still, tension hit a boiling point within weeks of the facility's opening in December.
At least three vocal critics received cease-and-desist letters and trespass notices last month, blocking them from all of the nonprofit's properties. The letters accused them of everything from spreading false information to stalking.
Matthew Daley, Catholic Charities' lawyer, says he only sent the letters after months of issues.
For instance, when walking with McCann out of a court hearing that sought unsuccessfully to block the purchase of the property, Daley says he heard someone shout at McCann "something to the effect of, 'You better watch your back.'" Catalyst staff cars were also reported to Crime Check as "abandoned," he says, and needing to be towed.
In another incident, Daley says a homeless man at House of Charity introduced himself to McCann around Christmas, claiming that two women offered him a $100 gift card to move his cart of belongings to McCann's front yard, and handed over a note card with McCann's home address on it.
"There has been a pattern reported by staff of a smaller group ... sitting in cars outside of the Catalyst Project, conducting this private surveillance," Daley says. "The incidents that we've discussed have created a significant toll on Catholic Charities staff."
But the cease-and-desist letters contained inaccuracies, say the West Hills residents who received them.
"I feel like they're trying to bully and intimidate us," says Christine Quinn.
BAD INTERACTIONS
Sarah Hunter, another West Hills resident who opposes the project, says she was driving her kids home when they saw fire trucks outside the Catalyst on Jan. 11.
Hunter pulled into a paved area outside the fence and called Quinn. A ladder truck was at the facility, and firefighters appeared to be checking the roof.
As captured on body camera, a member of Catholic Charities' security team approached Hunter's vehicle and asked if she was part of the Catalyst. She said no and that she was going to leave.
"OK, please, thank you," he replied.
But Hunter and Quinn, who was still on the phone, both thought the man said "police." Hunter immediately tried to clarify that he worked for Catholic Charities and wasn't police. He said yes and asked her to leave the property. Hunter moved her car across the street and began filming. That's when Catalyst staff member Dawn Kinder came out, told Hunter that she was being rude and that she didn't consent to being filmed.
Hunter and Quinn posted about the interactions in a private Facebook group, where others noted that it's legal to record from public property and that it's illegal to impersonate an officer.
A week later, Hunter, Quinn and another critic, Davida Zinkgraf, received letters from the nonprofit's lawyer.
The letters accused Quinn and Zinkgraf of making defamatory comments by falsely claiming the security member had identified himself as an officer. Zinkgraf says she only wrote that impersonating a cop is illegal, and she called the security team manager to make sure they knew the law.
The letter Quinn received said that her online posts could make her responsible for neighbors' actions, including if they enter the Catalyst property. Hunter's letter said she'd repeatedly parked outside the property and been "hostile," and it demanded she stop "this improper stalking behavior."
But Hunter says that's outrageous, insisting she's only been outside the Catalyst twice: for a protest, and for the fire response.
"The way I've conducted myself has been nothing but proper," Hunter says. "They could've called me. There could've been a lot of other steps before that letter showed up to my house."
Daley says he's never had to send similar letters for Catholic Charities, but their actions demanded it.
"If people are not entering onto Catholic Charities property and are not conducting this inappropriate surveillance, then there's nothing for them to be concerned about," Daley says. ♦
