On June 3rd, the Everett City Council and Mayor passed Ordinance 4184.26.

The bill authorizes police officers, fire marshals, and city officials to conduct unannounced, warrantless inspections of parlors. Refusal to consent to a search is grounds for license revocation. It also includes financial penalties for landlords if their tenants have license violation charges, creating a climate where landlords and property owners, in addition to city officials, are now tasked with surveilling Asian American massage businesses and workers.

In the short three weeks between the introduction and passage of the bill, there was no attempt to include non-English-speaking vulnerable Asian American workers in the discussion, despite disproportionate impacts they may face from this bill. No interpretation was provided for workers for public comment during the city council meeting where the bill was passed.

Under the pretext of adapting state law to local jurisdiction, this bill specifically targets, increasingly surveils, and raises profound civil-rights concerns for Asian American workers. Under the guise of administrative neutrality, it punishes Asian American workers for the structural barriers in the existing licensing system that exclude them, furthering a climate of anti-Asian stigmatization.

Please sign on in support of our petition to Everett Mayor Cassie Franklin to suspend the implementation and enforcement of Ordinance 4184.26 targeting Asian American massage businesses and workers.