In the wake of police and fire department raids on five Asian-run massage parlor businesses in Bothell last week, the Massage Parlor Organizing Project (MPOP) and fellow labor and immigrant safety organizations say low-income workers are facing growing pressure from rising living costs and preparations for the upcoming FIFA World Cup.
“Listen to the workers’ own voices”: Massage worker advocates hold vigil for Atlanta spa shooting victims, launch campaign for better working conditions
“We gather here today to grieve and remember, to honor the dead, and fight like hell for the living,” said Rachel Sun, standing just in front of the Grand Pavilion at Hing Hay Park in Seattle’s Chinatown-International District, as she addressed attendees at Massage Parlor Outreach Project (MPOP)’s vigil on March 15 to honor the eight people a gunman killed in Atlanta in 2021.
Massage parlor workers protest anti-trafficking summit that includes DHS, ICE
Shouts of, “No raids, no rescue!” and “What do we want? Workers rights! When do we want them? Now!” filled the air just outside Hotel Murano in Tacoma, during a protest of the state’s Human Trafficking Summit on Jan. 9.