NAACP reports former Providence branch president to police, alleging financial irregularities
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Members were notified in an 'emergency meeting' Tuesday evening, where officials from the national office said all former officers of the branch have now been removed following an internal investigation.
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'There were some things that did alarm us about our bylaws and our rules not being followed,' Ericka Cain, a vice president from the national office, said in a recording of the meeting obtained by the Globe. 'As of today we did escalate this to law enforcement, and we wanted you to be aware of that.'
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Cain said the national office is seeking records, and asked members who had meeting minutes, treasury reports or other documents to provide them to the organization.
In the meantime, she said, 'there will be no election, there will be no events.'
Providence Police Commander Timothy O'Hara said police received a report of financial irregularities Tuesday from the NAACP. He declined to name a specific suspect while the case is under investigation, and emphasized that police have not yet begun reviewing any financial records. The case may be referred to federal authorities because of the nature of the allegations, O'Hara said.
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The NAACP Providence branch has been in
The Globe previously reported that the organization had failed to
The organization's most recent landlord, also
Reached by phone, Catala said he had not been informed of any report to law enforcement, and said he did not know what it was about.
'I've been away from the NAACP for quite some time now, so I can't really speak to who it's about,' Catala said. 'I think you're trying to destroy Black men,' he added. 'Fake news, just like President Trump says.'
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Catala was
Richard Thornton, the campaign finance director at the R.I. Board of Elections, says Catala still has 13 campaign finance reports in arrears and owes more than $42,000 in fines, which increase by $26 each day he doesn't file the reports.
In the meeting with members, Cain said she would not answer questions about Catala or the investigation, but said Tanisha Sullivan, the New England Area Conference president, would help rehabilitate the branch so it could begin operating again. Whitehead said the 'number one goal' is the get the branch back up and running.
She also repeatedly told members they could not speak publicly about the organization, and criticized whomever shared news of the meeting with reporters.
'There should be no one doing any interviews,' Cain said. 'If you leave this meeting and you speak on these issues, it is a violation of our rules and that can lead to disciplinary action.'
'I hope after this meeting we can learn that what happens inside our house stays in our house, unless we allow it outside our house,' she continued.
The historic organization's secrecy has alarmed some members, who
Whitehead said the national NAACP office has recently seen an 'increase in the attacks on civil rights coming from all levels of government.'
'Leadership of the Providence Branch has not complied with NAACP's bylaws, procedures and legal obligations," Whitehead said. The branch removed all officers effective June 2.
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He declined to comment on the nature of the violations.
'We don't discuss the details of internal disciplinary matters, but we can say that we are treating this situation with all due seriousness in accordance with our bylaws, procedures, and legal obligations,' Whitehead said. 'In the face of our nation's unprecedented challenges – from the economy to threats on voting rights and more — the NAACP is needed now more than ever."
Steph Machado can be reached at
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