The decision by Catalina Velasquez (right) came during a week of reverberations in the wake of a POLITICO report detailing widespread problems within the group. | Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images Second top official resigns from Bernie Sanders group A co-vice chair of Our Revolution who accused the group of insensitivity toward Latinos parts ways in the wake of a POLITICO report.

The tumult at Our Revolution continued raging with the resignation of another founding board member late Wednesday.

The decision by Catalina Velasquez, an undocumented immigrant and transgender activist who was co-vice chair of the Bernie Sanders-inspired organization, came during a week of reverberations in the wake of a POLITICO report detailing widespread problems within the group.


A number of people have complained about inattention by the group to Latino and immigrant issues. Others have cited open hostility by a woman whom Our Revolution President Nina Turner had tried to make her chief of staff.

“For the past month, we have been fighting divisive narratives targeting immigrants and pinning us against other oppressed peoples,” wrote Velasquez in a letter she posted on Twitter. “I have faced this with little to no support from the organizational leadership.”

Velasquez’s departure follows the resignation of Lucy Flores, a former Nevada assemblywoman and fellow founding board member, who quit in April over her own anger at Our Revolution for, in her view, ignoring issues important to Latinos. The group’s former political director has also claimed she was fired by Turner for helping with organizing in favor of the DREAM Act, which Turner has not disputed.

A spokesperson for Our Revolution did not respond when asked for comment about Velasquez’s resignation and the explanation for it cited in the letter. The group has already removed Velasquez’s name from its website, leaving just nine members on the board and no Latinos.

The problems in the organization reflect deeper tensions within the progressive coalition, including between African-Americans and Latinos. Activists have complained that their counterparts don’t prioritize the others’ important issues, from immigration reform to Black Lives Matter.

The raw feelings within a group that was inspired by Sanders’ presidential campaign are noteworthy since he often faced complaints that he paid too little attention to appealing to people of color during the election. Sanders has since been trying to improve on that front, through one-to-one outreach with a variety of leaders and a number of events. Still, the risk remains that Our Revolution’s issues will spill into a Sanders 2020 campaign, should he launch one.

The POLITICO article catalogued an array of troubles at Our Revolution extending beyond racial strain, including complaints over the group’s transparency in making endorsements, a drop-off in fundraising and an overall inability to tip major elections. People involved with the group also complained privately that Turner seemed to be interested in raising her own political profile, perhaps toward a 2020 presidential run of her own. Turner just announced an appearance on June 30 at an event in New Hampshire for Rights & Democracy, a progressive group.

A spokesperson for Sanders, who is officially separate from the group, did not respond to a request for comment about the troubles in the organization.

Velasquez said she was surprised that Turner kept her consultant on for days after the concerns were raised about anti-immigrant comments and praise of President Donald Trump on Fox News, Twitter and personal videos.



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The complaints about Tezlyn Figaro were made first in private during an executive committee conference call earlier this month — when the board blocked her promotion over her past comments — and then publicly in the POLITICO story.

Turner said on Tuesday that she was keeping Figaro employed, before reversing course on Wednesday. She did not explain what led to her change of heart, though Velasquez’s resignation came after Our Revolution cut ties with Figaro.

“I have the organization’s best interests in mind, and all of my board members know it,” Turner said last Friday, when asked about the concerns raised by board members.

Other board members came to Our Revolution’s defense on Monday, though they haven’t spoken out about Turner or Figaro.

Figaro herself has taken to Twitter, and in an appearance on a video show hosted on Facebook on Wednesday afternoon, she attributed the complaints about her past comments to “jealousy, vindictiveness” on the part of Velasquez and Flores.

They were not the only board members who raised concerns about her, but Figaro spoke only about them.

“This particular thing was a motivation to oust Senator Turner,” Figaro said.

Velasquez wrote in her letter that “I truly believe in Nina’s leadership and look forward to the ways in which she will articulate a new direction for the organization and progressive movement at large.”

Figaro went on to claim that the uproar was because “Senator Turner’s in a position where she can’t speak.”

Turner spoke on the record to POLITICO for 20 minutes on Friday, and has done several public events and news conferences since, as well as issuing several statements.

Turner did not respond to a question of whether Figaro would remain on as her personal consultant, despite the termination of her Our Revolution contract.

