'They canceled me': Rep. Tarra Simmons fired by nonprofit she helped found

Tarra Simmons, the first formerly incarcerated person elected to the Washington state Legislature, was recently ousted from the criminal justice nonprofit she founded. She is now battling the organization’s leadership over the decision.

Rep. Simmons (D-Bremerton), who is seeking a third term in the state House, started Civil Survival in 2015 to provide legal services and advocacy to address barriers for people coming out of prison. She was serving as “founding director” of the organization at the time she was fired. An attorney for Simmons confirmed to KUOW that Civil Survival terminated her employment on July 15.

Relations between Simmons and Civil Survival staff appear to have deteriorated for at least a year, according to internal communications reviewed by KUOW, though current employees confirmed few details about the rift, and the organization’s leadership declined to comment on what led to Simmons’ firing.

Simmons told KUOW she’s the victim of a power struggle.

“They’ve canceled me from my own organization that I birthed and grew,” she said. “I do think at the root of it is people who are wanting more power, and all the money I’ve raised.”

Civil Survival is one of several organizations receiving state contracts to provide legal assistance. The group also receives private donations.

Simmons’ attorney, Matt Macklin, said the board of directors had discriminated and retaliated against Simmons. He called the dispute an attempt by individuals to “hijack” the nonprofit, adding that the matter has triggered Simmons’ post-traumatic stress disorder.

The head of Civil Survival’s board confirmed Simmons’ termination to KUOW but offered no details. “It’s not our policy to comment on ongoing personnel matters publicly,” said board chair Derek Boyd.

The recent acrimony at Civil Survival marks a contrast with Simmons’ other career achievements, which have earned her national attention. In 2011, she was sentenced to 30 months in prison for drug-related crimes; those convictions were later vacated. After release, she earned a law degree in 2017. By the time she was elected to the state Legislature, she had been running Civil Survival for several years, advocating for removal of legal and financial barriers to help people reenter society after incarceration.

During her first two terms in the House, Simmons championed bills in line with the goals of Civil Survival, including a series of laws reducing the debt burden for people with criminal convictions, as well as a law to automatically restore the voting rights of people exiting prison.

In 2022, Simmons transitioned from director of Civil Survival to co-director, in order to comply with state ethics rules. The legislative ethics board said Simmons’ job with Civil Survival did not constitute a conflict of interest with her elected office, as long as she did not supervise the group’s lobbying efforts. Those lobbying responsibilities were made the purview of a colleague.

At some point in the past year, however, tensions behind the scenes at Civil Survival began to consume the group.

Former employee Castill Hightower and Simmons both spoke to KUOW about an employee retreat last August that included a racially charged discussion. Simmons, who is Latina and white, said she was criticized as being too “white-presenting” to lead the organization. Hightower said Simmons made disparaging comments about a lack of support from Black-led organizations. Simmons disputes this, however.

Simmons said she filed a claim of racial discrimination over this incident. Also in August, Simmons’ co-directors notified staff that the board had placed Simmons on voluntary administrative leave. The co-directors also advised staff not to contact Simmons while an independent investigator assessed the matter, according to internal emails reviewed by KUOW.

In November, multiple staff members drafted an email to that investigator, asking for “assurance that our jobs are safe,” noting feelings of “hopelessness and fear” among employees. The organization declined KUOW’s request for comment on these emails.

Simmons told KUOW that in December, she received a legal settlement from Civil Survival based on her claim of racial discrimination for being accused of being too “white-presenting.”

“I actually experienced more racial discrimination than anybody,” she said.

Simmons said that around the same time, she was also awarded a new contract with Civil Survival extending into 2025. And she accepted a part-time job at another nonprofit, becoming director of strategy at the Equity in Education Coalition.

In May, she said she lost access to Civil Survival's credit card without notice. And her email account was suspended after she was terminated July 15. Simmons’ attorney said she was “blindsided” by her firing. He said that Simmons plans to file a lawsuit alleging discrimination, unlawful termination and breach of contract against Civil Survival.

Meanwhile, a group of nonprofits and formerly incarcerated people are urging Civil Survival not to fire Simmons. They signed an open letter last month that called on Civil Survival “to engage in a restorative and healing process” with Simmons.

Sharonne Navas is the executive director of the nonprofit Equity in Education Coalition, which works to address opportunity and achievement gaps in Washington State. The group hired Simmons in December, and signed the open letter. Navas said it’s important for someone with Simmons’ lived experience of poverty and incarceration to lead Civil Survival. Navas said she doesn’t think the group’s work will be as effective without Simmons.

“When Civil Survival started, we were really hoping that they would be the leading voice for all of these issues so we could start really breaking the chains of poverty in Washington state,” Navas told KUOW. “And I think that’s a mission that the board really has to grab back onto.”

Boyd, Civil Survival’s board chair, said he’s responded to the organizations behind the open letter.

“Civil Survival does take their sentiment very seriously,” Boyd said. “We definitely believe in second chances, and that’s been evident throughout the process as we have worked with Rep. Simmons,” Boyd said.

Boyd said he hopes that Simmons will continue to help them address barriers for people exiting prison, as a legislator and in other endeavors.

“We hope in the future we can continue to be partners in the broader movement. It’s definitely important work. As a formerly incarcerated individual myself I can tell you that having a record over your head, having criminal legal debt, these are real barriers that really affect your life.”

Simmons’ termination leaves Civil Survival with two remaining directors who are both attorneys, without her distinctive life journey. But Boyd said that lived experience is still embodied in the organization’s board, the majority of whom are formerly incarcerated people.

Hightower, the former Civil Survival employee, blamed the nonprofit’s leadership – including Simmons – for the turmoil at Civil Survival. Hightower told KUOW that the dispute hampered the group’s mission of helping people caught up in courts and prisons.

“The ways in which these leaders act in these types of organizations matters,” said Hightower, who worked as a legal assistant at Civil Survival for several months last year before she was let go.

“The accountability that does not exist matters. The lifesaving work that so many of us dedicated our lives to – it directly undermines that work.”

The organization’s two remaining co-directors, attorneys Corey Guilmette and Prachi Dave, declined to comment.