What could have been a very happy event was turned bittersweet by the "on-going protests of garment factory workers who wanted to share in the trust fund.
MLSC had nothing to say about who the recipients of the trust would be.
We applied because there was a general call to non-profit organizations who might want to be included and have a share of funds that were not distributed. Because we have in the past and will continue to provide legal assistance in civil cases to people in the community without discrimination, including those who were garment workers, we thought we would be a good candidate for sharing in the funds. The trustee agreed and recommended a donation to us. The U.S. District Court reviewed the application and recommendation and approved the disbursement of the donation to us (along with other charities, who received varying amounts).
It is sad to see that some very poor people have not been granted any of the funds, despite their work in the garment industry, despite their need and the arguable merit of their requests.
We have already had some of these people come to our office and intimate that we should turn over some of our contribution to them. Whether we sympathize or not, we do not give money or direct financial aid to anyone. We are not a social services agency.
We will continue to provide legal help to applicants to the best of our ability. We will use the donation to that end.
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