“N-word” controversy in Davis Square
By Neil W. McCabe

The vice president of the Tufts University Latin American Students Association in a letter received Friday complained to the city’s human rights commission about a Nov. 18 racial taunting at Davis Square’s Diva Lounge.

  The letter, signed by Monica Clavijo, claimed she and a small group of other Tufts students were subjected to a racial epithet beginning with the letter ‚ÄúN‚Äù and other verbal abuses, said Mary Lu Mendoca, the commission‚Äôs executive director.
  According to an op-ed that ran in Tufts Daily on Dec. 4, one of Clavijo‚Äôs drinking companions, Isha Plynton, said that night a Caucasian woman told her ‚ÄúIf you look at me one more time, I‚Äôm going to smash your head in the mirror.‚Äù A stream of racial insults and threatening gestures from the woman allegedly followed, Plynton wrote.
  Frustrated by the manager‚Äôs response, the students sought out one of the owners to tell him what had happened. After hearing their story, the owner shrugged and told them it happens and it something they should get used to, according to the Tufts op-ed piece.
  Staff at Diva Lounge has been directed by management to refer all media inquires to Chris Lyons, spokeswoman for One World, the consortium that owns Diva and five other Indian-themed restaurants and bars in the Boston area.
  Students have called for boycotts of the cocktail lounge and other forms of protest. There was a meeting on the Tufts campus Friday afternoon attended by the students and Diva representatives, said Lyons. More than 100 students joined the two groups and the meeting along way to clearing the air, she said.
  ‚ÄúWe made mistakes,‚Äù Lyons said.
  Immediately after the incident, the offending customer was told to settle her tab, roughly $75, and leave, according to Lyons. ‚ÄúBecause it was so busy, 10 to 15 minutes went by before that was completed. Looking back, we should have eaten the $75 and gotten her out the door,‚Äù she said.
  Ward 6 Alderman Rebekah L. Gewirtz said she agreed that Diva should have forgotten about the woman‚Äôs bill. ‚ÄúSomerville is a no place for hate community and we should not stand for this,‚Äù said Gewirtz.
  Gewirtz said she did not want to speculate as to what exactly went on between the two parties.
  ‚ÄúThe first step is to acknowledge that a wrong happened,‚Äù she said. ‚ÄúPatrons should not have to worry about being physically or racially threatened.‚Äù
  Lyons said they worked to make the students understand that the company is on their side. She said the company complied with a request for a written apology and attended a forum to help smooth things over.
  One World has been in business for 30 years, and this is the first time anything of this nature has happened at the company, Lyons said. The company trains its employees to handle food and drinks safely, now they will train them to be more sensitive to racial and cultural issues, she said. Working with the Human Rights Commission has also been a positive step, she said.
  Mendoca called One World Friday to inform them the commission had received Clavijo‚Äôs letter, Lyons said. ‚ÄúShe told us to sit tight and wait for her to tell us what to do next.‚Äù
  Because the letter was not hand-delivered or sent by certified mail and was not signed under the pain of perjury, it does not constitute an actual complaint, Mendoca said.
  ‚ÄúBut, it is quite obvious that her intention was to file a complaint, so I will work with her to see that it is filed correctly,‚Äù said Mendoca.
  Complaints are a matter of public record, but because the letter does not have the necessary affidavit, it would be inappropriate make it public, she said.
  Mayor Joseph A. Curtatone said, ‚ÄúWe take this kind of allegation very seriously. As soon as we became aware of the incident, our Human Rights Commission director began to make inquiries and investigate the issue. We are currently awaiting their official complaint, so the commission my take action.‚Äù
  After the commission receives a complaint, it has 21 days to notify the accused party, Mendoca said. The accused party then has 21 days to respond to the complaint, followed by another 21-day period for the filer to rebut that response.
  The management of Diva Lounge has been very cooperative and this case should be resolved through mediation as well, Mendoca said.
  ‚ÄúThey have told me they are willing to make amends,‚Äù said Mendoca.