Alexandra Avila, 32-year-old mother of one, was surprised by the lengths her co-workers took to make her life miserable after expressing dislike for Donald Trump. Avila was angered by Trump’s description of Mexican immigrants as “rapists.” After stating this at Sedgwick Claims Management Services, Avila was wrongfully called “illegal immigrant.” Avila, who is a U.S. citizen, filed a lawsuit on Oct. 24.
The harassment didn’t stop at the name calling. Her coworkers went on to change her screensaver at work from a picture of her daughter to a picture of Trump. She was sent an invitation to a Trump rally on Facebook and was also sent offensive memes—one of which included a picture of a brown-skinned man that said “Found Jesus—he stabbed me twice.”
Ironically, after telling her boss about the harassment she endured, she was fired due to “falsifying time cards” to make it seem as if she worked more time than she actually did. Sedgwick sent Avila’s personal belongings to her home with a handwritten note that said, “La Trumpa” and “Illegal immigrants can’t vote or work, good luck finding a job.” Avila said opening that mail was a horrifying experience.
Paige Fiedler, Avila’s lawyer, expressed her thoughts on the upsetting situation to The Washington Post.
It’s been a weird political season where one candidate is taking public stances on things that, if the same words were said in the workplace, might constitute violations of our civil rights laws. His candidacy has emboldened some people to feel like that doesn’t violate social norms anymore.