This afternoon the Central Falls Detention Facility Corporation, the governing body of the Wyatt Detention Facility in Central Falls, cancelled their September meeting, and announced it would be reschedules at a later date. This was the first scheduled meeting of the board in over a month, and the first since a correctional officer drove his truck into protesters outside the facility weeks ago.

“In light of the large number of people anticipated, and the need for sufficient time and appropriate safety measures to accommodate members of the public who would like to participate, the Central Falls Detention Facility Corporation is postponing this evening’s public board meeting,” writes Wyatt Communications person Chris Hunter. “The meeting will be rescheduled shortly, at which time the Board will take public comment and address other items on its agenda.”

The agenda for the meeting, included a vote on an updated forbearance agreement with the Wyatt’s bondholders.

Never Again Action Rhode Island, which was planning a protest at the meeting, claimed a minor victory, of sorts, issuing a statement that reads:

“The last-minute cancellation of today’s meeting by the Wyatt board and its handlers at UMB Bank shows that our organizing is making a difference. Our community will continue to prevent business as usual at the Wyatt until we’ve achieved our goal to shut this violent facility down and get ICE out of Rhode Island. If they reschedule this attempted vote, we’ll be there.

“As Jews, we know that we must stand up when the state targets our neighbors. We will continue to fight against our government’s policy of dehumanization and family separation. When we say, ‘Never again,’ we mean it.”

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