Government
Public services and government action
Rhode Island Legislative Black and Latino Caucus calls for passage of gun sense legislation
"This country has stronger laws to prevent women from getting and abortion and for banning books and not accepting the truth about our history - but we have yet to act when it comes to addressing easily accessible gun purchases," said Representative Karen Alzate.
Homelessness in Rhode Island has exploded
Data from the 2022 Point-in-Time Count shows 1577 adults are experiencing homelessness, including 155 households with children.
In document dump, DOC employee violated the privacy rights of formerly incarcerated people for political purposes
Richard Ferruccio, DOC prison guard and President of the Rhode Island Brotherhood of Correctional Officers (RIBCO) union, released the records of several formerly incarcerated individuals during his testimony before the Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on April 7 as a part of an ad hominem attack...
32 State Reps call on Governor McKee to address DHS staffing crisis
"What exists now is a narrative from DHS that vacancies are being filled, but in reality, vacancies were intentionally kept vacant until January 2022, and in the last few months we have merely seen some chairs getting shuffled on the Titanic's deck, while the total number of DHS staff actually declined."
Rhode Island legalizes recreational cannabis
"The passage of the cannabis legalization bill is a historic achievement, and the inclusion of automatic expungement for past cannabis possession convictions is a civil rights victory, a social justice victory, and an economic victory," said Representative Felix.
Until May 19th, Wyatt prisoners with Opioid Use Disorder underwent forced withdrawal, a form of torture
"Upon incarceration, many opioid dependent prisoners are forced to undergo abrupt opioid withdrawal. As noted above, forced or abrupt opioid withdrawal can cause profound mental and physical pain, have serious medical consequences, and increase the risk of suicide among opioid dependent individuals with co-occurring disorders," write R. Douglas Bruce, MD, MA and Rebecca A. Schleifer, JD, MPH in a paper.
Providence Police to install License Plate Readers without public or legislative input
There are major privacy concerns with the use of LPRs, noted the ACLU in a letter to members of the Providence City Council on March 17, shortly after it was first learned that the city was investigating using the technology. Right now, the policy regarding the use of LPRs is being created by the police themselves, most likely in partnership with Flock Safety. To date there have been no reports of legislative or public involvement with the rule making process in Providence.
Reversing course, Little Compton Town Council votes against flying the pride flag
"There are plenty of people who have historically been seen as less than, or excluded or outright hurt," said LGBTQ+ Coordinating Committee co-President and event organizer Jenna Magnuski. "For them, the United States flag isn't a unifying flag. But if you put another flag underneath it, whether it's for a day or a week or a month, you're saying that the flag above this is also yours, that we see you and we value you. The pride flag enriches the meaning of the United States flag."
Speaker Shekarchi and advocates call for investments in housing using APRA funds
“We know that not being able to afford a safe home impacts all members of a family unit, as well as the community,” said Representative Karen Alzate (Democrat, District 60, Pawtucket). “With the challenges that our state is facing, we need to ensure that we support our communities in many ways, and the first step is in being able to provide housing for them.”
More than a dozen national groups call for passage of the Equality in Abortion Coverage Act
“Right now, there are policies on the books in Rhode Island that take away health coverage for abortion for people who use Medicaid and state employees," said Jocelyn Foye, Director of The Womxn Project. "It pushes care out of reach for many people in our state. It takes away the right to abortion that we worked so hard to protect..."