Government
Public services and government action
Black Lives Matter RI calls Sayles St incident 'one of the worst assaults in Rhode Island history'
"Me and the neighbor were having words in the street," said Juan, 17-years old. "The police rushed into the yard, grabbed me, brought me to the middle of the street, started beating me and my cousin. Pepper sprayed us. They were saying I was hitting them when I had my hands up. They locked us in the back of a paddy wagon, over 100 degrees, no AC. I'm burning, saying I can't breathe… It felt like torture…"
PVD city officials comment of Sayles Street incident
"…any officer or anyone on the scene who acted inappropriate, who was unprofessional, or did not comply with our stated goal of deescalations, is going to be held accountable," said Providence Mayor Jorge Elorza.
Parents hold press conference after police beat, pepper spray and arrest their children
"They had us in the back of a van for almost an hour," said Zyrray. The temperature reached the high 90s on Tuesday. "We're yelling, we're screaming… Just open the doors! You don't even have to turn on the AC. It's hot, just open the doors. If we leave a dog in a car for friggin' 20 minutes we're getting arrested."
Providence Police officers pepper sprayed and beat our children, say Moms
UpriseRI spoke with four mothers, Taffii Moore, Nicole Blakely, Alynzea Quaranta and Kayla Lopes, whose children were assaulted by police. And not only pepper-sprayed - but beaten, held inside the back of a police van with no ventilation or air conditioning in 95 degree weather, dragged in the street, misgendered, and more.
Never Again RI brings battle against The Wyatt to the House floor
"While our elected officials chose to ignore the Wyatt Detention Center, it tripled its population of ICE detainees - from 34 to over 100 in June alone - and is poised to further expand its population," writes Never Again RI in a statement. "Never Again Action Rhode Island is committed to making it impossible for legislators to ignore their moral obligation to end the practice of ICE detention in our state."
Coalition presents affordable housing plan that approaches the scale of the problem
"Over half of Rhode Island renters are cost burdened by housing and Black and Latinx Rhode Islanders disproportionately bear that burden," said Harrison Tuttle, Executive Director at BLM RI PAC. "We have an unprecedented amount of money coming in from the federal government. I hope Governor McKee does not squander his chance to make housing truly affordable for every Rhode Islander."
Immigrant Coalition rallies to get driver's licenses for undocumented residents
"This bill will allow students to get to school. It will allow workers to get to their jobs. It will allow families to meet their needs," said Hector Perez-Aponte, coordinator for the Rhode Island Immigrant Coalition. "It will improve our economy and also make the roads safer [by] allowing people to get the licenses that they need and be properly tested in order to use those licenses."
Bonnet Shores Fire District election night: Tradition, Swamp Yankees and archaic voting laws
It was explained that five positions were open on the Council, two two-year terms and three three years terms. "The five candidates who get the most votes will draw straws. There will be three long straws and two short straws, okay?" said the moderator, explaining the process. Those who draw long straws get three-year terms, short straws, two. "I'm told by the nominating committee that was something that was done back in 1869 for a Senate position."
Advocates rally at state house in support of overdose prevention legislation
"The opposite of addiction is not recovery, it is not sobriety, it is connection," said Ashley Perry, Program Manager at Project Weber/Renew. "Overdose prevention centers will give us one more connection to keep people alive so one day they can feel better."
Governor claims groups opposed to the racist multi-hub bus plan have no alternatives - Actually they have three...
UpriseRI: Following up on that, Governor, right now there's zero percent buy in from the community, right? Governor McKee: No, that's not accurate.