Government
Public services and government action
Reform or Repeal? The Senate LEOBoR Task Force holds first meeting
Task Force member Jose Batista, executive director of PERA, suggested that the Task Force work "the opposite way around and decide to immediately repeal the entirety of the bill of rights, and spend the rest of our time figuring out how...
RIDE quashes public participation during Zoom meeting
Public participation is a feature, not a bug of our Democracy The Rhode Island Department of Education's Council on Elementary and Secondary Education held a virtual rather than an in-person meeting Tuesday evening, as per Governor Gina...
Uniform Parentage Act signed into law
"To have the legislature pass this bill, and have Governor Raimondo swiftly sign it into law, in the midst of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic which has compounded these parents’ concerns, is a tremendous relief." Governor Gina Raimondo sig...
Coalition celebrates passage of Fair Chance Licensing bill
"Our bill is a small but significant step towards repairing the vast harm that mass criminalization has inflicted on Black and brown communities." The Fair Chance Licensing bill is part of a national movement to reform occupational licen...
City Council commits Providence to becoming 'an anti-racist institution'
“We can not build a just and equitable society without addressing the impacts of climate change on our most vulnerable community members..." Councilmembers Helen Anthony (Ward 2) and Nirva LaFortune (Ward 3) introduced a resolution at Th...
Providence City Councilmember Igliozzi a target of 'intimidation'
"I know the vandals that committed these acts are not representative of the community who has come before the City Council and asked for reform from the police department." Providence City Councilmember John Igliozzi (Ward 7) issued a pr...
Providence Police enforce picketing ordinance against protesters outside Mayor's home
"You cannot protest illegally." About ten minutes into a Friday evening "noise demonstration" outside the home of Providence Mayor Jorge Elorza, the Providence Police arrived on the scene. They soon began pushing abolitionist protesters...
Providence announces Truth, Reconciliation and Reparations process
"The reconciliation process will allow us to look at ourselves with clear eyes, and match our highest ideals of who we want to be with the reality of the ground," said Mayor Elorza. "My sense is that we'll find that we have a long way to...
Governor unveils new eviction diversion program, but will landlords allow tenants to utilize it?
Pryor noted that under the Safe Harbor Housing Program both the tenant and the landlord have to agree to the enter mediation program. "Why would the landlord agree to a free lawyer for the other side, given that right now they have all t...
Six Providence City Councilmembers pledge to reallocate money from the police
"I am committed to reallocating funds from the Police Department into social services," said Providence City Councilmember Nirva LaFortune. "I also want to be strategic about it and think about what areas in our city we need to support."...