June 15, 2016 – RI Future

June 15, 2016June 15, 2016

Knight challenges Rep Malik to return NRA cash

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Today Jason Knight called on his opponent, Jan Malik, to turn down the NRA‘s endorsement and return any donations he’s received from the gun lobby.

“The news coming out of Orlando is beyond heartbreaking. We lost mothers, fathers, and children to this senseless violence. Their families join the thousands who are destroyed every year by gun violence. The time to act is now. We need to do something. It’s the duty of our legislators to work to ensure we have done everything possible to prevent a tragedy like this and for there to be no doubt about their motivations.

“That’s why I’m calling on my opponent to do the right thing. Turn down the NRA’s endorsement and return any donations he’s received from the gun lobby. He has happily accepted money and support from the NRA and the gun lobby for years. In fact, he currently holds an A+ rating with the NRA,” Knight continued, “But it’s time he stand up for the people of this district and join the fight for common sense measures to prevent further tragedy. We need to ensure that background checks are universal, that guns are kept out of the hands of domestic abusers, and that assault weapons like the ones used in Orlando are kept off the streets and out of our schools. I served in our military and I know that those weapons have no place in our community.”

“I will not accept a dollar from the gun lobby and I will neither seek nor accept the endorsement of the NRA. I hope my opponent will do the same.”

[From a press release]
See: Jason Knight challenges Jan Malik in District 67

June 15, 2016June 25, 2016

Meghan Kallman announces run for Pawtucket City Council

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Meghan Kallman, of 93 Capwell Ave, has announced her candidacy for Pawtucket City Council in Ward 5. “I’m running for City Council to make Pawtucket a thriving, economically viable, sustainable city for our residents, our children, and our small businesses,” she said of her campaign. “Our Council needs new ideas and fresh energy, and I am ready to work hard to make those new ideas a reality”.

Kallman works as a researcher at Brown University and teaches in the state prison. She also volunteers her time with a number of nonprofit and advocacy programs serving both Pawtucket and Rhode Island. “My organizing experience, both in the community and at the State House, have prepared me to be an effective and creative City Counselor”, she says.

Kallman is co-founder of Crash Pawtucket, an organization that showcases small businesses in the city in partnership with neighborhood and community groups. She also serves on the Pawtucket Juvenile Hearings Board, a restorative justice program aimed at keeping children out of legal trouble. Pawtucket resident Elizabeth Maynard shared, “I live and work in Pawtucket. Meghan and I have been working together on the Taft Street Community garden, and it’s great to be part of such an uplifting project with someone so motivated and committed. I was thrilled to hear she is running for City Council.”

Kallman explained her motivation to run for office: “The job of an elected official is to to ensure our that our community thrives. We need to build a positive environment for families to live in, students to learn in, and businesses to grow in. I will work to align the city’s services with the needs of our community” she said.

Kallman has a PhD in sociology from Brown University, and a Bachelor’s from Smith College. She lives with her partner Tim, a divinity student and future Unitarian Universalist minister.

Oak Hill resident Morgan Lord said of Kallman’s campaign: “Meghan Kallman is an engaged, knowledgeable and well-integrated member of the Pawtucket/Oak Hill community. As an established city-organizer, she works very hard to nurture connections between Pawtucket residents and their representatives, all the while taking action on many of issues affecting the city’s well-being”.

[From a press release]

June 15, 2016

In the wake of Orlando, the system requires dismantling

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To those who do not know me, my name is Ethan Huckel. I am the board president of TGI Network of RI. I am a queer, transgender man. I am an educator. I am a husband and a father. I asked to speak today because I have words swirling around inside me, longing to be spoken. It’s likely that they will not be eloquent; they may be more raw than polished, more broken than I wish them to be, but if I do not give them voice, I will regret it. If I sink back into the quiet sorrow, instead of standing up to be counted among the mourning, among the angry, I will regret it.

We are here to mourn a palpable loss. I know this because of the tears that have come in waves over the last few days. I can see the hurting in the eyes of those around me. Old wounds ripped fresh. The hugs last a few seconds longer this week.

What we mourn is likely slightly different for each of us. For some, we find ourselves floating through countless memories of dance floors, the havens where we found our family, learned to love, learned our queer history. For some, we have the faces of friends lost seared into our memories. Lives ripped away.

We come together to hold each other close. To mourn. And it is important when we do so to recognize that there are those who have suffered more, endured more, stood up against more. People of color. Trans people. The poor. The disabled.

We come together to mourn. But mourning isn’t enough.

Debates are being waged about the terms we affix to this moment. “Terrorism,” as if this hatred was born in some foreign land, of some foreign principles. This hate is ours to own. It is American hate. It was born in our systems, nursed by our bigotry, strengthened by our politics, and armed by our guns.

We hear the question being asked, “When will it be enough?” When will these senseless deaths push the pendulum toward Justice? How many people have to die before we fix the system? I understand these questions, I feel them. They are founded in sadness and desperation, but they are founded on a false premise. The system is not broken. It is a system of oppression and it is working just fine. In this system, politicians use queer people as the bait to rally the hate of voters. In this system, the words “black lives matter” are seen as a threat. In this system, some schools provide education, while others funnel black bodies into prisons. In this system, trans and gender nonconforming bodies are treated like an affront to other people’s safety. In this system, women are left bruised and bleeding behind dumpsters, while the safety of white boys is protected. Oppression intersects in a vast web. A web that has been skillfully woven to keep power in the hands of the few.

This is not a system that needs fixing. This is a system that needs dismantling.

Yes, we come here together today to mourn. To some of us, mourning looks like weeping. To some, mourning looks like rage.

We have fought for change before. We have staged sit ins, held rallies, testified in our state houses and before congress. We have taken our fight to the streets. The Black Cat Tavern. Compton’s Cafeteria. Stonewall.

The Bay Bridge Shut Down.

We have fought for change before, and we have won.

Let us not go back into the quiet of our homes, waiting for the next tragedy.

Let us not sit back resigned to violence, or to racial profiling, or to police brutality, or to the gun lobby, or to an onslaught of political attacks.

Let us use the candles we light in mourning to fuel the fire of our souls.

Let us fight.

June 15, 2016June 15, 2016

Moms Demand Action walks out on Mattiello during prayer for Orlando

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Speaker Nicholas Mattiello opened yesterday’s House session by asking Rep Deborah Ruggiero to lead the chamber in a moment of silence and a prayer for the victims of the Pulse massacre in Orlando. In the galley, over a half dozen people representing Moms Demand Action stood up and left, tired of the meaningless platitudes and prayers offered by a General Assembly that does nothing to curb the easy access to the weapons used by mass murderers in this country.

Moms has advocated for a bill to take guns away from domestic abusers for three years. Every year the bill dies in committee.

Jennifer Smith Boylan, RI Chapter Leader at Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America told me after the walk-out, “As advocates for commonsense gun laws, Moms are weary of moments of silence and thoughts and prayers from our elected officials. We walked out to send a message that moments of silence do not disarm dangerous people who should not have easy access to firearms. We look to law makers to do their jobs and make laws to keep Rhode Islanders safe.”

With their heads bowed in a public display of of false piety, most of the legislators probably missed the walk out. Fortunately, I got it on video:

Moments earlier members of Moms Demand Action were on the floor of the House, where they presented the Speaker with 49 flowers, one for each victim killed in Orlando, and nearly 700 domestic violence post cards.. Mattiello was happy to take the flowers and find a place to display them, but offered no promises of legislative action that might stop killers from accessing weapons. Instead, he handed the problem of displaying the flowers and doing something with the post cards off to his staff and moved on. Conversation was all but impossible due to the ringing of the session bell.

Mattiello’s office has declined to answer my request for a comment on the status of pending gun legislation. But the Speaker told channel 12 “A terrorist militant is always going to find a way to access a weapon. Gun issue discussions are always valuable. However, not in this case.”

The Speaker has an A rating from the National Rifle Association. Former House Speaker William Murphy, is a highly paid NRA lobbyist and a close friend of Mattiello. The Speaker is more than happy to offer useless prayers, as he did when he issued his very first tweet from his new Twitter account on Sunday, but actually doing his job and passing common sense legislation to curb access to weapons that kill dozens in seconds is somehow beyond him.

With the General Assembly expected to wrap up all its business this week, it may already be too late to do anything about guns this legislative session. But that doesn’t mean that our legislators are off the hook.

This is an election year.

June 15, 2016June 15, 2016

RI mourns Orlando, demands action at Pulse memorial service

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Rhode Island continues to respond to the terrible events that took place at the Pulse nightclub in Orlando in beautiful, moving and powerful ways. Last night hundreds gathered at the Roger Williams National Memorial, the site of our state’s very first Pride event 40 years ago, in solidarity, mourning and empowerment.

With long-time LGBTQ activist Kate Monteiro acting as introduction and organizer, a series of speakers that included clergy, advocates, and government officials spoke to the crowd about LGBTQ rights, violence, homophobia, Islamophobia and guns.

Dr. Wendy Manchester Ibrahim, of the RI Council for Muslim Advancement told the crowd that she and the RI Muslim community stand in solidarity with the LGBTQ community in Rhode Island in denouncing the terrible actions of the Orlando shooter. The crowd reacted with enthusiasm and support.

Ethan Huckel, board president of TGI Network of RI, urged those in attendance to dismantle the system of oppression that allows such outrages to happen, saying, “The system is not broken. It is a system of oppression and it is working just fine. In this system, politicians use queer people as the bait to rally the hate of voters. In this system, the words “black lives matter” are seen as a threat. In this system, some schools provide education, while others funnel black bodies into prisons. In this system, trans and gender nonconforming bodies are treated like an affront to other people’s safety. In this system, women are left bruised and bleeding behind dumpsters, while the safety of white boys is protected.”

Fernando Gonzale, representing YPI (Youth Pride RI), said that the attack in Orlando compelled him to put aside his shyness and speak to the large crowd. Gonzale, a 17 year old gay Latino, said, “Unfortunately this week stopped being about marriage and rights and it turned into being about being a life and death situation, about survival.”

Both Governor Gina Raimondo and Providence Mayor Jorge Elorza called for a ban on assault rifles. Jennifer Smith Boylan, of Moms Demand Action, talked of the seeming futility of passing common sense gun legislation at the State House, where Speaker Nicholas Mattiello simply allows bills to die. State Senators Donna Nesselbush and Josh Miller left the State House while in session to join the rally, the only two General Assembly members to do so. It became clear that if Rhode wants to do something about gun violence, we’ll need a new legislature.

Below, please video and pictures of all the speakers at the memorial.

June 15, 2016June 15, 2016

Can we Christians examine our political sins?

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“Darkness cannot drive out
darkness; only light can do
that. Hate cannot drive out
hate; only love can do that.”
Dr. Martin Luther King

After 400 years of terror, isn’t it time for all Christians to speak out against ‘Radical Christian Extremism?’

Slavery was terrorism: Plantations were concentration camps. The Native American genocide was terrorism: The Trail of Tears was a death march. Hangings by slave patrols and the Ku Klux Klan were terrorism: These murders—often perpetrated or approved by white ‘Christians’—were intended to grieve, horrify and intimidate blacks.

Virtually all who committed these acts of terrorism claimed they were Christians.

This radical Christian extremism persists. Militant Christians still verbally and physically attack gays and blacks, Muslims and immigrants. They justify their hate by appealing to Jesus and the Bible.

Actually, the word ‘Christian’ may not apply to any who perpetrate these horrors. Should terrorists be called radical ‘Christian’ extremists? Their claims of following the tenets of Christianity are wholly false. More than a billion Christians should not be smeared by those committing acts of terrorism. Their crimes are perversions of Christianity.

The same is true of radical ‘Muslim’ extremists. Their claims of following the tenets of Islam are wholly false. More than a billion Muslims should not be smeared by those committing such acts. Their crimes are perversions of Islam.

Many Republican leaders, especially Donald Trump, disagree—along with many voters in the base of the Republican party. Why? Must all Muslims bear responsibility for those claiming acts of terrorism are a legitimate expression of Islam?

This political blame is based on fear and hatred. These are not Christian motives. As stated in I John 4:18, “There is no fear in love. Perfect love drives out all fear.” Also, Jesus insisted Christians must love, not hate, their enemies. He modeled this love throughout his life and even during his crucifixion.

We must contend with our fears: our fears of blacks; our fears of gays; our fears of Muslims; our fears of immigrants. Unchallenged fears result in misplaced rage and scapegoating of ‘the other.’ This leads to verbal attacks and violence against hated groups.

Racism and homophobia are repulsive. Islamophobia and xenophobia are abhorrent.

Insisting all Americans oppose Muslim immigration or be castigated as purveyors of politically correctness is obscene. Yes, we must seek to be correct—politically and morally—but we can only do so, as the Apostle Paul states, by “speaking the truth in love” (Eph. 4:15).

What is the truth? Muslims are our neighbors. Muslims are soldiers serving our country. Muslims are patriotic citizens. And Muslims are no more deserving of prejudice than Christians.

What does love require? We must treat the vast majority of Muslims as neighbors, not enemies. We must respond with compassion to the extraordinary hardships of refugees, including Muslims. We must see Muslims as human beings—people who have far more in common with us than differences.

Love also requires those of us judging others must first judge ourselves. Jesus was explicit: Before taking the speck out of our neighbor’s eye, we must remove the log from our own eye.

Those using a broad brush to paint all Muslims with the taint of terrorism imagine falsehoods. Let’s reject our biases and diligently seek truth.

Moreover, let’s ask to what degree our Christian community is responsible for historic acts of terrorism which executed and enslaved millions. Orlando, San Bernardino, Paris and even 9-11 are horrific singular acts of terror. Contrast these with the multitudes of ‘Christian’ atrocities spanning centuries.

Does evil and apathy prevail among American Christians? Could it be that we Christians really do need to account for the log in our eye?

We can choose to scapegoat those having nothing to do with perpetrating terror attacks. Or we can conscientiously oppose such evil massacres, come together, foster unity, and overcome our fears and hatred by speaking the truth in love.

June 15, 2016June 15, 2016

RIPTA riders rally against fare hikes on RI’s most vulnerable

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The RIPTA Riders Alliance rallied at the State House yesterday to call attention to bus fare increases to the elderly, disabled and very low income people.

RIPTA decided to end free bus fare for these riders earlier this year. The House budget restored free fares for the elderly and disabled until January. Advocates say it would cost the state $800,000 to extend the service for the entire year.

RIPTA riders who utilize the reduced fare spoke at the rally about why they need it and how it affects their lives.

“If we already can’t afford to get to and from places and RIPTA raises the fare where does that leave us,” asked Michael Viera, who is disabled and uses a wheelchair. “If this program doesn’t exist I would not be able to make it to all my doctor appointments.”

A developmentally disabled man said, “If I don’t ride bus free I will be lonely and stranded.”

Another RIPTA rider added, “It will not only restore the sanity to our souls, it will also keep us materially safer.”

Malcus Mills, an organizer with DARE, said, “The board at RIPTA are not thinking of the people they serve. They are not thinking about us. They are not thinking about the low income folks who need this the most.”

One woman called it, “simply a matter of justice. The fact is RIPTA gets funding from all of us through our taxpayer dollars. The fact that we all pay into it, we all should be able to access it. We should not be segregated from other people.”

Another said, “I know there is money in the budget, they just want to squander it on their friends.”

Camilo Viveiros also spoke about legislators role in the process. “Are they going to use their expertise to assist the most vulnerable? Or are they going to throw people who are disabled and seniors literally under the bus?”

Randall Rose added, “We have to keep fighting for this. We already achieved something. RIPTA wanted to raise the fares in July, but we postponed it at least six months and we can keep doing it as long as we keep coming out here.”