Homelessness – Page 2

May 18, 2016May 18, 2016

House Finance hears moving testimony on no-fare bus passes

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House Finance heard moving testimony from elderly and disabled Rhode Island Public Transit Authority (RIPTA) passengers about the economic burden placed upon them with the proposed abolition of free fares. Representative Scott Slater introduced a bill, H 7937, that would remove RIPTA’s bus “fare adjustments” and restore the free rider program.

About eighteen people spoke out in favor of the free rider program, noting that it is one of our state’s most needed and useful social welfare programs. As is usual when the government targets vulnerable populations for cuts in services or increased taxes, people begin to suffer as soon as the new proposals are suggested. The stress of having to fight for something so basic and essential to human dignity as the right to travel is an unnecessary cruelty inflicted by an uncaring government.

Many also spoke out about the failure of Logisticare, a private contractor employed by the state to get Medicaid recipients to their doctors. I’ll be preparing a post on that over the weekend.

“It’s financially impossible for me to be able to take a bus. You might say it’s only fifty cents, but I take the bus like seven or eight times a day. So fifty cents becomes two, three, four bucks a day… I just don’t have the money. I live off the government.”

“I only live on Social Security. I don’t get a pension from where I worked. I retired. I don’t have a husband for financial support… This is another bill to pay, and you don’t get a lot from Social Security.”

“Our seniors today are more active than ever, as you can see. We have people here that are volunteering, making a difference in kid’s lives, helping with raising their grandchildren, going to after school programs because parents have to work… think about your own family, and ask if your grandmothers and grandparents should have to pay to go to a grocery store, or a pharmacy or a doctor.”

“I live on a fixed income. I live alone. I have to go to the doctor’s for COPD, hypertension, cancer… I cannot afford it. To pay fifty cents even, I would just lose my life…”

“About seven thousand low-income seniors use these passes. They use them for many things. The only thing that Medicaid covers is trips to licensed medical providers. It doesn’t cover non-medical support groups like AA, other social services, food shopping, food pantries, employment, education, religious, family and social activities…

“RIPTA estimates that 60 percent of the people would pay the fifty cents. Applying that to the numbers, 7000 disabled people and 2800 seniors would not be able to afford [the bus]. This is RIPTA’s estimate.”

“It also affects our homeless population… If the folks who need to travel to and from shelters do not have the money to do so, they may be put in the position to panhandle to get this fare… they may be put in the serious position where they may have to sleep outside…”

“I have to go places seven days a week… We need to vote no fare on this bus pass.”

We know how many [homeless people], who have limited or no income, rely on the us pass program… to have their basic needs met. To get to shelter, to go to meal sites, to access clothing distribution and to recovery meetings like NA and AA. Our constituents also use the no-fare pass as a means to obtain housing and exit homelessness…”

“The vast majority of riders who pay two dollars support the no-fare bus pass… Riders really do support this program.”

“It’s very important that we don’t hit the most vulnerable population to fill a budget deficit.”

“The reason I’m here today is because I could get here for free. You’re going to shut up a lot of people by taking away their free bus ride because they’re not going to show up for these hearings. They won’t be able to make it to any of the support groups they are now attending.I won’t be able to get to church, I won’t be able to make it to RIPTA Riders…”

“People’s lives will become desperate if they have to pay fifty cents a ride…”

“The people who oppose free bus passes… have a lot of wrong information…”

“The impact is going to be devastating… If we charge people fifty cents they can’t get to the food pantry… Another woman called me and said ‘I don’t know what I’m going to do. I won’t get out of my apartment, I’m going to get depressed, and I can’t afford to shop in my own neighborhood.”

“The fifty cents can be a problem…”

“It’s harder for me to express why this would be devastating to me. I don’t volunteer. I keep thinking I would like to volunteer, and I seem to be overwhelmed by things I have to do or want to do and can’t seem to get to… I take buses sometimes just to be able to get places and see people. Circumstances in my life force me to be somewhat of a recluse. That’s why I’m saying there are subtleties here I’m not sure how to express…”

“I don’t think it’s right. I don’t know how many people on SSI, making $766 a month. Those people shouldn’t be getting charged at all. And I do believe in that…”

“I can’t believe some of the heartless things people say about this. They say, ‘Why should Rhode Island do this? Rhode Island is an outlier.’ We don’t have to be ashamed of who we are in Rhode Island. We don’t have to be ashamed that we’re more generous tan other states because we’re doing the right thing…”

April 19, 2016April 19, 2016

The media’s role in criminalizing poverty

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“Panhandling is common in Kennedy Plaza,” said a reporter at a Jorge Elorza press conference yesterday, “is that going to be addressed in addition to the drug dealing?”

Providence Commissioner of Public Safety Steven Paré was standing behind a podium, having just announced the results of a months long effort to arrest drug dealers in and around Kennedy Plaza downtown. The drug dealers were selling prescription drugs, like Oxycontin, as well as cocaine. Police were particularly concerned because Kennedy Plaza is a spot where hundreds of schoolchildren transfer buses every day.

The question, from a female reporter, was off subject, and suffused with ugly assumptions about the homeless, equating being poor and asking for help with selling drugs to children.

To his credit, Paré was unequivocal in defending the rights of panhandlers to ask for money. “Panhandling is legal, so, by standing in an open space and asking for a donation… is legal and we will not be doing anything because it’s been deemed a constitutional, legal right. Panhandling has nothing to do with [the drug dealing arrests]. This is illegal behavior, the selling of drugs. Any other illegal behavior will not be tolerated as well. We will focus on that kind of activity that is illegal and makes people feel unsafe.”

So one reporter went off on a tangent and Paré shut it down. End of story, right?

Nope.

“Some would argue that [panhandling] is also a safety issue,” countered a second reporter.

Paré reiterated that panhandling is a constitutional right, decided by the Supreme Court. It is not an illegal activity, it is a protected, First Amendment right. Blocking people and demanding money is not panhandling, said Paré. Such behavior is a crime, but standing or sitting and asking for money is not illegal.

That should settle it then, right? This is, after all, a press conference abut the arrests of 14 drug dealers…

Nope.

A third reporter now asks about a meeting Paré had with various groups in Providence about the court decision that upheld panhandling as a constitutionally protected right.

“What was the outcome of that meeting?” asks the third reporter.

Paré explained that the meeting was called to discuss the ruling and to deal with safety issues around Kennedy Plaza. “Panhandling is something completely different than what we’re talking about,”said Paré for a third time. Drug dealing, he said, “is criminal behavior.”

So what happened?

Three reporters at this press conference worked very hard to equate being poor with being a criminal. To his credit, Paré did not take their bait, but this line of inquiry from the press does raise serious questions about the media’s complicity in promulgating stereotypes about homelessness and the criminalization of poverty.

Barbara Kalil, a homeless advocate who works downtown, told me after the press conference that she was happy to have Paré on video so strongly advocating for the rights of the homeless. The arrests downtown were of drug dealers, and the homeless community was not involved, she said. In fact, until this press conference, she was unaware of these arrests.

Note: Because of the noise on the street and the fact that my camera was on Paré and not on the reporters, I had to amplify the sound artificially when the first two reporters spoke. The third reporter was right next to me.

March 18, 2016

A vigil for Gus Morais, who died homeless in his car in Pawtucket

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Homelessness kills.

There was a candlelight vigil for Augusto “Gus” Morais, the Pawtucket man who died on February 25 in his car, homeless. Morris had just recently purchased the car and was living in it as he awaited permanent housing.

Elaine Morais spoke briefly but emotionally about her ex-husband, saying, “He was a good man, a good father… I just want to say that if you guys have family or friends please be there for them. Don’t be ashamed of them. Love them. Because you never know. It could be us out there.”

Pawtucket Mayor Don Grebien noted that the death took place in his city and said that though he didn’t know Morais, the man’s death would stick with him, and influence the decisions he makes as a Mayor going forward.

The statistics on homelessness, provided by the Rhode Island Homeless Coalition (RICH) are startling and brutal.

People who experience homelessness have a mortality rate three to four times that of the general population.
The average age at death of a homeless person is between 42 and 52 years
Younger women who are homeless have a mortality rate four to 31 times higher than that of women who are housed.
Homeless people are over nine times more likely to commit suicide than the general population
Deaths as a result of traffic accidents are three times as likely, infections twice as likely and falls over three times as likely

Being homeless is incredibly difficult both physically and mentally and has significant impacts on people’s health and well-being.

The easiest way to end homeless is to provide housing for homeless people. Under the state’s Zero: 2016 campaign, Rhode Island housed 475 people. The ultimate goal is to end veterans homelessness by January 2016 and chronic homelessness by the end of 2016. Rhode Island is the first state or community to add the goal of ending family homelessness, which it intends to do by the end of 2017.

You can watch the entire vigil below.

2016-03-18 Homeless Vigil 007 — Pawtucket Mayor Don Grebien

March 8, 2016

Social and economic advocate Douglas Matthews

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Douglas Matthews of Roslindale, MA, devoted family man, inspiring teacher and advocate for social and economic justice, passed away February 11, just three days after his sixty-third birthday, following a long illness. Doug worked in Rhode Island in the 1980s at the Coalition for Consumer Justice (CCJ) and Workers Association for Guaranteed Employment (WAGE). He is well remembered by his many friends in RI as an impassioned community organizer and canvass director and as a generous sharer of his extensive knowledge of political theory – including feminist theory, music, books, movies and life-experiences.

While in Providence, Doug met the love of his life and future wife, Sarah Lamitie. After marrying in 1988, they settled in Boston and raised two children: Claire Lamitie and Finley Matthews – both now in college. A natural educator, at the age of 40, Doug transitioned from community organizing to teaching school – primarily at Attleboro High School where he taught social studies for the last 18 years. He was known for teaching current global affairs so his students would always be informed about the world around them. He created courses on topics such as Islam and global conflict and brought guest speakers into his classes from all ends of the spectrum. He was the long-time advisor to many student clubs including: Amnesty International, environmental clubs, the Gay Straight Alliance and Model U.N.

Because of his flexible teacher’s schedule, Doug was deeply involved in his children’s lives, a role he relished. He was a consistent support and presence in their lives. Doug will be sorely missed by his family, friends, neighbors and colleagues alike who came to know him and his loving, gentle nature, good humor, patience, deeply principled and joyful approach to life.

A memorial service is planned for March 26, 2016 at 2:00 p.m. at Theodore Parker Unitarian Church, 1859 Centre Street, West Roxbury, MA. Donations in Doug’s memory may be made to Attleboro High School in support of the Model UN Program (508-222-5150); Roxbury Youthworks, Inc (www.roxburyyouthworks.org), or Heifer International (www.heifer.org).

February 17, 2016February 17, 2016

Smith Hill hijinks of high hilarity

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With shocking regularity and little sanity, our grand spectator sport-cum-soap opera akin to professional wrestling that is the Rhode Island legislature has continued to pump out hilarious moments that should be making us weep if it were not for the fact this is oh-so-typical. Not since Gibbon profiled the latter days of Rome has a corrupt, bloated, under-financed and over-romanced city-state with delusions of grandeur produced this much copy.

First there was the news that Sen. James Sheehan, in a letter he wrote to Senate President Theresa Paiva Weed that he said was not meant to become public (gee I wonder who leaked it then?), expressed dismay that Speaker Nicholas Mattiello had called any effort to enact ethics reform “an act of war”. Within a few days of that, Mattiello allegedly reshuffled those reps who voted against the controversial RhodeWorks bill out of key committee appointments. Et tu Brute?

Then came the news that Republican Sen. Nicholas Kettle had submitted a bill to require photo identification with purchases using EBT Food Stamps cards. Obviously Kettle, who at age 26 probably feels like everyone else should be carded as he is when he goes to purchase a drink, may be a little wet behind the ears and has no grasp of how being poor works. But the reality is that this bill would be quite problematic not for “the illeegullz” he thinks are committing Food Stamp fraud but the thousands of Rhode Island-based homeless and impoverished who cannot afford to get such a picture ID easily. Getting to the DMV by bus is itself an act of gymnastics, thanks in no small part to the measly budget Kettle’s colleagues gave RIPTA this year, and then obtaining the ID can be time consuming and costly. It bears mentioning that the state merely administers the Food Stamps program that is funded by the federal government, which itself is one of the paltry few elements of a social safety net that is demonstrably the most miserly in the northern hemisphere.

It is likely that most of the Democrats on the Hill will find this bill tasteless even with their standards being what they are and our young Republican will find little to no support for this. As a result, he will have created what amounts to a glamour bill that gives him fifteen minutes of fame on talk radio and actually costs the taxpayers more for us to give this bill a hearing than is actually lost in this alleged Food Stamp fraud. It is worth nothing here that we tried to reach out to Kettle for comment several times by telephone and got no reply but that he was able to be heard the morning of February 16 on WPRO. In other words, the Kettle is calling the pot black.

Finally, the February 16 editorial page of the Providence Journal featured a letter from Jeremiah T. O’Grady where he explained the inner mechanics of the RhodeWorks bill. There are already some grumblings to be heard over the tolls bill due to the recent hirings of middle managers who materialized as quickly as the funding did. What struck me as so interesting, however, was how he framed the piece, using the pension heist that we have been covering here over the last few weeks as a frame of reference.

As I walked into the House chamber last Wednesday to vote on the revised RhodeWorks infrastructure funding bill, I was struck by a sense of déjà vu and transported back to November 2011 when I walked into that same chamber to vote on then-General Treasurer Gina Raimondo’s pension reform proposal. The similarities between the two issues, and the solutions proposed to address them, are striking.

This speaks further to my own theory, that there may be a few more politicians than Gina Raimondo who take a fall when the feds come knocking regarding the letter Ted Siedle sent them last month regarding the various criminal elements involved in the scheme. Would this perhaps be the thing an ethics bill would address, thereby terrifying Speaker Mattiello?

Knowing how the fireworks continue to be launched, all we can say is “stay tuned, sports fans!”

February 15, 2016February 14, 2016

Has slavery really ended?

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“Churches can be a place where
judgment, shame and contempt
[for families with felons]
are felt most acutely.”
Michelle Alexander

Time for a pop quiz question. Ready? In what year did the U.S. end slavery?

Most agree it’s 1865. Some historians disagree. Their answer: 1942.

True, the Triangle Trade’s enrichment of slave shippers ended with the Civil War. Tragically, however, legally coerced work continued. Some southern states were sly. Police falsely imprisoned blacks, and judges ordered lengthy sentences at hard labor.

“Convict leasing” was legalized. Douglas Blackmon describes this practice as “a system in which armies of free men, guilty of no crimes and entitled by law to freedom, were compelled to labor without compensation, were repeatedly bought and sold, and were forced to do the bidding of white masters through the regular application of extraordinary physical coercion.”

The penal system became the new slavery.

Still, the answer to our black-history-month query may not be 1942. Ready for a shocker? Enslavement of blacks exists today.

The War on Drugs intensified in the 1980s. In just two decades, those jailed for drug offenses increased ninefold. The Director for National Drug Control Policy, retired General Barry McCaffrey, referred to this imprisonment system as a “drug gulag.”

Mass incarceration is aggressively focused on communities of color. Despite blacks and whites having similar drug usage rates, a 1999 Human Rights Watch report states, “Black men are admitted to state prison on drug charges at a rate that is 13.4 times greater than that of white men.” Indeed, black men imprisoned, on parole and probation now exceed all men enslaved in 1850.

Bondage for drug offenses is inflicted almost exclusively on black and brown men. Whites are usually ‘off the hook.’ Even when arrested, whites are more often given alternatives to jail. When jailed, whites’ average sentences are 16.3 percent shorter than blacks.

Enormous numbers of black bodies are placed in bondage, their prison labor extracted, for non-violent drug offenses. Isn’t this a new system of slavery? Isn’t this massive discrimination also subjecting prisoners’ families—parents, spouses and children—to excruciating emotional and financial bondage?

As a permanent undercaste, the black community also suffers wage slavery. Whites’ average household income is 68.5 percent higher than blacks—and the black unemployment rate is twice that of whites. This severely depressed income continually increases economic inequality: Average white families now have thirteen times the assets of average black families.

It gets worse: Black prisoners’ sentences continue after release.

Imagine leaving prison. Determined to lead a good life, you plan to go to college—but you’re barred from getting a federal loan. Or you need a job but, if a black man, only five percent of employers will even grant you an interview. You may be desperate for public housing assistance. You can’t get it. By law, you probably can’t receive any public benefits—including food stamps if your kids are hungry. With all these cruel barriers, what choices remain? Can we see why ex-cons often return to prison?

Again, this discrimination primarily decimates blacks.

So who should correct these many forms of racialized financial rape? Why not the white community which perpetrates and often benefits from black bondage?

The first step is education: More fact-packed articles detailing the destructive impacts of racism can be found at www.quoflections.org\race.

Second, share these injustices with friends and family.

Third, let’s seek legislation ending the War on Drugs (really, the War on Black Men). Let’s eradicate laws discriminating against ex-felons. Let’s legalize a living wage. Also, our nation has the wealthiest white community in history, primarily due to centuries of labor stolen or cheated from African Americans. In the name of justice, we who are white can advocate for long-overdue reparations to be invested in neglected black communities.

Oh, and our pop quiz answer: Even in 2016, slavery continues on a massive scale.

February 11, 2016February 11, 2016

DARE challenges Elorza’s Everyhome initiative over gentrification and racial displacement

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Activists from DARE (Direct Action for Rights and Equality) and Tenant and Homeowner Association (THA) set up outside Mayor Jorge Elorza‘s office on the second floor of Providence City Hall to demand changes to the city’s Everyhome program. About fifty protestors, carrying heart-shaped signs, and a poster-sized infographic about the program dotted with broken hearts, gathered in the foyer on the second floor of City Hall.

Mayor Elorza did not meet with the activists.

Roline Burgison, Tenant and Homeowner Association leader and member of DARE’s Board of Directors, began the speaking program. Burgison explained that she was forced to move in with family after a two-year fight to stay in her South Providence apartment following a foreclosure. She wants to return to the city’s Southside neighborhood, where she raised her children, but the rent is un-affordable, and low-income developments have long waiting lists.

“I went to a local Community Development Corporation the other day and was told that I could qualify for housing based on my income,” said Burgison in a statement, “but that I might have to wait two years or more. There is a housing crisis in this city, and the Mayor and the Everyhome program need to deal with that.”

Burgison explained that the group was there to “break-up” with the Mayor, because he had ignored their proposals to make the Everyhome program better, and denied their request for a Community Advisory Board to oversee the program. According to DARE and the THA, she said, community members’ hearts are broken over the gentrification and displacement occurring in some of the city’s low-income neighborhoods of color.

Malchus Mills, THA member-leader, outlined the group’s major concerns about the way the program is being conducted. “Right now, there are no standards for the quality of the homes once they’re renovated, the city is not being transparent about which properties are being targeted and why, and they are not addressing the desperate need for affordable housing in our city.” Mills went on to share statistics from Housing Works RI’s recent Housing Fact Book, including that 57 percent (over 18,000 households) of Providence renters pay more than 30 percent of their income in rent and the city currently has 10,500 units of affordable housing. “You need to make 43,000 dollars a year to afford a two-bedroom apartment in Providence now. How many people here make that?” he asked.

Joe Buchanan, DARE Board member and life-long Southside resident, outlined the group’s demands for changes to the Everyhome initiative. “We want the Mayor to announce the creation of a community advisory board for Everyhome and hold the first meeting in March. We want to see 50 percent of the properties targeted by the program set aside for very-low income housing, and we want a list of all the contractors hired for receivership jobs. We want this set-aside and the list by Tuesday.”

February 9, 2016

Providence to halt enforcement of anti-panhandling ordinance

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In a major step towards reducing the criminalization of the poor in Rhode Island, the City of Providence has advised the American Civil Liberties Union of Rhode Island that it would halt enforcement of an anti-panhandling ordinance that has led to the harassment and arrest of homeless individuals. The ACLU had called for this action in a letter delivered to Mayor Jorge Elorza two weeks ago, in which it pointed out the ordinance’s dubious constitutionality and its impact on the rights of the poor and the homeless.

Advocates for the homeless have been critical of a seemingly aggressive enforcement by the City of laws that target innocuous activity of the homeless in public. In its letter, the ACLU had noted that the City’s ban on so-called “aggressive solicitation” directly targets the homeless, and that a number of similar ordinances have been recently struck down by the courts for infringing on First Amendment rights. The ACLU therefore requested that the City immediately halt its enforcement. In response, the City agreed to that request and also to terminate any pending prosecutions.

“The Mayor remains committed to making Providence a place that supports its residents, especially those who are most in need, and we look forward to our continued work together in this regard,” Providence City Solicitor Jeffrey Dana stated in a letter to the ACLU of RI.

ACLU of Rhode Island executive director Steven Brown said today: “This is a very positive development, and we applaud the City for recognizing that this ordinance cannot withstand constitutional scrutiny. We are confident that officials will make sure that any harassment of the homeless by police for peacefully soliciting donations, even if it doesn’t lead to an arrest for panhandling, will cease.”

Rhode Island Coalition for the Homeless executive director Jim Ryczek added: “The Rhode Island Coalition for the Homeless welcomes this development on the part of the city. We hope this is the first step in better understanding homeless people and working with them to appropriately identify their needs and acquire safe and affordable housing. We look forward to continued progress on other problems facing the city in relation to its homeless citizens. As always, we stand ready to help the City of Providence better serve its homeless constituents.”

Megan Smith, an outreach worker at House of Hope CDC, said: “We are hopeful that Providence’s decision to halt enforcement of the aggressive solicitation ordinance demonstrates that the City recognizes panhandling for what it is: a means of survival for our poor and homeless neighbors, not a criminal activity. While there is much more work that must be done to shift policy from criminalizing poverty to finding collaborative solutions, this represents an important step forward.”

The ACLU letter had also called on the City to repeal an ordinance that bans “loitering on bus line property,” but the City claimed that no arrests had been made under that law.

The ACLU’s action is part of the organization’s ongoing efforts to challenge and repeal laws that disproportionately affect the rights of the homeless. In December, the ACLU of Rhode Island filed a federal lawsuit challenging a Cranston ordinance that bars the solicitation of donations from motorists. The ACLU argues that the ordinance violates free speech rights and is selectively enforced by the City. That suit is pending.

A copy of the ACLU’s letter is available here.

A copy of the City’s letter is available here.

February 3, 2016February 4, 2016

Raimondo praised for including homeless bond in budget

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Governor Gina Raimondo has garnered praise from homeless advocates for including a $40 million affordable housing bond in the budget that she presented to the General Assembly last night.

Jim Ryczek, executive director of the RI Coalition for the Homeless released a statement saying, “we appreciate that the Governor recognizes the need for more affordable housing in our state. An affordable housing bond is most certainly one piece of the puzzle and is a good interim step towards our long-term goal of a state where all Rhode Islanders have access to safe, decent housing they can afford. The funding for a housing bond is also a positive step in the right direction to ensure full implementation of Opening Doors RI, the State’s Strategic Plan to Prevent and End Homelessness.”

Melina Lodge, Director of Programs for the Housing Network of RI, thanked the Governor “for recognizing the importance of state investment in housing opportunities for low and moderate income Rhode Islanders… Governor Raimondo’s inclusion of an affordable housing bond in her FY 17 budget will not only stimulate the creation of new housing and boost economic growth by creating jobs in the construction, retail and service industries, but will also bring substantial additional outside financial resources into our state.”

According to Lodge, “Data shows that many Rhode Island households continue to struggle to find housing options that are affordable to them. According to HousingWorks RI, two in every five Rhode Island households are cost burdened, spending more than thirty percent of their income on housing.”

February 1, 2016February 1, 2016

Activists distribute food to homeless despite municipal apathy

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Activists previously affiliated with Occupy Providence were out on Saturday afternoon feeding the homeless at the parking lot of All Saints Memorial Church in Providence. This followed continued resistance from the administrators of Burnside Park, original intended site of the feeding, who have been rolling out a series of policies that encourage harassment of the homeless, including a tobacco ban.

Along with serving food, there was distribution of clothing and blankets. Artemis Moonhawk, one of the organizers, said the following.

We are currently fighting City of Providence over them denying us a permit to feed folks inside the People’s Park on Saturdays due to fact that one woman who runs the events inside Burnside has decided she doesn’t want the homeless to gather at said events. They gather there anyway while waiting on the buses and because city closed the day center we of Occupy Providence negotiated to get opened and left park when doors where opened.

Have been feeding in some way weekly since got back in May. In fact Heather called cops on us during the beer fest last summer but luckily our park ranger who loves us intercepted the call and canceled because he was right there and said not doing anything wrong. Otherwise cops would have rolled up on us. Got harassed for five hours and babysat by cops after they watched my hubby drive away. When he was out of sight I was surrounded by five officers, four male and one female who proceeded to say needed permit to hand out donations.

I politely told them the Commissioner said could be there they then said he didn’t have the authority needed to do that. (Crazy yes) Also said that religious groups don’t need permits to do so. And said they would arrest me if I handed out anything. Once Commissioner Pare got out of news conference he came down hugged me and straightened it all out. We’ve been feeding inside park every Saturday nice hot buffet. When blizzard was coming we did in fact apply for permit and were denied.

Heather said she was contacting the Health Department and police about us. Had to scramble and find a new spot. Reverend Ames at All Saints Memorial Church without hesitation gave us his parking lot. We fed there during blizzard and again yesterday. Currently looking for indoor spot so far no luck. But we are also determined to somehow get back inside the park without getting arrested.

EDITORIAL NOTE: A previous version of this story incorrectly said that Johnson and Wales University had purchased the Crossroads homeless shelter building. We apologize for the mistake.

January 26, 2016January 26, 2016

Elorza confronted over ‘a disturbing pattern of discrimination’ against homeless

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In the rotunda of City Hall advocates for the homeless gathered to release a new study validating the harassment and discrimination being felt on the streets and to demand that Mayor Elorza immediately instruct the Providence Police to stop their practice of criminalizing homelessness and harassing homeless individuals.

Back in August 2015, advocates held a rally in front of City Hall protesting the treatment of those experiencing homelessness in the city. They had found that with increasing frequency, people experiencing homelessness were being subjected to judicial and extrajudicial arrest, harassment, and discrimination. Additionally, they contended that individuals who were homeless were being treated as criminals for engaging in activities necessary to survival, foremost among them resting and sleeping.

Soon after the rally, in September, Mayor Jorge Elorza met with the advocates and declared that the harassment and discrimination happening was not in line with his Administration’s policy. At that time advocates asked him to make a public statement expressing that and to focus on solutions to homelessness rather than criminalizing the homeless. Fast-forward to now, four months later, and nothing has come out of the Mayor’s office.

To make matters worse for the Mayor’s office, advocates released results of a public spaces survey which show a clear and disturbing pattern of discrimination against those experiencing homelessness in downtown Providence.

“As an outreach worker I have both heard, and personally witnessed this kind of conduct, and it disgusts and enrages me,” said Megan Smith of House of Hope CDC.

“Essentially, only homeless people and formerly homeless people are being arrested for these activities,” said Dr. Eric Hirsch. The activities include, sitting, panhandling, standing, sleeping and talking, all of which are perfectly legal.

Eileen Boarman was homeless in Providence on and off for over two years. She has personally witnessed and been the victim of police harassment and abuse. She talks of being beaten, spray with water hoses, and having her arm twisted. She was treated as having no value and no rights. Her experiences are impossible to justify.

Several years ago, Providence City Councillor Mary Kay Harris and others spearheaded the creation of the Providence External Review Authority (PERA), a civilian lead police oversight board. In light of Dr. Hirsch’s findings, the re-establishment of this board in a must.

We need, says House of Hope CDC outreach worker Kate Miechkowski, “to address the cause of people having nowhere to go and nowhere to sleep, rather than arresting and harassing those who suffer from the effects of our failed economic policies.”

In November, Providence College students conducted a public spaces survey of random pedestrians in the Kennedy Plaza/Burnside Park areas of downtown Providence. The results were striking. Just over half (52%) of those surveyed were homeless or formerly homeless, but 95% of the citations and 94% of the arrests were experienced by homeless and formerly homeless persons.

Answers to other questions on the survey such as whether law enforcement had asked them to “move on” or to leave a particular area, how often they were asked for identification; and how often law enforcement searched their belongings without their permission show the same pattern of disproportionate harassment of homeless and formerly homeless persons by police. Other potential reasons for such targeting such as race, ethnicity, or age were not found to be relevant.

“It was stunning to see the degree to which homeless Rhode Islanders are subject to harassment by the Providence Police Department,” stated Dr. Eric Hirsch, Professor of Sociology and author of the Public Spaces Survey. “It was the only factor relevant to why someone was ticketed or arrested for everyday activities such as sitting, lying down, etc.”

Kate Miechkowski, Outreach Worker for the House of Hope CDC confirmed the findings of the survey stating, “This past summer and fall I had the opportunity to interview dozens of people experiencing homelessness about their interactions with Providence police officers. I was horrified by their experiences of degradation, humiliation, and blatant profiling. There was almost no one I spoke to who had amiable experiences with police officers. I personally witnessed multiple incidents in which people were told that they had to move for doing nothing except occupying a public sidewalk.”

Advocates point to the fact that Rhode Island was the first state in the country to enact a “Homeless Bill of Rights” formally banning discrimination against Rhode Islanders experiencing homelessness and affirming their equal access to housing, employment and public services and believe the police’s targeting of people based on their housing status is illegal.

The Rhode Island law asserts that Rhode Islanders experiencing homelessness have the right to use public parks, public transportation and public buildings, “in the same manner as any other person and without discrimination on the basis of his or her housing status.”

In the original letter to the Mayor, advocates stated:

Criminalization is not a solution to homelessness. It is incredibly cruel to those experiencing homelessness, dehumanizing the individuals and making it harder to connect to advocates and services. It also costs the system more by spending taxpayer dollars on court costs and incarcerations rather than on housing, medical care, and other long-term solutions.

The group asked the Mayor to implement the following action steps to address the current situation:

1. Instruct the Providence Police Department that they may not order people to move from public property, nor threaten arrest for the failure to move, absent reasonable suspicion that they are committing a crime.

2. Ensure that this order is followed by:

a. Re-establishing the Providence External Review Authority (PERA);
b. Establishing a designated hotline to report harassment or illegal arrest and regularly reporting on calls received;
c. Adding content on Rhode Island’s Homeless Bill of Rights to the training police cadets receive at the Academy and incorporating this material into re-training of current officers.

3. Provide an appropriate location and budget for a day center in the City.

4. Publicly support the hundred million-dollar bond ask and ensure that the City’s programs to rehabilitate vacant homes (such as Every Home) results in apartments that are affordable to very low income renters.

Nationally, there is increasing recognition of the need for cities to shift away from criminalization and toward a right to housing. In its report No Safe Place, the National Law Center on Homelessness and Poverty details the ways in which criminalizing ordinances are damaging both to individuals experiencing homelessness and to the cities that enact them. It also found that, despite a lack of affordable housing and shelter space, cities across the country are essentially making it illegal to be homeless with laws that outlaw life-sustaining acts, such as eating and sleeping, in public spaces.

Key findings/conclusions from the report are:

Homeless people are criminally punished for being in public even when they have no other alternatives;
The criminalization of homelessness is increasing across the country;
Criminalization laws violate the civil and human rights of homeless people;
Criminalization laws are costly to taxpayers;
Criminalization laws are ineffective; and
Criminalization laws should be replaced with constructive solutions to ending homelessness.

The Seattle University School of Law recently published a series of briefs exploring the monetary costs of criminalization and placing these laws squarely within the shameful tradition of Jim Crow, Anti-Okie, and Ugly laws. Earlier this summer, the U.S. Department of Justice filed a Statement of Interest arguing that it unconstitutionally punishes homelessness to make it a crime for people to sleep in public when there is insufficient shelter.

Rhode Island’s Homeless Bill of Rights stands in complete contrast to this trend causing advocates to be dismayed by the growing complaints from those experiencing homelessness that the police are not respecting their rights.

The Homeless Bill of Rights sets an important foundation for Opening Doors Rhode Island, the state’s plan to end homelessness, which states as a core value that “there are no ‘homeless people,’ but rather people who have lost their homes who deserve to be treated with dignity and respect.”

Opening Doors Rhode Island outlines a plan that significantly transforms the provision of services to Rhode Islanders experiencing homelessness. Consistent with the new federal plan to end homelessness, the plan seeks to sharply decrease the numbers of people experiencing homelessness and the length of time people spend homeless.

“Rhode Island has the potential to be a model for how to end homelessness,” concluded Megan Smith, Outreach Worker for House of Hope CDC. “We can do this by collaborating to provide safe, affordable, permanent housing and engaging with and educating our community. It is not done by harassing and further marginalizing our city’s most vulnerable neighbors.”

Mayor Elorza was invited to speak at the rally, but declined. His office issued the following statement:

“The Mayor is committed to working with our service providers, advocates and community partners to address the social and economic challenges these resident face. We have spoken previously with the Chief of Police and he has directed his officers not to target those who are struggling with homelessness.”

[Portions of this are from a joint RICH and RIHAP press release]

January 25, 2016January 25, 2016

CFED Report: Rhode Islanders still struggling, especially with homeownership

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New data released today by CFED (the Corporation for Enterprise Development), a national partner of Rhode Island’s Economic Progress Institute, shows that too many Rhode Island families remain economically vulnerable. Smart public policies that create opportunities for families to save and make investments in their future prosperity pay huge dividends for all of us. The Assets and Opportunity Scorecard, now published annually, shows Rhode Island ranked 35^th overall in Outcomes, despite ranking 8^th overall in the Scorecard’s Policy measures.

Doug Hall, Director of Economic and Fiscal Policy at the Economic Progress Institute isn’t surprised by these findings: “We see the economic vulnerability of Rhode Island families in wage and income data (as shown in our recent State of Working Rhode Island: Workers of Color report). Until Rhode Islanders have good jobs that pay economy-boosting wages, they won’t be able to set aside savings or invest in homes or businesses.”

Across five main issue areas, Rhode Island fares in the middle of the pack in four issue areas (Financial Assets and Income, Businesses and Jobs, Education, and Health Care) but nearly dead last for Housing and Homeownership.

Rhode Island’s outcome indicators point to a number of areas where improvements need to be made to improve the financial security of Ocean State families. Rhode Island scores very poorly (40^th or worse) in 14 areas, including 8 indicators for housing/homeownership:

Income inequality (46^th out of 50 states and the District of Columbia)
Business value by race (44^th)
Underemployment Rate (40^th)
Homeownership rate (46^th)
Homeownership by race (50^th)
Homeownership by income (51^st)
Homeownership by family structure (50^th)
Delinquent mortgage loans (49^th)
Affordability of homes (43^rd)
Housing cost burden – homeowners (46^th)
Housing cost burden – renters (45^th)
Uninsured by race (45^th)
Uninsured by gender (49^th)
Average college student debt (46^th)

While Rhode Island’s poor performance on housing/homeownership outcomes in the Assets and Opportunities Scorecard is not new, it is striking. Jim Ryczek, Executive Director of the Rhode Island Coalition for the Homeless responds:

“While Rhode Island clearly has much work to do to meet the state’s housing needs, we have significantly increased funding of programs to solve homelessness. We need to match that progress with investments that provide housing options for all Rhode Islanders.”

It is also noteworthy that Rhode Island falls in the bottom 11 rankings in three of the six outcome measures that look at disparities by race/ethnicity. National data show stark disparities in wealth based on race and ethnicity. We know that here in Rhode Island, racial disparities in wages and income are significant. The lack of good state-based data on wealth prevents us from fully understanding these disparities, which in turn prevents us from addressing the challenges with the necessary urgency. Another new report released last week by the Annie E Casey Foundation addresses the need for better data:

“To properly gauge the effects of policies and practices on families’ ability to build assets, we must have the right tools. Data on family assets are meager and difficult to access, particularly for various racial and ethnic groups. The federal government should explore better mechanisms to track that information, such as representative surveys for national and state use with questions on savings behavior and asset holdings or additional questions in the U.S. Census Bureau’s American Community Survey.” Annie E Casey Foundation, Investing in Tomorrow: Helping Families Build Savings and Assets

CFED has been publishing the Asset and Opportunities Scorecard since 2002. It remains a key benchmark in tracking important policy and outcome measures, and highlighting best practices in state policies addressing these areas.

Key policies that Rhode Islanders can adopt to provide greater opportunities for Rhode Island families include:

Increasing the state Earned Income Tax Credit to 20 percent of the federal credit.
Further Increasing the minimum wage.
Providing protections from predatory lending such as payday loans.

These and other measures that boost family incomes will help families set aside savings while investing in assets such as a home.

[From a press release]

January 6, 2016

Interfaith Vigil at State House proposes ambitious poverty agenda

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2016-01-06 Interfaith Poverty Vigil 02 — Bishop Herson Gonzalez

For the eighth year the Rhode Island Interfaith Coalition to Reduce Poverty held a vigil at the State House near the beginning of the legislative season to, in the words of House Speaker Nicholas Mattiello, “remind all of us in the General Assembly of how important it is to keep the issues related to poverty at the forefront of our agenda.”

The vigil was attended by representatives from a multitude of faiths. Governor Gina Raimondo, Speaker Mattiello and Senate President M Teresa Paiva-Weed all spoke briefly to the crowd. The keynote was delivered by Bishop Herson Gonzalez of the Calvary Worship Center in Woonsocket.

Maxine Richman, co-chair of the RI Interfaith Coalition to Reduce Poverty (Coalition) spoke first, outlining the 2016 Advocacy Platform for the group. She began with a sobering statistic. 14.3 percent of Rhode Islanders live in poverty. That rate climbs to 19.8 percent when we talk about children specifically.

“A 14.3 percent poverty rate is the story for this year,” said Richman, “but it need not be the story for next year.”

The coalition believes that all Rhode Islanders are entitled to affordable housing, nutritious food, accessible healthcare, equitable education and work with decent wages.

Though the General Assembly raised the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) last session, something both Paiva-Weed and Mattiello touted as a great success in their opening remarks Tuesday, RI’s present 12.5 percent rate is a far cry from Connecticut’s EITC of 27.5 percent or Massachusetts’ 23 percent. The Coalition is asking the General Assembly raise the RI EITC to 20 percent.

2016-01-06 Interfaith Poverty Vigil 20 — Governor Raimondo

Channeling yesterday’s loud rally, and on the day that Governor Raimondo has officially broken her campaign promise to issue an executive order allowing undocumented workers to obtain driver’s licenses, the Coalition asked state leaders to take this important step.

Right now low and no income Rhode Island families with children are eligible to receive cash assistance for a maximum of up to 24 months within a five year window. A mother with two children is eligible to receive $554 a month for up to 24 months. When the 24 months are done, the family is cut off, leaving children to live in crushing poverty. The coalition would like to end the 24 month limit.

Also, as they have asked nearly every year and to no avail, the Coalition would like the General Assembly to take action to reform PayDay loans. This is unlikely as long as Speaker Mattiello continues to pretend that “arguments against PayDay lending tend to be ideological in nature.”

The coalition would also like to see an expansion of Child Care Assistance and Early Childhood Education. as of Fall, 2014, for instance, only 34 percent of eligible children were enrolled in Head Start, “with many centers maintaining long waiting lists.”

The Coalition further wants to reduce out-of-school detentions which predominantly target students of color and feed the school-to-prison pipeline. They would also like to expand opportunities for workforce foundational skills and occupational training.

The RI Coalition for the Homeless (RICH) needs adequate funding to implement Opening Doors RI, and would like state leaders to seek a $100 million affordable housing bond.

The Coalition also backs efforts to prevent domestic abusers from accessing guns, a bill that died in committee last year to the consternation of supporters and the embarrassment of the General Assembly.

The Coalition would like to see adequate funding for Senior Centers and lastly, the Coalition wants the General Assembly to maintain the current RIPTA Senior/Disbabled Fare Program, recognizing that balancing the budget of public transit of the backs of the most vulnerable is simply cruel. Paiva-Weed was the only state leader to state that she would work to make this happen. Raimondo vowed to make RIPTA “affordable” which is apparently a number other than free.

“These all sound good, but where do we find the money?” asked Raimondo.

“I am very concerned about imposing a fee on elderly and disabled RIPTA passengers,” said Paiva-Weed, “and I am committed to looking at alternative funding.”

Attempting to explain his statement at last years Interfaith Poverty Vigil where he said that he wants to eliminate the social safety net, Speaker Mattiello spun a vision of a Utopian future world. “When we get the economy to a point where everybody’s thriving,” said the Speaker, “every single family has a wage earner that is successfully feeding the family, and everybody is doing well and is well fed… families are happy… that will be the day we don’t need a safety net. And at that time our safety net will justifiably be smaller.”

Here’s Bishop Herson Gonzalez’s keynote address.

Note: I was fortunate today to get permission from Rachel Simon to run her pictures of the event. So all these pictures are under her 2016 copyright.

And here’s the full vigil.

January 6, 2016

Saxophonist Manny Pombo settles suit, may play without interference

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The City of Providence can no longer stop musician Manuel Pombo from performing or soliciting donations on city streets as part of a settlement reached today in a First Amendment lawsuit brought by the American Civil Liberties Union of Rhode Island.

See: ACLU sues Providence for violating street musician’s free speech rights

The ACLU of Rhode Island filed a federal lawsuit in July on behalf of Pombo, a 62-year-old saxophonist, who had been arrested once, and threatened with arrest on numerous other occasions, while playing his saxophone on sidewalks and street corners in Providence. His “permission to perform” license issued by the city also prohibited Pombo from soliciting donations for his performances, and it allowed him to perform solely at the unbridled discretion of police officers. The ACLU argued this violated Pombo’s free speech and due process rights.

As a result of today’s settlement, filed in U.S. District Court, the City of Providence can no longer order Pombo to stop performing on public property or require him to obtain a permit to perform on public property absent violation of any other valid ordinances. The settlement agreement further stipulates that “because soliciting donations is protected speech under the First Amendment,” the City cannot stop Pombo from soliciting or accepting donations for his performances. The City also agreed to pay compensatory damages.

The lawsuit was filed by ACLU of RI volunteer attorneys Shannah Kurland and John W. Dineen.

Kurland said today: “We appreciate that the City was able to work with us to acknowledge Mr. Pombo’s right to make music in public spaces. Let’s hope that going forward municipal government will respect the Constitution without people having to sue our own city.”

Attorney Dineen added: “Ben Franklin, who was a busker in his early days, will be glad to see that the First Amendment still has some life in it, although it takes a street saxophonist and the ACLU to keep it going.”

This is the third lawsuit in five years that the ACLU of Rhode Island has filed against the City of Providence for interfering with the exercise of free speech rights on City public property. Two years ago, a federal judge agreed with the ACLU that Providence police violated the free speech rights of a local resident when she was barred from peacefully leafleting on a public sidewalk in front of a building where then-Mayor David Cicilline was speaking. In 2014, the ACLU sued the Providence Police Department for violating the free speech rights of protesters at a fundraiser in Roger Williams Park for then-Gubernatorial candidate Gina Raimondo. That case is ongoing.

A copy of the settlement is available here: http://riaclu.org/images/uploads/Pombo_Settlement.pdf

Other documents related to the case are available here: http://riaclu.org/court-cases/case-details/pombo-v.-city-of-providence

[From a press release]

December 28, 2015December 28, 2015

Movie Review: Invisible: The Unseen World of Male Prostitution

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Bella Robinson, sex worker advocate and activist. — Bella Robinson

Invisible: The Unseen World of Male Prostitution is a documentary film set in Providence and featuring Richard Holcomb, founder of Project Weber.

The film portrays every male sex worker as a homeless addict, so they didn’t include any rent boys who have had positive experiences as sex workers. The men seem to be able to work the streets with impunity and they even mention some RI politicians that have been coming there for years. At one point an older man admits that other men pay him to introduce them to the new male sex workers. This is legally defined as sex trafficking. I bet dollar to donuts that they won’t charge the guy with trafficking nor will they implement “end the demand” to target the clients of the male workers, because society has been taught that trafficking only happens to females and yet a few of the men in the film mention they started working the streets as homeless youths at age 13.

I also wonder what these men would have done for drug money had sex work not been a option. Would they have robbed homes, stolen cars etc.? I never heard anyone ask any of them if they ever did sex work after getting clean from drugs. So was it sex work or drugs that was bad for them? I did notice that most of the people in this film have only been clean a few months and I wonder why none of them seemed to have gotten into a long term residential treatment.

I was kind of offended that Richie was badgering the one guy to admit he had done sex work. Richie goes as far as telling one guy its wrong to do sex work now that he is clean from drugs. I have to wonder why Richie thinks there is less shame in doing sex work for drugs, than there is in doing sex work for money to pay the bills. I find shaming sex workers to be in bad taste and abusive. I was horrified that the film used the term “prostituted men” over and over again.

I know many female workers with addictions who end up working the streets and become homeless but they also have to deal with the police trying to arrest them, social stigma and public hatred. Female sex workers are the ones arrested and given criminal records and who are more likely to be robbed, raped or murdered.

I applaud Richie’s efforts in opening a drop in center for sex workers, but I am confused why it’s only for men. Why are female sex workers being excluded from having access to a safe space? I also applaud them for distributing condoms as part of their outreach, but I think they missed the mark by not mentioning that the police use “condoms for evidence” to arrest female and transgender sex workers. These are just a few examples of why we should never exclude anyone from services based on their gender or ignore their needs while drafting public policy. It’s called discrimination.

[Note: Robinson explained in private correspondence with RI Future contributor Andrew Stewart that she has a troubled history with Holcomb and, while appreciative of his efforts, feels he has sadly segued his work with the rescue industry, noting that no one from Project Weber attended last week’s sex worker memorial vigil.]

December 16, 2015December 16, 2015

ACLU launches first of a series of lawsuits against criminalizing poverty

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2015-12-16 RIACLU Press Criminalized Poverty 005 — Michael Monteiro

The Rhode island ACLU today launched the “first of a series” of lawsuits aimed at the current trend of municipalities to criminalize poverty and homelessness. At issue is Michael Monteiro, a 57 year old disabled man who until recently supplemented his disability payments by asking for money on a median strip in Cranston, holding a sign that says, “disabled, need help, God bless.”

On June 30 a Cranston police officer wrote Monteiro a court summons for soliciting money. The charge was ultimately dismissed, but the judge ordered Monteiro to stay away from the area or face arrest. This was Monteiro’s second run in with this law in Cranston, after having been arrested twice for the offense in Providence, where he lives.

2015-12-16 RIACLU Press Criminalized Poverty 002 — Marc Gursky

Attorney Marc Gursky, representing Monteiro, says the ordinance prohibits individuals from soliciting for money, but is selectively enforced against people like Monteiro, and not against fire fighters, cheerleaders or little league teams. Monteiro said that when he sees the cheerleaders on the median where he usually solicits donations, he leaves for the day.

Gursky also alleges that the ordinance violates the free speech clause of the Constitution. It cannot be against the law to ask for help, or to request money. If the issue is truly one of traffic and safety, says Gursky, the city should address the problem of traffic and safety, not free speech.

2015-12-16 RIACLU Press Criminalized Poverty 003 — Megan Smith

Megan Smith, an outreach worker and case manager with House of Hope‘s PATH program, said that cities and municipalities across the nation are dealing with the problem of homelessness and poverty by criminalizing those who are homeless and poor. Arrest places the burden of a criminal record on those affected, making it more difficult to get people the help they need.

“Poverty should make us uncomfortable,” said Smith, but these ordinances are attempts to hide the problem from sight, not to help people.

Steve Brown, executive director of the RI ACLU, said that there is no timeline on when future lawsuits will be undertaken on this issue, but that Providence and Pawtucket both have similar ordinances, and both cities could face such lawsuits. Finding plaintiffs is difficult, because people in Monteiro’s position face a lot of discrimination and it takes real courage to commit to such a suit.

As for Monteiro, he used to make $20-30 standing on the corner for about an hour, which is as long as his legs could endure. He hasn’t returned to his spot since the judge’s order, and as a result, “I have to do without…

“I have about $11 to get through the rest of the month,” he said.

Edit: Shortly after the post went up, I was asked how someone might get some money to Michael to help him while he’s waiting for this case to resolve. Steve Brown said that the ACLU can accept donations to him as long as the donations are clearly marked as being for him at this address:

American Civil Liberties Union of Rhode Island
128 Dorrance Street
Suite 220
Providence, RI 02903

If the donation is not marked, they’ll probably assume the donation is for the ACLU, which is not a bad investment.

December 15, 2015December 15, 2015

RIPTA fare increase is cruel, whether it happens or not

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The worst part must be the stress of not knowing when and if their lives are going change. You can see it on the faces of many of those who come to speak.

Those on fixed incomes and dependent on the Rhode Island Public Transit Authority (RIPTA) for their transportation needs gained a brief reprieve yesterday when the RIPTA board voted on a modified fare increase package due to Governor Gina Raimondo’s last minute intervention.

The governor promised to direct state agencies to “develop programs that will ensure the continued mobility of the low-income elderly and persons with disabilities.”

As a result, a fare increase from free to $1 for the disabled, elderly and homeless has been delayed until July 2016, and the new proposed fare increase is only 50 cents, tentatively starting in July. At the board meeting RIPTA Director Peter Alviti said that, “our target is zero” meaning that he hopes the governor will find the money to avoid charging even that 50 cents and keep the free bus fare system in place.

More than a dozen elderly, disabled, homeless and transportation advocacy groups have been fighting this fare increase since it was announced. Hundreds of people have attended meetings and spoken out against the fare hike. Randall Rose, of the RIPTA Riders Alliance said that the fare increase is “a badly thought out plan” that, “is not going to stand.”

There is a good chance Rose is right, and ultimately this will all be about nothing.

But if you are one of those dependent on RIPTA for your transportation needs, you don’t know this; not with any certainty. Some estimate that those on a fixed income will have to spend $30 a week or more on transportation. Not on doctor’s visits, they will be covered by Logisticare, a private contractor. But pharmacy visits, shopping, friend and family visits, trips to twelve-step programs, church, political meetings, or any other kind of travel, will be money taken out of the budget for food, medication, utilities, toiletries or rent.

Some will start trying to make their medication last longer, because maybe half a pill is just as good as the one pill prescribed by a doctor. Maybe take one pill every other day, or skip certain medications entirely. That might work.

Less food will become a certainty. Life without electricity or heat will be endured. Little joys will be sacrificed. Life will become grayer. Life will be less.

Many will not travel any more. They will become home bound, economically imprisoned in their homes. Their health will suffer. Some will die.

Did the General Assembly, when they voted to force the RIPTA board to increase the fares on the most vulnerable, think about the people whose lives will be ruined? Even if this entire issue goes away over the next weeks and months, did the Senators and Representatives who voted for this think about the stress they inflicted on the poor, the elderly, the disabled and the homeless?

Lives already clouded by poverty shouldn’t have their stress compounded for no reason. It’s cruel.

The actions and inactions of our General Assembly have consequences. People suffer when the General Assembly behaves so cavalierly. The Speaker of the House cares mightily for the concerns of his “well-to-do” neighbors yet seems to think nothing of inflicting senseless cruelty on the poor.

If we are to be judged by how we treat the most vulnerable among us, we are failing.

We must do better.

November 28, 2015November 28, 2015

A vigil for Kerry Soares, who died homeless on the streets

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Kerry Soares died homeless on the streets of Providence in June, not far from the Salvation Army building. She was 43 years old. Kerry was the ninth homeless person to die on the streets in Rhode Island since April 2014, when the RI Coalition for the Homeless (RICH) and its Statewide Outreach Committee began holding vigils.

A RICH press release states that “while the official cause of deaths for the cases vary, advocates contend that the real killer in all the nine cases is the same: homelessness.”

Kerry was a mother. Her daughter Caitlin Forcier was at the vigil. Kerry was remembered as a talented artist. She was compassionate and caring. She lived and worked in Providence most of her life.

She deserved so much more.

Author James O’Connell, M.D., noted the relationship between homelessness and early mortality. Studies reveal:

People who experience homelessness have a mortality rate three to four times that of the general population
The average age at death of a person who is homeless is between 42 and 52 years
Younger women who are homeless have a mortality rate that is 4 to 31 times higher than that of women who are housed.

In a statement, Jim Ryczek, executive director of RICH said, “This is the ninth Rhode Islander experiencing homeless, who has died on the streets in a year and a half. And the biggest tragedy is these deaths can be prevented. We know how to tackle these problems of homelessness, addiction, substance abuse – we know what to do, we have the models, and we need to continue to build the public and political will to demand that we implement and fund the solutions fully.”

DSC_30212015-11-27 Kerry Soares 011 — Reverend Jack Jones

November 27, 2015November 27, 2015

Buy Nothing and Exchange a Winter Coat

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DSC_28852015-11-27 Buy Nothing Day 014 — Greg Gerritt

This is my third year writing about the Buy Nothing Day Winter Coat Exchange. (here and here) This is also the 19th year of the effort, in which donated coats are given to the people who need them while at the same time challenging the consumerism that plagues us every year on on the day after Thanksgiving, “Black Friday.”

The weather this year was virtually Spring-like, which is both worrisome and enjoyable. Set on the lawn of the RI State House in the shadow of the Providence Place Mall, the line of people wanting a new coat stretched to the train station. When I arrived volunteers were still setting up. Among the volunteers I saw Don Rhodes of the RIPTA Riders Alliance and Greg Gerritt, who started this program nearly two decades ago.

Setting up at tables was Recycle Together RI, handing out flyers containing information on how to recycle, and the URI SNAP Outreach Project which “helps low-income individuals and families access the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program,” what are commonly called food stamps.

Also on hand was Books Are Wings, which was preparing to send every child who attended the event home with a book, as well as a coat.

Though the continuing need for events like this serve as an indictment of our economic and political system, the fact that so many people respond with generosity speaks volumes about our deeper values. This event demonstrates a deep truth about us:

We can do better.

November 21, 2015November 22, 2015

Providence observes Transgender Day of Remembrance, Resilience

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“The Transgender Day of Remembrance (TDOR) is an annual day of observance to honor those who have lost their lives to anti-trans violence, bigotry and suicide,” said Monay McNeil, reading the words of August Guang, who helped organize a march down Elmwood Ave in Providence Friday night. “Lead by people of color, the First National Trans March of Resilience… in numerous cities across the nation… [is] a way to honor the strength and resilience of trans lives, specifically the lives of trans people of color…”

Trans people and allies met at Knight Memorial Library in Providence and marched for nearly twenty minutes to PrYSM (Providence Youth Student Movement). Marchers chanted, “Black Lives Matter! Trans Lives Matter!” Traffic on Elmwood Ave was slowed and police stayed at a respectful distance.

At the end of the march participants crammed into PrYSM’s meeting space for a vigil, poetry and art.

McNeil noted the importance of this march, saying “As of 2015 there have been at least 700 [Black Lives Matter] protests across the country. Many trans people of color witness these protests in confusion and/or frustration, wondering why such national outrage is not also seen when trans women of color are brutally murdered and assaulted daily by both police and civilians.”

The night before the march, at the Beneficent Church downtown, the Transgender Day of Remembrance was celebrated with a service for trans persons who lost their lives in 2015. Candles were lit for each person who lost their lives this year, and as each name was read aloud, a candle was silently extinguished, slowly darkening the room.

This is the 16th year for the TDOR, started in 1999 in San Francisco by Gwendolyn Ann Smith in response to the 1998 murder of Rita Hester in Allston, Massachusetts, a case that remains unsolved. The full list of those who lost there lives this year can be seen here.

Mayor Jorge Elorza and Representative David Cicilline both spoke at that event, but it was the moving stories of Julián Cancino and Dominique Pistone that focused the service on what’s important: trans lives. Cancino spoke of being a Mexican immigrant to this country, having escaped persecution in his native country. America, to its shame, was not a welcoming place. Pistone spoke about a lifelong process of coming out and finding her true, authentic self. (I unfortunately don’t have Pistone’s talk on video, but I do have the short video of Alejandra Blaze, Ms. Trans Rhode Island, who spoke about trans empowerment and liberation.)

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