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PVD Black Lives Matter Day of Action calls for passage of Community Safety Act


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Helen McDonald

The Providence City Hall Council Chamber was packed over capacity. The crowd was so raucous and loud it was hard to hear the speakers on their microphones.

“I Sabina Matos, would like to pass the Community Safety Act.”

“Seconded.”

Voice after voice pledged their support for the Community Safety Act.

“I, Seth Yurdin, would like to pass the Community Safety Act.”

“I, Sam Zurier, would like to pass the Community Safety Act.”

The Community Safety Act (CSA) passed unanimously. Not a single voice spoke against it. The City Council Chamber erupted in cheers and applause.

It was a brilliant moment.

But the Providence City Council never actually voted. Minutes before the City Council was to begin their meeting, their last meeting before taking a break for vacation, hundreds of protesters in support of Black Lives Matter had crossed the street from Kennedy Plaza and entered the chamber en masse. They took the seats of city councillors and acted out what passing the CSA might look like.

The CSA never passed. It has only recently been scheduled for consideration, when the City Council comes back in September.

As the crowd filed out of the chamber, Nick Katkevich of the FANG Collective asked a just arriving City Councillor Seth Yurdin if he would really support the CSA when the time came.

“I don’t support the CSA,” said Yurdin.

Neither does Providence Mayor Jorge Elorza or Public Safety Commissioner Steven Paré.

Fifteen minutes earlier crowds gathered at Kennedy Plaza, across the street from City Hall. The Movement for Black Lives had called a nationwide, July 21 Collective Action for Freedom, in response to the recent slew of high profile police killings. In Providence, the action was organized by the Step Up Coalition to Pass the Community Safety Act and the White Noise Collective RI around the idea of supporting the CSA.

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Vanessa Flores­-Maldonado

The proposed Providence ordinance has 12 key points pertaining to police interactions with community members, including providing interpretation, documenting traffic stops in a standardized manner, and limiting police collaboration with other law enforcement agencies such as ICE. The CSA would also re­establish the Providence External Review Authority (PERA) with the power to recommend that Public Safety and Police Department budgets be reapportioned to youth recreation and job training programs.

“We don’t want to compromise on the safety of our community. When you have women dying in jail because they didn’t use a turn signal or youth being shot in cold blood for having toy guns in an open carry state, we can’t compromise,” said Community Safety Act Campaign Coordinator, Vanessa Flores­-Maldonado. “We need police accountability now because no one feels safe in our community.”

The campaign recently scored a win when organizers secured a public hearing for the CSA at the beginning of September. The “mock hearing” was organized to put additional pressure on the City Council to pass the CSA.

At the mock hearing, Flores -Maldonado spoke directly to the city council members present, including Council President Luis Aponte, saying that the city council should listen to what the people had to say.

The protest left city hall and marched up Washington St towards the Providence Public Safety Complex, where people gave a series of speeches in support of the CSA, hiring more teachers of color, community defense, and abolishing the police. Here the speeches were in turn thoughtful and emotional. I would recommend them to those seeking a better understanding of these issues.

After leaving the public safety complex the march continued on to Cathedral Square, where there was some last words before the march disbanded.

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The Toxic Tour of South Providence


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Sherrie Anne Andre, with National Grid behind her.
Sherrie Anne Andre, with National Grid behind her.

South Providence, at the port, is one of the heaviest concentrations of toxic chemical storage in New England, and not coincidentally, those who live in the area suffer the highest rates of asthma. Sherrie Anne Andre of the FANG Collective and Julian Rodríguez-Drix of the Environmental Justice League of Rhode Island lead a tour of over 60 people, including Green Party presidential candidate Jill Stein, along Allens Avenue, pointing out some of the worst polluters in our state.

The Rhode Island Recycled Metals facility was the first stop. In 2015 the US Coast Guard revealed that the site was operating without proper permits. As a result the facility was not in compliance with laws regarding oil spillage and storm water run-off. In general, recycling is a good and positive thing. But when done without concern for the health and safety of residents and the environment, the losses can outweigh the gains.

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The tour passes through Motiva

Motiva Enterprises LLC occupies both sides of Allens Avenue. Chemical piping actually runs underneath the road. Motiva is a joint venture between Saudi Aramco and Shell Oil. Here in Providence the facility is the largest of many fuel terminals in the port and a major importer of petroleum products. It receives regular shipments via tanker ship and exports via truck. The Port of Providence is the entry point for the majority of fuels that power southern New England. In 2014 Motiva managed 34,425 pounds of toxic waste products. Over 1000 pounds of toxic waste was emitted into the air, making Motiva the largest air emitter in the City of Providence.

Ethanol trains come through the port every week. Known as “bomb trains” elsewhere in the United States, similar trains were banned in Boston because of safety and toxic concerns. The ethanol is mixed at the Motiva facility and transported out.

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Rhode Island Recycled Metals

Univar is the largest facility in the area. It is a wholesale chemical distributor and chlorine manufacturer. As far as is known, though Univar produces chemicals used in fracking, they are not manufactured or stored in Rhode Island. There are 3.3 million pounds of toxic chemicals stored at the Univar facility. It is the most dangerous facility in all of Rhode Island, with a 14 mile hazard radius. Stored here are 1.4 million pounds of chlorine gas, 1.2 million pounds of anhydrous ammonia, 626,400 pounds of ammonium and 35,000 pounds of formaldehyde. each one requires a chemical risk assessment plan from the Environmental Protection Agency.

National Grid wants to upgrade its facilities at the Port of Providence by installing a liquefaction plant on the premises. This would allow the company to supercool LNG so that it becomes more compact, allowing the company to store much more LNG on the premises. Note that LNG is fracked methane, imported through pipelines to the facility. These pipelines, owned by Spectra Energy, run through Burrillville, through Cumberland, and across the bay from East Providence.

Jill Stein
Jill Stein

The existing storage tank is filled by truck. It takes about 2600 trucks to fill the 24.2 million gallon tank, said Andre.

The proposed LNG liquefaction facility will cost $180 million. These costs will most likely be passed on to consumers. The facility will be located between National Grid’s existing storage tank and the Univar facility. The energy required to power the liquefaction is equivalent to half of the energy generated by Deepwater Wind, the first offshore wind farm in the United States, presently under construction off the coast of Rhode Island.

One more concern: National Grid is located on the former site of a manufactured gas plant. The soil in the area is soaked with chemicals from when a company squeezed gas from coal, a toxic process that permanently contaminated the land. The RI Department of Environmental Management has records of dozens of other leaking, underground tanks in this area. “The soil we are walking on is known to be toxic,” said Rodríguez-Drix.

On the National Grid site, some of the chemical contaminants have been capped with the intention of keeping the contamination from further spreading, but this capping will be disturbed when construction begins, allowing the wind to carry the toxins into the air and into the bay for the two years of construction.

Below is video of the tour:

Green Party presidential candidate Jill Stein attended the Toxic Tour, and talked about the Green New Deal.

Raymond Two-Hawks spoke about the aboriginal response to the continued denigration of his ancestral lands.

Laura Perez is running for House District 11 against incumbent state Representative Grace Diaz.

Sheila Calderone is a resident of South providence and a member of the Environmental Justice League who suspects that illnesses she has suffered are a result of the pollutants she has been exposed to while growing up in the area.

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Visiting Burrillville’s MTBE contamination site


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Thomas Sylvester

During the three day march from Providence to Burrillville, ahead of Governor Raimondo’s meeting with residents, the people protesting Invenergy‘s planned $700 million fracked gas and diesel oil burning power plant made one small detour to the site of the 2001 MTBE disaster that affected and even destroyed so many lives in Pascoag. On the site of a long dead ExxonMobil Gas Station, overgrown with weeds and bushes, where only rubble and dirt remain, the marchers gathered to refresh themselves and listen to the stories of an environmental disaster.

Pascoag resident Thomas Sylvester laid out the scene for everyone. The gas station is on a hill. The contaminated water wells are about a quarter mile down the road. “Under where we are standing there is shell ledge and bedrock that is permeated with gasoline,” said Sylvester, “we speak about MTBE but really what we’re talking about is a gas spill.”

The wells that were contaminated were new. It took only months to reveal that they were contaminated. “What this means is that this gas station was leaking for a long time before those wells ever went in,” said Sylvester, “MTBE is a tracer, it’s the first contaminant to come out.” This means that the rest of the gasoline, and all the “really nasty stuff” that makes it up, is right behind the MTBE. In truth, the MTBE is only a small part of the problem, and a sign of bigger problems ahead.

Opening the well down the hill won’t remediate the area, says Sylvester. If someone were truly interested in remediating the water, the would put a well “almost where we are standing.” Using the well down the hill will only draw more contaminants down the hill, the “really nasty stuff” that right now is contained beneath the long dead Mobil station. The plan currently under consideration by Invenergy will draw more contaminants into the aquifer says Sylvester. Residents with their own wells might find their water becoming contaminated years from now.

There were a thousand homes and 4000 residents affected by the MTBE contamination. It took years for the state to be involved. People hired their own water safety experts, hired their own lawyers. There was no Energy Facilities Siting Board to hear their worries.

Sylvester first noticed the contamination when his wife was nursing their son, and the baby’s face became red and irritated where it came in contact with his wife’s skin. She had recently taken a shower, and the MTBE was hurting her baby. The sweet smell of the contamination filled the house. Sylvester began putting saran wrap over the toilets. He used bottled water in his house’s steam heating to minimize exposure to the well water. He and his family bathed and did laundry at their relative’s homes. They went without water, except for toilets, for 248 days.

Terri Lacey told the story of her niece and nephew, who “lived right around the corner.” They had a little girl at the time. Lacey’s niece developed thyroid cancer and her nephew developed Hodgkin’s lymphoma. Her nephew was given last rites four times before a treatment finally sent his cancer into remission.

“I remember being in the shower and feeling something, I couldn’t even describe it. The water didn’t feel right on my skin and there was a smell….”

Invenergy “is not remediating [the well] for us, they’re opening a monster for us.”

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Raimondo in Burrillville


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Raimondo in Burrillville 01When Governor Gina Raimondo came to Burrillville Monday evening to hear the concerns of residents regarding Invenergy’s proposed $700 million fracked gas and diesel oil burning power plant, the people greeted her with applause, cheers, and gifts. Over the course of the two hour meeting, the Governor assured the people that she had not just listened to them, but had truly heard them.

The people rose and told them their stories, many of which those who have attended meeting after meeting in Burrillville had heard before. But Governor Raimondo was hearing them, in person, for the first time. She told the six hundred people gathered at the Burrillville High School that though she understood the problems with the MTBE in the water,  that to hear the stories first hand was very powerful.

She heard them, she said.

Time and again Governor Raimondo assured the people that the power plant was “not a done deal.” For the first time the governor publicly walked back her support for the plant, saying that it was important that she maintain neutrality during the process of approving the plant. She told the people that there was a process, that the Energy Facilities Siting Board (EFSB) was holding a series of hearings and meetings. She urged the people to get involved and let their opinions be known.

Here, I think, Governor Raimondo stumbled. The people of Burrillville could not be more involved in this process. Her visit to Burrillville is a testament to their involvement. The visit is the result of months of work by Kathy Martley of BASE (Burrillville Against Spectra Expansion) and Nick Katkevich of the FANG Collective. If anything, the people of Burrillville understand “the process” better than the governor ever will. They attend the meetings of the EFSB, the Burrillville Town Council, the sewer board, the DEM, the DOH and countless others. There are many people in in Burrillville who dedicate every moment of free time, the entirety of their non-working lives, to this power plant.

This is what Invenergy has already stolen from the people of Burrillville: Every free moment of their lives.

Governor Raimondo urged the people to ”trust the process” but if the people don’t trust the process, it’s not out of some perverse anti-authoritarian impulse, it’s out of first hand experience with the very process she’s telling them to trust in. The people understand the process intimately, and they know that the process favors Invenergy, not the people.

Governor Raimondo was not asked to come to Burrillville as an advocate for “the process” she was asked to come to Burrillville to become an advocate for the people.

Additional thoughts:

As people were let into the Burrillville High School, after waiting outside in the parking lot in the ninety degree heat for hours, security informed them that no more than one person would be allowed in the restrooms at a time. Each restroom accommodates at least seven people. I asked the man in charge of security why this was the case. He told me “Security reasons.” I asked how two people in a men’s room might threaten security in a way that one person couldn’t. He became angry and said, “I’m not going to debate you, I already answered your question.”

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Dave Layman

The event was moderated by retired newscaster Dave Layman, who volunteered for the mission. Layman set the rules for the meeting, but did so in a way that was infantilizing. This wasn’t a high school full of children, this was a high school full of engaged residents who were very familiar with the ways in which public meetings work. This was a high school auditorium full of people who understand how to behave at a public forum, yet Layman decided to devote no small amount of time to explaining the importance of a Norman Rockwell painting about civil civic engagement. It was elitist and condescending and a poor way to set the tone.

But, despite these caveats, once the meeting got under way, it seemed to go well. The people of Burrillville stood tall, hit hard and did not back away from calling the governor to account. She stayed through the end and beyond, coming off the stage after the meeting and greeted the people one on one.

The people of Burrillville have been treated as afterthoughts in this process, then as agitators and then as children. But by the end of the night Governor Gina Raimondo was forced to see them as people, and recognize their full humanity.

Here’s the full video:

Senator Paul Fogarty

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Locking arms for peace in Pawtucket


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2016-07-14 Lock Arms for Peace Pawtucket 004“There have been 6 or 7 shootings in and around the Pence Park area in Pawtucket,” said Melissa Darosa, a streetworker for the Institute for the Study and Practice of Nonviolence, “and that’s just what’s been reported.”

Melissa and fellow streetworker Tara were joined by #300Women representatives from Providence and local community members at the corner of Jefferson and West Avenues in Pawtucket, across the street from two convenience stores and almost across from the Oaklawn Community Center, to lock arms for peace and to take a stand against violence in the community. The area has become a hangout for kids.

“These are good kids, they aren’t bad kids,” said Melissa, “they just need guidance. They just need more tender loving care.”

As the small group gathered around, Pawtucket Police cruisers drove past slowly. They did not interfere.

Some people who live in the neighborhood joined in, calling the kids from across the street at the stores to join them in locking arms and calling for peace. All of the kids demurred. “I can’t lock arms with him,” said one boy, about 14 years old. He didn’t want to appear in any way to be less manly. Women offered to let the boy between them but he answered, “Nah.”

Pawtucket has been plagued by a string of shootings in this area. So far, no one has been killed. Mary Gray, a Pawtucket City Councillor, was on hand. This is her district, and she’s been working to get Mayor Grebien more involved.  Part of the solution is the Midnight Basketball League.

Diana Garlington, of #300Women, explained that the League gets kids off the streets, but also gets them to a place where they can hear better messages.

“The Midnight League is not about guys playing basketball,” said Melissa, “It’s a way to capture everybody’s ear that we can do better.”

The league had a game scheduled for the park that evening, but due to rain it was being moved indoors.

People looking to help end the violence should contact the Institute, or contact Anchor Recovery. People are looking for jobs and job training opportunities. If you can’t offer jobs, money could help.

Meanwhile, the effort to save our kids from violence continues. “We need to come together and save them,” said Melissa DaRosa, “before we end up having a grieving family and have to bury somebody else.”

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Police remove Burrillville residents from zoning board meeting


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John Scott

The Burrillville Zoning Board meeting on Tuesday night became tense when Burrillville resident John Anthony Scott, an outspoken opponent of Invenergy’s proposed $700 million fracked gas and diesel oil burning power plant, attempted to play some video of the noise made by the Spectra Energy compressor station.

One of the many issues regarding the proposed power plant is the noise generated by the build up of fracked gas infrastructure in the area.

“Can we have the security stop this?” asked zoning board chair Raymond Cloutier, at which point four or five police officers descended and peacefully removed Scott from the podium, before escorting him out of the auditorium.

“So you’re surpresssing our first amendment rights,” said Scott, “I’m going to make sure I tell the news channels that. I’ll post it all over social media.”

According to Sally Mendzela, who attended the meeting,

John Scott
John Scott

“John Anthony Scott and Nicholas Cook set up huge speakers on the stage. The meeting started with regular business and then went on to public comment. Every speaker had to be sworn in. At some point, Burrillville Town Council attorney Oleg Nikolyszyn or Ray Cloutier, the zoning board chair, asked who had put the speakers up there. Nicholas and John were fetched and then all hell broke loose. They wanted to play a video John’s wife had of the pressure release from the compressor station.

“Oleg got all fired up about the difference between decibels and megahertz and said he would not allow Cook and Scott to play the video or audio recording.

“Cloutier had the five cops present come down front, all with the audience screaming and whatnot. John and Nicholas picked up the speakers and headed out with the cops.”

Edit: John Scott issued a statement in which he points out that “I have & always had a great relationship with the Burrillville Police… After the video… Nick & I left freely to go put equipment away in his car then returned to watch the rest of the meeting listening & supporting our family & friends residents & community!”

Some time after Scott and Cook were escorted out, Burrillville resident and power plant opponent Jeremy Bailey spoke to the board. He took the opportunity to hum to the board, to approximate the sound they might have heard if they had listened to the video and audio.

Both Bailey and John Scott have announced that they are running for positions on the Burrillville Town Council.

During a blow off, which happens several times a year, large quantities of methane and other chemicals are released directly into the atmosphere. The sound approximates a commercial jet airliner taking off.

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Providence honors Alton Sterling and Philando Castile


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2016-07-09 PVD 2nd Line 012Hundreds gathered in Providence last night to celebrate the lives of Alton Sterling and Philando Castile, two men killed last week by police. The celebration was organized by a myriad of people representing many groups, and was modeled on a New Orleans-style second line funeral procession. Organizers provided the following explanation:

The Second line funeral march is an African American tradition most associated with New Orleans, it has in its roots a deep and unmistakable connection to African funeral tradition. In America the 2nd line was a way to mark the passage of Black life and demand recognition of our basic humanity. In the 2nd line the tears are mixed with joyous songs and expressions of Black kinship. In the 2nd line it was traditional to carry a decorated umbrella symbolic of protecting one from a storm as a shield, but also as an expression of beauty facing the heavens, shining in the rain. It is also traditional to carry a handkerchief for our tears but also as a flag of defiance and a part of our dance.

“The 2nd line can be seen as just a parade but it is a deeply powerful and solemn expression of homecoming and love. This invitation is offered in that spirit. Come mourn, come weep and wail, come to love, come to share and build power, come to witness, come to sing.”

Alton Sterling was a 37-year old black man killed by police in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Philando Castile was a 32-year old black man killed by a police officer during a routine traffic stop in Falcon Heights, Minnesota. Castile’s girlfriend and her 4-year old daughter were in the car.

The march ended on the water at India Point Park, where there were performances, remembrances and a final act of throwing flowers into the water.

Below find photos and video of the event. Much of the video was recorded by RI Future contributor Andrew Stewart.

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Rhode Island’s response to Dallas defines our priorities


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At a meeting to plan a Rhode Island response to the killing of Alton Sterling and Philando Castile, the moderator, a black man, made the point that many in his community feel these deaths – of people they don’t know who live far away – as personally and intensely as they feel the death of a cousin or a friend.

“White people,” he said, “don’t understand that.”

This is true. None of us truly understands the day to day prejudice experienced by people of color in our country absent actually experiencing it. This solidarity of experience escapes most, if not all white people in this country. The bond created across time and distance by systemic oppression is intense, and personal.

I can feel some of this. When Trayvon Martin was murdered, he was about my son’s age. They both wore hoodies and both liked Mountain Dew and Skittles. I felt Trayvon Martin’s death acutely, but  my reaction was blunted by my privilege. I didn’t then and don’t now fear for my son’s life the way parents of black children do. My son is white. I have the luxury of keeping my parental fear levels at the lowest setting.

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“A part of us died last night,” said Providence Public Safety Commissioner Stephen Paré at a press conference Friday afternoon, “when five colleagues in Dallas, were shot and killed.”

Paré can acutely feel the deaths of police officers far away. He sees the police officers killed in Dallas as colleagues, and can certainly imagine the nightmare of losing five officers in Providence.

But the analogy ends there.

When police officers were murdered in Dallas, Governor Gina Raimondo called a press conference of police and community leaders well within 24 hours. Two United States senators offered words of calm and condolence. Flags were ordered to fly at half mast by government order.

No press conferences were planned for Alton Sterling and Philando Castile. It took the death of police officers to do that. That alone signals our priorities as a culture.

Police can call for back up. They can get the National Guard and the full power of the United States military flown in if necessary. Police can attach bombs to robots and kill by remote control if necessary.

The unlimited force and power of the United States can be brought to bear against those who kill police officers, but when it comes to the extra-judicial murders of people of color by police…

… there is no back-up.

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Janelle organized a small protest in Kennedy Plaza Friday morning.
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Thirty feet from the protest PVD Police were arresting a black man.

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This woman berated the protesters. “All lives matter,” she said, “not just black lives.”

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Senator Sheldon Whitehouse was at Governor Gina Raimondo’s press conference.
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Reverends Eugene Dyszlewski and Donald Anderson
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Governor Raimondo reiterated her call for the passage of justice reform and gun control legislation.
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Here’s the full video from the press conference:

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Moms Demand Action founder calls out Mattiello on guns


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2016-06-29 Cicilline sit in 003 Shannon Watts
Shannon Watts

“Speaker [Nicholas] Mattiello has been the person that has been standing in the way” of bills that would disarm domestic abusers, said Moms Demand Action founder Shannon Watts during her recent trip to Providence on Wednesday. Watts was speaking as part of a panel discussion following the showing of the Katie Couric documentary Under the Gun at Brown University.

Earlier in the day, Watts, who founded Moms Demand Action in response to the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting, was in Providence to join Representative David Cicilline as he lead a sit-in style event at the Providence Public Safety Complex. That event was to be strictly about national efforts at gun control, but Watts went off script and talked about Speaker Mattiello’s failure to lead on guns in the Rhode Island General Assembly.

“I know here, in your own State House,” said Watts, “you have a speaker, Speaker Mattiello, who has not acted in the wake of gun violence in this country and in fact there have been some domestic violence bills that could have and should have been passed and we hope that he will do the right thing.”

“Thoughts and prayers are not enough,” continued Watts, “Thoughts and prayers without action are empty and they are meaningless.” In June, members of the RI state chapter of Moms Demand Action dramatically left the House Chamber when Mattiello called for prayers and a moment of silence in the wake of the Orlando shootings.

“We are asking Speaker Mattiello to act in the wake of human destruction by gun violence,” said Watts.

You can watch the Under the Gun panel discussion here:

You watch the Cicilline sit-in at the Providence Public Safety Complex here:

And here’s the trailer for Under the Gun:

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Burrillville Town Council reaches boiling point over power plant


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Donald Fox

There were tears, anger, accusations, offers of forgiveness and just straight up fireworks at the Burrillville Town Council meeting Wednesday night. Town residents came out in force to the first meeting held since the Senate Judiciary Committee very publicly killed the Keable/Fogarty bill that would have allowed voters in Burrillville the opportunity to approve or reject any proposed tax treaties with energy plants in the town.

This bill was important because Invenergy has plans to build a $700 million fracked gas and diesel oil burning power plant in the town, and the residents of Burrillville don’t completely trust the town council to negotiate in their best interests. As the residents of Burrillville descended en masse to the State House to testify in favor of the bill, the town council issued first a a press release then an official resolution opposing the legislation.

Various timelines have been floated as to how this press release/resolution came to pass. On June 9th I sent a request to Burrillville Town Clerk Louise Phaneuf asking for a copy of the video of the June 7 town council meeting. I was informed that there was no video, since the camera was malfunctioning. I followed up by asking for a copy of the minutes. Phaneuf wrote back, “Thanks for your request for minutes. I will forward a draft as soon as I have it ready. However, there was no discussion of the press release at that meeting.”

Kimberly Brissette Brown
Kimberly Brissette Brown

That’s not what Town Councillor Kimberly Brissette Brown said when she emotionally recounted the story of the press release at Wednesday’s town council meeting. She said that it was at the June 7 town meeting that it was decided to issue the press release. It wasn’t decided by a vote, she said, nor was it an agenda item. The next night, at a regular town council meeting, the council went into executive session and turned the press release into a resolution.

Meanwhile on June 8, the residents of Burrillville were at the Senate Judiciary Meetting, having the press release sprung on them by Senators Frank Lombardi and Steven Archambeault. They proceeded to use the press release/resolution to humiliate the Burrillville residents, providing ad hoc civics lessons on representational government and generally putting the people of Burrillville on the defensive. “It was humiliating,” said Burrillville resident Kathy Sherman.

The way this resolution was produced, potentially without proper public notification, potentially without being properly put on the agenda, and potentially not being voted on properly either in open or executive session, may well be illegal and violations of the Open Meetings Act. As Barry Craig, Burrillville resident and retired lawyer, pointed out, the Open Meetings Act has provisions that allow members of the public to hold the individual members of the town council financially liable for attorney fees if they sue and win, which might become an expensive proposition for them. (See video 01 below)

Craig ended up in a shouting match with Town Councillor Donald Fox, who objected to being characterized as “lazy” for helping to make an end run around the people in addressing the Senate Judiciary Committee and possibly violating the Open Meetings Act. “You violated the law!” shouted Craig, “Does that mean anything to you?” (See video 26 below)

Fox retorted that Craig was “out of order”.

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Donald Fox and Barry Craig

Kimberly Brissette Brown’s address to the people of Burrillville needs further consideration as well. (See video 03 below) She begins by saying that since Invenergy won some forward capacity obligations in the recent the ISO-NE, the company is on the hook for potentially millions of dollars if the plant is not built. One big question: Why should anyone in Burrillville care about bad decisions made by a Chicago based energy company? How is it possible that Burrillville should be liable for Invenergy’s bad business decisions?

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Nancy Binns

It was an unusual night, because individuals on the town council became unusually chatty. Nancy Binns spoke, (See video 15 below) saying that no on on the town council “is wildly enthusiastic about this power plant.” Does this mean that at least one member is moderately enthusiastic?

Steven Rawson spoke (See video 25 below), but only after telling the audience that if they dared interrupt him, he would stop speaking. He then defensively spoke about his years of service for the town, but addressed no pertinent issues.

In fact, every member of the town council said at least a few words, even Michelle Bouchard, who used to be referred to as “the one who never speaks” by some residents when we talked about town council meetings.

Gone was the united front the town council used to show in the past. Gone was the idea that the town’s attorney, Oleg Nikolyszyn, could speak for the council.

It was Debbie Krieg (See video 07 below) who took Oleg to task for a video in which he claimed Cale Keable brought Invenergy to the town. Even if that’s true, said Krieg, Cale Keable has more than made up for it by changing his mind and listening to his constituents and fighting hard to prevent the power plant from coming to town.

Krieg also revealed that that through her APRA request she had learned that high priced consultant Dyana Koelsch, hired to facilitate communications between the town council and residents, was pulling in $200 an hour for her work. Some in the audience audibly gasped. “These are tax payer dollars,” said Krieg. “How long is this going to last?”

“I believe she has a six month contract,” said Council President John Pacheco.

Also discussed was Monday night’s planning board meeting. Residents were extremely unhappy with the performance of the ‘experts’ hired by the town. They were unhappy with the way that meeting was conducted. They were especially unhappy with the idea that opening a well contaminated with MTBE may possibly poison the Harrisville water supply, or that Invenergy might have to draw water from Wallum Lake to cool its generators.

Perhaps the most startling new piece of information to come out of Wednesday’s town council meeting is the fact that Governor Gina Raimondo‘s planned July 18 trip to Burrillville to face residents might not be set in stone. Council President Pacheco said that when he reached out to the governor’s office, he could not confirm the date because her people said her schedule was “in flux” and he was told that the governor’s people were handling all arrangements.  (See video 36 below)

The town council ended the meeting by voting to go into executive session, where they could discuss the Invenergy power plant away from the townspeople, which isn’t quite irony, but close enough.

Below is the full video of the meeting as pertains to the power plant.

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Experts testify on how power plant will impact Burrillville


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Setting up my camera at Monday night’s Burrillville Planning Board meeting, I saw one of the town’s two lawyers, Michael McElroy, turn suddenly from his place on stage and wave enthusiastically and with a smile at some friends who had just arrived. Turning, I noticed that the arriving friends were the lawyers and expert witnesses from Invenergy. The small cadre of Invenergy lawyers waved back collegially and I thought, “Who represents the people of Burrillville here?”

The meeting was held at the Burrillville High School, and was four hours long. The meeting did not end. Invenergy still had expert witness testimony to present, and 30 Burrillville residents had signed up to testify, only to never get their chance to speak. In the end, a decision was made by planning board chairman Jeffry Partington to continue the meeting on July 11.

This meeting was held to discuss Invenergy’s proposed fracked gas and diesel oil burning power plant. The Town of Burrillville and Invenergy had both hired experts to delve into the power plant’s plans and provide opinions as to whether or not the power plant would be able to control for such issues as air quality, water use and quality, noise levels, traffic and wetlands impact. The sometimes technical details were presented in a way that could be generally understood by a layman, and both the planning board and Invenergy’s lawyers were able to ask questions.

2016-06-20 Burrillville Planning Board 003Before the meeting got started though, the planning board dealt with correspondence from Barry Craig, a retired lawyer recently returned to Burrillville. Craig had filed a motion to have the town’s lawyer, Oleg Nikolyszyn, recuse himself because of allegations that he and the town council had violated the open meetings act when issuing a resolution last week, a resolution that many feel gave the Senate Judiciary Committee in the RI General Assembly the excuse it needed to vote down legislation that would have vastly improved the town’s position regarding the power plant.

Before Craig could rise to speak, it was learned that Nikolyszyn had in fact recused himself from the proceedings, hence Michael McElroy’s appearance at the hearing, waving to his buddies from Invenergy.

The town called its expert witnesses to give their reports and answer questions from both the planning board and Invenergy’s lawyer, Elizabeth Noonan.

David Hessler discussed the noise the plant would emit during operations. The noise ordinance in Burrillville establishes a very low goal of 43 decibels, a goal Invenergy says it will be able to reach. Though Hessler says he is “leery of [Invenergy’s assumptions in their model” regarding operating noise levels, he is confident that “Invenergy will do whatever they have to, to meet the limits].

“It may be difficult and it may be expensive,” Hessler cautioned, adding, “I think it can be done.”

Later Hessler admitted that he had “never seen a power plant meet the noise levels” but reiterated that he thinks this plant can be designed to do so.

2016-06-20 Burrillville Planning Board 001As loud as the power plant might be under normal operating conditions, it will be louder during start up and shutdown. When asked about Invenergy’s estimates about how long start ups and shutdowns take, Hessler said that Invenergy’s estimate of 10-30 minutes is “too short. There’s no way,” and said “I would not trust [Invenergy’s] numbers.”

Eric Epiner was up next, talking about air quality. Power plants like the one proposed for Burrillville are designed to fire pollutants through extremely tall stacks and released high into the atmosphere. Spinner expects that the impact on local air quality will be insignificant. However, the power plant plans Invenergy has submitted so far contain numerous errors and inconsistencies, as well as missing documentation. “We can’t say with certainty what the health risks are,” said Epiner.

The pollution from this plant, says Epiner, will not fall on Burrillville, but on people fifty kilometers away.

Tom Hevner was then questioned about the 40,000 gallons of ammonia to be stored on site. Invenergy’s plans call for 19 percent concentrations of ammonia, because 20 percent requires federal oversight. Ammonia, when released into the air, is extremely deadly, whether the concentration is 20 or 19 percent.

Hefner recommended that the Pascoag Fire Department be consulted on how to deal with such chemicals should they be stored on site, and also suggested that there may be other, less hazardous chemicals that Invenergy might use instead.

James Jackson was called upon to discuss the impact the new power plant will have on traffic in Burrillville, especially during the plant’s construction. He seemed to think that the impact would be minimal.

Jackson also spoke on the impact the plant might have on nearby wetlands. Right now water run-off from the plant is designed to be put in a pool that will directly abut the wetlands. Jackson said that the storm water run-off issues were not clearly resolved in the plans. The plan seems to call for storing toxic waste water next to a protected ecosystem. “I just don’t feel comfortable with this,” said Jackson.

Tom Hevner was brought back to talk about water use and the re-opening of well 3A, the well shut down 15 years ago by court order, due to MTBE contamination. MTBE is highly carcinogenic and Burrillville has paid a heavy cost because of this. Invenergy wants to use this water to cool their plant, promising to purify the water before it’s sent to a waste water treatment facility.

The “treatment scheme” says Hevner, is to draw water out of the well that will be contaminated at a rate of 55 parts per billion with MTBE. Due to condensation, that number will be 200 parts per billion by the time it reaches the power plant. There the water will be run through two Granulated Activated Carbon (GAC) filters (though Hevner recommends three GACs) at which point the MTBE should be at “non-detect” levels.

The danger is not in Invenrgy’s water purification system, which Hevner seems to think will work, the danger is back at the well, where pulling water out of the well “might draw back contaminants” that have leeched into the surrounding area underground.

Since the MTBE disaster in Pacoag, Burrillville has been buying its water from Harrisville, across the Clear River. The river acts as a barrier between the two water sources, but, says Hevner, it “needs to be demonstrated that there’s no hydraulic connection” between Harrisville and Pascoag’s water sources. Other wise, there’s a danger that reopening well 3A might contaminate Harrisville’s water with MTBE.

Hefner also thought that the well won’t provide sufficient water for the energy plant, which will need to draw millions of gallons a day. Hefner suggested that the plant might need to draw water from other nearby municipalities, like Harrisville, or even start drawing water from Wallum Lake. This suggestion certainly agitated the crowd.

After a break, Invenergy called their witnesses. Invenergy’s lawyer, Elizabeth Noonan, could not get all her testimony done before 10pm, so after much deliberation it was decided to continue the meeting on Monday, July 11 at 6pm at the Burrillville High School.

To be continued…

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GoLocal’s ‘Panhandler Plague’ piece sparks protest


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2016-06-21 GoLocal Panhandling 003GoLocal, a local online news blog, “has a history of dehumanizing stories related to the poor and homeless” said protesters outside the news blog’s downtown offices on Tuesday. The news site’s latest headline, “Panhandling continues to plague Providence”, was too much. They organized a panhandling protest.

What the headline means, says Curtis Pouliot-Alvarez, staff attorney at Rhode Island Center for Justice, is that, “they don’t consider these people human. Instead they’re calling them an illness and a scourge on society.

“The real problem is poverty and the systems that create poverty” said Pouliot-Alvarez, and that’s what needs to be changed.”

Pouliot-Alvarez was joined by Shannah Kurland, a community lawyer at PrYSM and several others in congregating outside the GoLocal offices and asking passersby for money, “to buy GoLocal a heart.”

No one gave any money while I was there, and GoLocal never left their basement offices to talk to the protesters.

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Shannah Kurland

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Moms Demand Action presents ‘Under the Gun’


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under-the-gun-350x233Please join the RI chapter of Moms Demand Action for a screening of Under the Gun, the new Katie Couric documentary on June 29 at 7pm Providence.  Panel discussion to follow.

Special guests include Shannon Watts and Mike the Gun Guy and more.

Space is limited, RSVP required.

You can watch a preview of the movie below:

Rated R.

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Keable/Fogarty power plant bill: An autopsy


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Leo Raptakis
Leo Raptakis

Perhaps the most honest statement to come out of the Senate Judiciary Committee regarding Paul Fogarty’s bill S3037A came in the hallway outside the hearing room after the vote, courtesy of Senator Leo Raptakis.

“What happened in there?” I asked.

“I don’t know,” replied Raptakis, “I don’t know why they brought it up for a vote at all.”

The confusion Raptakis felt was understandable. Normally, if you want to kill a bill in the General Assembly, you just never let it come to a vote. Eventually the session ends and the bill is dead.

So why bring the bill up for a vote? What was really going on?

Frank Lombardi
Frank Lombardi

Senator Paul Fogarty’s bill would have allowed the voters of Burrillville the opportunity to vote on any tax agreements made by their town council with any power plant located in the town. The immediate effect of the bill would be to allow voters to decide on a tax treaty being negotiated with Invenergy, which wants to build a $700 million fracked gas and diesel oil burning power plant in the town. The Burrillville Town Council has been repeatedly dishonest with the residents of the town, and has been actively working to bring the power plant into the town against the wishes of most residents. Residents of Burrillville want a say in the process and they want to prevent the power plant from being built.

The House version of the bill, sponsored by Representative Cale Keable, passed out of the House Committee on Environment and Natural Resources on an 11-2 vote and passed the full House on June 8. The Senate version, after a long, contentious hearing that pitted Burrillville residents and environmentalists against labor and business, was tabled without a vote.

Stephen Archambault
Stephen Archambault

The forces in favor of the power plant did not want this bill to pass. It is believed by many that this bill will make it impossible for the power plant to be built, because it will interfere with Invenergy’s ability to secure financing for the project. A stable tax treaty is important to Invenergy because without it, the company faces the prospect of paying full taxes on the power plant. No tax treaty, no funding, some say.

In an effort to kill the bill, Invenergy paid for a full page ad in the Providence Journal. An editorial and an op-ed were published in the paper as well. Pressure was brought to bear on the Senate from the Greater Providence Chamber of Commerce and the Northern Rhode Island Chamber of Commerce whose lobbyists testified against the bills. And labor, which wants the plant built because of the much needed jobs it will provide, lobbied the Senate hard.

Donna Nesselbush
Donna Nesselbush

Meanwhile, there was pressure being placed on Governor Gina Raimondo by environmentalists to not veto the bill, were it to be passed. Raimondo did not want to be put in the position of having to veto this bill. She wants the public appearance of being strong on environmental issues, even if she supports fracking and fossil fuels. For Raimondo’s purposes, the less known on the national scene about her true environmental  positions, the better. Vetoing this bill would create the wrong kind of headlines, the kind of headlines that might hamper her national political ambitions.

Satisfying these powerful players is easy. All that needed to happen was for the bill to never get out of the Senate Judiciary Committee, and the bill would die, never to be voted on. There’s only one problem: If that were to happen, Senator Paul Fogarty would have failed the community he serves, and though Fogarty, for political reasons, is opposed to the power plant and in favor of his bill, he’s a strong union member and supporter. Under normal circumstances he would be a reliable pro-union vote and a valuable ally.

William Conley
William Conley

A way to both kill the bill and save Paul Fogarty’s political career was therefore devised.

Four Senators, Frank Lombardi, William Conley, Donna Nesselbush and Stephen Archambault, presented legal-sounding arguments against the bill, all the while telling Burrillville residents watching the proceedings live or at home how wonderful their Senator Paul Fogarty is. They laid it on pretty thick at times.

“Kudos to Senator Fogarty for the concerns that he showed his constituency in the town of Burrillville,” said Senator Lombardi, “and [for] having the intestinal fortitude to bring forth the bill on the behalf of his constituents.

“And I mean this, Senator,” continued Lombardi, looking at Fogarty who was seated in the center of the room, “I think that the people of the town of Burrillville are very fortunate to have you as their Senator and the work that you do for them. Quite frankly you listened to them and you put forth what you thought was a very favorable bill for your citizenry.”

Not to be out done, Senator Conley said, “Senator Fogarty’s advocacy on behalf of the people of Burrillville on this issue was extraordinary. I’m just about at the close of my fourth year in the General Assembly and I can say without reservation that I’ve never seen one of my colleagues advocate in such a meaningful and, I don’t want to say aggressive but certainly in a strong way, on behalf of legislation. His heart and soul is behind this bill and whether you agree with one of your colleagues or not, it’s always that kind of advocacy in this building that often goes unsung. So it’s important to note that.”

Senator Nesselbush was more circumspect in her praise, saying, “Senator Fogarty has been a passionate supporter of this bill that he even convinced me to be a co-sponsor of the bill.”

Senator Archambault, who might run for Attorney General in 2018, also chimed in with praise for Fogarty, “I want to echo the sentiments of my brothers and sister with respect to Senator Fogarty. He’s been here for you all along, he’s put in a tough piece of legislation, it certainly hasn’t made him any friends on one side but he did it because he cares. I think his actions speak for themselves.” After this performance, I don’t think any environmentalists will be voting for him.

With Senator Fogarty properly lionized and hopefully protected, all the Senators needed was an excuse, any excuse, to vote against the bill. As it is, they produced three excuses. They also needed someone to blame. They couldn’t blame the business community, they couldn’t blame the Governor and they couldn’t blame labor.

Enter the Republican Burrillville Town Council with their press release turned resolution. At the original Senate Judiciary Committee meeting to discuss the bill, Senator Lombardi foolishly tried to pass off a press release against the bill from the town council as a resolution, but in fact the Burrillville Town Council didn’t get around to issuing an actual resolution until the committee meeting was almost over. But now, with a “proper” resolution in hand, Lombardi was able to produce a villain: the Burrillville Town Council.

Harold Metts
Harold Metts

In his statement after the vote, Fogarty expressed his disappointment at the bills defeat, but did not blame the vote on his fellow senators. Instead, he referred to the resolution, writing that the “last-minute opposition of the Town Council… [was] the equivalent of getting two torpedoes to the bow.”

“It’s a shame that the Burrillville Town Council does not have enough faith and confidence in the local citizenry to make an informed decision on a matter that will impact the future of their community,” wrote Fogarty, forgetting that it was the Senate Judiciary Committee, not the Burrillville Town Council that killed the bill.

Lombardi’s second excuse was that he was concerned about the precedent that passing the bill would set. He said that when the residents of a city or town disagree with their elected officials, they shouldn’t be looking to the state to pass new laws. Lombardi feared that the General Assembly might be flooded with every local issue that is “controversial” if they passed this bill. Of course, it’s fairly easy to find dozens of examples where the state has stepped in to override local laws and ordinances. The very creation of the Energy Facilities Siting Board, the body that will ultimately decide whether or not the power plant will be built, is an example of the state overriding local concerns and laws, for instance.

Paul Fogarty
Paul Fogarty

Lastly, Lombardi noted that one of his colleagues “was gracious enough to provide us with a Rhode Island Supreme Court case entitled Warwick Mall Trust v State of Rhode Island.” Sources told me that the court case was provided to Lombardi and the other senators by Senate Majority Leader Dominick Ruggerio, a strong supporter of labor who sat in on the original Senate Judiciary Committee meeting that heard testimony on this bill.

Lombardi said that the decision in this case could be applied to Fogarty’s bill, and claimed that the bill, as written, would be unconstitutional.

In the end, of course, the Senate Judiciary Committee voted Fogarty’s bill down. It was such an unusual occurrence that Chairman Michael McCaffrey couldn’t quite get his head around how it was supposed to work. As the chairman struggled to find the right way to phrase a no vote, two Capitol Police Officers entered the room, to make sure the crowd did not react aggressively to the decision everyone seemed to know was coming. The vote was 7 -2 against. Only Nesselbush and Erin Lynch Prada voted in favor of the bill.

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Debbie Krieg

The disappointment of the Burrillville residents could be felt physically. There were tears. Nick Katkevich, of the FANG Collective, shouted “Shame!” as he was leaving the room. The Capitol Police responded by telling Katkevich to leave, but he was already gone. Out in the hallway, there were more hugs and tears among the Burrillville residents.

They say they will continue the fight.

Looking over every single Senate Judiciary Committee vote this session, you will find that every bill brought up for a vote passed. In fact, every bill before this committee, but two, passed with no votes against them. The two exceptions were S2333 on May 5 and S2505 on March 3, and both times it was Senator Harold Metts casting the lone vote against. Until this day, six of the senators present had not cast a no vote in committee this year.

The truth is that no one is ever really supposed to vote no. These committee votes are pro forma. It’s theater. Every vote serves a purpose and no bill is voted on in committee without a predetermined outcome known well in advance.

And the vote on Paul Fogarty’s bill was no different.

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In the wake of Orlando, the system requires dismantling


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2016-06-13 Pulse Memorial 015To 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.

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Moms Demand Action walks out on Mattiello during prayer for Orlando


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Moms 6Speaker 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.

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At Pulse vigil, RI LGBTQ community confronts intersectionality


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2016-06-13 PVD to Orlando March 15On the steps of the State House, while coming together in solidarity around the terrible tragedy in Orlando at the Pulse nightclub, the LGBTQ community in Providence found itself challenged from within to strive for greater inclusion and a widening of concern for all people, not just the privileged few.

When Joe Wilson, a Trinity Rep actor, took the microphone, he was well received and applauded for his words.

“I am reminded that this movement is composed of many different kinds of people,” said Wilson, “And I am moved by the fact that what happened in Orlando happened on a ‘Latin night.’ Many of the young people in the bar were being outed as a result of being shot at. Being outed as a result of their parents searching for them in both morgues and hospitals. And we have to stop allowing [that] the only way that people of color are being allowed to come out of the closet is after they’re being shot and maimed and abused.”

Wilson also said, “We have to remind ourselves that this movement, this gay equality movement, can’t be a movement exclusively for the privileged… and for my white brethren, I’m going to go there for a moment – It has to be a movement that includes black [and] Latino…

“This movement is about money. This movement is about economic equality. This movement is about jailing folks that don’t need to have these sentences for having a bag of weed.

“Our issues go far beyond marriage… The gay rights movement needs an autopsy… How do we include black? How do we include Latin folks? How do we include the transgendered community? How do we speak intelligently about people using bathrooms?”

It was towards the end of the speaking program that Vanessa Flores-Maldonado spoke. She politely interrupted the proceedings and asked permission to speak. Flores-Maldonado talked about her discomfort at the idea of a greater police presence at the Pride event this Saturday, police added due to heightened concerns after the Pulse shooting in Orlando.

“How am I, a queer person of color, a queer woman of color, supposed to feel safe?” Flores-Maldonado asked, “We need to remember that Stonewall happened because trans-women of color had enough of police riots.”

Flores-Maldonado was not as well received as Wilson. Had she somehow made a point different from Wilson’s? Some in the crowd yelled that Flores-Maldonado should shut up. The organizers of the speaking program seemed concerned about losing control of the crowd. Calling for inclusion was one thing, talking about police violence against LGBTQ persons of color was too much somehow. Mayor Elorza, after all, was standing right there.

Flores-Maldonado’s microphone was cut off. Tensions rose. Flores-Maldonado continued to talk to the crowd without a microphone. Her voice, her lived experience was literally being silenced. Organizers attempted to get the speaking program back on track. It was suggested that she bring her concerns to the mayor’s office. “The mayor doesn’t like me,” said Flores-Maldonado.

The crowd began chanting, “Let her speak! Let her speak!”

Eventually, Flores-Maldonado was given back the microphone. She said, “For those of you who were telling me to shut up, and to have the mic taken away from me, you’re not listening to what I’m saying. What I am saying is that I do not feel safe in my skin color when there are police around.”

Flores-Maldonado was the only woman to speak at the event. Had she not spoken up, no women would have spoken. Her message was no different than Joe Wilson’s. But Flores-Maldonado was challenging privilege in the moment, demanding immediate consideration of her concerns.

“Along with marking where we’ve come we need to mark where we yet need to go,” said Wilson towards the end of his speech.

Flores-Maldonado was talking about the now.

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Providence holds massive vigil for Orlando shooting victims


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2016-06-13 PVD to Orlando March 13The Vigil for Orlando drew a crowd of anywhere from 600 to 900 people, marching through the streets of Providence from The Dark Lady on Snow Street to the steps of the State House. Holding candles and signs, members of the LGBTQ community, with family friends and allies, sang songs and chatted. The mood was both somber and joyous in turn. As the sun set, the sight of hundreds of candles moving through the city streets was hauntingly beautiful.

On the steps of the State House, speakers, including Mayor Jorge Elorza, spoke of the history of violence against LGBTQ people their long struggle for civil rights, and what needs to be done in the future to prevent these kinds of terrorist hate crimes from taking place.

You can view the entirety of the march here in the video below, as well as listen to all the speakers in the videos that follow the photos.

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Mattiello’s budget helps insurance companies, underfunds health regulators


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Budget BriefingThough Speaker Nicholas Mattiello refuses to call them budget cuts, OHIC, the Office of the Health Insurance Commissioner, will suffer a 75 percent reduction in staff under the new budget unveiled last week. One health care advocate called the reduction in staff “a complete surprise.”

These cuts will reduce the effectiveness of OHIC in advocating for lower rates for consumers in Rhode Island, and are seen as a major giveaway to the health insurance industry.

A letter being widely shared throughout the health and medical advocacy community has been shared with RI Future:

The budget passed by the House Finance Committee June 8th cut 9 full-time staff from the Office of the Health Insurance Commissioner (OHIC), effective FY2017. This 75% cut in staffing leaves only the Commissioner, an administrative assistant, and one additional staff member to manage the functions of the office.

  • The 9 positions that have been cut are essential for OHIC to carry out health insurance premium rate review, which OHIC uses to protect consumers from excessive rate increases; health benefit plan form review, which ensures that mandated services are covered, including preventive services like cancer screening; market conduct examinations (for example, mental health parity); and addressing consumer and provider complaints.
  • Rate review alone has saved Rhode Island employers, employees, and consumers $196 million since 2012, including $40 million in 2015.  These savings come from the Office’s review which can lower premium rates requested by insurers while ensuring that rates are based on sound actuarial standards.
  • OHIC also reviews rates for Medicare Supplement Plans, which saves money for Rhode Island’s seniors, Student Health Plans, which saves money for students, non-Affordable Care Act Health Insurance Plans, and Dental Plans.

“If these cuts remain:

  • OHIC will not have the staff to conduct adequate rate and form reviews, which will harm the state’s ability to protect consumers and employers from excessive premium rate increases.
  • OHIC’s capacity to address consumer and provider complaints about insurer business practices will be severely limited, since staff to manage these cases is cut in the proposed budget. This will negatively affect Rhode Islanders. For example, OHIC investigated a company issuing short term limited duration coverage. The investigation discovered improper denials by the insurance company and OHIC required the company to pay improperly denied claims totaling $36,697.
  • OHIC will not be able to adequately review health benefit plan forms. This means that there will be no watchdog to ensure that state mandated benefits are covered and covered fairly (parity), including services for mental health and substance abuse disorders, ensure that discrimination does not occur, and ensure that services are not unfairly excluded.
  • OHIC will no longer have adequate ability to protect consumers from unscrupulous companies issuing non-compliant and misleading insurance plans.

“Rate and form review is a key component of health reform. It must be carried out by state governments, because the federal government does not have the authority to deny or modify premium increases in the states. In recent years the federal government has provided start-up and development grants to states to build and enhance rate review and oversight initiatives as a means to protect consumers and improve insurance affordability, with the expectation that states would continue the work. Rhode Island’s grants have allowed us to maximize our statutory authority to review rates and forms and to build one of the most comprehensive health oversight agencies in the country – but no further grant opportunities are being made available by the federal government.

“The 9 positions sought by the Administration for OHIC are integral to having a well-resourced watchdog agency in place to protect and maximize savings for employers, employees, and consumers.  Only a well-resourced OHIC can provide the necessary level of oversight to protect Rhode Island consumers and businesses.”

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Last week Speaker Mattiello defended the cuts at the Budget Briefing under questioning from Representative Teresa Tanzi. Mattiello said that these jobs were only made to last as long as there was federal funding to support them.

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Speaker explains reasoning behind Youth Pride RI funding cuts


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Budget BriefingMany worthwhile organizations doing important work found out that they had lost their grants when the budget was unveiled. Among those is Youth Pride Inc. (YPI). Having lost their Community Service Grant, the group now faces a $50 thousand shortfall. YPI is the only group in Rhode Island that specifically serves the needs of LGBTQ youth in the state.

YPI has sent an email to supporters, asking them to contact their legislators in the hope of having these funds restored.

We are asking our supporters to let the state know how valuable and important Youth Pride Inc.’s work with LGBTQQ youth is to our state and community. Let them know we are the only organization providing support and advocacy for LGBTQ youth in the state! Let them know that these youth need our organization!

“Please reach out to the Speaker of the House and Senate President immediately in support of YPI and the vital work that we do for LGBTQQ youth in Rhode Island TODAY. The Senate President can be contacted at: 401-222-6655 and the Speaker of the House can be reached at: 401-222-2466. Please reach out to your Representative as well.”

At yesterday’s House Budget briefing, I asked Speaker Nicholas Mattiello about the cuts to the program. He said that YPI serves a “very worthwhile purpose” but added, “Those services, needs, potentially are being serviced elsewhere.”

In the case of YPI, the Speaker said that he had heard the suggestion that, “guidance counselors in the school are in fact providing [these services]. Not specifically [for LGBTQ youth] but it’s something that is being addressed through other means.”

Given the range of services and programs YPI provides that specifically cater to the needs of LGBTQ youth in Rhode Island, it’s unlikely that guidance counselors are filling that need or have the time and ability to do so. That said, Mattiello, added towards the end of his statements, “We’ll take a look at [YPI] and we’ll see if it’s unique enough to fund.”

Representative Joseph Almeida entered the Budget Briefing late and asked about other worthwhile groups that have been denied funding, including the Opportunities Industrialization Center (OIC) which has provided employment training and placement opportunities since 2010 and the Institute for the Study and Practice of Nonviolence which works to reduce homicides and support victims of violence.

“It’s like all the poor people got cut, cut, cut,” said Almeida, who said afterwards that he was speaking from his heart, “Can’t you take money from Crossroads and give to people who really need it teaching peace in the streets and teaching people how to get jobs? I mean Crossraods? What? What do they do?”

Crossroads RI received $300,000 in the budget.

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