Some of the landlords who own downtown Providence, and some of their allies, have decided that Kennedy Plaza and its surrounding area would become much more valuable real estate if they could cause the bus depot and all of the low income people who are drawn to the bus depot and/or the city center in general, to disappear. Seems former mayor Joe Paolino decided that he no longer cared about the community, he wanted more valuable properties, so he started a campaign against the poor.
Every rational person in Rhode Island then told Mr Paolino that his plan was very strange as it went against all constitutional law and common sense. But in the very weird world in which nearly all public policy decisions are made by and for the people with a lot of money, I guess he became so out of touch with reality that he thought it made some kind of sense.
There are several major flaws in Joe Paolino’s proposal. Some of which have come out in the public discussion, some that need lots more exploration.
We need a real plan to end poverty, because no matter what you do, low income people are drawn to city centers. This is a hard and fast rule that is as old as cities themselves, 8,000 to 10,000 years. When people have almost nothing, when they are displaced from their land, conquest or mechanization have the same effect, or the factories have closed, the only place they can go is to the city. Elites can try to move them around the city, but all that does is move them, it does not end the poverty or the magnetic attraction cities have for the displaced. Mayor Elorza and all of the advocates are right, it’s a phony plan without jobs or even a whiff of a brighter future for the people being moved around so landlords can claim bigger depreciations.
In the future, a bus hub right downtown is going to be more critical to our survival than it is now. Instead of marginalizing transit to reduce our climate footprint and keep Providence above sea level, Providence needs to eliminate almost all automobile entrance to the city and get everyone riding transit, biking, boarding, or walking. Mr. Paolino has not considered the climate implications of his monstrosity, or maybe he does not care. But in any case, the bus hub belongs downtown, and you sound like a scoundrel wanting to push low income people away from your real estate properties and into someone else’s neighborhood, making it harder for people catching buses.
But you have already heard those points from others. What you are not hearing is that your economic development strategy is self defeating. An economy based on the needs of the real estate, finance, and insurance industries (you know, the FIRE that burned down the economy in 2008) is guaranteed to swing wildly between bubble and bust while pumping up the assets of the landlords and the banks, and displacing many other people. Piketty has made it quite well known that the greater the inequality in your community, the less well the economy will perform. Economies that have reached the point where real estate redevelopment is the underpinning of other economic activity are in big trouble. They become the early adopters of being a place with no work for most workers. So, they try to displace them away from their properties. But, as the inequality and the end of jobs as we know them further displaces people, as you get more climate refugees, you get more people (and water) flooding downtown right onto the very properties you want more money from.
It is time for economic development from the bottom up. We cannot rely on churning buildings downtown to create jobs for the people who do not have one. We can not rely on the wetlabs, communications businesses, dirty industry infrastructure, and app developers to create jobs for the people who need them, as they never will. The meds and eds strategy creates only a small number of jobs, most of those higher paying jobs, mostly to be filled from away, while creating few for the people already here. In other words displace the poor and have many more join those already on the streets is exactly what is intended, as it is the only way for the rich to steal more as the global economy and ecology strangle and overheat. There are now people asking for money at every street corner, people who feel permanently displaced from the economy.
The answer to our woes is not more concentrations of wealth, though that is the preferred economic development strategy these days. So maybe I am pissing into the wind. But the wall is cracking in the face of the resistance. We are not letting you build any more fossil fuel infrastructure whatsoever, and we are going to stop the running of economies to benefit the landlords of downtown and the bankers. We want clean power and we need democracy. When real estate and finance rule, the people suffer. The debts choke an economy, causing it to squander resources.
A most excellent way to understand the difference between the preferred solutions of the 1% and reality is to compare business climate rankings with various measures of the strength of an economy. No actual study has ever found a correlation between business climate rankings and economic performance. None. No study has ever found a correlation between strong environmental regulations and weak economic performance. None. Piketty demonstrated that inequality harms economic performance too. You want an example? How about Rhode Island. We get the worst rankings in the business climate indexes, but if you look at economic performance we are pretty close to the middle in growth rates, median income, and other performance based evaluations, and hardly a week goes by without the quality of life and new business start up culture being highlighted in the national media.
In other words on balance what the state and other institutions are doing to promote the profits of the 1% is harming us. Cutting taxes for the rich is useless for everything except lining their pockets and causing cities to neglect basic infrastructure. It does not help us systematically end poverty or stop climate change. Trickle down economics is like getting peed on. Which is why there are more and more efforts to restrict democracy and corral the people. Which is why the resistance grows. Daily and on many fronts simultaneously.
The former mayor, Governor Wall Street, the funders of the political machines that pull the strings on Smith Hill; they are all in need of some education on where the economy is going to go and why as the climate crisis rolls on and economic growth slows with the destruction of the resource base and greater “natural” disasters. The future is going to be more locally self reliant. We are going to locally generate renewable clean power. We are going to grow more of our own food. Our transport systems will be less automobile oriented. And the FIRE industries will not be allowed to burn down the economy again. If your plans to revitalize downtown do not take these things, including a slowing of economic growth, the odds of success are pretty slim.
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One day after a botched press conference on a similar subject, Providence Mayor Jorge Elorza brought together a big group of state and city officials, as well as advocates and activists, to announce a new plan to address panhandling, poverty and homelessness in downtown.
“As we see increased homelessness and increased panhandlers, this is a moment to look inside ourselves and ask ourselves what kind of community we want to be,” Elorza said, speaking from atop the steps at City Hall. “Do we want to be the kind of community that cuts resources for mental illness or fails to invest in homeless shelters, or cuts resources for legal services for the indigent? Do we want to be a community that is not complacent in the face of inequality of income and wealth? Do we want to be a community that invests in affordable housing? Do we want to be a community that believes in workforce opportunities? And do we want to be a community that works to address the persistent challenges of racial injustice?”
He added, “We are not interested in simply relocating the issue. We are looking for lasting solutions that balance the rights of the people of our city. We are not going to benefit by pushing people from one street to another. What we are announcing here today is not just a plan. What we are announcing here today is an approach to work collaboratively, compassionately and creatively to make sure that no resident of our city or of our state ever gets left behind.”
Elorza said the city will open a day center for homeless people, provide financial support for Amos House “A Hand Up” program, a jobs program for people who are homeless and/or struggling financially, and offering support to Emmanuel House’s program for helping people with substance abuse problems. Police presence has already been increased in downtown – and Public Safety Commissioner Steve Pare said arrests have increased – and parking meter-like machines will be located downtown so people can give to social services rather than directly to another human being.
“Most importantly,” said Elorza, “we will work with a broad coalition to advocate for the critical resources to provide for mental health, substance abuse, legal services and housing supports to our families and people in need – resources and funding we’ve seen reduced in recent years.”
While Paolino’s press conference yesterday relied heavily on the business community, Elorza’s event featured several state and city elected officials. In attendance were state legislators: Maryellen Goodwin, Josh Miller, Edie Ajello, Aaron Regunberg and Grace Diaz as well as city councilor Mary Kay Harris, Wilbur Jennings, Brian Principe and Michael Corria.
“What we are talking about is ‘One Providence’,” said City Councilor Mary Kay Harris, who represents downtown Providence, echoing the Elorza’s campaign theme. “One Providence includes the rich and the poor. It includes the poor working class and the workers altogether.”
Eileen Hayes, the director of Amos House who champions the plight of people who are homeless, said, “Our fellow citizens are struggling, especially those who are homeless and do not have the financial resources to care for basic needs. Every single business community should find a way to offer a job to homeless person who wants to work. They are good people and they are good workers. We believe that we cannot criminalize behaviors based on people doing the best they can to survive without offering viable solutions including jobs and housing.”
While Paolino’s press conference was held at the Convention Center and was invite only, Elorza’s was the steps of City Hall. Both were disrupted – Paolino’s by angry activists and journalists who couldn’t attend and Elorza’s by a woman who said she needs more social services. Elorza’s press event featured activists who advocate for the homeless, while Paolino’s expressly kept many advocates from attending.
When Elorza was asked if he wished Paolino and more members of the business community attended his event he said, “I’ve had many members of the business community reach out and express their support for what we are doing and I look forward to continue working with anyone who truly wants to address the long term root cause issues.”
]]>Joe Paolino admitted it was “silly” to exclude the press from the press conference he held today.
“That was a mistake by security guards that don’t even work for us,” he said. “It would have been silly of me not to have RI Future and Providence Business, National Public Radio and the Providence Journal not there. I don’t have press conferences without press.”
To make amends, he did a sit down interview with RI Future today. “I would have wanted you there to ask me the tough questions you are going to ask me now,” he said.
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In an August interview, Joe Paolino told RI Future it was important to bring all voices together to address poverty and panhandling in downtown Providence. That all broke down on Wednesday morning when homelessness activists, at one press conference, said Paolino and the downtown business community weren’t addressing their concerns, then, later in the morning, members of the media were seemingly arbitrarily denied access to Paolino’s press event.
At the first press event, activists who advocate for people who are poor and/or homeless said the plan being announced by Paolino later in the morning didn’t address the root causes of poverty but instead moved destitute residents away from the economic center of the city.
“The people [Joe Paolino] houses in the gentrified downtown evidently don’t want to see the results of gentrification, the results of luxury housing development and that’s poor people also living in Providence,” said Eric Hirsch, formerly the executive director of the Rhode Island Coalition for the Homeless. “We call on Joe Paolino to not announce this plan. We call on him to come back to the table to discuss with us real poverty measures like increasing the minimum wage, like doing something about the fact that if you are totlally disabled and on supplemental security income you get $700 a month, how are you supposed to afford the thousand dollar a month apartments that Joe Paolino is renting.”
In the previous interview with RI Future, Paolino said his efforts to address poverty in downtown Providence represented an opportunity for activists to work with the downtown business community. The activists, at the early morning press event, said it did not think it work out this way.
Then, less than an hour later, Paolino and the Providence Center allowed some members of the media to attend Paolino’s press event but not others. RI Future, the Providence Journal and Rhode Island Public Radio and Providence Business News were not allowed to attend while WPRO, WPRI and ABC6 were allowed.
The seemingly arbitrary decision by was lambasted by members of the media that were allowed to report on the incident.
Not cool that Providence Foundation didn't let some people in the room – including a reporter (@bobplain)
— Dan McGowan (@DanMcGowan) September 14, 2016
And even members of the business community, who largely agree with Paolino more than progressive activists on how to handle poverty and panhandling downtown, took issue with the selective admittance.
Important voice excluded. Diminishes process. https://t.co/rz84Ez2CnB
— Robert Cusack (@RECusack) September 14, 2016
After the meeting, Paolino said RI Future and a Providence Journal reporter were inadvertently denied access. But two people told this reporter during the meeting they asked Paolino specifically if RI Future could gain access and both said he told them only people on a designated list were allowed to attend the press conference.
Previously, Paolino had told RI Future that it was an important voice in bringing all sides together in addressing poverty and panhandling in dowtown Providence. Paolino, who is RI Future’s landlord, scheduled a interview with this reporter for later in the day.
Here is audio from the Paolino press event that some media organizations, including this one, were denied access to.
Johnston is the third city in Rhode Island to stop enforcing its aggressive panhandling ordinance after the ACLU of Rhode Island sent the city a letter threatening a lawsuit. Providence and Cranston did so earlier this year.
“The police chief made the decision not to enforce that ordinance at this time,” said Pawtucket/East Providence Senator Bill Conley, who is also the city solicitor for Johnston. “We’re going to look at how these cases play out in court and revisit the issue.”
The city agreed via a letter not to enforce the anti-panhandling law after receiving a letter from the ACLU.
“We believe that the Town ordinance raises significant constitutional concerns by impinging on the First Amendment rights of the homeless and the poor,” said the letter from ACLU Executive Director Steven Brown dated May 10. “In the past year, in fact, at least three courts elsewhere have struck down laws very similar to the Town’s “aggressive begging” ban. See Thayer v. City of Worcester, 2015 WL 6872450 (D. Mass. 2015); Browne v. City of Grand Junction,2015 WL 5728755 (D. Colo. 2015); and McLaughlin v. City of Lowell, 2015 WL 6453144 (D.Mass. 2015). The unsuccessful defense of these laws has come at great financial expense to those cities.”
ACLU volunteer attorney Marc Gursky hailed the city’s quick decision to suspend the law. “I commend town officials for acting promptly in recognizing their constitutional obligations and in saving taxpayers from the expense of an unnecessary lawsuit,” he said.
“I am optimistic that as municipalities are compelled not to criminalize homelessness and poverty, they will instead collaborate with constituents and other advocates on solutions to these issues, including affordable housing and adequate income supports,” said Megan Smith, an outreach worker with House of Hope, an organization that helps homeless people.
Conley said it would be up to the city council to repeal the law. He doesn’t think Johnston police officers will still enforce it. “If that happened I think the chief would remind that officer that department policy is not to do that,” he said.
Providence agreed to stop enforcing its aggressive panhandling law in February – a move that drew the ire of downtown business interests. Courts have recently struck down laws targeting aggressive panhandling, saying panhandling is constitutionally protected speech and noting other laws cover aggressive behavior.
The ACLU, in its press release, said, it “is engaged in ongoing efforts to challenge and repeal laws that disproportionately affect the rights of the homeless” but said no further actions are planned at this time. RI Future is researching whether other communities have such laws.
Correction: An earlier version of this post neglected to mention that Cranston stopped enforcing its aggressive panhandling ordinance.
]]>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.
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.
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.
The ACLU of Rhode Island works tirelessly to defend fundamental rights here in the Ocean State. Now, it’s time to celebrate that work. Join us on Thursday, October 22, at the Providence Biltmore to take part in our Annual Meeting Celebration and raise a glass to another year of protecting civil liberties. This year, the ACLU of Rhode Island is honoring the Rhode Island Coalition for the Homeless and homeless rights advocate Megan Smith as the 2015 “Raymond J. Pettine Civil Libertarian of the Year” award recipients.
The ACLU of RI is honoring the Coalition and Ms. Smith for their unyielding advocacy for the civil rights and liberties of individuals experience homelessness, and for the invaluable support and resources they provide. The RI Coalition for the Homeless works to promote and preserve the dignity and quality of life for men, women, and children by pursuing comprehensive and cooperative solutions to the problems of housing and homelessness. Ms. Smith is an outreach worker and case manager with PATH, a program of the House of Hope CDC that works primarily with individuals experiencing street homelessness. Both are also tireless advocates for policies and reforms that affirm the rights of the homeless and protect individuals experiencing homelessness from discrimination.
ACLU supporters will mix, mingle, and enjoy hors d’oeuvres and cocktails while they celebrate the civil liberties successes of the past year and recognize the hard work of these two honorees dedicated to protecting the rights of the homeless.
ACLU of RI volunteer attorneys Sonja Deyoe, Carly Iafrate, and Neal McNamara will also provide updates on their ongoing and important court cases.
Celebrate your rights and freedoms, honor the RI Coalition for the Homeless and Ms. Smith, and support the ACLU of Rhode Island by purchasing your ticket today!
Tickets for the evening are $65 and are available for purchase online or by calling the ACLU office (401-831-7171). RSVP by October 14.
ACLU of Rhode Island’s Annual Meeting Celebration
Thursday, October 22 at 6 P.M.
(Registration begins at 5:30 P.M.)
Providence Biltmore
11 Dorrance St., Providence, RI 02903
Complimentary valet parking provided to all guests.
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I heard about a small group of homeless people living in the woods in Rhode Island who have been told by the police that they have two weeks to voluntarily leave the area before they are forced to. Liandra Medeiros of Occupy Providence and I went out to find them, hear their story, and offer to put them in touch with legal and social advocacy resources. Dave, June and Rob talked about their lives and experiences.
Everyone is deserving of and has a right to safety and decent shelter.
Let’s be the state that doesn’t let anyone fall through the cracks.
The bill, sponsored by Sen. Betty Crowley of Central Falls, will be heard by a Senate subcommittee today after the full Senate commences. A House version is sponsored by a wide range of Democrats, from Rep. Aaron Regunberg, a rookie and one of the more progressive legislators, to Doc Corvese, a veteran Democrat but also one of the most conservative members of the General Assembly.
The idea for the legislation was conceived in large part by the Rhode Island Homeless Advocacy Project (RIHAP), headed by Barbara Kalil, Bill Chamberlain, and John Freitas.
“What we’re trying to accomplish is to set standards for anyone who is trying to shelter the homeless,” Freitas said. “As an advocacy group, we have to deal time and time again with people who have been denied shelter for arbitrary reasons.”
Among those reasons, they said, were girls wearing too much makeup, an unwed pregnant woman and sexual orientation.
The bill was inspired, in part, by the conditions at the Safe Haven shelter in Pawtucket, which was run by the Urban League and forced to close during the summer of 2014.
But RIHAP has also received many complaints about the Providence Rescue Mission at 627 Cranston Street. Freitas said he has seen a number of these violations themselves – including forcing residents to attend a church service which talks about the evils of homosexuality.
“I was talking to a gay resident while I was staying there, and the staff questioned my manhood,” he said. “When we were in line to shower, they separated us. I don’t deny anybody the right to their beliefs, but I don’t think shelters should be dependent on me falling in line with those beliefs. Shelters should be just that, a sanctuary.”
RIHAP also received reports that gay individuals have been discouraged from going there. And when they are do, said RIHAP members, they are purposefully made to feel uncomfortable, and are identified as gay to both the staff and residents.
They have been told the staff believes it is their religious right to turn people away because it is not publicly funded.
“They don’t answer to anybody, so they can get away with it,” Chamberlain said.
Jim Ryczek, executive director for the Rhode Island Coalition for the Homeless, said that although they have received the same complaints, the Rescue Mission has not broken the law.
“Since they are not a member agency, they are free to operate their program as they see fit, as long as it doesn’t violate state law,” he said.
Sometimes, RIHAP members said, the discrimination is simply personal. “In some cases, it’s just a matter of a staff member doesn’t like you, so you’re gone. And there’s no accountability,” Freitas said.
Chamberlain said when such abuses are brought to the state, the response was that they did not want to withhold funding from the agencies. There were many times, though, when a grievance was brought forward and it did not receive a proper procedure.
“If you were to make out a grievance against a shelter you were staying in, it could potentially go into the circular file,” Kalil said. “Nobody is really watching anybody to make sure it’s getting heard. Not only does it not get heard, but they’re going to make it all nice, and nobody gives any timeline to when things will get fixed.”
Kalil added that they have also heard incidences of a shelter telling a homeless person they are barred, when in fact they are not. “We need to make sure their rights are respected,” she said.
The bill says “all homeless persons have the right to homeless shelter services regardless of political or religious beliefs, immigration status, former geographic location of residence, ethno-cultural background, (dis)ability, gender identity, criminal background, and/or sexual orientation.”
The bill also outlines that homeless individuals should not be expected to pay a fee to stay in a shelter and nutritious food should be provided and that shelters should provide residents an atmosphere of dignity, and that staff should accept gender identity as defined by the individual, among others.
These guidelines would be enforced by a committee formed by the Housing Resources Commission (HRC), which would include one homeless or formerly homeless person, as well as one resident or former resident of a domestic violence shelter. The committee would be responsible for several tasks, all of which would address the concerns outlined in the bill, such as resident rights and responsibilities, and organizational standards for the shelter itself. The HRC would be required to enforce and implement any of the approved regulations drafted by the committee.
The bill would also impose baseline standards for homeless shelters in Rhode Island. An External Review Committee would conduct four onsite inspections of all shelters in Rhode Island per year. Only one of these inspections would be scheduled two weeks before their arrival, the other three would remain unannounced. Penalties for violating any of these standards would be monetary; between 2 percent and 10 percent of their average monthly expenses, based on the severity of the infraction, and the agency’s history.
Concerns about the legislation include aversion to new regulations, as well as aversions to potential new costs, Ryczek said.
“The members are rightly bringing up that if there are increased costs, where is that coming from? We will advocate with state and federal governments and say that if we need to do this, you need to provide,” he said.
H5242 will be heard in the Senate Committee on Housing and Municipal Government meeting on Wednesday, April 1, at 4:30 pm. Updates to follow.
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If you think all the snow and wind this week was an inconvenience on your life, think of what it was like for homeless Rhode Islanders.
“Just about everyone was in a shelter,” said Barbara Kalil, an outreach worker for the Rhode Island Homeless Advocacy Project.
On Monday evening, between 5 and 8pm, just as the winds were starting to pick up, Kalil and others scoured downtown Providence and the South Side one more time, looking for people still on the streets. She found five, and got them into shelters. But it’s safe to assume not everyone in Rhode Island made it into a shelter.
John Freitas, also an outreach worker and Kalil’s husband, said he knew of a small group of men on Cranston Street who planned to stay in their tents through the winter storm. “I hope they went in when the wind started to really blow,” Freitas said. “A lot of them had tried the shelter system and it just didn’t work for them.”
The shelters were willing to take anyone and everyone who needed a warm, safe, dry spot to spend the storm. Even people who had previously been banned from shelters were allowed to stay on Monday night, no questions asked, said Karen Santilli, spokeswoman for Crossroads RI.
“We would not turn anyone away,” she said.
Crossroads RI typically provides shelter for 61 people – 41 in the women’s shelter and another 10 men and 10 women. But on Monday night through Wednesday morning, there were 85 people. Some 25 people slept on the community room floor. A family came in Monday night, as did a man whose car broke down after being discharged from the hospital.
“Things went well,” said Santilli. “Uneventful, which is how we like them.”
Harrington Hall, which has 120 beds, housed 124 people – plus six employees – for the duration of the storm.
Just last week, there were more than 140 men sharing the 120 beds at Harrington Hall. But because Providence shelters – such as Crossroads, Emmanuel House and the Providence Rescue Mission – were offering extra space, the load was actually lightened on the state-funded shelter in Cranston.
“It wasn’t our busiest night,” said Jean Johnson, the executive director of House of Hope, which runs Harrington Hall. “It was actually very calm. People watched TV, played cards, played chess. Everyone was really cooperative.”
The Seamen’s Church Institute in Newport, a day shelter, stayed open through the storm to accommodate the extra need for beds in the City-by-the-Sea. More than 20 people stayed for two nights, said superintendent Michelle Duga-Erb. They had a big feast on Tuesday, and plow drivers stopped in throughout the nights for coffee and a rest.
“Our mission is to be a safe haven,” Duga-Erb said.
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