Targeted by Trump, PVD high school students ‘call it what it is’
“As low-income queer youth of color, Trump’s policies continue to affect our community. He and his policies place fear in our hearts, for not only our well being, but for everyone around us.”
Homeless rights groups say anti-smoking proposal discriminates against the poor
“This ordinance will only serve to punish the City’s already vulnerable poor, and divert police attention away from meaningful law enforcement activities,” said Barbara Freitas, director of RIHAP.
Kennedy Plaza gas leak unfortunately routine
“It was determined that the leak was caused by a hairline crack in a joint between two lengths of gas main and had traveled into the telephone manhole.”
Photos from Providence Student Union’s Student Bill of Rights launch
When the Providence Student Union announced their campaign to pass a Student Bill of Rights in Kennedy Plaza downtown, photographer Selene Means was on hand to capture the event. Enjoy.
Providence Student Union launches Student Bill of Rights campaign
The Student Bill of Rights, said Providence high school student Jayleen Salcedo, is “a document that the PSU made up to defend the rights of all students in the city, of all students in the state and in the country.”
Jack Reed’s Town Hall that wasn’t
Featuring illustrations from Selene Means. As I approached, I saw that the east end of Kennedy Plaza had been transformed into a police car parking lot, with maybe two dozen officers from at least three different law enforcement agencies.
Governor Raimondo’s car tax plan unjust
Raimondo deserves a modest nod for choosing not to completely eliminate car taxes, a regressive plan that for some reason many progressives think would help economic justice.
Mayor Elorza surprised by video of police misconduct during meeting with homeless community
After the videos were over, Providence Mayor Jorge Elorza said that the behavior of police he saw was “inconsistent with the directive I have given the police commissioner. I will see to it that everyone is following my directions.”
Racial and economic equity important to Kennedy Plaza debate
“As organizations committed to racial justice, we feel the issue of race has been missing from the discussion about Kennedy Plaza. We all want to see vibrant community commons that support our economic and community development. But we recognize that strategies like increased policing will continue to disadvantage the poor, especially people of color, and siphon dollars away from social safety net programs that uplift those most marginalized.”
How would you spend $17 million on downtown transit?
Have you heard about the $17 million “Downtown Enhanced Transit Corridor” grant that the city of Providence received for the Rhode Island Public Transit Authority to develop a 6-stop enhanced bus corridor to run from the Providence Railroad station to a new bus hub in the hospital district? Its largely the route originally planned to […]
Occupy wants to reclaim Kennedy Plaza for the people
“We oppose the damaging idea of moving the state’s bus hub to a worse location far from downtown, and pushing people without homes into other parts of Providence without adequate services.”
Homeless advocates release their plan for Kennedy Plaza
“Criminalization is not a solution to homelessness,” added Roger Williams University School of Law Professor and Assistant Dean Andrew Horwitz. “It is incredibly cruel to those experiencing homelessness, dehumanizing the individuals and making it harder to connect to advocates and services.
Press conference presents a glimpse of our dystopian future
The behavior of the security guards and police officers at the Providence Convention Center, where the press conference was held, became a preview of what many fear might become the norm if the wrong policies are instituted in downtown Providence.
Moving them along
I saw my friend Jeff yesterday morning, on the way to his morning workout at the YMCA. Jeff is confined to a wheelchair, and uses RIPTA to get to the East Side Y most mornings. We chatted for a few minutes while we got on the same bus and shared it through the bus tunnel. […]
Providence holds solidarity march for National Prison Strike
A march from Kennedy Plaza to the Providence Public Safety Complex, with a brief, tense stop in front of the Providence Place Mall was held in Providence Friday evening in solidarity with a National Prison Strike, on the 45th anniversary of the Attica Uprising. After gathering in Kennedy Plaza, across from Providence City Hall, the […]
Senior/disabled bus pass re-qualification leads to long lines
Rosa held in her hand a senior/disabled bus pass that was due to expire in September 2020, but a driver told her that the pass was no good anymore.
“I paid for this pass, and now it’s no good and I have to pay again,” said Rosa.
PVD Black Lives Matter Day of Action calls for passage of Community Safety Act
“We need police accountability now because no one feels safe in our community,” said Community Safety Act Campaign Coordinator, Vanessa Flores-Maldonado.
The media’s role in criminalizing poverty
“Panhandling is common in Kennedy Plaza,” said a reporter at a Jorge Elorza press conference yesterday, “is that going to be addressed in addition to the drug dealing?” Providence Commissioner of Public Safety Steven Paré was standing behind a podium, having just announced the results of a months long effort to arrest drug dealers in […]
Elorza confronted over ‘a disturbing pattern of discrimination’ against homeless
In the rotunda of City Hall advocates for the homeless gathered to release a new study validating the harassment and discrimination being felt on the streets and to demand that Mayor Elorza immediately instruct the Providence Police to stop their practice of criminalizing homelessness and harassing homeless individuals.
PVD police question if helping the homeless is legal in Burnside Park
A table set up in Kennedy Plaza to distribute needed supplies to the homeless sat empty for over five hours Tuesday morning because the police claimed that not having a permit, or being affiliated with a religious group, made such charity illegal.
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