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Polluting Waterfront Limits Future Knowledge District Expansion

By now many will have noticed the growing pile of scrap metal (and who knows what else) in the hospital adjacent waterfront on Allens Avenue. The sale of Promet to the burgeoning junkyard leaves the city and the city’s taxpayers with even fewer options for development.“I think the energy [for rezoning] has left the room – people are much more concerned about what may or not happen” with land freed up by the rerouting of Interstate 195 through the city, said Providence City Councilor Luis Aponte, who represents Ward 10 and has supported waterfront rezoning. “I still think it should be part of the plan, although I don’t know how attractive it will be with scrap there.”And the potential for growth is there. Excitement over the land freed by the relocation of 195 is growing, but the available space is limited.That environment attracted Anne De Groot and her medical-research company, EpiVax, to the neighborhood eight years ago. Now with a growing company, EpiVax needs more space.

“I’m all totally about being in the Jewelry District,” De Groot said. “Somebody build me a building, I’ll move in.”

Economic-development officials want more of her kind.

When was the last time you heard that from a Rhode Island business owner? But EDC director Stokes notes that when that space is gone, Providence is out of the picture, saying “the state will encourage businesses to set up in nearby places such as Pawtucket.” Lovely.

With Mayor Taveras claiming the need for cuts to workers’ pensions to deal with the city’s “category 5” fiscal crisis, one has to wonder why these industrial concerns should be allowed to continue to limit higher density uses and their potential for much needed property tax revenue. Let’s not forget the spurned proposal for a  $400 million dollar investment in the city and the 2,000 desperately needed, permanent jobs that development promised. The proposal included plans for a hotel “[serving] families of patients at the 250-bed acute-care facility as well as passengers preparing to board cruise ships” at a new terminal, along with“a small amount of retail, a floating restaurant and public walkways.”

Just this week, PBN noted the “near-record numbers” for the cruise ship industry in Southern New England, a development seized on by other cities in the region and still a possibility for the deepwater slips on Allens (something New Bedford lacks).

In New Bedford, which has been trying to add the cruise industry to its traditional maritime portfolio of seafood and freight, the number of cruise visits jumped from 17 last year to 27 this year, said Kristin Decas, executive director of the New Bedford Harbor Development Commission.

“We had a stellar year,” said Decas, who attributed some of the new popularity of the port to the Whaling City Expeditions harbor tours many cruise visitors enjoy. “They jump on our small excursion vessel and do a harbor tour. We entertain them with a narrative of the fishing industry and how it is No. 1 in the country in terms of value of catch”…
In the last two years, American Cruise Lines has used Providence Piers on Allens Avenue as either a starting or ending point for 26 of its New England cruises.

The line has a deal with Providence Piers running through 2017 that pier owner Patrick Conley said this year was evidence that Providence, with its deep water and cultural attractions, could attract thousands more cruise-ship visitors each year if it were positioned right.

“To use an inappropriate metaphor, this cruise line could be just the tip of the iceberg for the Port of Providence as a tourist destination,” Conley said.

Instead we get the glistening “Mt. Taveras” (pictured) as our welcoming waterfront gateway to the Capital City.

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Mayor Taveras Signs Order ending Tax Breaks for Big Banks

This is refreshing policy-making for the 99%:

Join
Mayor Angel Taveras,
Local Elected Officials,
&
Affordable Housing Activists
for a Press Conference

=================

Mayor Taveras to Sign Executive OrderClosing Corporate Tax Loopholefor Foreclosing Banks

=================

WHO: Mayor Angel Taveras, local elected officials and leading housing advocates.

WHAT: Mayor Taveras will sign an executive order (1) closing the corporate tax loophole which allows foreclosing banks to keep the owner occupied homestead exemption and (2) incentivizing new homeowners of foreclosed properties by allowing them to immediately receive their owner occupied homestead exemption.

WHEN: Thursday, November 3rd at 2:00PM.

WHERE: 48 Ardoene Street in Providence – house foreclosed in 2011 by Deutsche Bank.


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A Statement from Mayor Angel Taveras on Occupy Providence

All citizens have a right to have their voices heard, and I, like the Occupy movement, am concerned about the causes and impacts of the most serious economic downturn in decades. This movement is important because our city, our state, our nation need to do much more to address the jobs and foreclosure crises which are crushing hope and opportunity for the 99% of us.

Here in Providence, the protesters who have camped in Burnside Park since October 15 have conducted themselves peacefully, and the city has had ongoing and respectful dialogue with the group. I commend Occupy Providence for its commitment to nonviolence, and I thank Occupy Providence for publicly recognizing the city’s efforts to ensure their right to assemble and demonstrate.

Unlike many other American cities, Providence is taking a nonviolent approach to the occupation of Burnside Park that has resulted in no arrests and the continued freedom to protest with the full support and cooperation of public safety. Continue reading “A Statement from Mayor Angel Taveras on Occupy Providence”

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RI ACLU Supports Occupy Providence’s Right to Peaceably Assemble

RI ACLU executive director Steven Brown yesterday on the Occupy Providence protest:The ACLU fully supports the right of ‘Occupy Providence’ to engage in forms of peaceful protest at the park and elsewhere in the city in order to express their political views and promote their cause. We believe that some of the particular rules and ordinances that have been cited by the City in an October 27th letter to protesters – including an apparent ban on any protest activity in the park after 9 PM – may be constitutionally problematic if they were to be enforced against members of ‘Occupy Providence.’ Peaceful First Amendment activity should not be subject to a curfew.The Projo oddly(?) buried the lede with their headline, “ACLU: Federal ruling limits Occupy Providence’s right to remain”. Contrast that with GoLocal’s take, “ACLU Supports Occupy Providence.” The ACLU did note the federal ruling and also their opposition to it:Issues surrounding the group’s indefinite encampment are more complicated. Unfortunately, there is a U.S. Supreme Court decision, called Clark v. Community for Creative Non-Violence, which upheld, in the similar context of a political protest, the constitutionality of a federal rule against overnight camping in certain public parks. We disagree with that ruling, but under the circumstances, we believe it significantly limits the First Amendment arguments that are available in support of the group’s right to indefinitely encamp at Burnside Park without a permit.The ACLU statement also hints at the possibility of legal action “for challenging Providence’s camping ban,” as yet unexamined.

For their part, the Taveras administration issued a statement with plans to pursue eviction via the courts. The mayor selectively quotes the ACLU statement in support of this action. Hopefully the rest of the words of the ACLU will weigh heavily as well:

This historic protest has been extraordinarily peaceful, and the participants appear to have been cooperative with city officials and respectful of needs relating to public safety. We appreciate the comments that have been made by the Providence Commissioner of Public Safety that any eviction proceedings will be done through an orderly civil, not criminal, process, and that there will be no effort to use force to remove people from the park. It is essential that all appropriate due process is provided before any such proceedings take place.

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Whose City? Our City!

We learn this week that the ostensibly progressive Mayor Taveras is seeking legal action to forcibly evict Occupy Providence protestors from Burnside Park “in next few days.” One has to wonder which constituency he’s serving in taking action (hmm, are their initials BOA?). For their part, the protestors have expressed their intent to continue to peaceably assemble and petition for a governmental redress of grievances.  There is also a petition urging Taveras and Paré to let the protestors remain in the park. Continue reading “Whose City? Our City!”

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Polluting Waterfront Poster Child Cashes Out

The poster child for the industry led effort to kill the $400 million redevelopment of the hospital adjacent area of Allens Avenue just cashed out, selling the firm to Sims Metal Management.

Ship repair company Promet Marine Services Corporation Ltd., located at Allens Avenue in Providence, was acquired by a metal recycling company.

Promet’s deep sea facility, with nine acres of land, a rail serviced 600-foot pier and two deep water berths will be the main export terminal for the newly formed New England subsidiary of Sims Metal Management Ltd.

So long, Providence! But look at the bright side, now you have yet another, even larger polluter to take Promet’s place and a lovely waterfront junkyard!

Among the recipients [of a S.F. Green Business Program award] was the local subsidiary of Sims Metal Management, a global company that shreds automobiles and appliances for recycling. The corporation also happens to be a big generator and dumper of hazardous waste.

 

As reported in this space previously, earlier this year the automobile shredding industry successfully lobbied to block rules that would have halted the dumping of treated waste from automobile recycling plants into municipal landfills.

 

While recycling may seem like an environmentally friendly idea, grinding up cars and separating only recyclable metal actually leaves behind hundreds of tons of toxin-containing residue in the form of ground-up cushions, wiring, and other material. Scientists say the stuff is unsafe, even when treated with silica-based coating, unless buried in specially sealed hazardous waste landfills.

 

Regulators with the California Department of Toxic Substances Control hoped to require just that. But the industry backs a pending bill to stop a rule that would have officially designated its byproducts as hazardous waste. Sims Metal can now plausibly claim in its financial filings that the million metric tons of waste per year it dumps in North America is “nonhazardous.” The attempt at changing this designation was a big deal. In a worst-case scenario, the material could leach lead, PCBs, mercury, and other toxins into groundwater.

 

Notwithstanding, attending the Veterans Building party to pick up a plaque last month was a vice president for Sims Metal Management. State records show that last year, 41,300 tons of waste went to landfills from Sims’ auto shredder facility in Redwood City.

 

City employees apparently were too occupied sniffing out nonbiodegradable window cleaners to conduct a Web search that might have revealed SF Weekly’s report noting Sims’ status as a major dumper of toxic garbage.

One has to wonder if this is what Mayor Taveras meant by bringing “green” jobs to Providence. Ever feel you’ve been cheated?

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TOMORROW: Teach-in on the Occupy Movement

Join Professors from the Departments of History, Africana Studies, Economics, Sociology, Theatre Arts and Performance Studies, Modern Culture and Media, and American Studies, Community Activists, and members of Occupy Providence for

Thinking Crisis:

Thinking Change

Teach-in on the

#Occupy Movement

Wednesday, October 12

DeCiccio Auditorium,

Salomon 101

5:00-7:00 PM

Wondering what all the hype is on Wall Street? What about all the meetings happening at Burnside Park?

Join Come THINKING CRISIS: THINKING CHANGE to learn more about the history of social movements, the American financial system, and the movement that has sprung up in more than 1000 cities over the last month!

Speakers will include Professors Naoko Shibusawa, Tony Bogues, Mark Blyth, Ross Levine, Vazira Zamindar, Francoise Hamlin, Robert Self, Patrick Heller, Michael Kennedy, Lynne Joyrich, Eng-Beng Lim, Corey Walker as well as students Kevin Barry, Sujaya Desai, and members of Occupy Providence

For more information, visit the Facebook event page, http://on.fb.me/occupy-teach-in, the Occupy Providence page, http://on.fb.me/occupy-providence, and the Occupy College Hill page, http://on.fb.me/occupy-college-hill.

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Occupy Providence begins @ 5pm on Oct 15: Burnside Park

Date:  Saturday, October 15th
Event: Gathering/Rally & March Against Corporate Greed/Assembly/Occupation
Time:  5pm to (indefinitely)

On Saturday, October 15th, at 5pm, Rhode Islanders will gather together in Burnside Park (Downtown Providence) to express a feeling of mass injustice and stand in solidarity with those occupying Wall Street in Liberty Square.  This will be done as part of an international day of action in conjunction with the occupation of dozens of other cities around the country and the world.  I am writing because I want all Rhode Islanders who feel wronged by the corporate forces of the world to know that I believe that the members of the Occupy Providence General Assembly (OPGA) are your allies.  Members of the OP General Assembly have been meeting in Burnside Park everyday since Oct 1st, and it is a movement committed to non-violence, to maintaining a safe, alchohol free, drug free, harassment/discrimination free space, and it does not endorse any political candidate or party in any way.

Continue reading “Occupy Providence begins @ 5pm on Oct 15: Burnside Park”

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Board of Regents say AF isn’t good enough for Cranston…but it’s fine for Providence?

It’s amazing how much you can learn about people–and the system they represent–by reading between the lines of their decisions. I was at the Board of Regents meeting today, and what I saw there taught me a lot about the different levels of value those in power assign to the different communities they are supposed to represent equally.

For those of you who haven’t heard yet, the BOR voted to deny Achievement First’s application to open their schools in Cranston, following the request of Governor Chafee, who advised the Board to take into account the opposition by the Cranston community over the past few months.

The governor then, a mere sentence after validating the concerns of the hundreds of Cranston parents and community members who have been protesting the AF proposal on the grounds that it could be damaging to the Cranston community (protesters have cited the financial ramifications of taking that much money out of the district, the loss of public accountability inherent in allowing a private board to take governing authority from public institutions like a school committee, and worries about the organization’s discipline policies which many believe to be excessive) made a recommendation that the Board instead explore bringing the charter management organization into Providence. And the Board, mere seconds after voting to keep Achievement First out of Cranston–presumably because they agreed with the Cranston community’s claims that it could, indeed, damage their district in all the ways cited above–wholeheartedly passed a motion to begin the process of looking into creating an AF district in Providence.

Wait…how does that work?

Now, there are a couple different ways to read the governor’s advice and the Board’s actions. But as someone who was there, listening to the debate, I can tell you that it seemed pretty clear to me that Governor Chafee and the Board of Regents made a simple decision, and one that those in power have been making regarding those who aren’t for centuries: what’s not good enough for us is good enough for them. Specifically, an organization that the clear majority of white, middle-class parents in Cranston don’t believe to be good enough for their students is just fine for all those low-income students and parents in Providence.

It’s hard for me to understand their line of reasoning. How can they recognize Cranston’s concern about AF’s military-like discipline and history of excessive punishment scandals, but still think this set of values is fine to inflict on kids in Providence? (I’m not a big fan of PPSD’s discipline policies, but I don’t think they’re comparable to those of Achievement First.) How can they agree that Cranston’s parents are right not to accept a disempowering administrative system in which they have little or no say in how their children get educated, but still think such a system should be acceptable to parents in Providence?

I don’t know how to answer these questions without going back to that same fundamental perspective: what’s not good enough for us is good enough for them. It boils down to nothing more than inequality of the worst kind.

Of course, there are already immense inequalities between Cranston and Providence schools. And I’m certainly not arguing that PPSD is a haven of perfect pedagogy and policy; on the contrary, I work with students in Providence–at times organizing against the school district–so I know very well the deep problems in our school system. We need to think creatively about how we can have better parent engagement, because our schools will never improve until parents are involved, and what we’re doing now clearly isn’t working; we need a curriculum that students find relevant to their lives, because what we’ve got now consistently alienates kids into boredom and apathy; we need to improve support systems for students and create more secure cultures of learning, because now those are few and far between; and, in the long-term, we need to change the way low-income communities are short-changed out of resources for their schools, because without more resources much of the above list won’t be possible.

These are not easy problems to solve. But they are solvable. And they are only solvable if we put all of our public attention, energy, and efforts on public education, rather than diverting these resources into creating a new, private district with even less public accountability and an even dimmer community focus. The people of Cranston have made clear that their students deserve better than Achievement First. Why should Providence’s students deserve any less?

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Wednesday Night: Angel Taveras and Drinking Liberally

Carol Santos Aguasvivas, Andy Andujar, Anthony Autiello, Jr., Peter Baptista, Jake Bissaillon, Hon. Chris Blazejewski, Sandra Cano, Victor Capellan, Suzanne Da Silva, Jeff Dana, Adriana Dawson, Jason Del Pozzo, Doris De los Santos, Hon. James Diossa, Michael Fontaine, Amy Gabarra, Meghan Grady, Teny Gross, Chris Hunter, Arianne Lynch, Daniel Meyer, Alex Moore, Albin Moser, Lauren Nocera, David Segal, Tony Simon, Brett Smiley, Chris Vitale & Cliff Wood
(Host Committee in formation)

invite you to a Young Professionals Event
honoring

Angel Taveras
Mayor of Providence

Wednesday, August 24
6:00 to 8:00 PM

At the Wild Colonial
250 S Water Street
Providence, RI

Host: Raise or Contribute $125
Individual: $25

Please RSVP to rsvp@angelforprovidence.com or (401) 454-0991
Or RSVP online via the link below

Please make checks payable to:

Angel for Mayor
PO Box 2533
Providence, RI 02906

**Please join us afterwards for Drinking Liberally with Rep. Chris Blazejewski** starting at 8PM.

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A Progressive Hero Falls: RIP Miguel C. Luna

Yesterday, we at RIFUTURE learned the news of the passing of one of our progressive leaders in our state: Providence Ward 9 Councilman Miguel Luna.

The City of Providence sent out a moving tribute of his life’s work which includes information about his wake and funeral.

A true giant has fallen in Providence.

And the people of Providence are worse off as a result.

Councilman Miguel C. Luna passed away yesterday at Rhode Island Hospital, surrounded by his family.  He is survived by his three children, Dante, 13, Sofie, 11, and Omar 9; his mother Mireya; his four sisters, Ysa, Belkiss, Josefina and Teresa; his brother Antonio; and 17 nieces and nephews.

Councilman Luna was an extraordinary humanitarian and humble public servant who identified with those most in need and dedicated his life to promoting workers’ rights and economic justice.

“I am deeply saddened by the untimely passing of my friend and colleague Miguel Luna,” said Mayor Taveras. “Councilman Luna was a great man who made a difference in many people’s lives. I join with everyone in my administration and the City of Providence in mourning his passing. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family during this very difficult time. We will honor Councilman Luna’s memory by following his example and continuing his lifelong commitment to advocating for justice.”

Councilman Luna broke down racial and economic barriers when he earned a seat on the City Council in 2003 by beating an incumbent with nearly two thirds of the vote. He was the second Latino Councilman in Providence’s history and the first Dominican American ever elected to the Council.

“The entire Council is deeply saddened by the loss of our colleague and dear friend Councilman Miguel Luna,” said Council President Michael Solomon. “Throughout his life, Miguel displayed an unyielding commitment to community service. He was involved with many organizations dedicated to improving the lives of the less fortunate. Councilman Luna’s accomplishments – legislative, professional and otherwise – are truly without end, and it was his devotion to such causes that we will most recall and miss. At this time, our thoughts and sincerest condolences are with his family.”

Born and raised in the Dominican Republic, he worked minimum wage jobs and advocated for others seeking to improve the quality of their lives. Upon arrival in Rhode Island, he worked in factories and as a laborer during the construction of the Comfort Inn near T.F. Green Airport. He subsequently worked at the International Institute, at the Amos House, at AIDS Care Ocean State and in the full service of the residents of Ward 9 since January, 2003.

A longtime Elmwood resident, Councilman Luna was a constant presence at neighborhood organizations. He was a founding member of the community organization Direct Action for Rights and Equality and was heavily involved with the International Institute, Jobs with Justice and the Olneyville Neighborhood Association. He served on the board and volunteered for numerous other organizations in Providence, including Amos House, the San Miguel School, and the Center for Minority Advancement in the Building Trades.

“He was like a brother to me,” said Councilman Luis Aponte. “Miguel’s been on the front-lines of every important struggle in our great city and I am saddened beyond belief by his passing. He was a hero in the true sense of the word – unafraid of taking on the powerful and relentless in his commitment to winning justice and fairness for all.”

Councilman Luna was a passionate advocate for safe and affordable housing, police accountability and good jobs. Through his involvement with La Comunidad en Acción at St. Michael’s Church, he joined with public housing tenants in their fight for improved conditions. He helped to establish the Providence External Review Authority, the city’s first civilian review board.

As a Councilman representing the Ninth Ward, he sought to ensure that good, living-wage jobs were the foundation of the City’s economy through city tax stabilization polices and the First Source Ordinance. He pursued a progressive legislative agenda on the Council – championing efforts to protect affordable housing and create new jobs for Providence residents, and to make government more accessible to all residents, especially those who speak other languages. He was a strong proponent of renewable energy, encouraging homeowners to utilize solar panels and other energy efficient methods in their homes.

As Chairman of the Rhode Island Workers’ Rights Board, Councilman Luna stood up for janitors at Providence College, hotel workers at the Westin and the Biltmore and home-based child care providers across the state. Councilman Luna did not limit his fight for justice to the City of Providence. He advocated fiercely for fair international trade policies and fought for peace in every corner of the world. He advocated for the rights of farm workers in Ohio, tenants in San Francisco and community activists fighting for neighborhood investment in Los Angeles. He was a member of the U.S. Delegation of Election Observers in Venezuela during the 2006 election.

Councilman Luna was a voice for the voiceless. Wherever there was injustice, he was there. Our City mourns his passing.

A wake for Providence City Councilman Miguel C. Luna will be held on Sunday, August 21, from 6PM to 9PM at Bell Funeral Home, 571 Broad Street, Providence, RI, 02907.Councilman Luna’s funeral service will be held on Monday, August 22 at 10AM at Saint Michael the Archangel Church, 239 Oxford Street, Providence, RI, 02905. Interment will be held following the funeral mass at North Burial Ground on Branch Avenue in Providence. There will be a reception immediately following, at the Roger Williams Park Casino.

The public is invited to attend all services.

The family requests donations in lieu of flowers to:

Luna Children Educational Trust
167 Roger Williams Avenue
Providence, RI 02907


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