One last plea to Raimondo to veto Kristen’s Law
At 4pm on Monday evening, where one would usually find state representatives milling about before their floor sessions, demonstrators gathered inside the State House to make one last plea to Governor Raimondo to veto Kristen’s Law, a statute which mandates a life sentence for individuals involved in the exchange of controlled substance in the case […]
Raimondo supports Kristen’s Law, a member of her drug task force doesn’t
Amid reports that Gov. Raimondo is planning on signing Kristen’s Law (H 7715)—a bill passed in the House last week which mandates a life sentence for individuals who sell controlled substances involved in fatal overdoses—many are saying that the bill will only increase the number of overdose deaths, including one of the governor’s own appointees […]
Compassion center cuts in House budget benefit monopolies over patients
Buried under mounds of drama surrounding the House budget proposal, up for a vote on the floor Friday afternoon, those considering opening a medical marijuana dispensary in the state can find bad news and a rate hike to make your head spin. The House has stubbornly rebuked Gov. Raimondo’s previous proposal to increase the number […]
Ninth Circuit rules in favor of youth plaintiffs in constitutional climate trial
Chief Judge Sidney R. Thomas, writing for a unanimous three-judge panel of the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, rejected the Trump administration’s “drastic and extraordinary” petition for a court order to drop the landmark climate lawsuit brought by 21 youth supported by Our Children’s Trust. The U.S. District Court for the District of Oregon lifted the […]
Peter Neronha: tough on shooters and polluters
As the US Attorney, Peter Neronha developed a reputation for putting Rhode Island elected officials behind bars – including former House Speaker Gordon Fox, former House Finance Committee Chairman Ray Gallison, former Central Falls Mayor Charles Moreau, and three former North Providence city councilors. Building on this reputation seems a central reason why he wants […]
Marcela Betancur keeps busy for Rhode Island
Marcela Betancur is director of the RI New Leaders Council, vice-president of the RI Latino Political Action Committee and a policy associate with the ACLU. She was raised in Colombia and moved to Rhode Island when she was 12. She graduated from Rhode Island College with a BA degree in political science and public administration […]
ACLU weighs in on police killing of Joseph Santos
“Many questions remain unanswered” after State and Providence police officers killed Joseph Santos and injured Christine Demers when they fired more than 40 bullets into a pickup truck Santos rammed into an occupied car to elude capture, said the American Civil Liberties Union of Rhode Island in announcing a five-page “preliminary analysis” of the incident. […]
Q&A: Steven Pare on Joseph Santos, deadly use of force by police officers
In the wake of the death of Joseph Santos, who was shot at by Providence and State police officers more than 40 times for ramming his pickup truck into a car in an attempt to elude capture, Providence Public Safety Commissioner Steven Pare gave an exclusive interview, via email, to RI Future. How confident are […]
Police shot at Santos and Demers more than 40 times for eluding, ramming car
Providence Police and Rhode Island State Troopers fired more than 40 bullets into a pickup truck that was ramming cars to elude capture. The hail of gunfire killed Joseph Santos, 32, and injured Christine Demers, 37, both of whom were unarmed. At a press conference today, Providence Police played Rhode Island Department of Transportation highway […]
Police shot and killed a man, Rhode Island still doesn’t know why
Rhode Island police officers shot and killed a man and wounded a woman in a pickup truck on Interstate 95 near downtown Providence Thursday. It remains unclear why officers shot at the pair in the pickup, or to what extent the incident was related to a stolen police car earlier that morning. State Police Col. […]
Providence FOP elections sparks concerns over implementation of the CSA
We hope they will engage productively in the implementation of the [Community Safety Act] and not waste time trying to undo an ordinance that has had several years of vetting by all parties involved.
The March for Racial Justice in Rhode Island
Well over 400 people converged on India Point Park for the March for Racial Justice (M4RJ). Sister marches were held across the country. In Providence, the “march” was actually more of a rally.
Raimondo urged to veto dangerous bill on homeless sex offenders
The bill “creates a potential threat to the safety of both the community at large and the RSOs who will be forced out of shelter.”
ACLU challenges DOC’s use of ‘civil death’ statute in denying rights to prisoners
The state’s “civil death” law, enacted more than a century ago, declares people sentenced to life in prison to be “dead” for virtually all legal purposes, even though most of them are eligible for parole after 20 years.
Revised State Police policy on ICE detainers interrogated by advocacy groups
“We don’t enforce immigration law, we’re not immigration agents, we don’t even go down that road… The most important thing here is that we want to investigate the crimes that people are bringing to us.”
Tanzi confident domestic violence gun prohibition bill will become law
Representative Teresa Tanzi, D-Narragansett, South Kingstown, was the lead sponsor of a domestic violence/gun control bill in this year’s General Assembly. She told me about domestic violence and her hopes of the bill becoming law now that Speaker Matiello has signaled an end to the current stand-off, with an indication that the House will meet […]
Once again, the ACLU sues Cranston over panhandling
“It is unfortunate that Cranston has seen fit to enact another problematic anti-panhandling ordinance after acknowledging the unconstitutionality of its previous ordinance. The valuable tax dollars being spent to criminalize poverty could be put to much better use alleviating it.”
Raimondo urged to veto bill that pits police against patient privacy
“We are concerned that these bills, if signed into law, may drive patients ‘underground’ and away from the care that they need and have the unintended effect of increasing the number of overdoses.”
Women’s March and Black Lives Matter demand apology from NRA over video
The NRA’s “attacks on the First Amendment, while touting a literal and absolutist misinterpretation of the Second is at best hypocrisy and at worst a threat to our democracy and its defenders.”
Raimondo should not let police access medical records without a warrant
In allowing some law enforcement agencies access to PMP data without a warrant, this legislation provides virtually limitless access to the prescription information of any Rhode Islander if done as part of a drug “investigation.”
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