Youth – RI Future

October 10, 2016

PRONK! 2016 supports the Community Safety Act

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For its 9th Annual Festival PRONK! partnered with the STEP UP Coalition to support to the Community Safety Act (CSA). The goal of the collaboration was “to use music, dance and art to bring attention to injustices and inequalities in our city and encourage people across Providence to stand behind the legislation.”

The STEP UP Coalition is made up of the Providence Youth Student Movement (PrYSM), Direct Action for Rights and Equality (DARE), American Friends Service Committee (AFSC), Olneyville Neighborhood Association (ONA) and various other activist groups in Providence. The CSA is a citizen-proposed ordinance that would address racial profiling and other abuses of power by police. Mayor Jorge Elorza recently said the CSA could pass before the end of the year.

This is the ninth year for PRONK! (Providence HONK!) which takes place every Indigenous People’s Day. It is not a Columbus Day parade. Local bands, such as the Extraordinary Rendition Band, What Cheer? Brigade, and Kickin’ Brass participated, as well as bands from around the country. Organizers describe PRONK! as “a cacophonous street celebration with out of town brass bands! We are a street intervention like no other, with outfits and misfits from Rhode Island and beyond – musicians, artists, activists, makers – taking over the streets as part of the Providence HONK Parade.”

Organizers go on to say that PRONK! “spawned from the original HONK! Festival in Somerville, MA that has “grown into a new type of street band movement—throughout the country and across the globe—outrageous and inclusive, brass and brash, percussive and persuasive, reclaiming public space with a sound that is in your face and out of this world.”

October 6, 2016October 6, 2016

Sixty percent of Catholic voters say that abortion can be a moral choice

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Catholics for Choice has released a new poll that “the story of what Catholic opinions might mean at the voting booth come November 8.” According to the polling data, 46 percent of Catholic voters support Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton, and 40 percent support Republican candidate Donald Trump.

Key findings include:

Latinos, Catholic women and Catholic millennials show the largest support for Clinton over Trump.
Sixty percent of Catholic voters say that the views of the Catholic hierarchy are not important to them when they are deciding who to vote for in the presidential election.
Six in ten Catholic voters do not feel an obligation to vote the way the bishops recommend.
Sixty percent of Catholic voters say that abortion can be a moral choice.
Seventy-two percent believe that abortion should be available to pregnant women who have contracted the Zika virus.
Seventy percent of Catholics do not think that companies should be allowed to use the owner’s religious beliefs as a reason to deny services to a customer or employee.

Jon O’Brien, president of Catholics for Choice said, “The Catholic vote is like a jump ball in basketball—every election it comes into play and both parties try to claim it as their own. As it represents 25 percent of the electorate, considerable effort goes into trying to determine which team will grab it. However, as this new poll shows what we’ve always known: Catholics are concerned with social justice and compassion and do not vote with the bishops, no matter how much the bishops try to project their own beliefs onto this section of the electorate.”

The poll was conducted before the vice presidential debate between Democrat Tim Kaine and Republican Mike Pence, where the two squared off on religious liberty and abortion, but in a statement released after the debate Catholics for Choice said, “Catholics act according to their own conscience and they do not stand with the Catholic hierarchy on abortion, access to healthcare or the rise of religious refusals backed by the bishops, and similarly do not think they nor Catholic politicians have an obligation to vote according to the Bishops. In fact, Senator Tim Kaine said it was not the role of a public servant to mandate their faith through government, and on fundamental issues of morality, like abortion, we should let women make those decisions.”

Rhode Island is routinely said to be the most Catholic of the United States.

September 29, 2016September 29, 2016

Elorza says CSA could pass ‘before the end of the year’

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2016-09-28 East Side CSA 001 — **Martha Yager** and Vanessa Flores-Maldonado

Providence Mayor Jorge Elorza attended an East Side forum on the Community Safety Act (CSA), saying that despite some differences, he doesn’t “think it will be a problem getting this done before the end of the year.”

East Side City Councillors Kevin Jackson and Sam Zurier were in attendance. Councillor Seth Yurdin was out of town. While Jackson is fully in support of the CSA, Zurier and Yurdin have both publicly registered doubts.

After Elorza heard the speakers below, he spoke about his own encounters with the police, due to racial profiling. Though in broad agreement with the CSA, Elorza did outline some points of disagreement, including issues around the use of canines in policing, requesting proof of ID from juveniles, a prohibition against photographing juveniles, the eradication of the gang identification database and concerns that a “community safety review board” clashes with the police officers bill of rights.

On the gang database, Elorza believes that there will be a way to make the process more open, so that people will be able to have some measure of oversight. He also feels that there may be ways to craft policies that will satisfy both sides of the issue.

“There are many more places where there is agreement than disagreement,” said Elorza, “and on the areas where there are disagreements, I still remain very hopeful.”

There was little doubt that the community members in attendance were squarely behind the CSA. Nine residents spoke passionately about the need for expanded oversight of the police. Resident Don Baier told a very personal story of when he called the police to help find his sister, who was roaming the streets, delusional. Because of the excellent work of the police, his sister was recovered unharmed and received treatment. Not everybody has such positive interactions with the police, said Baier. He wishes that “every neighborhood could get the same kind of swift, thoughtful action” from the police.

Resident Maureen Reddy is a white East Side resident with a black husband and children, and she is afraid to call the police, for fear that her family might be imperiled. “Both of my children have been hassled by police, repeatedly,” said Reddy. Her son simply assumed that when he left the house, he would be stopped by the police and asked to explain himself. Her daughter was stopped on Benefit St by officers with guns drawn. Had it been her son in that position, she fears he would be dead.

Once a man pulled into Reddy’s driveway and asked her to call the police. Before she did so, she made sure to tell her husband to wait inside the house, so he wouldn’t be a target when the police arrived. Another time, when a woman was yelling in the middle of the night, Reddy did not call the police. Her husband and other neighbors went outside to assist the woman, but before the police arrived, her husband went back into the house. Again, he did not want to be a target of police suspicion, simply because he was black.

Julia Carson is the Principal of Central High School in Providence and an East Side resident. “I am heartbroken when I am ordered, by police officers, to clear the plaza [at Central High school], ‘get the trouble out.’ I don’t know about any of you, but high school was my safe haven growing up. We used to hang out every day after school and I don’t understand why my kids can’t do the same thing.”

Criminal Justice Attorney Annie Voss-Altman cited research that shows that non-whites are more likely to experience the use of non-deadly force in their encounters with police. “Subject compliance didn’t matter,” said Voss-Altman, “across the board, you’re fifty percent more likely to experience the use of force in your encounter with the police is you are black or Hispanic than if you are white or Asian.”

East Side resident Doug Best made the financial case for the CSA. “…the cost of paying settlements for police misconduct,” said Best, is “our major contributor to poor ROI [return on investment].” In other words, when the police mess up, it costs the city money to settle cases.

East Side resident Mark Santow is an American historian provided a historical context for the CSA. Present policing policies in communities of color drive resentment towards the police, said Santow, “and resentment can prevent the type of effective policing needed to keep communities safe and officers safe.”

Libby Edgerly highlighted the positive efforts the Providence Police department has made in addressing some of the concerns presented this evening. Including Mayor Elorza’s recent announcements regarding plans to address concerns about homelessness downtown. “Other notable recent police department initiatives,” said Edgerly, “include requiring police to use department phones, not personal phones, when videoing non-violent demonstrators. Also, supporting a youth basketball group. Also, instituting additional police training on how to work with people suffering mental health disturbances and, finally, choosing not to purchase military equipment offered by the federal government to police departments nationwide.”

The last item generated appreciative applause.

Ondine Sniffin is a resident of the East Side, a Latina, “and I’ve been arrested at a traffic stop… I learned that even though I’m an educated, English speaking U.S. citizen, I can still be mistreated, solely on account of my gender and/or ethnicity.”

East Side resident Sarah Morenon said that having theses practices established as policies is not enough. Policies change and are enforced at the whims of whoever is in charge. “My concern,” said Morenon, “is codifying the desired practices, to put into writing the police behavior guidelines, and get them into law… where subjectivity will not play such a major part.”

“I would like to see the city policy about non-compliance with ICE holds codified,” said Morenon, right ow the policy is “an informal directive.”

Councillor Sam Zurier expressed some doubts about the CSA, and talked about legislation he plans to introduce as a kind of a “stop-gap” measure.

Councillor Kevin Jackson has black sons, and he’s been a stalwart supporter of the CSA.

Moderator Wendy Becker

Martha Yager of the AFSC helped organize the event.

Vanessa Flores-Maldonado is the CSA coordinator.

Elorza’s support for the CSA was clear. Zurier may need more convincing, and Seth Yurdin’s present opinion is unknown.

2016-09-28 East Side CSA 004 — Providence City Councillor **Kevin Jackson**

September 2, 2016

Community groups pressure PVD City Council on Community Safety Act

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Members of the Coalition to Pass the Community Safety Act (CSA) spoke out before Thursday night’s Providence City Council meeting about the importance of empowering local communities on policing.

“Providence needs the Community Safety Act because without it we feel unsafe,” said campaign coordinator Vanessa Flores-Maldonado in a statement. “The Coalition hopes that a public hearing will speak loudly to the need of an ordinance that seeks to hold police accountable when they harass and brutalize our community.

The Coalition, which is comprised of local community organizations and members, had previously submitted a petition on July 1 to have the city council hold a public hearing before going on their August break. However, the 90+ signatures submitted took 3 weeks to verify and no public hearing was scheduled within the 14 days required by the City Charter.

Malcus Mills of DARE (Direct Action for Rights and Equality) introduced three speakers, Dan, representing PrYSM (Providence Youth Student Movement), Wayne Woods of DARE, and Justice, speaking for RI Jobs with Justice.

Dan spoke about the gang database used by the Providence Police Department. If a youth is placed on the gang database list, they have no ability to remove their name or even check to see if their name is on the list. This may result in loss of job and educational opportunities in the future.

Right now, said Dan, the police, “judge people by their appearance, their race, gender etc, and they will say you are guilty… because they think you are part of a gang.”

Wayne Woods spoke of being profiled and pulled over on the East Side of Providence. After being removed from his car, searched, and then waiting for 20 minutes as his car was searched by police, he and his friend, both black men, were sent on their way. The police told the men, “To go home and take it easy.”

If the CSA were passed, said Woods, the car could only have been pulled over for probable cause and the police would have to issue a receipt to people they detain, outlining the conditions of the probable cause.

“A big part of why the CSA needs to be passed is so that we can hold people accountable to what they’re doing,” said Justice, representing Jobs with Justice. “Civil servants and law enforcement should be accountable just like other working people, and we need to be able to protect the people of Providence, we need to be able to protect the youth of color in Providence.”

The Providence Community Safety Act is a city-wide proposed ordinance that aims to hold police accountable and make communities safer. Developed by community members and organizations who are frustrated with police harassment and lack of accountability, the CSA has 12 key points that outline how police officers should interact with community members. These points range from video recording to traffic stops to the gang database.

September 1, 2016

DHS cuts hit the blind and visually impaired hard

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Social services for the blind and visually impaired are among the hardest hit as a result of the new computer system at the state Department of Human Services, said Rui Cabral, board member of the National Federation of the Blind of Rhode Island.

“The recent layoffs at the Rhode Island Department of Human Services (DHS) as a result of the costly UHIP system have affected employees and clients alike across many departments, but none more so than those in the previously five-person Independent Living unit at Services for the Blind and Visually Impaired (SBVI),” he said. “Several days ago four of those five Social Case Workers were laid off, cutting the workforce down to only one. One person to serve every blind child under the age of 14, every senior living with vision loss, and every visually impaired person in Rhode Island who is unable to work.”

At the press conference held last Thursday announcing staff cuts because of the new UHIP computer system, Melba Depeña Affigne, director of the RI Department of Human Services (DHS) said, “There will be no impact on clients.”

But in a statement, Cabral said, “There is no computer system that can accurately gauge what a blind person needs most—acuities and field loss can mean drastically different things for different people. Much of what clients of SBVI really need is a trusted and knowledgeable case worker who can provide not only the concrete resources, but support, reassurance, and advice based upon experience. In a society that so often tells blind people that we cannot, should not, are not allowed to, we need the assurance that we can live happy, successful, independent lives. For many of us, a Social Case Worker is the first person to tell us that. They have been working with the blind of Rhode Island for several decades between them; they know their clients, their needs and abilities, and they use that knowledge to serve a population that other, less specialized agencies, rarely know how to assist.”

These layoff will have an acute effect on visually impaired clients, he explained. “Say, hypothetically, that you, a sighted person, wake up tomorrow with significant vision loss. Where will you find out about the resources you need—the transportation opportunities, the library for the blind, the technology that will allow you to continue to use your iPhone and your computer, the nonvisual skills and devices that will help you to cook for your family and clean your house? How will you pay for–or even find out about–the glasses and the contact lenses and the magnifiers that will allow you to read your mail and pay your bills? A month ago, you would have called Services for the Blind and Visually Impaired, and someone would have told you that all of these things were possible, that they were there to help.

“Now? The future of the more than four hundred active clients, not to mention the hundreds of people who experience vision loss each year, is unclear. Now, it isn’t just society’s misconceptions that will keep blind and visually impaired people from living the lives we want—it’s the fact that we will not even have access to the resources we need in order to do so.”

The Members of the National Federation of the Blind of Rhode Island, “urge those in power to reconsider the termination of these workers’ positions. The needs of our unique population cannot be met by one worker alone, or by workers who have no knowledge of the true issues related to blindness.”

August 29, 2016August 30, 2016

Providence DHS also experiencing problems

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The letter Heather received a week before her appointment with the Department of Human Services (DHS) warned that not showing up for her scheduled appointment could seriously delay approval of her benefits. Having been recently laid off and in search of work, Heather made sure that she was not only a half hour early, but that her paperwork was in order.

Arriving at the DHS offices in Providence on Elmwood Avenue, she got into the line for those with appointments. The other line, for those without appointments, was longer and moved more slowly. Both lines stretched out of the waiting room.

Conditions in the waiting room, Heather told me, were “miserable.”

“People were standing in lines for hours,” said Heather. “A lot of people were turned away. A lot of them were single mothers. It was hot, and there was not a lot of room to sit. Children were running around, crying and screaming.” She said employees appeared to be overwhelmed and frustrated.

Optimally, DHS provides people in need with access to many services such as Medicaid, SNAP benefits, Rhode Island Works (RIW), Child Care Assistance Program (CCAP), LTSS, General Public Assistance (GPA) and access to various energy assistance programs like HEAP, WAP and HSR.

The delays, Heather was told, were because of the new computer system the DHS was using to approve benefits. The new system was supposed to make things more efficient. Instead, workers at the office were facing too many cases and a new system being rolled out without adequate training.

At a press conference on Thursday, DHS director Melba Depeña Affigne said that changes in staffing and the conversion to the new computer system would have “no impact on clients.” Michael DiBiase, director of the RI Department of Administration called the issues that Heather and others have described as “unfortunate.”

After four hours, Heather got her EBT card and was able to leave the DHS offices by 4:45pm. The waiting room was no less full, most of those waiting would have to return the next day to continue the process.

The new computer system, which has no official name, was supposed to be online in July, and is now slated to be fully operational by mid September. The system is supposed to reduce the amount of time prospective clients spend with social workers and has been billed as an “incredible tool for our workforce” that will “enhance customer service.”

Heather disagrees. The system, she says, is “designed to make you feel like shit about yourself.”

August 20, 2016August 26, 2016

Trump hits Minneapolis, the city hits back

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Coincidentally, Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump came to Minneapolis MN on the same day I made my first visit to the city. This turned a day that I had planned to spend sightseeing into a day of traveling to three different anti-Trump events.

“Trump’s rhetoric is creating an unsafe environment for the Muslim community, for the Somali-American community, and we have seen an increase in Islamaphobia and anti-Muslim efforts across the state of Minnesota,” said Jaylani Hussein, executive director of the Council of American-Islamic Relations- Minnesota (CAIR-MN), “We have seen, just a few weeks ago, an incident involving five young Muslim men who were shot… we believe that incident is a hate crime.”

Hussein believes that Trump’s extremist rhetoric is creating a hostile, unsafe environment for Muslim Americans and immigrants, and the effects are being felt by the most vulnerable.

Hussein introduced 13-year old Yusuf Dayur who has been experiencing bullying in his school because he is a Muslim. Hussein suggested that Dayur might one day be president. Though Dayur’s school is very proactive in providing Dayur time and space in which to pray, some of his fellow students do not trust him because he is a Muslim. Dayur bravely fought back tears as he described the difficulties he faces.

Jaylani Hussein’s full comments:

After the press conference I headed across town to the Minnesota State Republican Offices where Cosecha Minnesota was holding a “Wall Off Trump” event. Cosecha is “a nonviolent decentralized movement that is focused on activating our immigrant community and the public to guarantee permanent and humane protection for immigrants in this country.”

Estaphania and another woman explained that their protest, in which they painted a wall, like the one Trump is promising on the Texas-Mexico border, is meant to draw attention to Trump’s extremist rhetoric that threatens the health and safety of immigrant Americans.

My last stop was at the Minneapolis Convention Center, where people representing virtually everyone Trump has ever publicly maligned, including immigrants, black Americans, members of the LGBTQ community, women, Muslims, indigenous Americans and more, gathered together to denounce Trump ahead of his visit to a large donor rally.

This protest was organized by MIRAc, the Minnesota Immigrant Rights Action Committee, a group that, “fights for legalization for all, an end to immigration raids & deportations, an end to all anti-immigrant laws, and full equality in all areas of life.”

Trump did not make a public appearance in Minnesota, or even speak to the press. He spoke to donors only at the Convention Center. But his very presence in the city was enough to galvanize this group to come out to speak, sing, dance and chant their opposition to Trump being president.

According to the Minnesota Star Tribune, after this event, as Trump donors left the convention center, they were confronted by angry demonstrators. “The demonstrators who harassed donors were not present earlier on, when the protest was peaceful. Many in the later group hid their faces behind scarves,” writes reporter Patrick Condon, “Minneapolis police spokeswoman Sgt. Catherine Michal said there were no arrests and no reported injuries. There was, however, minor damage, including graffiti on the walls of the Convention Center, and officers had to escort Trump supporters in and out of the lobby because they were being harshly confronted, Michal said.”

Below are the rest of the pictures and video from the three events.

2016-08-19 CAIR-MN 001 — Jaylani Hussein, CAIR-MN

July 29, 2016July 30, 2016

Malala Yousafzai comes to Providence, talks education and Pokémon

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To her fans and supporters all over the world, she is Malala. She is a superstar. But when she arrived in Providence the night before her appearance at the Dunkin Donuts Center, no one recognized her.

On her first night in our city, Malala Yousafzai, youngest ever recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize, ate at the restaurant India on the East Side. In her telling, she ate too much and decided to go for a walk in the park with her father. In the park, she says, “Nobody was even looking at me.” Everyone was too busy playing Pokémon Go. Nineteen year old Malala knew about the game, her brothers play it, but her father did not know about it. They talked to a couple of players, asking them to explain the game. Her father still doesn’t understand the game. Malala doesn’t play but she is happy that the game gets her brothers out of the house, instead of keeping them indoors playing games on the television.

It’s such an ordinary story, yet Malala Yousafzai has not had an ordinary life.

2016-07-29 Malala in PVD 005 — A young Malala fan holds a sign for the crowd

On October 12, 2012, Malala Yousafzai, already an outspoken education advocate, was 15 years old when two members of the Taliban, no older than she, got on her school bus in Pakistan and shot her in the head. As Malala spoke about that day before an audience of 6,000 in Providence Thursday evening, she said, “It was the longest bus ride. I still haven’t arrived at my home in Swat Valley.”

Malala doesn’t remember the day of her attack. She was taken from hospital to hospital before ending up in Birmingham, England. After multiple operations and procedures she says is well and nearly fully recovered. About the men who shot her, Malala said, “The two boys who attacked me are about the same age as me. They were brainwashed. I blame the ideology. Islam doesn’t allow anyone to kill another person. Forgiveness is the best revenge.”

“The terrorists tried their best,” said Malala, “and I realized that even God is supporting me. Even Death is supporting me. Death doesn’t want me.”

When Malala was 11 the Taliban took over her homeland in Swat Valley, Pakistan. The Taliban stopped her education. “Women’s rights and dignity were taken away… That was a very hard time.” On her last day of school, Malala says she “decided to speak out for [her]self and all the girls in [her] community.”

She wrote about life under Taliban control and the need for education for women for the BBC and was profiled and wrote for the NY Times. When her name and the name of her father, Ziauddin Yousafzai, a school principal, was revealed on the radio, she became a target.

Since her recovery Malala has become an outspoken advocate against terrorism and for women’s rights. She has spoken out against child labor and child trafficking. She became the youngest recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize in 2014, sharing the honor with Kailash Satyarthi, a children’s rights activist from India. Malala, ever humble, doesn’t see the Nobel Prize as something she received. She sees it as an award recognizing the importance of children.

Malala doesn’t see herself as special. “There are amazing girls in Swat Valley better than me,” she said, “but their parents did not allow them an education.” Malala’s father supported his daughter’s right to an education. When people ask her father what he did to raise such a daughter, says Malala, her father answers that it’s what he didn’t do that is important.

“I didn’t clip the wings of my daughter,” says her father.

Channel 10’s Patrice Wood conducted Malala’s interview, but at one point, Wood handed over the questioning to Hilde Lysiak, a nine year old reporter who publishes The Orange Street News. Lysiak’s reporting came under fire earlier this year when she covered a murder that took place near her home. Many were outraged that a cute nine-year old girl was covering a terrible murder. Lysiak struck back with a masterful video telling people who didn’t like her reporting, “If you want me to stop covering news, then you get off your computers and do something about the news. There, is that cute enough for you?”

Lysiak’s short, on-stage interview with Malala demonstrates Malala’s commitment to women’s rights and the power of young girls. She was excited to answer Lysiak’s questions. To Malala education means allowing children the right to question and giving them access to critical thinking skills.

“Believe in yourself,” said Malala several times.

Malala is a devout Muslim. She wears a headscarf but balks at covering her face, as is the tradition for many. She believes that women should make their own choices. “Freedom means I wear the headscarf, as is my right,” said Malala. “I don’t feel comfortable covering my face, because that is who I am.”

As for being a young woman meeting with presidents and prime ministers, Malala says she is not afraid of powerful world leaders. “Am I afraid of presidents?” she asked, “Presidents should be scared of me because I’m speaking for the people.” It is the government’s responsibility to provide “complete, quality education for every child.” And Malala intends to hold governments and leaders to this obligation.

“Terrorists,” said Malala, “understand how important education is.”

In the video below, a choir sings a song written to honor Malala, and she joins them on stage.

July 22, 2016July 22, 2016

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

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2016-07-21 Pass the CSA 019 — 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.

2016-07-21 Pass the CSA 034 — 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.

July 15, 2016

Locking arms for peace in Pawtucket

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“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.”

2016-07-14 Lock Arms for Peace Pawtucket 016 — Melissa

2016-07-14 Lock Arms for Peace Pawtucket 015 — Tara

2016-07-14 Lock Arms for Peace Pawtucket 011 — Diana Garlington

2016-07-14 Lock Arms for Peace Pawtucket 007 — Melissa, Jane Jellison

2016-07-14 Lock Arms for Peace Pawtucket 006 — Mary Gray, Melissa

July 14, 2016

Protesting environmental racism in South Providence

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Protests against environmental racism and the expansion of fracked gas infrastructure in Rhode Island continued yesterday as members of the FANG Collective and the Environmental Justice League of RI, along with area residents and other community and environmental organizations, held signs and delivered flyers to drivers at the corner of Eddy St and Thurbers Ave.

National Grid is trying to build a $180 million fracked gas production facility in South Providence, and organizers call this is a clear example of environmental racism as all 11 of the EPA’s identified toxic polluters in Providence are already in this zip code, which is predominantly made up of low-income people of color. The impact and dangers of this project are enormous and have been outlined by the EJ League in detail.

Among those attending the protest was Kate Aubin, who is running for Cranston City Council. The section of Edgewood, where she lives, would potentially be affected by a disaster occurring in any one of several chemical and toxic storage facilities in South Providence.

2016-07-13 NoLNGinPVD 011 — Handing out flyers to motorists in English or Spanish

2016-07-13 NoLNGinPVD 004 — Laura Perez, House district 11 candidate

2016-07-13 NoLNGinPVD 001 — Mary Pendergast

July 10, 2016July 10, 2016

Providence honors Alton Sterling and Philando Castile

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Hundreds 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.

July 5, 2016

Kate Aubin announces run for Cranston City Council

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Kate Aubin is officially announcing her run for a city wide seat on the Cranston City Council. The Edgewood resident and former Providence high school teacher is an advocate for environmental and social justice and an activist for progressive causes. She’ll offer a new voice and fresh perspective and fight for social change in the state’s fourth largest city.

Aubin envisions a Cranston that is diverse, equitable, and resilient. She will fight to protect the environment and against development that mortgages our long term future for short term gain. She will advocate for students, teachers, and families, and plans to create new opportunities to empower youth to become more involved in local government and the community. Aubin will be a champion for developing a stronger local food system within Cranston and Rhode Island, and will support economic initiatives that keep money circulating locally, rather than flowing out to out-ofstate corporations.

“I’m running because the city of Cranston is ready for progressive change,” said Aubin. “We’re at a turning point, not just in Cranston but in Rhode Island and around the world, where ‘business as usual’ just won’t cut it anymore. Policy decisions need to be evaluated through the lens of equality, equity, and sustainability. I will be a voice for that change in Cranston.”

Aubin lives in the Edgewood section of Cranston with her husband. She was born in Providence and raised in Woonsocket and has two degrees from Rhode Island schools (a B.A. in journalism from the University of Rhode Island and a B.A. in secondary education from Rhode Island College). She’s currently pursuing a Master’s Degree in sustainability and social innovation at Goddard College.

[From a press release]

July 1, 2016

YPI applauds PVD School Board policy on transgender and gender expansive students

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Youth Pride Inc. (YPI) applauds the new policies of the Providence School Board in its efforts to ensure best practices to providing services and support to transgender students that not only create a more safe and affirming learning environment, but also protects the rights of transgender students in the city’s schools. YPI is the only youth service organization in the state that is exclusively focused on the needs of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) youth. They serve not only as advocates for our LGBTQ youth, but also as a resource to any school in our state who wishes to engage YPI as partners in the process to supporting LGBTQ youth.

“This policy is a welcome change and one that YPI has been advocating for many years,” said Chris Lauth, Executive Director at Youth Pride. “This policy is a key step in recognizing transgender students’ needs to feel supported from our school leaders and paves the way for our schools to extend this right to them.

Joining the national and regional call to action to support transgender students, both Providence School Board Member Robert Gondola, who sponsored the board initiative and School Board President Nicholas Hemond demonstrated good leadership in the creation and approval of this important policy. The Policy for Transgender and Gender Expansive Students compliments Providence Mayor Jorge O. Elorza‘s priorities for a school district that is welcoming, accessible and free of discrimination.

For more information about this new policy and/or what it may mean for you as a parent or student, YPI is always available for support and counseling.

June 26, 2016June 26, 2016

Celebrating World Refugee Day in Rhode Island

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Rhode Island celebrated World Refugee Day on Saturday in the People’s Park (Burnside Park) in downtown Providence. The Rufugee Dream Center’s Omar Bah, a Gambian refugee and now a United States citizen, was the emcee for the event. He noted that Rhode Island’s founder, Roger Williams, was a refugee from Massachusetts seeking freedom and safety in our state. Bah said that welcoming refugees is a Rhode island tradition that must be protected.

Dorcas International Institute of Rhode Island sponsored the event.

On stage were cultural dances, poetry and music from around the world, including Colombia, Burma, the Congo, India and many more. The event ended with dancing from members of Rhode Island’s Syrian refugee community.

The United Nations notes that “World Refugee Day has been marked on 20 June, ever since the UN General Assembly, on 4 December 2000, adopted resolution 55/76 where it noted that 2001 marked the 50th anniversary of the 1951 Convention relating to the Status of Refugees, and that the Organization of African Unity (OAU) had agreed to have International Refugee Day coincide with Africa Refugee Day on 20 June.”

This is the first outdoor World Refugee Celebration in Providence. Representatives David Cicilline and James Langevin, as well as Secretary of State Nellie Gorbea, spoke briefly.

2016-06-25 World Refugee Day PVD 031 — R.I. Episcopal Bishop W. Nicholas Knisely

2016-06-25 World Refugee Day PVD 013 — Secretary of State Nellie Gorbea

2016-06-25 World Refugee Day PVD 010 — Representative James Langevin

2016-06-25 World Refugee Day PVD 004 — Representative David Cicilline

June 24, 2016

Locking arms for peace in South Providence

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Dozens of residents came out for peace in South Providence, near the intersection of Broad Street and Elmwood Avenue, locking arms and chanting against violence in the community. “Lock Arms for Peace” was organized by Diana Garlington, a resident of South Providence, mother and peace activist. This effort, said Garlington, is to raise awareness “about peace and unity, no matter your culture or background.”

Garlington sees the violence on the streets as “a state issue, not just here in Providence.

“We’re not sitting around waiting for our police department or our mayor or someone else to stand up,” said Garlington to the crowd, “We need to stand up. These are our children. These are all of our children.”

Dozens attended the action, and many passersby joined in as they saw what was happening.

June 21, 2016

Youth Pride Inc announces new executive director

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Christopher R. Lauth, Assistant Director of Diversity Programs at the Rhode Island School of Design (RISD), has been named Executive Director of Youth Pride Inc. (YPI) by the organization’s Board of Directors. Mr. Lauth will officially assume this new role on June 27, 2016.

“On behalf of the Board of Directors of Youth Pride Inc., I am excited to welcome Christopher Lauth as the new Executive Director,” said Board Chair Lisa Carcieri. “His passion and demonstrated leadership serving the LGBTQ community will help the organization advance its mission to meet the unique needs of LGBTQ youth and young adults of our State.”

Mr. Lauth will be YPI’s fifth Executive Director. His background includes founding and leading a gay/straight alliance from 2006-2009 in Northeast Florida and significant experience in higher education, student development theory, non-profit management and social justice education. Mr. Lauth will advance both YPI’s strategic plan and guide development initiatives to better support LGBTQ youth and YPI’s future contributions in youth advocacy/education for the Rhode Island community.

“I am humbled and honored to be serving our Rhode Island LGBTQ youth, helping to create not only a safe space but a space that will allow our youth to show up with all of their identities fully present,” said Mr. Lauth. “Only then will we create an environment that will empower and prepare our youth to recognize their immense personal power when they live true to who they are enabling them to become change agents in our community.”

Lauth has a Master of Science in College Student Personnel Administration from Canisius College in Buffalo, New York and a Bachelor of Arts in U.S. Southern Cultural History from Flagler College in Saint Augustine, Florida.

YPI was founded nearly 25 years ago in 1992 as a support group within the YMCA of Greater Rhode Island. Having its first meeting in the Sarah Doyle Women’s Center on Brown University’s campus, it quickly outgrew the space and incorporated in 1994. Today, YPI is poised to begin a robust and exciting time in its history to help foster an emerging generation of strong, thoughtful and caring leaders in a global society. Over the past year, YPI has served 850 youth in its drop-in center, providing access to food for over 300 and supported 45 gay/straight alliances in the Rhode Island school system.

June 15, 2016June 15, 2016

RI mourns Orlando, demands action at Pulse memorial service

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Rhode Island continues to respond to the terrible events that took place at the Pulse nightclub in Orlando in beautiful, moving and powerful ways. Last night hundreds gathered at the Roger Williams National Memorial, the site of our state’s very first Pride event 40 years ago, in solidarity, mourning and empowerment.

With long-time LGBTQ activist Kate Monteiro acting as introduction and organizer, a series of speakers that included clergy, advocates, and government officials spoke to the crowd about LGBTQ rights, violence, homophobia, Islamophobia and guns.

Dr. Wendy Manchester Ibrahim, of the RI Council for Muslim Advancement told the crowd that she and the RI Muslim community stand in solidarity with the LGBTQ community in Rhode Island in denouncing the terrible actions of the Orlando shooter. The crowd reacted with enthusiasm and support.

Ethan Huckel, board president of TGI Network of RI, urged those in attendance to dismantle the system of oppression that allows such outrages to happen, saying, “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.”

Fernando Gonzale, representing YPI (Youth Pride RI), said that the attack in Orlando compelled him to put aside his shyness and speak to the large crowd. Gonzale, a 17 year old gay Latino, said, “Unfortunately this week stopped being about marriage and rights and it turned into being about being a life and death situation, about survival.”

Both Governor Gina Raimondo and Providence Mayor Jorge Elorza called for a ban on assault rifles. Jennifer Smith Boylan, of Moms Demand Action, talked of the seeming futility of passing common sense gun legislation at the State House, where Speaker Nicholas Mattiello simply allows bills to die. State Senators Donna Nesselbush and Josh Miller left the State House while in session to join the rally, the only two General Assembly members to do so. It became clear that if Rhode wants to do something about gun violence, we’ll need a new legislature.

Below, please video and pictures of all the speakers at the memorial.

June 10, 2016

Speaker explains reasoning behind Youth Pride RI funding cuts

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Many 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.

June 7, 2016June 7, 2016

Remembering Bristol Police Officer Richard Jean-Georges on the 1st anniversary his death

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It is difficult to find words that will adequately express the shock and sympathy over the tragic loss of patrolman Richard Jean-Georges off the coast of Costa Rica on June 6, 2015. Losing my good friend Jean-Georges, was the hardest moment I had to go through in the past year.

As a son of immigrants from Haiti, I felt honored to know this family. His family members are still experiencing trauma and need psychological assistance and social interventions to help them recover. The pain of losing someone who dedicated his life to protecting and serving his community shall never be forgotten.

I remember on the Saturday before his untimely death, we attended services at the Ephese Church, on Eddy Street in south Providence. He was as young, vibrant and full of energy and enthusiasm as ever. I recall how passionate he was when talking about his intention to support and mentor community youth. We chatted in detail and parted ways. A few days later, I received the devastating news that he was missing off the coast of Costa Rica.

Officer Jean-Georges was not only a good friend but also a fellow community leader whose aspirations have been similar to mine from childhood. I remember a few years ago we took the state police test together. I changed course but he proceeded to later join the Bristol Police Department. I was very proud of him. Since then, in my capacity as the founder of the New Bridges for Haitian Success, my conversations with him have always centered around uplifting our community. He was immensely concerned about the need for role models for our youth and always discussed ways to improve truancy, trouble with the law, and youth engagement. In short, he was a great community leader and a role model who many looked up to.

I am glad that the memory of this great officer, Jean-Georges is being kept alive. On Monday 20, 2016 it was with utmost pleasure to hear the great news that the Rhode Island Municipal Police Training Academy launched the “Officer Richard J. Jean-Georges Memorial Physical Fitness Award”. I know that no words I can offer have the power to ease the loss, including the toughest, roughest, hardest moments that his family experience.

We celebrate this great human being whose memory and hard work continue to impact our community. You will be missed forever and I pray that you rest in peace in the name of holy Jesus.

Adieu my friend!

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