Government
Public services and government action
Providence Police search unhoused encampment - threaten arrests
"Listen to me," said the officer. "You're this close to getting arrested for disorderly conduct. You're very close. Don't challenge me on it because you'll be in handcuffs in a second."
Advocates push to provide health insurance for all RI children, regardless of immigration status
The legislation "would establish Rhode Island’s commitment to provide health insurance to all children who are residents of the state, regardless of immigration status. It would provide for the appropriation of state-only funds to pay for coverage if federal funds are not available."
During pandemic, RIDOC Director never visited correctional facilities under her supervision
"...I had asked how often she gets into the cellblocks," said Katherine Molloy, who toured the facilities with Director Coyne-Fage in early May. "She told me that this had been the first time she's been there in a year."
Unhoused, they banded together. Now their "garden" is about to be dispersed.
"This started off down the street. There's a little garden. That was my vision," said Diumila Almonte. "Somebody has to tell their story and be honest and not feel judged for their story. People need to know it's our society failing these people. It's our government failing these people. It's our council failing these people."
Safer Communities for Justice launches unsolved murders tip line
"It's time for us to provide solutions," said Safer Communities for Justice founder Diana Garlington. "We do rallies and vigils, like Lock Arms for Peace, but it's now time to step up and try to provide solutions to what's going on in our communities."
Central Falls announces new Nonviolence Outreach Specialist; initiatives to engage youth
“As a parent to a newborn 10 days ago, as a coach, as a mentor, as a leader to this community, I know that we have to prioritize our kids, and making sure we figure out the safest way possible to keep them away from the streets,” said Manny Silva, the new Central Falls Nonviolence Outreach Specialist. “We have to build our relationships and trust with this community.”
Nourish RI wants to improve public health with small tax on sugar-sweetened beverages
"When patients ask me, as a physician, what is the number one thing they can do to lose weight or if they're pre-diabetic, my answer is always to reduce your consumption of soda and other sugary beverages," said Dr Philip Chan, Associate Professor in the Department of Medicine at Brown University. "It's literally one of the best things we can do health wise besides quitting smoking or exercising."
One year after George Floyd - BLM RI PAC demands policy, not platitudes
"There have been a lot of shows of solidarity for Black lives," said Senator Tiara Mack. "There has been very little progress to change the ways in which Black and brown and low-income people experience real and tangible change on the precipice of a national and global conversation about how we reckon with racism, not only in our policies but in the practices of those policies."
Faith and community leaders unveil alternatives to violence at Billy Taylor Park
"We recognize that as a community, we are one. And when we are one, all of us hurt," said Reverend Howard Jenkins Jr. "But also we recognize that we are very familiar with the persons that are oppressors in the sense of gun and gang violence. We know the family members. We have had some type of interaction with them."
Governor McKee believes student resource officers are needed - Students disagree
SROs enforce a system of violence that criminalizes our black and brown youth, and perpetuates the school to prison pipeline. The bottom line is, no matter his experience as an educator, Governor McKee cannot understand the lived experiences of students of color, who face harassment and assault at the hands of police in their communities and (as long as the city continues to employ SROs) in their schools. How many times must youth be brutalized at the hands of SROs before Governor McKee realizes that police officers have no place in our schools?