by Billy Kepner | May 10, 2017 | Council News, Press Release, Ward-15
City Council President Pro Tempore Sabina Matos today issued the following statement regarding Council President Aponte’s indictment:
“I am concerned and saddened by today’s indictment against Council President Aponte. Luis has been a colleague and friend for many years. This is a difficult time for the City and our constituents.
As President Pro-Tempore, I wish to assure the people of Providence that their Councilors remain committed to continuing their hard work to ensure that Providence is a vibrant, successful city for all its residents. While the judicial process unfolds, I will remain focused on our work and committed to moving the City of Providence forward.”
Majority Leader Bryan Principe issued a statement echoing Councilwoman Matos’ emphasis on the Council’s commitment to constituents:
“At the end of the day, the judicial process that began today is out of our hands, and we can’t control its outcome. Instead, we will remain focused on fulfilling our commitment to the people of Providence and continue to serve the City to the best of our ability.”
by Billy Kepner | May 5, 2017 | Council News, Press Release, Ward-14
The Providence City Council approved a measure on Thursday that prohibits drivers from obstructing three designated intersections in the City of Providence. The “Don’t Block the Box” ordinance was introduced by Councilman David Salvatore (Ward 14) to improve traffic flow in busy intersections throughout the city. Salvatore also lobbied the General Assembly for enabling legislation last year.
“We often see drivers stuck in the middle of intersections, which is unsafe for everyone,” said Salvatore. “Thanks to enabling legislation introduced by Representative Charlene Lima, cities and towns in Rhode Island now have better tools to mitigate traffic jams. The ‘Don’t Block the Box’ designation is proven to reduce congestion and make busy intersections safer for pedestrians and motorists alike.”
The City will pilot the program through the end of 2017 in three locations: Dave Gavitt Way and Broadway; Memorial Boulevard and Exchange Street; and Cranston Street and Potters Avenue.
Police officers will begin enforcement two weeks after “Don’t Block the Box” signage is installed and intersections are striped accordingly.
The Department of Public Works will monitor the impact of the ordinance and provide the Council with a report early next year.
by Billy Kepner | May 5, 2017 | Council News, Press Release, Ward-10, Ward-5, Ward-6
The Providence City Council tonight approved an ordinance that allows the Providence Police Department to confiscate and destroy recreational vehicles that are driven in the city illegally. In recent months, the city has faced an alarming uptick of unauthorized recreational vehicles being used on city roads and in public parks, sometimes swarming in large numbers to intimidate the public. On Easter weekend, dozens of people riding dirt bikes and ATVs swarmed a playground on Aleppo Street, endangering the twenty parkgoers who fled the area when the pack arrived. One motorist was killed while operating an ATV on a city street in the Manton neighborhood earlier this year.
“We have been hearing from many residents and community organizations about dangerous incidents across the city involving ATVS and dirt bikes,” said Council President Luis Aponte (Ward 10). “These incidents threaten everyone’s safety, and the ordinance we passed tonight gives our police department greater latitude in addressing the problem.”
Rhode Island Foundation President Neil Steinberg recently stated in a letter to the Council that ATV and off-road motor vehicles “are causing significant damage” to Roger Williams Park, and that “large groups of riders frequently meet in the Park to ride off-road on trails and fields.” He noted that the vehicles’ damage to Roger Williams Park has cost the Providence Parks Department nearly $20,000 in repairs.
The ordinance, adapted from a similar law in New York City, has already earned support from the Providence Police Department. “The City of Providence has experienced lawlessness in the illegal use of all-terrain vehicles and off road motorbikes on our City Streets,” said Public Safety Commissioner Steven Pare. “This has created a danger to our community and to our police officers who try to intercept these vehicles driving at high rates of speed on our streets, in our parks and on the bike path. The ordinance will allow the Providence Police to stop, seize and potentially forfeit these vehicles so they are forever removed from the public spaces that they operate illegally. We thank the Council for their support in this ordinance and we look forward to removing this menace from our community once and for all.”
“This is a city-wide issue that has great implications for the quality of life in all of our neighborhoods,” said Councilwoman Ryan (Ward 5), who sponsored the ordinance. “This ordinance gives our Police officers the tools they need to deal with the growing epidemic of illegal vehicles abusing our traffic laws and endangering the public.”
“We are doing everything we possibly can to rid the city of the ATVs and dirt bikes terrorizing our parks and neighborhoods,” said Councilman Michael Correia (Ward 6), who recently called upon the police department for increased enforcement.
by Billy Kepner | May 4, 2017 | Council News, Press Release, Ward-10
The Providence City Council tonight established a working group to further review the Community Safety Act, discuss a limited scope of concerns, and identify potential solutions for implementation of the ordinance prior to the Council’s second vote on June 1st. The working group will be comprised of community members, public safety officials, City Councilors, and representatives from the city’s administration and legal team.
“We’ve dedicated a great deal of time gathering input on the CSA, however, some stakeholders felt their concerns about the ordinance and its implementation hadn’t been fully heard,” said City Council President Luis Aponte. “The CSA Working Group gives us an opportunity to take a deeper dive into any specific and legitimate concerns before the Council takes its landmark vote in June.”
The 11-member panel will be tasked with providing the City Council with a written review and formal recommendation by June 1, 2017.
by Billy Kepner | Apr 27, 2017 | Council News, Press Release, Ward-10
City Council President Luis Aponte today issued the following statement in response to a letter sent to the Council yesterday from the Providence Fraternal Order of Police regarding tonight’s vote on the Community Safety Act:
The Community Safety Act (CSA) has been vetted through a highly collaborative 3-year process inclusive of the Providence Police Department and the people of Providence. The CSA builds upon the best practices from our own police department by adopting legislation that has been proven effective in other cities across the country. Since the CSA was first introduced in 2014, the Providence City Council has solicited and received input from many organizations, including law enforcement officials and the police union. The Community Safety Act has earned a wide range of support from many reputable local institutions, including Trinity Repertory Company, Economic Progress Institute, NAACP, Student National Medical Association at Alpert Medical School, Dorcas Institute, National Lawyers Guild of Rhode Island, Medical Students of Rhode Island, Fox Point Neighborhood Association, Girls Rock Rhode Island, New Urban Arts, RI Association of Naturopathic Physicians, and the ACLU.
This is a landmark moment for the City of Providence. After three years of intense collaboration and numerous revisions that address the stated concerns of our law enforcement officials, the end result is an ordinance in which our community can take tremendous pride.
Yesterday, in a letter to the City Council, the Providence Fraternal Order of Police raised some last minute concerns about the CSA that are based upon factual errors:
– The FOP erroneously stated that the CSA mandates that a gang member would be removed from the gang database if he/she has no convictions within a two-year period. In reality, the CSA requires individuals be removed from gang database if they have no convictions for two years and no new evidence meeting the criteria for inclusion has been found in two years. Simply put, police wouldn’t consider someone a suspect in a crime if they found no evidence connecting them to that crime for years. This should not be any different for the gang database.
– The FOP’s letter states that the Police Department will have to notify every subject who has been stopped that video and/or audio recording of the stop is available. This is erroneous; only individuals under investigation will have the right to view or hear video/audio of their stop, unless it would negatively affect law enforcement action. State law already gives individuals the right to view video of traffic stops they are involved in.
– The FOP is contesting the Providence External Review Authority’s right to review proposed labor contracts once they become public documents. The CSA is not granting PERA any new rights regarding labor contracts; all citizens and citizen groups have the right to review and comment on public documents such as contracts.
– The FOP erroneously states that the CSA takes away rights of Limited English Proficiency (LEP) individuals to choose who interprets their conversations with officers. In fact, the CSA requires that officers who do not speak an LEP individual’s language use the Police Department’s language-access hotline, except in emergencies. The Department already has a language-access hotline; the CSA simply mandates that it must be used in non-emergency situations where language barriers are interfering with communication.
It is important to note that this ordinance does not take effect until January of 2018, so we have a long runway to identify and resolve further concerns as we work towards implementation.
