At tonight’s City Council meeting, Councilman John Goncalves (Ward 1) proposed a resolution calling on the Rhode Island Public Transit Authority (RIPTA) to immediately re-open the public restrooms located in Kennedy Plaza.
The resolution was co-sponsored by Council President Pro Tempore Pedro Espinal (Ward 10), Majority Leader James Taylor (Ward 8), Majority Whip Carmen Castillo (Ward 9), Senior Deputy Majority Leader Nicholas J. Narducci Jr. (Ward 4), Senior Deputy Majority Leader Mary Kay Harris (Ward 11), Councilwoman Helen Anthony (Ward 2), Councilwoman Nirva LaFortune (Ward 3), Councilman Michael Correia (Ward 6), Councilwoman Kat Kerwin (Ward 12), Councilor Rachel Miller (Ward 13) and Councilor David Salvatore (Ward 14).
“It is imperative that RIPTA makes the public restrooms at Kennedy Plaza open to the public as soon as possible. The lack of access to bathroom facilities for transit riders, and anyone spending time in or around Kennedy Plaza, has led to serious public health and quality of life concerns. With the City coming back to life as more residents are vaccinated, our City must be ready to meet the needs of our residents and the public facilities they use,” stated Councilman John Goncalves.
The restrooms were closed to the public in early 2020, due to the COVID-19 pandemic. However, as local businesses and public facilities have reopened in recent months, the bathrooms at Kennedy Plaza have remained closed. A host of elected officials and local organizations have called on RIPTA to act, including Rhode Island Governor Dan Mckee and the Providence based Project Weber/Renew.
“Not having bathrooms is a public health emergency: not only for the people who need the bathrooms, but for every single person who is walking or working downtown and is forced to deal with human waste on the streets. In this time of COVID, we see how important public health is. The bathrooms are beyond a matter of simple public health, they are a matter of human rights,” stated Haley Carbonneau, Project Weber/RENEW, Kennedy Plaza Project Coordinator
In July of 2020, a letter to RIPTA was signed by 30 different public health and medical organizations, highlighting the risk presented by the continued closure of the public bathrooms at Kennedy Plaza, including the presence of human waste on City streets.
“RIPTA has a responsibility to reopen their bathroom to uphold the health and dignity of people downtown. With the City Council’s support, we now look to RIPTA to do their part to offer this important service to our community,” added Annajane Yolken, Project Weber/RENEW, Director of Programs
Upon passage, this resolution will be sent to Rhode Island Governor Dan Mckee, Providence Mayor Jorge Elorza and the Chief Executive Officer of the Rhode Island Public Transit Authority, Scott Avedisian.