by Billy Kepner | Jul 15, 2020 | Council News, Press Release, Ward-11
As other Black Americans are intimately aware of, the Black experience is one riddled with broken promises, false hopes and dreams, violence, trauma, and systems and institutions that seek to benefit from the exploitation of our individual and collective anguish.
Black communities across this country are suffering exponentially more because of COVID-19, a stalled economy, and a defective criminal justice system. Except, we’re not only risking health, eviction, homelessness and joblessness; Black families are risking body and life to keep the exhaust of our nation’s engine away from our collective consciousness. Black Americans across this country are forced to send their children to failing school systems, are relegated to minimum wage jobs, and are forced to live in decaying neighborhoods to support the American dream of others.
Therefore, the debt owed to my Black brothers and sisters not only stems from historical transgressions against our freedom, but accumulates to this day because of the underclass conditions we are forced to live in and told to be grateful for.
We don’t need to look too far back to find examples of discriminative governmental polices. There are plenty of inequitable systems today that desperately need our attention and energy.
With two years left in our terms, I believe the right initiative to undertake would be a Crisis Mitigation Plan for Black Communities in light of COVID-19 and every other modern-day inequality my community has to endure and disproportionately suffer from.
While I agree that we as a society are overdue for tough conversations about our past, that conversation doesn’t necessarily have to be tied to restitution.
The word “reparations” is a special word, and like a well, elected officials should refrain from using it so much or risk diminishing its worth. For when I think of reparations, I think of a restitution that is intrinsically connected, dollar for dollar, to the value of the uncompensated services provided by generations of Black slaves. I think of the compensation owed to us for our physical, mental, and emotional trauma that we experienced when our families were torn apart at auction blocks and cotton fields: trauma that haunts our community to this day.
Therefore, when I think of what is due to the Black community when we utter the word “reparations” I’m thinking of a remedy so thoughtful, holistic, and valuable as to be able to make a dent in the debt owed to my community. Whatever the reparation is better be capable of generationally shifting the plight of an entire community.
While down payment assistance programs, and tax abatement programs for our Black communities are initiatives worthy of exploration, they do not meet the criteria that is collectively conjured when we think of what is owed to these families.
I look forward to conversations about these very important matters and applaud the Mayor for providing a forum for doing so.
Yet, 2020 is definitely not the year to overpromise and underdeliver. My people have been through enough.
Mary Kay Harris, Deputy Majority Leader
Providence City Council
Councilwoman – Ward 11
by Billy Kepner | Jul 14, 2020 | Council News, Press Release, Ward-15
The subpoena would require the Commissioner to hand over all relative video footage regarding the of Sgt. Joseph Hanley to the Providence External Review Authority
At the formal request of PERA Executive Director Jose Batista, City Council President Sabina Matos (Ward 15) has called for the City Council to issue a subpoena to the Commissioner of Public Safety Steven Paré requiring him to hand over all body camera footage in the investigation of Sgt. Joseph Hanley to the Providence External Review Authority (PERA). The call for a subpoena will be voted on by the full council at Thursday’s meeting.
“Last week PERA held a meeting relative to the ongoing investigation into the alleged assault of a Rishod Gore, who was handcuffed at the time of the alleged assault, by Sgt. Joseph Hanley” stated Council President Sabina Matos. “The Public Safety Commissioner refused to allow PERA access to the body camera footage despite PERA being empowered by ordinance to oversee these types of internal investigations. This subpoena will now require that this footage be handed over to PERA so that they may do their due diligence as part of their review.”
On April 19, 2020, police were dispatched to a domestic dispute call on Knight Street that led to the arrest of Markese Davis and Rishod Gore. Once Gore was apprehended and handcuffed, it is alleged that Sgt. Hanley struck Mr. Gore several times. On July 8, 2020, Mayor Elorza released a statement that the City was working with the State’s Attorney General to charge Mr. Hanley and to terminate his employment with the City of Providence Police Department.
Section 18 ½ – 2 (h)(2) of the Providence Code of Ordinances establishes the procedure by which the Executive Director of the Providence External Review Authority may petition the City Council to issue a subpoena in order to assist in an investigation. Section 402 of the Providence Home Rule Charters allows for the Council President and the City Council to issue subpoenas, and in this case it allows for a subpoena for records in the possession of the Commissioner of Public Safety related to this ongoing matter.
by Billy Kepner | Jul 6, 2020 | Council News, Press Release, Ward-4
I fully understand that we are living in extraordinary times; I don’t believe any person should be forced to the ground and have a knee held to their neck for eight minutes and forty-six seconds. That’s incorrigible, and if that happened here in Providence, I would be joining the chorus of outraged voices. I too want justice for George Floyd and Breonna Taylor and the countless other lives that have been lost at the hands of police brutality.
That said, I firmly believe that Providence has one of the best Police Departments in the country, and our Providence Community Police Relations Act has become a benchmark for other municipalities around the United States. I strongly support proper and continued education and training for our officers, and would like to see a line item put in this year’s budget to achieve that end.
I am sure that there are members of our police force that have and will abuse their power, but I know that Chief Hugh Clements will do everything in his power to root that out whenever or wherever it may happen.
I want Chief Clements and the men and women of the Providence Police Department to know that I am thankful for the exemplary job they have continued to do under immense scrutiny and in a time of such turmoil.
Nicholas J. Narducci Jr., Senior Deputy Majority Leader
Providence City Council
Councilman – Ward 4
by Billy Kepner | Jul 1, 2020 | Council News, Press Release, Ward-5
Tomorrow, Majority Leader Jo-Ann Ryan (Ward 5) will be introducing two resolutions to rename Obadiah Brown Road and Obadiah Brown Field after former Mayor Patrick J. McCarthy.
“We are living in extraordinary times, young people are calling for change and asking elected leaders to help amplify their voices,” stated Majority Leader Jo-Ann Ryan. “Obadiah Brown was the owner of the first known Providence-based slave ship, and that is not a legacy that I want to see honored in the Mount Pleasant neighborhood. Obadiah Brown Road is home to Pleasant View Elementary School, the Armand E. Batastini Jr. Recreation Center, and Obadiah Brown Field. Our City’s children should not have to go to a school or play on a road or field named after a slave trader. They deserve better. I believe that naming both the road and field after Patrick J. McCarthy, who was the first foreign-born Mayor of Providence, is a better example of who we should honor in our city.”
Patrick J. McCarthy was born in Greevagh Parish, County Sligo, Ireland, on September 12, 1848. His family immigrated to the United States in 1850 to avoid the potato famine. They were quarantined on Deer Island in Boston Harbor, where his parents died, and he and his five brothers were separated after their quarantine. He lived with various family members and in poor houses growing up in Boston. At the age of 20, he moved to Providence in 1868 and graduated from Harvard School of Law in 1876.
McCarthy became a prominent attorney in Providence, he served on the City Council and was a member of the Rhode Island House of Representatives. In 1906 he was elected as the 24th Mayor of the City of Providence. He was a staunch advocate of progressive “good government,” which included supporting an eight-hour workday for the city’s laborers.
Majority Leader Ryan continued, “I believe that changing the name will help to replace a legacy of slave trading with an important historical figure who represents the ideals that make our country great. The idea he was held by authorities on Deer Island as a child and then separated from his family is all too eerily similar to the horror stories we hear happening today at our border with Mexico. Providence needs to celebrate its rich heritage.”
After passage, the resolution renaming of the field will be transmitted to the Board of Park Commissioners. The resolution to rename the road will be transmitted to the United States Postmaster in Providence, the Office of the Secretary of State, the 911 Emergency System, National Grid, Verizon, Providence Water Supply Board, and to all City Departments.
by Billy Kepner | Jun 30, 2020 | Ward-11
Congratulations to Dr. Eugenio Fernandez Jr. owner of Asthenis Pharmacy and Dwayne Keys of Compass Working Capital for being named to Providence Business News “40 under 40.” Both call Ward 11 home and are tireless advocates for the community.
As the Councilwoman for Ward 11, I want to ensure that I lift up and highlight the folks on the ground doing the work. Both Dwayne and Eugenio are fantastic community partners and I couldn’t be prouder that they both received this honor. I can say for certain that it is well deserved.
Learn more about them below:
Dr. Eugenio Fernandez Jr while pursuing four majors at the University of Rhode Island, Dr. Eugenio Fernandez Jr. got an idea. Why not take an integrative approach to bringing health care to his home community on the west side by creating a new kind of pharmacy, one without the candy and junk food aisles, that focuses solely on the patient. And why not take health care out of the bounds and control of prescriptions and medical diagnoses and into the community by educating some of our most vulnerable populations. That’s how Asthenis, the only pharmacy in the Ward 11 neighborhood and the only independent pharmacy for miles around, was born.
Asthenis is a pharmacy built on the values of health equity and is based on a socially-conscious business model.
Dwayne Keys:
Dwayne has spent over 15 years advocating on behalf of historically excluded & disenfranchised communities for economic justice & full inclusion in economic prosperity. Dwayne serves as the volunteer Chairperson of the South Providence Neighborhood Association (SPNA), leading efforts to provide public forums where all residents of the Southside of Providence have direct input in the urban planning decisions that shape the future of the neighborhood. He has resided in the Southside of Providence for over 20 years (most of that time in Ward 11) & is involved in many other community organizations throughout the state of RI. In addition to his advocacy & volunteer efforts, Dwayne is a full-time Senior Financial Coach with Compass Working Capital, a non-profit organization dedicated to providing financial coaching & education to families with low incomes in support of them building assets & financial capabilities. With over 13 years of experience working in for-profit banking & financial services prior to joining Compass in 2017, Dwayne still participates in various personal finance programs & economic mobility events geared towards eliminating poverty. A graduate of Johnson & Wales University, Dwayne earned his A.S. in Retailing, B.S. in Marketing, & M.B.A. in International Trade.
Congratulations to these exceptional men from Ward 11!
