by Billy Kepner | Jun 2, 2020 | Council News, Ward-5
Like you, my thoughts have been heavy as we watched the tragedy of George Floyd’s death.
This past weekend we saw members of our community peacefully gather to share their collective grief and outrage which was moving and inspiring. Last night, June 1st, was not. What happened in our City last night was not a protest; it was an orchestrated and planned act of violence. The individuals who took to our City streets last night to wreak havoc and destruction were not honoring the memory of George Floyd or any of the others who have died. I want to thank the amazing men and women of our police department and the other agencies that helped in ending last night’s violence.
Nonetheless, the events in Minneapolis last week was a wakeup call that we all have a role to play in ensuring that the killing of black men in police custody must stop and stop now. I believe that Mayor Frey of Minneapolis explained the community’s reaction best, “… It is the result of so much built up anger and sadness – anger and sadness that has been ingrained in our Black community, not just because of five minutes of horror, but 400 years.”
This quote struck a chord with me — It stands as a reminder that this kind of systemic racism and violence needs to stop, and we all have a part to play in seeing that it ends now. Let’s not confuse the peaceful protest over the weekend addressing the issue at hand with the looting of last night. During these troubling times, I call on each of us to come together in unity to make our City and State better for everyone and for future generations to come.
by Billy Kepner | Jun 2, 2020 | Council News, Press Release, Ward-6
I want to thank our brave men and women of the Providence Police Department, the Rhode Island State Police, the Massachusetts State Police, and the police departments of neighboring cities and towns that helped assist in last night’s violence that unfolded in our City.
During these difficult times, the grief and sadness that our men and women of color are feeling is justifiable, but what unfolded last night was not a representation of that grief. The violence that occurred was calculated and planned and was not part of any kind of peaceful protest.
The events of last night showed that our Police Department handled themselves with dignity and professionalism while they were facing extreme danger. I will be working with our Finance team to ensure that our public safety officers have the necessary equipment to protect themselves in future events that might occur.
I ask that everyone join together and admonish the violence that occurred, and focus our energies on creating a place for peaceful dialogue and creating meaningful change in our City.
by Billy Kepner | Jun 2, 2020 | Council News, Press Release, Ward-4
The pain that many in our community are feeling at the senseless death of George Floyd is not only understandable but is yet another reflection of how our Country has failed our neighbors of color.
This past weekend, 100’s gathered to peacefully protest and collectively grieve the loss of Mr. Floyd without incident. What happened last night was nothing more than an orchestrated chaos that put our men and women of the Providence Police Department, and those of neighboring cities and states, in harm’s way.
I believe that we must work together to make change in our Country, but the violence that we witnessed unfold on social media in Providence last night is not the way. Those individuals are not part of the movement for equality, they were agitators meant to do harm for no reason. Destroying our City is not the way to bring about the change that we need.
Together, we can create change in a peaceful manner. I call on all of us to do better and be better. It’s the only path forward.
My thoughts today are with our small business owners who were already suffering, the family of George Floyd whose memory is being tarnished by violence, and for my neighbors who are justifiably scared of what might happen next.
Be strong, be resilient, and let’s work together.
by Billy Kepner | Jun 2, 2020 | Council News, Press Release, Ward-15
The chaos that ensued last night was not promulgated by our community. These weren’t our usual neighborhood organizers who descended onto our streets.
Last night our city was pillaged and preyed upon by out-of-Town agitators and impressionable opportunists.
Don’t be fooled by their calls for justice. Don’t let them purposefully tarnish the peaceful call and movement for reform.
They’ve accomplished nothing and hurt so many families with their senseless acts. Families whose businesses had been shuttered for months and had just reopened. They hurt the families these families feed with employment and commerce.
Last night wasn’t just an attack on brick and mortar establishments, it was an attack on the spirit and good name of our City. It was an attack on our neighbors. It was an attack on the progress so many of us are working to achieve.
Let us come together as a united community and denounce this violence and continue to fight and advocate for peace and reconciliation.
Sabina Matos, President
Providence City Council
Councilwoman – Ward 15
by Billy Kepner | Jun 1, 2020 | Council News, Press Release, Ward-15
As a Black-Latina Immigrant, instances of prejudice and racism are not unfamiliar to me.
Yet, the experience of the African American community in our country is one rife with hatred, destruction, and travesties of justice. I was proud to have taken my teenage son to the peaceful protest this past weekend in Providence.
There he witnessed the pain and outcry of black and brown communities who fear for their lives simply for existing. I pray for a world where my son’s skin color doesn’t make him a target of senseless violence.
Racism is our country’s oldest virus and one that we as leaders must work collectively and tirelessly to suppress and eradicate.
So let’s continue to chant, let’s continue to protest, and let’s continue to expose the evils that cause harm upon those we love. With peace on our side, there’s no way we can lose.
Sabina Matos, President
Providence City Council
Councilwoman – Ward 15
by Billy Kepner | May 29, 2020 | Council News, Press Release, Ward-5, Ward-7
City Council Majority Whip and Chairman of the Committee on Finance John J. Igliozzi, Esq. (Ward 7) has called for a meeting of the Committee on Finance to discuss Mayor Elorza’s plan to reopen our municipal government on Monday, June 1, at 5:00 PM via remote teleconference.
“It’s time to bring our City staff and offices back online safely and efficiently,” stated Chairman John J. Igliozzi, Esq. “A large percentage of our workforce has been idle, and not performing at full capacity. Over the past month, we have held almost daily Finance Committee meetings regarding the City’s budget and finances. The Committee has learned that the City is paying a large percentage of its employees for work that they are not able to do – at no fault of their own. There is no doubt that this pandemic has changed how we all live and work, but the City has had three months to take actionable steps to ensure that city services are being carried out. The administration did not provide modern technology to many of our employees, like call forwarding, laptops, or Wi-Fi hot spots. These simple steps would have allowed for city services to be done remotely and efficiently. At Monday’s meeting, the Committee expects the administration to provide an actionable plan of how they are going to safely and efficiently bring our employees back online and do the work that our taxpayers expect us to do whether that be remotely or in-person.”
City Hall and most other city-owned buildings have been closed to the public and non-essential staff since Saturday, March 14. During this time, residents have not been able to access city departments as they normally would. The City Council nor the Committee on Finance has been noticed on what the plans are to reopen city buildings and how the administration plans to bring back staff that is safe and manageable during the phased reopening process as put forth by Governor Raimondo.
Vice-Chairwoman of the Committee on Finance and City Council Majority Leader Jo-Ann Ryan (Ward 5) stated, “It is imperative that we get back to work, but we also must be able to ensure the safety of our city’s workforce. We have several offices that were able to pivot and work remotely, but not everything can be done online. We need to understand what the plans are to reopen the City because absent a comprehensive plan we are putting the health of our employees at risk. I look forward to hearing from the administration as to how they will be bringing back our workers safely and the measures they are putting in place to keep both our employees and visitors alike safe from the continued spread of the COVID-19 virus.”
The Committee on Finance will meet Monday, June 1, at 5:00 PM via Zoom. Members of the public are able to join the Zoom meeting either by phone or computer or watch on the City Council’s YouTube Channel. The information for Monday’s meeting can be found below:
Join from a PC, Mac, iPad, iPhone, or Android device.
Please click this URL to join the meeting: https://zoom.us/j/98023635365
Or join by phone – Dial: US: 1-646-876-9923 or 1-877-853-5257 (Toll-Free)
Webinar ID: 980 2363 5365
International numbers available: https://zoom.us/u/adDcs7QB17
Meetings are also streamed live on the City Council’s YouTube Channel: https://bit.ly/pvdmeetings. Please refresh your browser every minute or two until the meeting starts.
