by Abigail Appel | Jun 25, 2020 | Council News, Press Release, Ward-11
Council Deputy Majority Leader Mary Kay Harris (Ward 11) joined Kobe Dennis, the YMCA of Greater Providence, the Rhode Island Office of Healthy Aging and her neighbors at Wiggin Village to kick off a new food and fitness program.
“The health and wellbeing of our neighbors is always a top priority, especially in times of a global pandemic. As a community, we must work to adapt to these changing times while staying at our best mentally and physically,” stated Deputy Majority Leader Harris.
Nearly 100 older adults will be receiving twice-weekly meals from now until August, along with exercise bands, fitness instruction, and nutrition tips. Wiggin Village is located in the West End neighborhood of Providence, an area that has one of the largest COVID-19 positive cases in the City.
‘I am so grateful to the YMCA, the Office of Healthy Aging, and the local restaurants who have all worked together to create healthy outcomes for residents in our neighborhood,” added Deputy Majority Leader Harris.
The goal of this program is to encourage a healthy lifestyle among residents throughout the changes that come with social distancing. Currently, the pilot program is prepared to run through August, but may be extended if there is a need and if additional funding is available.
by Billy Kepner | Jun 25, 2020 | Council News, Press Release, Ward-5
The Providence Police and Fire Departments in coordination with the Rhode Island State Fire Marshal’s Office has organized a task force dedicated specifically to curb the use of fireworks due to the recent uptick in our city over the past few weeks. Beginning today, June 25th at 7:00 p.m. there will be a dedicated task force of approximately a dozen law enforcement officials working the streets from Thursday through Saturday, responsible for responding to the increased calls for fireworks and noise related incidents.
“Here in Rhode Island, ground-based fireworks and handheld sparklers are legal. But given the cancellation of a number of recent fireworks displays locally, illegal fireworks have become more accessible to the public,” said Colonel Clements. “This has not only been a local but nationwide problem and with this comprehensive effort we will do our due diligence to ensure that this does not continue to be a nuisance within our neighborhoods.”
“This is a great step forward and I commend the leadership of Chief Clements and State Fire Marshal Timothy P. Mclaughlin for their initiative. When I convened a group of City stakeholders last week to discuss this quality of life nuisance, we identified three main areas that need to be addressed: public education on what is and isn’t legal; licensing enforcement for businesses that are illegally selling fireworks; and a coordinated effort by public safety officials to laser focus on hot spot or problematic areas. I am optimistic that this task force is exactly the type of coordination that will help alleviate the problem,” stated City Council Majority Leader Jo-Ann Ryan.
“Our office has received many more complaints about illegal fireworks this year than in any past years,” said RI State Fire Marshal Timothy P. Mclaughlin. “We are happy to join the Providence Police and Providence Fire departments on this task force to limit the use of illegal fireworks in our neighborhoods.”
–This is a press release of the Providence Police Department
by Billy Kepner | Jun 24, 2020 | Council News, Press Release, Ward-7
After a nearly nine-hour continuous public hearing where Providence Residents called on the City Council to defund and abolish the police, and to provide more social service programs to help city residents in crisis, Providence City Council Majority Whip and Chairman of the Council’s Committee on Finance John J. Igliozzi Esq. (Ward 7) today announced his intention to replicate a program that was launched in Eugene, Oregon, in 1989 by White Bird Clinic, called Crisis Assistance Helping Out on the Streets (CAHOOTS). This proposed pilot program would address the social service needs that are better treated by trained counselors, medics, and crisis managers than the police.
“As Chairman of the Committee on Finance I will be bringing this issue forward and inviting the Providence Department of Public Safety and community partners back before the Committee at our next meeting to discuss the implementation and funding of a pilot mobile crisis intervention unit program similar to CAHOOTS here in Providence,” Stated Councilman John J. Igliozzi.
The program that Igliozzi intends to launch in Providence would be similar to the approach that CAHOOTS has been using since its inception. The Eugene, Oregon based program deploys teams of two unarmed civilian officers with a medic and trained crisis worker to calls that are nonviolent and do not require an armed response. According to their shared data, they handled 18% of the 133,000 911 calls in the City of Eugene last year and only needed to call for police backup 150 times. The program is operated on a $2-million budget and saved the city nearly $14-million in costs of ambulance transport and emergency room care in the past year.
“Monday night, and into the early hours of Tuesday, we heard from more than two hundred individuals that shared their fear, anguish, and concerns over the way police are called upon to handle crisis situations. Several of the 911 calls that our police department is called to answer are situations in which they are not necessarily trained to address. They are trained to deal with violent crimes, not mental health, and social service calls.”
Councilman Igliozzi continued, “In addition to the work I will be doing in Committee, I will be putting forth a resolution at the next City Council meeting calling on the City to officially implement a pilot program that mirrors the success that has been achieved in Eugene, working in partnership with the Police Department, the City Council, and community advocates. It was clear to me that we are a city in pain and abolishing or defunding the police is an unachievable goal in this current budget season. However, I believe we have an opportunity to divert funds from bloated city programs to create and embed a Social Service Mobile Crisis Unit in the Department of Public Safety that can address and alleviate many – not all – of the concerns that we heard from the residents who testified.”
Ebony Morgan from CAHOOTS Crisis Intervention wrote in a statement, “At our roots, Cahoots is innovative, forward-thinking, and dedicated to serving marginalized populations.” The pilot program that Councilman Igliozzi is proposing would mirror what they have achieved in Eugene, but will have a focus on addressing the issues that might be unique to Providence.
“The spending portion of the budget for the City of Providence is nowhere near complete, and by taking the time now to look at the budget holistically we can create the same kind of pilot program here in our City, and I believe we will be better for it.,” stated Chairman Igliozzi.
Chairman Igliozzi will be bringing together stakeholders to discuss how the City of Providence can create a pilot program and work with institutional partners.
by Billy Kepner | Jun 23, 2020 | Council News, Press Release, Ward-15
When the original Public Hearing was Zoom-bombed by hateful rhetoric, this Council made a decision to reschedule it.
We rescheduled it because the Public Hearing is the only opportunity for the community to go on record with feedback on the Administration’s proposed budget for the upcoming fiscal year.
After 9 consecutive hours of public testimony last night, one thing is abundantly clear: the community is not content with what the Administration has submitted for the Police Department’s budget.
The Council will now engage in the task of examining the Police Department budget to evaluate where amendments could be made that are reflective of the community’s priorities.
We will do this in collaboration with community leaders, public safety officials, and the Administration. We are hopeful that a unified approach will result in safer neighborhoods and a more empowered community.
Sabina Matos, President
Providence City Council
Councilwoman – Ward 15
by Billy Kepner | Jun 23, 2020 | Council News, Press Release, Ward-14
What occurred at Providence College was disgraceful.
Providence College’s campus provides our community with many benefits including green space and access to community programs; and to see their campus desecrated with symbols of hate is harmful and traumatic.
I am glad the vandal has been apprehended, and it is my sincere hope that he is able to access the help that he needs.
My family and I are wishing the security officer who was assaulted a speedy recovery.
David A. Salvatore
Providence City Council
Councilman – Ward 14
by Abigail Appel | Jun 22, 2020 | Council News, Press Release, Ward-15
In an email sent out by the President of the Providence Police Union in encouragement of this no-confidence vote he implores officers to ‘all stick together.’
I find it disappointing that my public support of a firefighter who felt racially profiled by our police department would warrant this type of response by union leaders.
How is any community member supposed to feel comfortable coming forward with their own stories if the union responds in this manner to a black elected official simply for speaking out against racial profiling?
‘Sticking together’ is precisely one of the root causes of the problem. It’s one of the main reasons people are marching in the streets all over this country. It’s this same fraternal attitude that intimidates good officers from coming forward and reporting incidents of abuse by peers or superiors. ‘Sticking together’ is the type of mantra that would cause an officer not to intervene.
I welcome constructive dialogue with President Imondi and his leadership team and hope that their visceral response to my statement against racial profiling will not stand in the way of collaborative solutions.
Sabina Matos, President
Providence City Council
Councilwoman – Ward 15
