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 Abigail Appel | Jul 3, 2020 | Council News, Press Release, Ward-15
At tonight’s City Council Meeting, Council President Sabina Matos (Ward 15) proposed a resolution urging the Rhode Island General Assembly to expand the types of degrees eligible for education reimbursement to law enforcement officers.
In recent weeks the City Council and the Finance Committee have heard resounding calls for police reform with many residents calling on the Finance Committee to provide more social services for residents in crisis.
In an effort to expand social service education and improve educational outcomes for Rhode Island law enforcement, the Council is urging the Rhode Island General Assembly to revisit Rhode Island General Law 42-28.1 et. seq., which establishes an incentive pay program by which municipalities can reimburse officers for obtaining educational credits.
Currently, this program allows for officers to be reimbursed for behavioral science courses only if they are simultaneously enrolled in a program to obtain a degree in law, law enforcement or criminal justice.
“What the Council has heard for our community members is that our public safety institutions need to be educated on comprehensive social and behavioral services. Offering public safety officials a robust range of educational opportunities from social work to psychology or public health will allow law enforcement officers to gain new perspectives on how to respond to crisis situations and engage with their communities,” stated Council President Sabina Matos.
This resolution requests that the Rhode Island General Assembly consider expanding education reimbursement to police officers for courses and degrees in social work, psychology, public health and other social service fields.
“It is clear that our current systems are not working to the best of their ability. Moving forward, the Council will work to support education, reform and equity in law enforcement while keeping community input as a top priority,” added Council President Matos.
Upon passage, this resolution will be sent to the Providence Delegation as well as the Speaker of the House and the Senate President.
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 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
by Abigail Appel | Jun 18, 2020 | Council News, Press Release, Ward-15
At tonight’s City Council meeting, Council President Sabina Matos (Ward 15) proposed two resolutions around important issues to the community regarding race and the power of words on our community.
The first resolution, co-sponsored by Councilmen Goncalves (Ward 1), Correia (Ward 6), Igliozzi (Ward 7) and Councilwomen Miller (Ward 13) and Ryan (Ward 5), calls on the Rhode Island General Assembly to revisit the 2009 referendum to remove “Providence Plantations” from the State of Rhode Island’s official name.
“A lot has changed since 2009. Our Nation has had to mourn the loss of Trayvon Martin, Michael Brown, Eric Garner, Sandra Bland, Breonna Taylor, George Floyd and too many more black souls at the hands of police brutality and racially motivated violence,” stated Council President Sabina Matos.
Throughout the Nation, many states have acted by removing Confederate statues and memorials from their public spaces. While the State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations was not named this way in direct connection to slavery, the use of the word ‘plantation’ is insensitive to our Nation’s dark history of slavery.
“By changing Rhode Island’s official name, we are not forgetting our history; we are simply removing something that no longer represents the values and morals that our State should embody. The history is still there; we will never forget our role in the slavery and racist institutions that have plagued our country for so long. But it is time for us to make a change and move forward, with a name that better represents who we would like to be,” added Council President Matos.
“Without acknowledging and learning from our past, and without addressing those things within our control, we cannot move forward as a City or a Nation towards a more equitable and just future,” continued Council President Matos.
The second resolution urges Governor Gina Raimondo and the Rhode Island General Assembly to enact legislation authorizing the Rhode Island Department of Education to include African Heritage History in the K-12 curriculum in the 2021-2022 school years. In July of 2014, the 1696 Historical Commission was signed into law and formed in order to form a comprehensive African Heritage History curriculum for K-12 public school students.
Council President Matos continued, “African and African American heritage is inextricably woven with our State’s history and identity. Black Rhode Islanders have made innumerable contributions to our community despite facing unique suffering and hardship. It would be extremely beneficial for all Rhode Island students to have access to this rich history,”
The 1696 Commission created a curriculum with units covering the many eras of black history in Rhode Island from 1696 to current times. The goal of this curriculum is to not only design and implement an African and African American history curriculum, but also to equip teachers to work with an increasingly diverse student body, fully integrate the teaching of African American history into the curriculum on a year-round basis and to establish this curriculum as a necessary and long term part of the Rhode Island Department of Education’s curriculum.
by Billy Kepner | Jun 9, 2020 | Council News, Press Release, Ward-15
In an effort to ensure transparency and accessible government, a few individuals took advantage of the anonymity of remote participate and used it as an opportunity to spew hatred.
I will be discussing a rescheduling of the public hearing with Chairman Igliozzi to ensure that: 1) we thoroughly screen for participants who actually want to speak about the City’s budget and 2) allow everyone who wants to participate the opportunity to do so.
Please know that you have our deepest apologies for the racist, antsiemetic, homophobic, and misogynistic language that was used by these callers.
Your voice matters and it will be heard.
Sabina Matos, Council President
Providence City Council
Councilwoman – Ward 15
