News & Commentary

The American Civil Liberties Union of Rhode Island and the R.I. Disability Law Center today announced the favorable settlement of a federal civil rights lawsuit on behalf of a profoundly deaf person who was not provided an interpreter to allow him to communicate after he was arrested and detained overnight in jail by Woonsocket police for allegedly making an obscene gesture. The groups expressed hope that the settlement, which addresses important issues regarding municipal agency obligations to accommodate people who are deaf or hard of hearing, will serve as a model for police departments across the state.

Below is a statement issued today by the ACLU of Rhode Island on allegations that excessive punishment has been imposed on students who last month protested Warwick school district educational policies:

Responding to objections from the ACLU of Rhode Island and two free press organizations, a Providence City Council committee has postponed voting on a proposal that would have made it illegal to leave unsolicited newspapers on a person’s property. Under the ordinance, doing so would have been deemed “littering” with a $50 fine attached to each violation.

The American Civil Liberties Union of Rhode Island has today filed separate sex discrimination lawsuits on behalf of two female EMT/firefighters who allege that the Harmony Fire District in Glocester terminated them from their jobs because of concerns they had raised about differential treatment between male and female firefighters.

by Steven Brown, Executive Director

ACLU of Rhode Island executive director Steven Brown issued the following statement today in response to the lawsuit filed yesterday by Providence City Councilor Kevin Jackson, challenging the recall petition process that has been initiated against him by some constituents in his district:

UPDATE 1/12/2017. The Cranston City Council Ordinance committee has approved passage of the ordinance, and it could go before the full City Council for approval as early as January 23, 2017. You can read the updated testimony we submitted to the committee here.

The ACLU of Rhode Island issued the following statement in regard to today’s vote by the Rhode Island Ethics Commission to place a moratorium on the filing of complaints:

When the sun rose and the gavel came down at 6am on Saturday morning, June 18th, the ACLU of Rhode Island was still at the State House, monitoring important civil liberties legislation until the very last moments of the session. We will provide a more detailed review of the legislative session, along with a 2015-2016 voting scorecard, in our next newsletter (look for it in August), and you can check out an expanded list of some of the legislation we monitored last year here. For now, here are some of the highlights - and the lows - of the 2016 General Assembly session.