News & Commentary

Although the Foxy Lady has been providing adult entertainment in Providence for decades, it had never been called before the Providence Board of Licenses until this month, after a police sting there resulted in three women being charged with the misdemeanor offense of soliciting for prostitution. The Board, rather than commend the club for its longstanding record of compliance with the licensing laws, instead took the extraordinary step of permanently revoking the Foxy Lady’s entertainment and liquor licenses, throwing more than 200 people out of work just a week before Christmas.

Here’s our unexhaustive “top 10 list” of the most absurd civil liberties violations we encountered in 2018. “Whereas Nike’s decision to promote Colin Kaepernick as the face of Nike is an insult and slap in the face to hundreds of thousands of law enforcement officers throughout this country.” This line from the North Smithfield Town Council resolution calling on the school committee and municipal departments to ban the purchase of Nike products. Because, clearly, speaking out against racial injustice is a slap in the face to law enforcement. When the RI Attorney General charged someone $3,700 for public information on how his office spent $50M in Google settlement money. Because “the people” should have to pay exorbitant fees for (completely redacted) open and transparent government. When the RI House of Representatives passed an “equal pay” bill that actually UNDERMINED equal pay by reducing the number of employers subject to the current law. Because women no longer have any need to be protected from discrimination in the workplace. When the organization that owns the rights to Rosa Parks’ name threatened to sue the Rosa Parks House Project for trademark infringement…AND Brown University’s Center for the Study of Slavery cancelled the exhibit (Thanks to ACLU intervention, the Project – which aimed to spark discussion about Parks’ life and racial discrimination – was ultimately displayed at the WaterFire Arts Center.) Because avoiding (bogus) litigation is more important than Freedom of Expression – especially in higher education. When the RI Department of Transportation blocked @smokinbluntz and others from its twitter account for comments critical of agency projects. Because the First Amendment doesn’t apply to anyone with the screenname @SmokinBluntz. When ICE and USCIS were literally IN CAHOOTS to entrap immigrants who were following the law to revise their immigration status. Because YOU are required to follow laws set out by government agencies, but those agencies are NOT required to follow the laws set out by the U. S. CONSTITUTION. When the RI General Assembly passed "Kristen’s Law." Because 16 community, public health, and drug treatment groups – and more than 60 medical professionals – can’t all be right. When the Japan-American Society sued a journalist for trademark infringement for referring to an event as "The Black Ships Festival."  Because journalists can’t write about things without the prior written consent of the Japan-American Society. When the Warwick School Committee thought it would be ok to charge public school students to ride the school bus. Because what good is free public education anyways? When RI passed a “revenge porn” bill that doesn't require either revenge or porn to be guilty of a crime. Because, frankly, people need to be protected from the XXXFirst AmendmentXXX.

Joined by a number of local and national organizations, the sex worker advocacy group COYOTE-RI today blasted Providence city officials for their arrest last week of three sex workers on charges of soliciting for prostitution at the Foxy Lady adult entertainment establishment. In a statement issued today, the groups called for the charges against the women to be dropped and an end to “the ongoing harassment of sex workers.”

Despite legislation enacted in 2017 aimed at promoting criminal justice reform, the Rhode Island General Assembly’s 2018 session took significant steps back from a “smart justice” approach by adding more than a dozen new felonies to the books and increasing sentences for several other crimes.

Eight state-based and national advocacy organizations – including the ACLU of RI, the NAACP Providence Branch, the National Employment Law Center, and JustLeadershipUSA – have sharply criticized the Rhode Island Department of Health (DOH) for a “disturbing trend” of “undermining a major goal of criminal justice reform by increasing the barriers for people with past criminal records or substance use disorders to obtain professional licensing.” The five-page letter to DOH Director Dr. Nicole Alexander-Scott highlights several recent Department rule enactments or re-adoptions that the groups say unfairly allow for the disqualification of people with any criminal record from obtaining professional licenses in a number of fields – ranging from EMTs to midwives to physical therapy assistants.

The ACLU of RI and three media organizations today submitted a supplemental “friend of the court” brief in federal court in support of a lawsuit filed by the Providence Journal seeking to obtain a copy of a jury form that was prepared in a high-profile murder case.

The ACLU of RI today announced the settlement of a lawsuit that will ensure that no shelter operating on State property is required to turn away vulnerable homeless Rhode Islanders seeking shelter even though beds are available.  The settlement reached today ended a lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court by ACLU of RI volunteer attorneys Lynette Labinger and John MacDonald challenging a state law, slated to take effect last January and specifically aimed at Harrington Hall in Cranston, which limited the number of registered sex offenders that could stay there to 10% of the shelter’s population, which amounts to 11 people.

UPDATE, 3/12/19: The Central Falls City Council voted unanimously to repeal the ordinance.

For the second time in a year, the ACLU of RI is suing the Pawtucket Police Department for violating their obligations under the state’s Access to Public Records Act (APRA).  Doubling down on their efforts to infringe upon the public’s right to know, the Department has again denied an APRA request for copies of final reports of investigations of alleged police misconduct generated by its Internal Affairs Division (IAD).  The denial comes despite a pending ACLU lawsuit against the Department on virtually identical grounds and despite past RI Supreme Court rulings supporting the public’s access to these types of records.