The Coalition Radio Network has filed a formal Open Meetings Complaint (OMA) with the Office of the Rhode Island Attorney General, over the outrageous use of what CRN refers to as “Homeless Porn”, employing pictures of homeless “encampments” without proper notice in the published City Council Agenda … effectively preventing Advocates for the Unhoused an opportunity to place the pictures in an appropriate perspective during public comment, which preceded actual testimony.
The public is expressly forbidden to participate in Council testimony, after public comment is closed.
A Cranston Police Officer put on display graphic pictures of encampments, allegedly within the City of Cranston, failing to provide any chain of evidence, or proof as to their location. Most disturbing? The failure to acknowledge that these encampments exist outside of any city services, including but not limited to trash pickup.
The ordinance under discussion would have levied a fine of 50$ for individuals “camping”, and/or erecting structures on city owned property. While City Officials testified that these fines would not have been of a criminal nature, it is standard practice for Rhode Island State Government & Municipalities to suspend drivers & professional license for failure to pay civil penalties, enabling what many call the “Pipeline to Prison”, as individuals who are too poor to pay rent, are unable to pay civil penalties.
CRN Reporter Pat Ford, in his testimony, stated: “Just because you take my tent, does not mean I can afford the rent.”
Disclosure: The Coalition Radio Network is a sister organization to LibertarianMutualAid.org, a Rhode Island Not for Profit, which among serveral activities, runs The Water Project, delivering water in bulk directly to Encampments, Meal Kitchens & Sidewalks across Rhode Island.
Complaint Text
As Filed with The Rhode Island Attorney General:
On August 15, 2024, the Ordinance Committee of the Cranston City Council met in Council Chambers to discuss a City Ordinance, proposed by Mayor Kenneth Hopkins that would effectively criminalize poverty, by placing a 50$ fine for “Camping” on City Property.
Here is a link to the video of the Ordinance Meeting. This YouTube video is a copy of the City of Cranston Video. The only editing performed was to remove other, unrelated Committee hearings from a video in excess of 6 hours.
At the 1:12:07 mark of the video, a representative of the Cranston Police Department introduces, in a slide show format, pictures of homeless encampments, allegedly within the borders of the City of Cranston.
These photos, nor the potential for accompanying testimony of the police officer, were noticed. See the attached Agenda. As a result, participants in public comment, (Of which I was one) were not afforded the opportunity to debate, refute, or otherwise engage in public discussion.
As an individual testifying at the meeting, I claim standing in this complaint, and in fact suffered harm, as I was unable to address the nature, and the subsequent impact of the pictures.
Under Rhode Island’s Open Meetings Act
Title 42
State Affairs and Government
Chapter 46
Open Meetings
R.I. Gen. Laws § 42-46-6
(b) Public bodies shall give supplemental written public notice of any meeting within a minimum of forty-eight (48) hours, excluding weekends and state holidays in the count of hours, before the date. This notice shall include the date the notice was posted; the date, time, and place of the meeting; and a statement specifying the nature of the business to be discussed.
In fact, the condition of homeless encampments has little to do with the legal argument advanced in the proposed Ordinance. The Ordinance under consideration simply reflects the desire of the City to prevent trespassing, in the form of the erection of permanent and/or temporary structures. It is my belief that these pictures were to create a sense of shock & disgust. As such, these pictures should have been the subject of an entirely separate hearing, at the very least.
In conclusion, I formally request that the Office of the Rhode Island Attorney General pursue this Open Meetings Act Violation Complaint, and consider all remedies available under the law.
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