March to Oppose HB8310

On Jun 14th, 2022, ARISE and PSU co-coordinated a march on the statehouse to oppose House Bill 8310, which proposed placing 2 officers in every Rhode Island public school.

In the weeks leading up, youth from both organizations worked together to design and create a number of protest signs, which you can see in the images here. They wrote testimonies, based on their own lived experiences; mobilized their friends; and spread the word through social media and flyers.

On the day itself, our youth – and the crowds they’d gathered – convened at 3pm to begin the protest. With bullhorns blasting and signs waving, they marched down to the statehouse steps.

The crowd sat across the lawn as youth gave speeches and led the audience in chant. When it was time for the House to begin session, they filed into the statehouse and took turns presenting their testimony.

Protest for Jay Juan

"JUSTICE FOR JAY-JUAN! JUSTICE FOR JAY-JUAN!”

Kennedy Plaza was buzzing all afternoon, as swarms of people gathered to demand Jay’s immediate release.

A 16 year old student at Mt Pleasant, Jay-Juan was assaulted and arrested, without cause, by School Resource Officer Lionel Pichs. To protest to this ongoing injustice, ARISE, PrYSM and SEE called for people to gather at City Hall on February 28th.

And while we’ve always known that Jay is deeply loved, nothing could’ve prepared us for the total outpour of friends, family and allies that showed up to brave yesterday’s cold.

Crowds and crowds of people, coming from all ages, races, and walks of life, took up banners, posters, and bullhorns to show support for Jay-Juan. Children as young as eight came out with their parents to demand justice. Teacher allies showed up with home-made signs. Local businesses came down to offer free food and drinks. It was an awesome display of community resilience, and one that the city cannot ignore.

In an attempt to deter us, they closed the entrances to City Hall. So we adapted. Instead of entering the building as originally planned, the crowds gathered around the Kennedy Plaza monument, where leaders from PrYSM and PSU performed speeches and poems.

The evening ended with protestors forming a wide circle, then growing silent, as a way of showing respect, support, and solidarity for the victims of police abuse. The event was of particular significance to Jay-Juan’s mother, who stood with us, and to Jay-Juan, who – while he remains under house arrest – joined via Facetime call.

To read our coalitional response and list of demands, see here.

PASS Student Walkout

Image: Students gathered behind PSU’s #CounselorsNotCops banner

Photo Credits: Steve Ahlquist, UpriseRI

In April, the Providence Student Union (PSU) mobilized a student walkout to demand #CounselorsNotCops. PASS students, along with their friends and allies, came together to stage a powerful two-day walkout to demand change, justice, and the end of the school-to-prison pipeline.

The students of Classical High marched out of class and looped through the city in the pouring rain, protesting all the way. Along their route, they stopped at the Providence Public School Department, the Providence Public Safety Complex, the Rhode Island Department of Education (RIDE). At each building, students used megaphones to share their experiences and make their demands.

The momentum continued into the second day of the walkout, as participants remained committed to their cause. The protest grew even larger, reaching a wider audience and drawing attention to the urgent issues raised by the students. To see videos of the students’ powerful speeches, go here.

This action was part of our ongoing coalitional campaign, Counselors Not Cops. Since 2018, we’ve been working with several other student organizations to make 4 demands:

1. Prevent armed officers, security officers, and/or police from being stationed in schools.

2. Eliminate the eight person SRO presence currently rotating among Providence schools under a contract between the Providence Police Department and the Providence Public School Department.

3. Use funding currently allocated for SROs within the Providence Police Department to support the hiring of the new health and safety staff described below.

4. Hire health and safety staff focused on alternative measures for conflict resolution

To read more about the coalition and/or campaign, click here.