PROVIDENCE More than 150 protesters, undeterred by a relentless downpour, stood outside Providence s Public Safety Complex on Saturday evening, again calling for police reform in the wake of officers response to the Sayles Street brawl.
Demonstrators, filled with a mix of raw frustration and exhaustion, denounced authorities treatment of community members on the city s south side, condemning officers use of force and offensive language.
The action, organized by the state s Black Lives Matter Political Action Committee, was led by the organization s executive director, Harrison Tuttle, who said there s been no tangible action that has been taken to end systemic racism in the state.
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The incident gained attention when the state s Black Lives Matter Political Action Committee released a statement Wednesday night condemning officers behavior, alleging that the four individuals taken into custody – three of whom were children – were kept in the back of a hot van for an hour without air conditioning, the pepper spray leaving them struggling to breathe.
Councilwoman Rachel Miller was the first to raise the issue during the passage of a resolution in celebration of Independence Day. I heard from a community that did not feel free today, she said, describing the neighborhood as having been terrorized.
“We cannot let our city feel what they felt on Tuesday and not acknowledge it.”
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The Black Lives Matter Global Network Foundation announced Thursday, May 27, that co-founder and current executive director, 37-year-old Patrisse Cullors