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Racial Discrimination in Rhode Island: - Report by ACLU
*images of (some) officers can be found in sheet 2
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DateReports/Incidents OverviewName Sources/Readings of IncidentsResults
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Jan. 2001Fatal shooting of officer Cornel Young Jr (29) by Providence Police. The fatal shooting of the officer Cornel Young Jr., the son of the Providence police force's highest ranking Black member, occurred outside an all-night restaurant where Officer Young had been eating. After two other officers were called to break up a fight, Officer Young, who had been on the force for three years, came to their assistance with his gun drawn. He was not in uniform. Another man, Aldrin Diaz, also had drawn a gun. When uniformed officers ordered Mr. Diaz and Officer Young to drop their weapons, Mr. Diaz complied. When Officer Young did not, the other police officers shot him, apparently not recognizing their own coworker. Carlos Saraiva and Michael Solitro III - Providence PoliceNYT: Incident Overview; Lawsuit: Young vs. City of Providence; NYT: Lawsuit ResultsOfficers were cleared of criminal wrongdoing
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2001 (exact date unknown)Racial profiling and aggressive behavior towards Bernard Flowers. Officer Darren Fiore followed Flowers's car for about a mile before pulling him over, believing he matched the description given in a complaint by a Westerly resident (though the complaint mentioned two people not one). After calling for backup, Fiore and Officers Lawrence Silvestri and Michael Garafola ordered Flowers out of his vehicle, all had their weapons drawn. After detaining Flowers and searching his car, they found no evidence matching him with the complaint. Only after this did the officers explain why they pulled Flowers over and the search and offered no apology. Officer Darren Fiore, Officer Lawrence Silvestri, Officer Michael Garafola - Westerly PoliceOverview; ACLU AppealNo action taken against police officers
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July 14, 2003Narragansett Smoke Shop raid. 51 State Troopers violently raided the Smoke Shop for selling tax-free cigarettes. The raid, carried out in the early afternoon, turned violent after a few dozen officers - some with dogs - poured onto the smoke shop parking lot, throwing members to the ground and arresting them. Women, children, and elders were beaten and violently handled by these State Troopers.Raid ordered by Governor Donald L. Carcieri. Names of State Troopers involved are unknownVideo: Info; Overview; Overview/Sentencing; Video: Trial; Video: Raid Remembered/Info7 Narragansett Tribal members were charged with assault against State Troopers. 4 members were aquitted, but 3 tribal members were sentenced - Chief Sachem Matthew Thomas had to serve 150 hrs of community service (part being to educate school children about the history of the Narragansett tribe), Randy Noka had to perform 25 hours of community service by visiting schools, and Hiawatha Brown, received a one-year suspended sentence for slamming a state trooper's arm in a door. No officers were charged for the violence against the Tribal members.
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July 11, 2006State Police engaged in the racial profiling of Carlos Tamup and acted unconstitutionally when they detained 14 people on Interstate 95 and transferred them to immigration officials. The individuals, all Guatemalans, were stopped in a van after the driver changed lanes without using a turn signal. The individuals were detained even though Thomas Chabot, the state trooper who stopped the van, confirmed that the license and registration of driver Carlos Tamup were valid, and that Tamup had no criminal record.Thomas Chabot - State TrooperOverview/ACLU LawsuitOfficer exonerated of all charges and found to have acted properly by federal judge
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May 2009 (exact date unknown)Providence resident Ada Morales, originally from Guatemala, was detained and held at the ACI under the suspicion she was here in the United States illegally (though she has been a citizen for many years). This was the second incident Morales has had with immigration. On both these occasions, she was imprisoned based on an “immigration detainer,” a document sent from federal immigration officials to Rhode Island officials requesting that the Rhode Island officials detain her for immigration purposes. I.C.E / Rhode Island Immigration Officials (no exact names specified)Overview/ACLU LawsuitIn August 2017, the ACLU of RI settled this lawsuit on behalf of Ada Morales
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March 24, 2016Killing of Dominique Silva (24) by Pawtucket Police. Bolsari was responding to a call about a man with a gun when she came upon Silva, who seemed to have a gun on him and apparently pointed it at Borsari. Borsari fired at and killed Silva, who turned out to only have been holding a BB gun.Officer Bolsari - Pawtucket PoliceOverview; Overview; Providence County grand jury determined the shooting of Silva was lawful and justified
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Jan 23, 2017Simone Phoenix was attempting to access services for survivors of domestic abuse, and ended up assaulted by police, detained, and “maliciously” prosecuted, according to a lawsuit filed in federal court. Phoenix walked into the Providence Public Safety Complex trying to pick up an application for emergency housing assistance after surviving domestic abuse by her ex-husband. Providence Police charged her with misdemeanor assault and damage to property––charges that carry up to four years in prison and $4,000 in court costs. Months later, the police dismissed the charges.Officer Timothy McGann, Officer Philip Hartnett, Officer Edmond Esten, Officer Brian Dyer, Officer Dwight Eddy, Officer Sean Comella, Officer James Cryan, and Officer Jeff Richards - Providence PoliceUprise RI:Overview; LawsuitAs of Sept 21, 2020 the lawsuit is in the discovery phase, meaning that both sides are handing over evidence as the case moves to a trial
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Nov 7, 2017Killing of Joseph Santos (32) on the I-95 North on-ramp near the Providence Place mall. A passenger in his vehicle, Christine Demers, 37, was also shot and was treated at Rhode Island Hospital. Officers shot 40 rounds into Santos's truck, after suspecting it might be carrying Donald Morgan, an inmate that had allegedly stolen a State Police Cruiser two hours earlier. Major Oscar Perez, Sgt. Gregory Paolo, Officer Matthew McGloin, Officer Thomas Zincone and Officer Christopher Ziroli - State TroopersOverview; ACLU AnalysisOfficers not charged. In the lawsuit filed by passenger Christine Demeres the grand jury found the shooting justified
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Sept 7, 2018Killing of DaShawn Cole (28) by Pawtucket Police. Officers were initially called to the scene at around 6:15 a.m. for a report of a man with a firearm in his waistband. The responding officer noticed a male (DaShawn) matching the description. When the three responding officers approached him, a confrontation ensued between the officers and DaShawn. It was then said by police he assaulted the officers with a gun — although they did not say whether he fired the weapon and there is no evidence he tried to use it. Officers shot various rounds at DaShawn, even hitting houses nearby, one going through a neighbors living room near to where she was sleeping.

Officer Ana Vertentes, Officer William Briggs and Officer Dianne Rittman-McLaughlin - Pawtuckett PoliceOverview; ACLU StatementNo action taken against police officers
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Jan 7, 2019 - May 31, 2019West Warwick resident Michael Clark was subject to “retaliatory, punitive, discriminatory, threatening, demeaning and humiliating treatment” based upon his race and racial stereotypes and an earlier exercise of his First Amendment rights where he wrote a rap about Black men being killed by police and support for the BLM movement. He was at the academy to become a Police Officer hoping to bring change. After being tortured at the Academy was not accepted into the Providence Police Force and was told his termination was due to "his failure to conform". Providence Police (no exact names specified - seen as a collective)Overview/ACLU LawsuitLawsuit ongoing
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April 19, 2020Rishod Gore was beaten and terrorized by Providence Police. On the ground and in handcuffs after police pulled him from a car and placed him under arrest, Gore was repeatedly kicked by Officer Hanley who is seen putting his knee on Gore's neck and standing on his calves while he is on the ground in handcuffs. Police have not explained why Gore was pulled out of the car and arrested in the first place, only saying he was “present” while they arrested another man moments earlier nearby.Sgt. Joseph Hanley - Providence PoliceOverview; ACLU Response; Witness VideoCharged with misdemeanor simple assault in May 2020 - has pleaded not guilty. The city is seeking to fire Hanley, but must send the termination through a lengthy process set out by the Law Enforcement Officers’ Bill of Rights (LEOBOR), a state law. He was being paid up until October 27, 2020.
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June 3, 2020Racial profiling of Providence Firefighter Terrell Paci who was on duty and in his friend's car outside the fire station. Police approached his car with guns drawn, claiming he matched the description of a person who was waving a gun nearby. Paci had already identified himself as a Providence Firefighter and was in uniform. According to Commissioner Paré, one of the officers, Nathaniel Colicci– whose body camera footage was released– then leaves the scene (when Paci identifies himself) and continues his search for the armed robbery suspects. The other officer, Matthew Sandorse, stays on scene and asks to search the car Paci was in.Matthew Sandorse and Nathaniel Colicci - Providence PoliceOverview; Overview/ResultsSandorse was only disciplined for not turning in his body cam footage. No further actions were taken
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July 24, 2020While protesting her first amendment right Najeli Rodriguez (19) was wrongfully arrested by Providence Police. Najeli was arrested for disorderly conduct because she was walking in the street during a protest (while white individuals in the street were left alone). Providence Police (exact names of officers who made the arrest unknown)ProvX Video/Images
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August 14 2020The violent arrest of Damon Drury (15) by police while protesting at the Providence 6th District Court House on Dorrance St against the evictions happening in Providence, RI during the Covid-19 pandemic. Damon was holding space near the door of the courthouse when a police officer pushed him from behind into a State Trooper in front of him. He was then grabbed by police, put in a chokehold and slammed to the ground by five police officers. Nika Salazar was also arrested while trying to help Damon from being brutalized. She had her arms twisted by police during her arrest, causing bruising. State Police and Capital Police (exact names of officers who made the arrest unknown)Uprise RI: Overview; Video
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Sept 23, 2020Providence Police and RI State Police agressively teargassed protesters and forced them over a roughly 6 foot tall chain-link fence along I-95 when told to get off the highway. No exit route was provided, police cornered protesters agains the fence on the side of the highway along Hayes St. One specifc State Police officer, who's name is unknown as of now, agressively went after protesters with pepper spray.Providence Police and RI State PoliceOverview/Protest Article
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Sept 28, 2020Providence Police and RI State Police agressively arrested and teargassed protesters at Dexter Park near Federal Hill protesting for the fourth night in RI against the results of the Breonna Taylor case. One police officer began swinging his club at protesters telling them to, “Back off” and “Get the fuck out of here.” Another officer threatened the protesters with pepper spray or some other kind of chemical agent, and two protesters were cuffed on the ground as more police arrived. Caught all on camera by UpriseRI, you can see a police officer began spraying the crowd with pepper spray, a canister in both hands (to whom we believe is the same officer who pepper sprayed protesters on Night One of the Breonna Taylor protests when they occupied the ramp to I-95) **refer to Sept 23, 2020 inncident** Will James, reporter for UpriseRI was also threatened by police to leave and stop recording. State Police and Providence PoliceOverview/Protest Article; NLG Arrest
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Oct. 18, 2020Hit Jhamal Gonsalves with a police cruiser while riding his moped. He is currently in acoma at Rhode Island Hospital. Based on body cam footage, it seems that a fallen stop sign hit Gonsalves in the head. However, many witnesses say Endres hit the moped with his cruiser. Picture evidence shows his cruiser with damage on the front of the vehicle Kyle Endres - Providence PoliceOverview; Body Cam Footage; News Report/Body Cam FootageJhamal is still at RI Hospital (as of Nov 12, 2020) and in acoma, the investigation is ongoing and Kyle Endres has been placed on desk duty. Providence External Review Authority (PERA) has been trying to do its own investigation but has been denied evidence by Providence Police.
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Oct. 20, 2020While at a protest to demand justice for Jhamal Gonsalves, Jaylon Butler (Jhamal's cousin) was brutally arrested and beaten by Providence Police. He was beaten so bad that he suffered a seizure in the prisoner transport van. Many others were arrested violently that night including a person with the National Lawyers Guild (NLG) and two medics.Officers involved unknown - Providence PoliceNo discipline against Providence Police
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Nov. 7, 2020Brutally beat and used unnecessary force on Germaine Bruce while he was helping his friend with her car battery on Thayer St in Providence, RI. According to Germaine and video evidence, multiple officers drove by them and then proceeded to surround their cars. Though one officer tried to help them with the car situation, when the car still wouldn't start more officers were called for backup and a tow truck for both his car and his friends car. When Germaine questioned the officers for towing their cars, Officer Urizar tells him to get on the sidewalk, to which he complies, and then proceeds to try to arrest him with his hand on his holster the whole time. The officers then proceed to beat Germaine and push him to the ground, choke him, and threatened to taser him. Even when he was in the car with handcuffs on, police continued to beat and threaten him. When asked for their badge numbers, his request was ignored. Officer Dave Urizar, Officer Kyle Endres (not confirmed) - Providence Police (More officers were involved but identities are unknown) Videos (1); Videos (2); OverviewGermaine is trying to get a civil rights lawyer involved, no charges have been filed yet
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