As insiders work to move the bus hub anywhere but downtown, public transit advocates rally

“This rejection of public input shows that this process is not designed to make a good bus hub - it's designed to serve a well-connected few at taxpayer expense."

There was a rally to support the state's main bus hub at Kennedy Plaza on Tuesday opposing efforts by “a few well-connected people” to relocate the Rhode Island Public Transit Authority (RIPTA) bus hub to a remote location at the edges of downtown. The rally is sponsored by the Kennedy Plaza Resilience Coalition, The George Wiley Center, and the Rhode Island Poor People's Campaign, as well as other groups. Here’s the video:

“In this unwanted project which will be highly costly to taxpayers, the promises by officials to talk to stakeholders remain unfulfilled,” said Randall Rose, a member of the Kennedy Plaza Resilience Coalition. “Our group hasn't been able to get any meetings despite repeatedly asking. RIPTA said that there would be multiple events in July where the public would be allowed to voice their views, but that promise seems to have been forgotten since no meetings have been scheduled. The few public events that were held this spring left the question of whether to stay in Kennedy Plaza completely off the table.

“This rejection of public input shows that this process is not designed to make a good bus hub - it's designed to serve a well-connected few at taxpayer expense. The people driving this process, who have pushed to make RIPTA go along, are those who have allowed Kennedy Plaza to deteriorate over the years. They aren't going to make a new bus hub that's any better. It's a waste that hurts Rhode Island's most vulnerable people and it risks putting RIPTA into debt it can't afford. That's why most riders don't want this deal, and this rally is just part of our ongoing effort to defend the public interest.”

Barry Schiller read a statement from the Rhode Island Transit Riders, a group dedicated to a robust public transit system in Rhode Island: “We are unequivocally opposed to a remote bus hub relocation such as Parcel 35 or Eddie Street, far south of Kennedy Plaza. We do welcome conversations about upgrading the Kennedy Plaza hub and even possible bus hub locations near the train station because there's some good synergy between buses and trains. We emphasize that before any hub relocation could be supported, it would need to be an actual improvement for riders. More important than a new bus hub, however, is securing a sustainable RIPTA funding stream to both maintain existing service and improve it in line with the Transit Master Plan that the state officially approved but is not funded.”

“Any new hub must be adequately financed without saddling RIPTA with debt,” continued Schiller. “If you look at the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA), they can't improve service because they have so much debt. RIPTA, at least, is blessed with very little debt, so if we get revenue, we can use it for service. Let's make that happen. I'm going to conclude with a little commercial for Rhode Island Transit Riders. We have some diverse views about the hub. Some want to stay in Kennedy Plaza and some are open to a nearby train station hub. If you are interested in working with us, let me know. I'll tell you how to hook on with our group. We welcome diverse opinions on how to make the transit system work better for all of us.”

Representative Enrique Sanchez (Democrat, District 9, Providence): I want to show my solidarity with the Kennedy Plaza Resilience Coalition. From day one, we've been trying to address this issue with the Department of Transportation, the Governor, developers like [landlord] Joe Paolino, and the Mayor of Providence, Brett Smiley - who are trying to change the location of the Kennedy Plaza bus hub for their special interests, their ambitions, their donors, and to push the most vulnerable community members out of downtown.

There's no denying that's what they're pushing for. They are trying to push out community members who are experiencing homelessness and struggles, as well as our students, folks with disabilities, and folks who use the public transportation system and depend on coming to Kennedy Plaza.

I know folks with disabilities who do not want to see the bus hub being transferred to a different location because it would cause problems, cost money, and take more resources from the City of Providence and the State of Rhode Island. Most community members who use public transportation depend on coming to Kennedy Plaza. During the academic school year here in Providence schools, many of our students come from low-income working-class backgrounds and meet here at the Kennedy Plaza bus hub before they get transported to their respective neighborhoods across the city.

We want to keep Kennedy Plaza here, but we're taking on special interests like Joe Paolino, Providence Mayor Brett Smiley, and Governor McKee, who want to see the bus hub transferred. I'm going to keep doing my part in the next session to make sure that we have legislation to protect our communities here at the bus hub.

Peter Nightingale of The Rhode Island Poor People's Campaign: We demand an end to the five interlocking injustices. I'll mention three of them because they're important for why we're here. One is poverty and inequality. Another is systemic racism. And the third one is ecological devastation. RIPTA is vital for alleviating these injustices.

RIPTA predominantly and disproportionately serves the poor and people of color. Transportation in Rhode Island accounts for 40% of the greenhouse gas emissions of Rhode Island. Public transportation must be part of the solution. RIPTA is crucial to all of this. We have the law on our side, and I'm going to quote from Rhode Island law"

RIPTA's goal is “to promote the full and fair participation of all affected populations in transportation decision-making.”

May I remind you of the flyer for this event? “Nothing about us without us.” It's the law in Rhode Island. The law also states that RIPTA is tax-exempt because it is created, “for the benefit of the people of the state and the improvement of their health, welfare, and living conditions.”

The rich and powerful run RIPTA according to the principles identified by no one less than Adam Smith. Here's this principle: “All for ourselves and nothing for other people.” That seems to be, in every age of the world, the vile maxim of the masters of mankind.

Juan Pablo Ocampo of The Rhode Island Poor People's Campaign: We are here to demand Governor Daniel McKee stop his attack on poor and low-income Rhode Islanders. Moving the bus hub will hurt us and it will only benefit the profits of Paolino and a few landlords. We deserve access to good public transportation. Poor and low-income voters represent one-third of the electorate in Rhode Island. If you keep ignoring us and not helping us, come the next election, we will vote for somebody who will.

Robin: We will continue pushing back over and over and over again. We were out for days and weeks, putting up flyers for this event, and every time we put them up, they took them down and we went back and then we put them up again. This is not about anything except corruption, greed, and money.

They have let this entire environment fall to ruins. People are afraid to take their children to the bathroom because you have people doing drugs, shooting drugs, cooking drugs. There are needles everywhere, and they don't care. Why? Because they need a reason [to close Kennedy Plaza] an excuse to do what they already want to do.

If we move the bus hub [out to the edge of the downtown] and it's February and icy outside with the rain we get now because of climate change, how are the elderly to traverse the city with a walker or a wheelchair? [Those wishing to move this bus hub] don't fucking care about anyone anymore. We are the only country that does not give enough respect or care to our elders. Only in America would you be an old person trying to catch the bus to go get your healthcare out at the edge of downtown.

Shame on us. Shame on Providence. You want a high-end, upscale, $4-5,000 a month rent in [the Superman Building] and you want the rest of us to go - where? You don't care about the sick, the homeless, the addicted, and the people who don't have enough food to eat but you care about this? Shame on you all.