City takes no action on armed men harassing residents of tent encampments

"The administration was quick to deny that any police officers were involved, but [as of this writing] seems to have done nothing to determine who did harass the people there."

As of this writing, none of the unhoused people who were approached by two armed men claiming to be police officers at a Providence area encampment 48 hours ago have been interviewed by the Providence Police Department or the Administration of Mayor Brett Smiley. The administration was quick to deny that any police officers were involved, but seems to have done nothing to determine who did harass the people there. In other words, Providence Mayor Brett Smiley and Chief of Police Oscar Perez seem unconcerned about armed men harassing vulnerable unhoused people, mostly women. An outreach worker, known to the the police and the administration, is prepared to speak to officials, but as of this writing has not been contacted.

Sadly, this is in keeping with the actions of the Smiley Administration when it comes to unhoused people. Rather than take effective action to better the lives of people who are suffering through the coming winter months, Mayor Smiley went on the radio with extreme right-wing shock jock Gene Valicenti promising to evict more people, as he has done many times in the past. And, since Mayor Smiley’s inauguration, the City of Providence has suffered from record food insecurity, homelessness, and evictions.

I have done my best to not publicize the location of the encampment or the names of those who live there to protect their privacy. But the Administration and the police are aware of where and who. My biggest fear is that now that residents of this encampment have complained about their treatment, the Mayor will prioritize their eviction. If this happens, I will of course document it.

In response to the story I filed on Monday, the Rhode Island ACLU sent the Mayor and the Chief the following letter, which outlines many of the concerns that grow out of this incident:

Dear Mayor Smiley and Chief Perez:

Our office was contacted about an incident that occurred yesterday morning, summarized in the news article linked here, regarding the interaction between two non-uniformed Providence Police officers and unhoused individuals living in a tent encampment in the city. I would appreciate receiving information from you about this incident since the conduct of the officers is of great concern. According to the individuals, these two unnamed officers ordered them and others at the campsite to provide identification, demanded entry into their tents, and searched the personal belongings of some of them. A camper at the search claims that when asked if he had a warrant, one of the officers allegedly responded, “We don’t need a warrant. You live in a tent.” If this recitation of events is true, it raises very troubling civil liberties concerns, as that comment and the actions of the officers are in direct conflict with Rhode Island’s Homeless Bill of Rights, which explicitly provides unhoused individuals a “right to a reasonable expectation of privacy in his or her personal property to the same extent as personal property in a permanent residence.” R.I. Gen. Laws § 34-37.1-3(7). We believe it is essential that you repudiate the officer’s comments and the actions these two individuals took, and engage in steps to ensure that all Providence police officers are well-versed in the requirements of the Homeless Bill of Rights.

We understand that the Mayor’s chief of staff has stated that the two people who engaged in this conduct were not Providence police officers or otherwise associated with the City. We do not know what level of inquiry was conducted to reach that conclusion, but we are constrained at this point to doubt its accuracy. Multiple individuals at the encampment, including a social worker who saw the two individuals leave the site, expressed certainty that they were Providence police officers in the narcotics division whom they had seen and interacted with before. While the two officers may not have engaged in this conduct with the knowledge of their supervisors, the allegations about their presence and actions deserve much closer investigation and scrutiny by the Department. Indeed, an investigation of this incident by the police department is warranted even if you are convinced that these two individuals were not Providence officers. The thought that two people carrying firearms impersonated being members of your force to roust and potentially prey on defenseless unhoused individuals should be of the utmost concern to you as well. In light of the seriousness of the allegations and the urgency they suggest for protecting the privacy rights of other unhoused individuals, I would appreciate learning at the earliest opportunity what actions you plan to take to determine the identity of these two individuals and to address the serious issues raised by this incident. Thank you in advance for your prompt response to this request, and I look forward to hearing back from you about it.

Sincerely, 

Steven Brown 

Executive Director

I reached out to the Administration for comment. This will be updated if and when they respond.