"We don't need a warrant. You live in a tent."
Providence Police violated the civil rights of unhoused people this morning...
Update 3pm: Patricia Socarras, Director of Communications for Mayor Smiley, responded, “these are not city officials and no Providence police have been on site today.”1
This morning I received a call from an outreach worker who helps unhoused people in Providence because two men, identifying themselves as police officers, went from tent to tent ordering people from their homes and running their names for outstanding warrants. Requests for comment to the offices of Providence Mayor Brett Smiley and Chief of Police Oscar Perez have not been returned.
The following is my interview with the people at the encampment. To protect them I am not releasing their real names or the location of the encampment.
Steve Ahlquist: Tell me what happened.
Mary: As I'm walking back to my tent, I see these two guys. They're not in uniform, they have no papers. At the moment they arrived there was no criminal activity going on at all. We were all having a regular morning. We were just waking up. These two male “officers,” were wearing regular clothes, like a hoodie, jeans, and sneakers. One of them had his gun and badge showing, hanging from his belt. That's what kind of gave us the... whatever.
He said, “Providence Police,” as he was approaching the tents and said that he was getting complaints. But, like I said, they weren't in a cruiser or anything. They were in a regular car, wearing regular clothes. The only thing that could identify them as law enforcement was the badge and gun.
Steve Ahlquist: Anyone can have a badge and a gun.
Mary: That's where I'm getting at. You could get a badge at Savers, you know what I mean? And like I said, there was no criminal activity going on. There was nothing suspicious.
A lot of us weren't here this morning because some people have programs they're doing and jobs and meetings and whatever. The cops went up to Kathy's tent, then they went to Sadie's tent, then they came to mine. They said the same thing to all of us: “We're getting phone calls,” they said. Then they asked him for our names and ran our names.
Steve Ahlquist: How did they run their names?
Mary: On the phone.
At first, Kathy was like, “Do you have a warrant?” They basically said whatever they had to get her to open the door, and she came out. When they came to my tent, they pulled Brian [her boyfriend] to the side, asking me if there were any drugs or anything. They asked me if I knew anything about drugs and I'm like, “I don't know anything about drugs.”
He said he sees needles and this and that, but that's all over the place, you know what I mean? You can be walking on the street or back here and they're everywhere. You won't see a tent in sight but you'll see needles around.
They were very persuasive. I told Brian that we do not need to open the door, that we shouldn't open the door to them. And the cop keeps talking. I felt very uncomfortable and very intimidated.
Steve Ahlquist: And not knowing for sure that they really are cops is doubly worrying.
Mary: They could be literally anybody.
Steve Ahlquist: And they weren't wearing body cameras or anything like that.
Kathy: They had a badge, but I don't know for sure that it's a real badge. They told me to come out of the tent and I didn't say anything at first. For the first three times that they said come out of your tent, I didn't say jack shit. And then they literally kicked my tent. Now my tent's already ripped, so they were kicking it where it's ripped, breaking it even more, and said, "I'm not going to ask again. Come out." And I replied, "Do you have a warrant?" They said, "We don't need a warrant. You live in a tent."
Steve Ahlquist: That's a violation of state law.
Under the Homeless Bill of Rights, “No person's rights, privileges, or access to public services may be denied or abridged solely because he or she is homeless. Such a person shall be granted the same rights and privileges as any other resident of this state.” This includes the right “to a reasonable expectation of privacy (protected from search or seizure) of your personal belongings, such as a backpack or a tent, to the same extent as if you were in a house.”
Kathy: I didn't know what to say. I opened the tent. I was like, “What's up?” They knew me from a previous encampment. They asked, “Is your boyfriend still living with you?” I said, "No. Do you see a boyfriend here or is it just me? Every time you guys come, it's just me.”
Steve Ahlquist: Did you know them as cops?
Brian: They don't wear uniforms.
Kathy: I was like, “What's this about?”
Brian: I believe they're narcotics detectives.
Kathy: They said, “We've been getting complaints about drug activity and yelling and this and that.” I'm like, “What's this and that?” They were asked, “Can you point us in the right direction? We know that you don't use, but can you point us in the right direction of where there could be drugs?”
I said, “No, because, One, I'm not a snitch. Two, I don't work for cops, and three, everybody here is pretty much either an addict or an addict in recovery so if they have drugs on them, it's for their own personal use. So it's not fair to ask that question.” They were like, “Okay, have a good day.” And then they went to the next tent.
Brian: When they came to our tent. I came right out because I've got nothing to hide. They know there are drugs there, they said. I said, “There's no drugs here. I'll give you consent to search. There's nothing here.” They're like, “There's needles.” None of this is mine, I said. There's garbage everywhere. I clean up the best I can. But he who she seeks shall find. You'll always find what you're looking for if you keep looking. But they're not allowed to search our tents.
Mary: They poked their head inside of Robby's place while he was sleeping in there. He didn't give consent for them to go in.
They looked inside all four of my storage bins without permission. They made it their business to go inside of them. This, without even asking.
Brian: These are dangerous people we're dealing with.
Mary: The thing that also pissed me off was that they came and said, “We've been getting a lot of complaints about loud noises and this and that.” So why didn't they come at the moment that it was supposedly happening? They're coming when, like I said, nothing is going on, when we're being very peaceful, very good. There's no criminal activity going on.
Brian: He said we're disturbing the peace...
Mary: We are not disturbing the piece in any way, shape, or form.
Kathy: They asked me my name and took down my name but they already knew me. I have nothing to hide. I have no warrants, no nothing.
They're like, “You haven't gotten arrested in a really long time, huh? You've been doing good.” But why are they bringing that up? Why are they bringing up the fact that I've been arrested before?
Mary: They told her they were looking for people with warrants.
Steve Ahlquist: So they're coming here looking for people with warrants, but they're not coming here with a certain warrant in mind that they're trying to enforce.
The Rhode Island Homeless Advocacy Project wrote the following to Mayor Smiley and Chief Perez:
“RIHAP strongly objects to the narcotics police raids currently going on at the [ ] encampment. They are forcing people out of their tents and conducting searches, all without warrants. This has to stop now, or we will reinstitute our protests. We have also discussed, and are preparing a lawsuit due to police action violations of the Homeless Bill of Rights. We need you to stop these raids right now and we need you to let us know that you have ordered these officers to stop them.”
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Patricia Socarras: These aren't city officials. No. Providence Police have been on site today and we haven't provided notices to any of these individuals. So
Steve Ahlquist: How do you know that there were no narcotics officers at this location? Today
Patricia Socarras: We've confirmed with both the individuals who lead the bureau.
Steve Ahlquist: Are you concerned at all that there are people out there who are pretending to be Providence Police Officers?
Patricia Socarras: Yes, of course. We're trying to get to the bottom of that as well.
Steve Ahlquist: These people knew these police officers because some of them had dealt with them before at the Charles Street encampment. It is known by these people that they were, in fact, police officers.
Patricia Socarras: I can't speak to that. What I know is our records confirm that no Providence Police officers were out there today.
Steve Ahlquist: So this is a real problem for the Providence Police then, isn't it?
Patricia Socarras: We're going to continue to look into it to see what's going on, but we know that we haven't issued any people to that site. We're going to continue to investigate the matter to see if there is any clarity that we can provide.
Steve Ahlquist: I would hope that you can get to the bottom of this because this is very, very problematic.
This really makes RI sound like a police state. I am still remembering the gentleman who lost his back pack and all his papers and identification when his shelter was deystroyed. I really can't belive this is happening. With even working people not being able to afford housing, this is beyond belief! Thanks, Steve for your reporting!
It's not like these people have a choice. Give them housing and they won't bother anyone. Where does the mayor and the police chief think they should go? To another state? Preposterous.! leave them alone until they are given suitable accommodations. Stop breaking the law!