Settlement reached in lawsuit against Woonsocket police

PROVIDENCE – The American Civil Liberties Union of R.I. and the R.I. Disability Law Center on Jan. 19 announced the settlement of a federal civil rights lawsuit on behalf of a deaf person who was not provided an interpreter after he was arrested and detained overnight in jail by Woonsocket police for allegedly making an obscene gesture.

Following a verbal altercation with a bouncer at City Side Club in Woonsocket in July 2015, David Alves made an American Sign Language gesture toward the bouncer that police interpreted as vulgar. Alves was arrested for violating a city ordinance against “[making] an obscene gesture.”

Among the provisions of the settlement, Alves will receive $25,000 in damages and legal fees, and the city has agreed to provide notice to the public about their rights to auxiliary aids and services, and train staff on working with people who are deaf or hard of hearing. •

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