Home Economy Economic Activity ACLU: Statehouse rotunda will be open to protesters during McKee address

ACLU: Statehouse rotunda will be open to protesters during McKee address

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PBN Staff

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01/07/2026

THE STATEHOUSE rotunda and first floor will be open to protestors during Gov. Daniel J. McKee State of the State address on Jan. 13. / PBN FILE PHOTO/WILLIAM HAMILTON

PROVIDENCE – The Statehouse rotunda and first floor will be open to protestors during Gov. Daniel J. McKee’s State of the State address on Jan. 13, according to the American Civil Liberties Union of Rhode Island Inc. The agreement between the ACLU and state officials is in response to a lawsuit the organization filed against

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PROVIDENCE – The Statehouse rotunda and first floor will be open to protestors during Gov. Daniel J. McKee's State of the State address on Jan. 13, according to the American Civil Liberties Union of Rhode Island Inc. The agreement between the ACLU and state officials is in response to a lawsuit the organization filed against McKee in U.S. District Court in October after several members of his administration denied access to activists who were planning a rally during the annual State of the State address, insisting the space had been "reserved" by the governor for the evening.. “For more than 50 years, the Statehouse rotunda has served as an indispensable space for the exercise of First Amendment rights,” said Steven Brown, executive director of the ACLU of Rhode Island. “We look forward to seeing it once again serve that crucial function the day of this annual event.” Under the plan released by R.I. Attorney General Peter F. Neronha, a small area of the rotunda leading up to the House chamber on the second floor will be cordoned off to allow guests to walk up to that floor unimpeded, as will most of the second floor for security, but protesters will otherwise have access to most of the first floor and rotunda steps for their planned rally, the ACLU said. “Our administration developed a plan to provide meaningful public access to the State House, including the rotunda, during the 2026 State of the State address, while prioritizing the safety and security of all individuals present,” Olivia DaRocha, a spokesperson for McKee’s office, told the Rhode Island Current. The lawsuit contended that Harrison Tuttle, then president of the Rhode Island Black Lives Matter PAC, along with local groups, including the Rhode Island Homeless Advocacy Project, were threatened with arrest and barred from entering the Statehouse rotunda, while others were allowed access to the same areas. While the protestors were redirected to the “less visible” Bell Room, the rotunda was closed off by police, who posted a sign reserving it from 4:30 p.m. to 10 p.m. The complaint alleges that state and R.I. Capitol police were acting on orders from McKee’s office. Attorneys for the ACLU argued that the actions were designed to suppress the protesters’ First Amendment rights. “Protection of the public’s right to protest the actions of the government is vital to our society as it is one of the bedrock pillars of democracy,” said Sonja Deyoe, cooperating attorney for the ACLU of Rhode Island. "I am pleased that we have received this interim relief, which will allow our clients, and members of the public in general, to exercise that very important right.”