R.I. ACLU sues city for violating right to protest

PROVIDENCE – The American Civil Liberties Union of Rhode Island last week said it had filed a federal lawsuit against the Providence Police Department for violating the free-speech rights of protesters last year at a fundraiser in Roger Williams Park for then-candidate, now Gov.-elect Gina M. Raimondo.
In a statement, the ACLU alleged that the police department’s actions amounted to a “willful” violation of the “constitutionally protected right of people to peaceably assemble and demonstrate in public parks.” The suit seeks court-imposed remedies, including monetary damages.
The suit was filed by ACLU volunteer attorney Richard A. Sinapi on behalf of Shannah Kurland and Gladys Gould. It stems from police actions outside a Sept. 26, 2013, fundraiser for Raimondo at the Roger Williams Park Casino in Providence.
In a statement, the ACLU said that more than 200 people, including Kurland and Gould, gathered in the park outside the casino with signs to protest Raimondo’s work on pension reform. The statement said the two plaintiffs and other demonstrators were ordered by Providence police to move farther and farther away from the casino, making it much more difficult for them to have their message seen and heard by individuals attending the event.
The lawsuit notes that parks and sidewalks “are quintessential public forums, and the
Supreme Court has consistently affirmed the right of demonstrators to use them.” •