Standing Up to the Bullies at the State House

What an amazing show of courage and patience that our speakers and supporters displayed at the Safe Schools Act Rally last Tuesday, June 11, 2019! 

We would like to send a giant thank you to featured speakers who had to shout to be heard over the rude and disrespectful screaming chants of the opposition:

Reverend Elizabeth Lerner Maclay, First Unitarian Church of Providence:
“It is not responsible and it is not acceptable for legislative leaders to shirk their responsibility while our children, children like William Parsons, is shot to death last fall on school grounds here in Providence, are wounded and killed with firearms that are readily available and legally carried almost everywhere, including schools, but not of course here in the State House where the legislators work.”

Rabbi Jeffrey Goldwasser of Temple Sinai in Cranston:
“Our religious traditions teach us that we have an obligation to speak out, for justice, when we see something that is wrong happening.”

Reverend Jamie Washam, First Baptist Church of America: 
“This legislation brings Rhode Island up to speed with the rest of the country and draws schools in line with parks and federal buildings. We can protect children at school while respecting the rights to liberty.”

Scott Lapham, One Gun Gone Founder, Teacher:
“In most school districts peanuts and peanut butter are not allowed in school for legitimate public safety reasons, but unannounced concealed carrying residents with loaded weapons are?”

Rep. Grace Diaz, Safe Schools Act Sponsor in the RI House:
“We need to be proactive. We need to fight for peace in our schools.”

Seth Magaziner, RI General Treasurer, Former Teacher:
“Students cannot learn and teachers cannot teach when they feel unsafe, when their schools are militarized.”

Ysanel Torres, Providence Native and Youth Organizer: 
“We’re living in the smallest state in America where you still have to worry about mass shootings because our state is one of four that allows people to carry concealed weapons inside of K-12 schools.”

Halima Ibrahim, RI Youth Activist:
“A gun is a weapon of hate, no matter who wields it.”

A special thanks to Steve Ahlquist of Uprise RI for his amazing coverage of events throughout Rhode Island. See Steve’s write up and videos of The Safe Schools Act Rally here.