Havdalah #46: Admin, Stop the Bleed, & Picnics

Hello all, and welcome to Havdalah #46 —

There’s a lot to enjoy in this week’s newsletter (Pride, medic training, picnics), but I’ve a couple of admin notes to focus on:

First — do you want to get involved in something? Are you interested in what’s happening in Rhode Island? Do you like newsletters? Do you like social media? If the answer is yes to any of those, hit us up! White Rose RI is muddling along with the people we’ve got, but we’d love to have more people involved in one way or another. Let us know!

Second — due to a combination of factors including travel, we are taking July off! There maybe some Housekeeping issues in there, but there is just a critical mass of people unable to access internet for too much of the next weeks to be sure of getting anything out until August. Still, stay subscribed! We will be back!

Goodnight, and mind how you go —

Katherine (she / her)

PS: We’d like to hear from you! Let us know how we’re doing!

Butler Hospital Workers on Strike - Join the Picket Line!

• When: Everyday, 6:00am-7:00pm

• Where: 345 Blackstone Boulevard, 02906

• On May 15th, hundreds of hospital workers, represented by SEIU 1199NE, went on strike at Butler Hospital. Butler Hospital is RI’s only dedicated psychiatric hospital, and the workers are striking over understaffing, unsafe working conditions, and poverty wages.

• As of writing (6/15), the staff are still on strike, with Butler having subsequently canceled their health insurance, and the police and city targeting the strikers with noise complaints.

• The strikers can use our support! Donate supplies, send a supportive message, or join them on the picket line!

• Linktree with information on strike background and how to support it

• News report on noise complaints

• News report on health insurance cancellation

• SEIU1199 Instagram Page 

Workers and Renters: Providence General Assembly

• When: Saturday, June 21, 12:00pm and every other Saturday

• Where: 134 Mathewson Street, Providence, RI 02903

• From their Instagram:

  • Worried about Trump?

  • Want to defend our communities?

  • Want a world that works for everyone?

  • Come to the Providence General Assembly!

• Spanish, ASL interpretation and childcare available upon email request

• Masking requested and masks will be provided

• Direct questions to [email protected]

• Providence General Assembly

• Workers and Renters Website

PrYSM Community Picnic

• When: Sunday, June 29th, 11:00am-3:00pm

• Where: Cambodian Society of RI, 177 Hanover Street, Providence, RI 02907

• Join PrYSM for food, games, and conversations on how we can keep ourselves safe

AMOR/ONA Defense Line Against Deportation & Police Brutality

• 401-675-1414 - Bilingual Spanish and English

• AMOR and the Olneyville Neighborhood Association run a defense line to respond to the attacks on our immigrant community.

• Call it if you see ICE in the community or need assistance with police or ICE.

• Volunteer with AMOR

• Volunteer with ONA

ACLU Rights Explainers

• When: Up now

• Where: Online

• The ACLU just released two updated versions of their explainers about your rights when interacting with immigration agents (ICE) or the police. They have them available in 10 languages: English, Spanish, Portuguese, Cape Verdean, Haitian Creole, French, Swahili, Dari, Pashto, and Khmer.

• Read and save this material – regardless of your own immigration status – and send to friends and family! Click the link below and scroll to the bottom of the page to download PDFs that you can print, plus the ACLU posted on all their social media platforms (@riaclu) if you want to save and share online.

• If you have a specific way to distribute larger numbers of the paper copies, please email the RI ACLU at [email protected] or call them at 401-831-7171. They have a limited supply printed, but will provide as many as they are able.

• ACLU Rights Explainers

The Womxn Project’s Bodily Freedom Forever Index

• When: Up now, updated every Tuesday

• Where: Online

• The Womxn Project has put together an index of politicians in RI, showing how candidates did in the 2024 election based on their stance on bodily freedom. TWP will post weekly reports on Tuesdays, highlighting some of their findings from the BFFI.

• Bodily Freedom Forever Index General Page

• Bodily Freedom Forever Index for the 2024 Election

• They’re also welcoming people to come join them as they organize in each district, creating small hubs. With volunteers, they will keep building a more transparent political landscape with data-informed action and strategy. Check them out if you want to get involved!

• BFFI Involvement Signup

• The Womxn Project Volunteer Signup

Tomaquag Museum Lunch and Learn: “Our Communion Day” Illuminating the Legacy of Tribal Churches

• When: Monday, June 23, 12:00pm

• Where: Online (Zoom)

• Join the Tomaquag Museum for their Lunch and Learn virtual program led by Kimonee M. Burke (Narragansett). She will discuss the legacy of Tribal Churches and their significance in Indigenous communities. Don't miss this opportunity for learning and engaging discussion!

• Lunch and Learn Event and Registration Page

Tomaquag Museum TEK Walks

• When: Wednesday, June 25, 6:00pm-7:00pm

• Where: Grills Preserve, 198 Bowling Lane Bradford, RI

• You are cordially invited to participate in an insightful TEK Walk led by Cassius Champlin Spears Sr. This is a wonderful chance to gain knowledge from his expertise and enhance your appreciation of our cultural heritage.

• During the TEK Walks, Indigenous educators will impart Traditional Ecological Knowledge as we explore the ancestral lands of the Narragansett Nation.

• TEK Walks Event and Registration Page

Apply for PrYSM’s Youth Summer Program: Nonviolent Direct Action Training

• When: July 28-August 12

• Where: Norwood House, 82 Waterman Street, Providence, RI 02912

• Check out this training from PrYSM: youth training geared towards BIPOC youth in Providence ages 13-24 to teach them how to organize and participate in direct actions.

• Youth receive stipend for full participation.

• For any questions, reach out to the lead organizer at [email protected]

• Youth Training Series Sign Up Form

AMOR: Community Support Needed

AMOR is fundraising for a Central Falls family whose father was detained by ICE while dropping off his children at school. They are raising $8,000 to cover the cost of legal representation and fees to bring him home to his family.

Gofundme Link for Central Falls Family

Reminders for Legislative Advocacy

• Be aware that written testimony submitted to any committee is considered public and will be posted to and accessible on the General Assembly website.

• All times and locations given below are accurate as of the writing of this newsletter, but the RI Legislature is prone to changing time and locations of hearings with little notice. If you want to give in-person testimony for a bill, go to this Bill Lookup Page to double check the bill status and meeting information before you go. Put the bill number (no H, no S) in the Bills input field and hit Enter for the most up to date information.

• Rise of the House or the Senate is when the full House or Senate finishes meeting together and breaks into separate committee meetings.

• For in-person testimony, when you arrive and/or during the meeting, you will receive instructions on when and how you can give testimony. Don’t be afraid to poke someone who looks like they know what they’re doing and ask.

Employee Rights Bill

Bill Number: S0162 Sub A

Summary: S0162 Sub A protects employees’ free speech regarding matters of politics, assembly and religion, as well as attendance at employer-sponsored meetings regarding political or religious matters. Employees aggrieved by discipline or discharge by the employer would have the right to bring a civil action against the employer seeking appropriate relief including reinstatement, back pay and attorneys' fees and costs.

Our Position: FOR / IN SUPPORT OF

Current Status:

• The House Labor Committee recommended passage of S0162 Sub A in concurrence on Monday, June 16

• Placed on House Calendar for consideration on Friday, June 20

• The House passed S0162 Sub A in concurrence on Friday, June 20

The Freedom to Read Act

Bill Number: H5726 Sub A / S0238 Sub B

Summary: H5726 Sub A / S0238 Sub B promote free expression and access of information by prohibiting the censorship of library materials and amends current laws to clarify the range of materials considered “indecent” and “obscene” for the purposes of criminalizing the distribution of materials containing sexual content.

Our Position: FOR / IN SUPPORT OF

Current Status:

• House passed H5726 Sub A on Monday, June 16

• House proposed S0238 Substitute B on Saturday, June 14

• The House State Government & Elections Committee recommended passage of S0238 Sub B on Monday, June 16

• House passed S0238 Sub B on Wednesday, June 18

• Senate passed S0238 Sub B on Friday, June 20

Note: As these are substitute bills, the Bill Lookup Page doesn’t seem to be showing them properly; some creativity in googling may be required in finding info on them if they change the schedule.

Criminal Justice Reform Bill

Bill Number: S0278 Sub A

Summary: S0278 Sub A provides immunity from arrest and prosecution for prostitution, procurement of sexual conduct for a fee, loitering for prostitution and soliciting from motor vehicles for indecent purposes, under particular circumstances including physical restraint, threat of violence or legal action, intimidation, or confiscation of immigration or governmental identification documents.

Our Position: FOR / IN SUPPORT OF

Current Status:

• The Senate passed S0278 Sub A on Tuesday, June 17

• The House passed S0278 Sub A on Friday, June 20

Decarbonization Bill

Bill Number: H5493 Sub A

Summary: H5493A would establish an energy reporting system, requiring certain larger properties to report their energy usage in a given year and would require the Office of Energy Resources to make this information available to the public.

Our Position: FOR / IN SUPPORT OF

Current Status:

• The House passed H5493A on Friday, June 20

Also… a special call to action from the Womxn Project:

Summary: Rhode Island’s "Brett Kavanaugh Moment" is upon us: Michael McCaffrey is nominated to be Associate Judge of Rhode Island District Court, which puts him in position to be next on the RI Supreme Court - a lifetime appointment!

• He fought against same-sex marriage in RI while in the RI Senate

• He spent years successfully thwarting abortion rights for Rhode Islanders

Our Position: AGAINST / IN OPPOSITION TO

How you can oppose McCaffrey’s nomination:

1. Use The Womxn Project’s email template to state your opposition to McCaffrey’s nomination by June 27th

• Send two separate emails to [email protected] and [email protected] 

• Be sure to include your name, title, address, email address and phone number at the bottom of this template: Ms. Verdeccia/Tadesse:

Greetings.

I am NAME, TITLE. I am writing to share my objection to the nomination of Michael J. McCaffrey for Associate Judge of Rhode Island District Court. McCaffrey's track record of opposing reproductive rights, and the human rights of the LGBTQIA population of Rhode Island, makes him out of sync with the values of most Rhode Islanders.

We deserve judges who share our values, and therefore see McCaffrey as unfit for Associate Judge of the RI District Court.

Thank you for reconsidering his nomination,

Ms./Mx./Mr. FULL NAME
Your Address
Your Phone Number
Your Email Address

2. Show up in-person to oppose the nomination on July 8 at 4pm

• In addition to those signed up to testify, we need to PACK THE ROOM with those who oppose McCaffrey's nomination

• Location: Department of Administration One Capitol Hill, Conference Room A, 2nd Floor Providence, Rhode Island 02908

Pride’s been popping off this year. Not like, Pride™, that’s still as stale as ever. I mean Pride, like the spirit of it, the mythologized riot. Many people a lot smarter than me have already predicted that this is going to be a long, hot summer, one of those powder keg seasons that seems to come more and more frequently as this century goes on.

I could use this space to soapbox about how people malign the noble Riot as a form of resistance. I could use it to offer extremely amateur predictions about the potential outcomes of the clashes with the state that are almost certainly going to increase. I could talk about Compton’s Cafeteria and Stonewall, the Tenderloin and the Village. Only, I think we’re all adults here, right? We know that violence is a viable tool, we know that coffee and bricks fly given enough velocity, and we know that if you push people too far they’re going to eventually pop back like snapped elastics.

So instead, I want to use this little space to make a plea.

Are you planning on taking to the streets? That’s fucking fantastic, thank you so much for your service to your community! If I may make a humble suggestion: consider getting First Aid Training as part of your preparation.

Street medic is one of the most important movement roles when shit gets real, and there aren’t enough of them. Having someone there with basic medical training can be the difference between a nasty minor injury and a permanently disabling one — or worse. It’s not magic or miracle-working, but it’s still a major help.

The American Red Cross offers courses in Providence, which are designed to train you for First Aid certification. After completing the class, you’ll be certified for two years! They also have an online shop where you can purchase First Aid kits, including ones that can be kept in your car.

A more specialized form of training exists called Stop The Bleed, a trauma response course with a specific emphasis on bleeding control. The curriculum was developed in the wake of the Sandy Hook school shooting, but obviously applies to any situation involving mass violence. When cops intentionally misuse “less lethal” munitions to maximize the harm inflicted on protesters, Stop The Bleed could potentially be life-saving. You can take their online course, or locate an in-person training. They also have a helpful resource hub on their website, and like the Red Cross, an online store where you can purchase equipment to make a Stop The Bleed kit.

Finally, I am closing by linking an episode of It Could Happen Here, in which the recent anti-ICE protests in LA are discussed. The whole thing is very informative, but I would particularly like to highlight the discussion around safety that begins just before the 38-minute mark. The hosts are movement veterans, and their advice is crucial even if you end up deciding you have no interest whatsoever in First Aid certification or Stop The Bleed training.

I offer no ethical prescriptions, no moral commandments, no Monday-Night quarterbacking or peace-preaching. Whatever your method of resistance to our shared enemy, we are on the same side. I support your fight for liberation, and hope that you will be safe and will keep others safe.

But if you cannot be safe, then be brave.

Needle Drop: “On the Ground in LA”, It Could Happen Here

News Round-Up: Local

Worker arrested by ICE in Lynn, later released, says agents beat him in cemetery (Mercedes París and Solangi Sosa in NBC Boston, June 6, 2025)

News Round-Up: National

Los Angeles Stands up to ICE (CrimethInc, June 8, 2025)

ICE detaines tear down a wall in uprising at N.J. detention facility, lawyer says (Steve Strunsky in www.nj.com, June 12, 2025)

Op-Eds

ICE Watch Programs Can Protect Immigrants in Your Neighborhood — Here’s What to Know (Nikki Marín Baena in Teen Vogue, January 22, 2025)

Protest, Power, and the Violence Debate (Kelly Hayes in Organizing My Thoughts, June 13, 2025)

Remembering My Father and Talking to Strangers on Planes (Kelly Hayes in Organizing My Thoughts, June 15, 2025)

Pod Recs: It Could Happen Here, Movement Memos, & Weird Little Guys

The LA Anti-ICE Protests (It Could Happen Here, June 10, 2025)

Migrant Detention in Libya (It Could Happen Here, June 11, 2025)

On the Ground In LA (It Could Happen Here, June 12, 2025)

Executive Disorder: White House Weekly #20 (It Could Happen Here, June 13, 2025)