A Providence police officer blocks homelessness advocates from entering the city’s public safety complex on Feb. 26, 2025. (Photo by Christopher Shea/Rhode Island Current)
A group of nearly 40 homelessness advocates went to meet with Providence’s police chief Wednesday afternoon to voice concerns over the alleged harassment of unhoused people outside the Mathewson Street United Methodist Church by officers in recent months.
But when they arrived at the city’s public safety complex on Washington Street, an officer inside the building blocked their entry by standing in the entryway. Lt. Patrick Potter then came out to tell the Rhode Island Homeless Advocacy Project’s (RIHAP) members that he would make some calls.
“They’re doing a lot of talking, but no one’s talking to us,” Black Lives Matter RI PAC Director Harrison Tuttle told the crowd waiting. “And that’s because they’re scared — because they know that when the people respond, they have no answer for their actions.”
But Col. Oscar Perez wasn’t even in the building. Police spokesperson Lindsay Lague said information on the chief’s whereabouts was not available. But wherever he was, he answered a call from Tuttle 20 minutes after the crowd first gathered. Tuttle put the call on speaker for the crowd to hear.
“I didn’t even know you guys were coming,” Perez said.
Organizers did not want the Providence Police Department to know about the demonstration ahead of time. RIHAP Director Eric Hirsch told Rhode Island Current the protest was unannounced to try and grab the chief’s attention.
“We’ve met with him twice before, but there’s no resulting action to stop what his officers are doing,” Hirsch said.
So it was Potter who had to field most of the crowd’s outrage over recent incidents between police and the unhoused reported at the Mathewson Street Church.
A news release issued by RIHAP claims that six months ago, an officer confronted a group standing outside the church, telling them they couldn’t remain on the sidewalk and warning he was “tired of dealing” with them. A month later, another officer allegedly ordered a group sitting across the street from the church to leave.
On Jan. 15, surveillance footage captured officers shining flashlights into a man’s face as he slept in a doorway. On Feb. 12, two officers reportedly searched an unhoused person who was standing on the sidewalk near the church and hurled expletives.
Police continue to allegedly harass unhoused people near the church, Director of Outreach Kevin Simon told Potter.
“Police cars are still coming down our street every single day,” Simon said.
Potter said officers continue to stop unhoused people near the church “because of behaviors.”
Advocates claim Providence police officers are violating the state’s Homeless Bill of Rights. The law enacted in 2012 states that unhoused people have the right to use and move freely in public spaces, privacy for their personal property, and the right to equal treatment by all state and municipal agencies.
“Large numbers of officers are not respecting people on the street,” Hirsch said. “They’re treating them as if they’re trash that needs to be removed.”
Protestors associated claim the number of incidents of harassment has risen along with the state’s homelessness crisis. At least 2,442 unhoused people across Rhode Island were counted when volunteers conducted an annual survey in late January 2024 — up 35% over the 2023 count.
Many unhoused Rhode Islanders have no space to shelter. The state’s shelter dashboard notes a total of 1,514 beds available across the entire state, with 96 unused as of Feb. 25.
The state has sought to increase the number of available beds, opening the ECHO Village pallet shelters off Victor Street on Feb. 11. People are being moved into the 45 one-room shelters in phases, said Laura Jaworski, executive director of House of Hope. She declined to say how many are still vacant.
Lague said there have been no calls for service to ECHO Village as of Wednesday.
Providence Police Maj. Roger Aspinall stepped outside and suggested to the crowd that they bring their complaints and evidence to the police department’s Office of Professional Responsibility. He also said that Perez would be willing to accommodate advocates some time in the near future.
The crowd dispersed after about 40 minutes. Hirsch told reporters after the protest concluded that appealing to the Office of Professional Responsibility is one avenue to end alleged harassment, but it’s only a bandage on the larger problem.
“They need to suspend or dismiss those officers who have harassed people,” Hirsch said. “They need to order the police to respect people and understand that they have to be on the street.”
Providence Mayor Brett Smiley’s office said the city is “deeply committed to addressing homelessness through a comprehensive, collaborative approach,” in response to a request for comment.
“Since May 2023, the Smiley Administration has allocated over $6 million to expand shelter beds and transitional housing, creating more than 180 new beds in Providence,” according to a statement from city spokesperson Josh Estrella. “We continue to work closely with contracted outreach teams to connect unhoused individuals to housing, shelter, behavioral health supports, and warming centers during extreme weather.”
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