Watson, CEO of Providence Cultural Equity, Calls on Governor, Legislative Leaders to Take Action
Wednesday, April 21, 2021
In the wake of the conviction of Minneapolis Police Officer Derek Chauvin in the murder of George Floyd, Raymond Watson is calling on Governor Dan McKee and other legislative leaders to take action in Rhode Island to reform the police.
Watson, the CEO and founder of the Providence Cultural Equity Initiative, joined GoLocal LIVE directly after the jury rendered its finding of guilt on Tuesday.
“That's the way it's supposed to be -- that's the way. The system's supposed to work when you see something as horrendous as what happened to Mr. Floyd , [and] the people that did it should be held accountable," said Watson. "So when I heard the verdict, it was good they did the right thing and justice was served at least partially in this particular situation."
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Watson cited the recent incident involving Providence Joseph Hanley who was caught on video kicking a handcuffed main the head. Rhode Island Attorney General Peter Neronha prosecuted Hanley with a misdemeanor charge. The court in March sentenced Hanley to one year of probation and ordered that he complete anger management classes.
Reform the Policemen’s Bill of Rights
Watson said one of the biggest obstacles to reform is Rhode Island’s policemen's bill of rights.
“We have the law enforcement officers bill of rights and often when you when you push for accountability of law enforcement here in Rhode Island, that's the thing that comes up," said Watson. "So we not only need this to be a sort of sounding call to our law enforcement officials we need our political leadership to step up,” said Watson.
Watson said that McKee and legislative leaders in Rhode Island need to move forward with reforms. “This is the time,” said Watson.