BLM RI PAC: Providence Police Officer Should Resign After Assault at RI State House
Saturday, June 25, 2022
The Black Lives Matter Rhode Island Political Action Committee (BLM RI PAC) is calling on the Providence Police officer who was suspended following an assault at Friday's State House rally to resign.
The event -- which was held in support of women's reproductive rights following the Supreme Court decision overturning Roe v. Wade -- drew thousands.
On Saturday morning, Providence Police had announced an officer was suspended following an assault -- and on Saturday afternoon, police identified the officer as Jeann Lugo.
GET THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS HERE -- SIGN UP FOR GOLOCAL FREE DAILY EBLASTLugo, who had identified himself as a Republican candidate for State Senate, took his Twitter page down following the incident.
BLM RI PAC Statement
"BLM RI PAC condemns the actions of Providence Police Officer and Republican Political Candidate Jeann Lugo as he assaulted his opponent Jennifer Rourke at the state house, where she was protesting the overturning of Roe v. Wade. Resultedly, he has been placed on paid administrative leave as a criminal investigation unfolds.
Due to continued, unheard advocacy by community activists and protestors on the issue of police reform, our taxpayer dollars are going to a man who punched his own political opponent in the face as she advocated for the fundamental human right to her body. Without intervention, this will set a dangerous precedent for off duty officers to be able to assault citizens as they please with little to no accountability.
This is not the first instance of police misconduct enabled by state leadership’s lack of action on the matter of policing reform.
Over the course of the last year and a half, community organizations such as the NAACP and AFL-CIO, activists, and a wide range of elected officials including Providence Mayor Jorge Elorza and North Providence Mayor Charles Lombardi have advocated for the repeal of LEOBR, allowing for increased accountability to police misconduct.
Despite this, the General Assembly ended their session yesterday without any legislative action being taken on the issue. Thus, the actions of Officer Lugo are a direct result of the irresponsibility of House and Senate leadership in neglecting to address police misconduct through the repeal of LEOBR.
We will continue to monitor the investigation closely as we hope for transparency in this ongoing process. BLM RI PAC calls for Officer Lugo to not only resign from his position in the Providence Police Department, but also to permanently suspend his political campaign for State Senate."
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