Providence “Purge” Organizer Arrested by Police
Thursday, October 29, 2020
An individual believed to an organizer of a reported Providence “Purge” scheduled for this weekend has been arrested by police, GoLocal has learned.
Jonah Pierre was arrested Thursday on a warrant charging him with disorderly conduct.
According to police, the warrant was for threatening a person at last week's protest.
GET THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS HERE -- SIGN UP FOR GOLOCAL FREE DAILY EBLASTPierre had originally posted the Purge details on his Facebook page in September.
He was taken into custody by members of the Providence police intelligence and narcotics units.
Pierre was in possession of a firearm and box cutter.
About Purge
The Purge is a dystopian action horror film series, in which one night year, people are allowed to rape, pillage, and murder with no law enforcement present.
The filming of “The Purge: Election Year” took place in Rhode Island in 2016.
Anticipating Violence
Providence police and authorities were alerted over a week ago to the “Purge” planned for this weekend.
Last week, Providence police arrested more than twenty people during the “Justice of Jhamal” protest sparked by crash involving moped rider Jhamal Gonsalves and a Providence police vehicle.
Tuesday night’s event started peacefully with the initial gathering at the library and march to the Providence Public Safety Complex, which included a nearly 1 hour standoff.
It then decayed into a cat and mouse game with projectiles and fireworks being thrown at the police.
