Rhode Islanders deliver petition with over 1,700 signatures to Senators Whitehouse and Reed

Today, on a rainy Monday, around 70 people gathered in Burnside Park in Providence to deliver over 1,700 petition signatures to Senators Whitehouse and Reed. Created by the group Resist Hate Rhode Island, a local coalition that formed in response to Trump’s victory, the petition calls on the federal government to fiercely oppose the Trump agenda. Warwick resident Jessica Stults brought her baby to the gathering. She said she wanted her baby to feel like he can make the world a better place at this early age. Stults said she came to today’s rally to hold the senators accountable. “I want them to really stand up for what’s right and symbolic to let the administration know that we will not stand for things that are completely beyond the pale and unacceptable and, stand up for things that matter to people in Rhode Island,” Stults said. Director for the Rhode Island Working Families Party Georgia Hollister Isman said she helped organize the event to unite against hate. “We want and need and expect them to stand up for Rhode Island values [of] inclusiveness, tolerance and equality. We’re expecting them to do that in the United States senate,” Isman said. Isman said that she specifically hopes Whitehouse, who is part of the Committee on the Judiciary, will oppose the attorney general nomination of Jeff Sessions, who has a long history of racial remarks. As of publication time, the senators have not publically responded to the petition. On November 16, Rhode Island Representative David Cicilline led at least 169 Congress members to organize a letter calling for Trump to reverse Steve Bannon’s appointment as the White House’s chief strategist. There is a follow up Resist Hate community meeting on December 10 at Hope High School to give people a chance to discuss measures to resist the Trump agenda.