On this week's podcast, we check in with Myrna George, CEO of the South County Tourism Council. Myrna and the SCTC recently testified against Gov. Gina Raimondo's plan to consolidate Rhode Island's tourism councils, and with  good reason.

South County is a very special place, that draws a very special type of vacationer. The SCTC has done extensive work to identify and market to  those vacationers. Due to their efforts, tourism is up in South County, with a 12 percent increase projected this year.

We discuss what makes South County special, and what make's Go.v Raimondo's tourism plans, ummm, not so special.

The ACLU of Rhode Island urges your opposition to this bill, which would funnel state money to private and parochial schools through a “school choice” program. At a time when public schools’ budgets across the state remain in serious trouble, and these schools grapple with having to eliminate various school-related academic and extra-curricular activities, it is simply unacceptable to establish a program that would provide yet additional money to private and parochial schools and further starve public schools.

Some supporters of programs like these argue that low and middle- income parents need alternatives to poorly performing public schools. The solution to failing public schools, however, is not to use tax dollars to divert students to private schools, and thus create a selffulfilling prophecy. Siphoning dollars away from the public schools is contrary to the premise of a public school system that serves all, with the support of all, and undermines efforts to address the financial problems that many public schools are facing. 


As a result of laws passed over the years that provide for “scholarship tax credits,” textbook aid, and school transportation, to give a few examples, it is worth emphasizing that the state already provides substantial taxpayer-funded aid to private (and mostly religious) schools. Now is not the time to provide them more.

Here is the full audio of Dr. Victor Matheson's presentation to  the Blackstone Valley Tourism Council on the proposed Providence Red Sox Stadium. Matheson is a noted sports economist, and has had numerous papers published on the benefits, or lack thereof, of publicly funded sports venues and events.

We report. You decide.

We were honored to share the room at the inaugural Rhode Island Cannabis Convention with the driving forces behind the legalization and medical marijuana movements in Rhode Island, as well as leaders and innovators in the nascent cannabis industry. The Coalition will continue to advocate for the full and immediate end to marijuana prohibition in the Rhode Island and the United States.

Joining us in the first installment of the podcast are:

Melissa Bouchard- The Thomas C. Slater Compassion Center
Jared Moffatt- Regulate RI
Mark Ward- NORML RI
Warrick Monaghan- American Green

Day two of our live podcasts featured:

Christian Stinchfield -Solis Tek Digital Lighting
DJ Stone- 1000 Watts Magazine
George Nasser- My Night Out RI
Matthew Lervey- Superstar Vapor Pens
Cara Crabb Burnham- Northeastern Institute of Cannabis
Dave Sorgman- 13 Folds Magazine and Kevin Kasper- Canna Care Docs
Ellen Brown and Mike Whitaker- New England Grass Roots Institute

Many thanks to our alt-media partner RI Free Radio, and the inimitable Tony Jones for technical and podcasting infrastructure, support, and guidance.

The American Civil Liberties Union is a lot like your car insurance company. You don't need them every day, but the second you do, you're damn glad to have them. 

Some would paint the ACLU as one of the dreaded "special interests" that are plaguing the U.S. and state legislatures, but in truth the ACLU is a public interest group. Their only interest is in protecting our constitutional rights, however unpopular their clients and positions may be.

Joining The Coalition this week is Steven Brown, Executive Director of the Rhode Island ACLU. We'll be discussing not only the ACLU's larger role in Rhode Island, but some of the specific state legislation that the local chapter  is supporting or opposing.

Tune in to AM630 & 99.7FM this Saturday night at 6, or listen on your mobile device, for a one-hour, candid discussion about the state of civil liberties in Rhode Island.

On this weeks show, The Coalition welcomes August Guang, a member of the Providence Youth Student Movement (PrYSM). 

Minority youth in Providence's South side and West end face undue scrutiny by the Providence police on a daily basis. After hearing many stories of harrassment, illegal detention, and intimidation, members of PrYSM decided to take the (crafting of) law into their own hands.

PrYSM has crafted the Community Safety Act, a broad reaching police accountability ordinance that the group hopes to introduce to the Providence City Council. You can find a summary of the ordinance below.

Tune in every Saturday, at 6 p.m. to AM630 & 99.7FM WPRO, or listen live on the web or your mobile device. Join The Coalition!

Editors note: This email exchange was sent to us by Edwin Fava III, a resident of Coventry, RI. Thanks, Ed!


Fava: Why was there no community consultation prior to the design and siting of the new stadium?

Baseball RI: The design of the ballpark is a conceptual plan. It's not a final design. Developers generally don't hold community meetings on design until they are sure the project is a go. This is a conceptual rendering. That said, I did read your facebook profile, and while I know that you're opposed to the project, I think your voice with your experience and eye toward sustainabliity and environmental concern is an important one to add to the conversation should the plan become a reality. We absoulutely (sic) want to solicit feedback and ideas from people who have ideas about how to make this the best ballpark in the country, and I do hope that in the end, should the plan move forward, you will contribute your expertise to these discussions.

Fava: Why do you feel entitled to use land that was designated for a public park for what will be a private baseball stadium?

Baseball RI: We don't feel entitled, we feel honored. 3.5 acres of this design will remain open space for the public to access. We will enhance the existing site by creating a kids zone, where playground equipment (sic) and batting areas will provide recreation for families year-round.

Fava: How do you propose that this stadium will generate more than minimum wage, seasonal jobs?  Also, will there be a direct net job gain with the park moving from Pawtucket to Providence?

Baseball RI: In terms of jobs, we addressed this on Facebook. Community leaders have expressed support for this project because it will provide jobs to people who have been marginalized by the labor force in the City and State. There was once a time when teens could choose from summer jobs, including those offered by various cities and towns, but that time has lomg (sic) gone. We are excited to provide employment, training and life skills for residents who would otherwise have limited pathways into the labor market.

Fava: I see an organized and vocal opposition to this plan.  If this is a good plan, why isn’t there vocal, grassroots support for it?

Baseball RI: We have lots of support, but in campaigns, it's often the case that opposition is more vocal than supporters. Our web analytics, messages via email and letters to electeds tell us that many, many RI residents are in support of this project.

Fava: How would I, a resident of Coventry, benefit from $120 million in state  funding being put into this ballpark?

Baseball RI: The number won't be 120 million, but as a Coventry resident you will benefit from increased tourism, and visibility of the state because there is will be a unique destination in Providence: the only AAA baseball team in New England, which is affiliated with a popular Major League franchise. Please look to Durham, NC to see the incredible economic impact the Bulls ballpark had on the local economy. That project was not a welcome one when it was proposed, in fact, many electeds lost their seats over it.. but today, you'd be hard pressed to find someone in that area who wishes the park was never built.

Fava: The owners mentioned that they have been contacted by businesses that like the plan to put the stadium downtown.  I have yet to hear the name of any of these businesses.  Would they be willing to get business leaders and politicians to voice their support?

Baseball RI: (No response)

Fava: $85 million is what the Red Sox pay a single player over a few years.  Surely one of the owners can spend that much on a facility for their AAA team without needing public funds.  Why aren’t they willing to simply spend their own money?  If the risk is too great, why do they want the people of Rhode Island to take it on?

Baseball RI: Pubic/ Private partnarships (sic) are typical for most large business ventures, not just here but all over the country.

Fava: Why is a baseball stadium a better use of state money than business incubators, tax incentives for technology and biomedical firms, affordable housing, schools, roads or any of the many things that Rhode Islanders are actually asking for?

Baseball RI: This isn't an either/ or scenatio (sic). We are one of many uses for development incentives. We aren't using a finite amount of money that would otherwise be spent on something else. Biotech firms will still come, nad (sic) in fact, they are excited about the possibility of locating neat (sic) a ballpark, because it's a quality of life issue for the type of workers these firms attract.

Fava: I go to PawSox games and many of the people I see attending are families that leave in the 7th inning to beat traffic and get the kids to bed.  These not people who are going to be spending money on restaurants and  hotels, yet you don’t want to alienate them.  Please explain how you think this demographic is going bring lots of money to Providence?

Baseball RI: (No response)

Fava: Baseball is decreasing in popularity with black youths.  Providence is a minority majority city.  How does a baseball stadium correlate as a driver of economic growth with these demographic trends?

Baseball RI: The biggest minority population in Providence is Latino, and they are overwhelmingly in favor of a baseball park- baseball is very popular in the Latino community and many of our players are Latino. As far as African American youths are concerned, we have spoken to many leaders in that community as well, and they are very excited to provide an affordable, safe place or kids to be entertained in the summer.

Fava: How do you think that this stadium will bring a million people downtown? That’s the entire population of this state.  That would require 100 sellout events at a minor league baseball stadium.  That insults our intelligence.

Baseball RI: We don't expect a million RI'ers. In fact, as of now, nearly 50% of PawSox visitors come from out of state. We know that this ballpark will bring visitors from all over New England who will purchase hotel rooms, eat food in our restaurants, shop in our stores, and plan vacations around the RI area.

A timely podcast this week.  In the wake of the death of Freddy Gray, the subsequent indictment of the 6 police officers involved, and the solidarity rally in Providence, we thought it would be a perfect time to for The Coalition to look inward and recognize the ingrained white supremacy in ourselves and our society. 

In the first segment, we check in with Dr. Julia Jordan Zachery, Professor of Black Studies at Providence College, and recent keynote speaker at the RI- NAACP Freedom Fund Brakfast. Dr. Jordan-Zachery is the author of Black Women, Cultural Images and Social Policy. She is a also member of the Association for the Study of Black Women in Politics and has received many prestigious awards as the Rodney Higgins Best Faculty Paper Award and the W.E.B. Dubois Best Book Award from the National Conference of Black Political Scientists.

In our second segment, we touch base with Marco McWilliams from Rhode Island's own D.A.R.E. - Direct Action for Rights and Equality, just minutes after the end of the Providence Baltimore solidarity march and rally for Freddie Gray.

It's an hour of compelling radio that you don't want to miss.

(Bonus: Co-host Dave "Scorched earth" Fisher and blog contributor Ethan "Measured response" Gyles both wrote pieces on the Baltimore Uprising this week.)