A truck drove into ICE protesters outside a private prison

[anodyne]

The protesters were sitting on the pavement to block staff from parking at a Rhode Island prison that works with Immigration and Customs Enforcement when a black pickup truck swerved toward them. The protesters shouted as the driver laid on the horn, and the truck briefly stopped.



And then, the driver hit the gas.



In a viral video captured by bystanders, the protesters screamed and jumped out of the way. Several were struck, according to organizers of the Wednesday night demonstration at the Wyatt Detention Facility in Central Falls, R.I. Some were treated at a hospital, though none were severely injured.

The driver, protesters say, was a correctional officer employed by the privately run facility who was wearing a badge and a uniform

www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2019/08/15/video-ice-protesters-hit-truck-guard-rhode-island-wyatt/

For those who can't read the Post, video in tweet.

[seeyalater52]

This is extremely local to me, and I have many, many friends who were there (we were there earlier in the day but left before this occurred.) I am so disgusted that a GUARD tried to mow down protesters. I'm disgusted that the person driving the truck clearly communicated intentions to do this, and coordinated it in conjunction with a pepper spray attack against protesters by the guards from inside the prison (who according to multiple people I know, started streaming out with pepper spray almost simultaneously to the truck going into the crowd.) I am disgusted that despite sustained protest at Wyatt over the past year+ nothing has changed. If the guards act like this to largely white protesters outside the prison I shudder to think of how they treat people detained inside.

My heart is so heavy.

[pixy0stix]

Fuck the police, too! JFC. People were injured and the police are refusing to take a statement?

[NitaX]

Somebody is getting fired today.

[shauni27]

last night we had a peaceful protest here and some folks did a sit in blocking traffic. It is all over the news today.

People are LIVID and keep making awful comments about running them over if they were there. WTF.

[seeyalater52]

Aug 15, 2019 9:04:31 GMT -5 pixy0stix said:

Fuck the police, too! JFC. People were injured and the police are refusing to take a statement?

The police force there is absolute CRAP. Now that the governor and other mayors are pressuring them and the mayor of CF I'm slightly more hopeful they'll actually charge him. But what the actual fuck that it should take that level of pressure. 

[mrsukyankee]

What a freaking shit show. I hope that there are people getting fired left right and center.

[elleblue]

I saw this earlier. Absolute insanity. Including the prison guards who came out to pepper spray the protesters at the same time and the police refusing to take statements. Wtf.

[cattledogkisses]

One of my best friends is protesting Trump today in NH and I’m so nervous. I hope everyone is safe.

[BlondeSpiders]

As more states pass bills that ban protesting (peaceful or otherwise) I think we'll sadly see more of this.


This link shows the number of states that have enacted protest bans. Surprise, surprise, the most have been enacted in North Dakota.

[AAM2012]

Aug 15, 2019 9:12:09 GMT -5 NitaX said:

Somebody is getting fired today.

Not likely...

[goldengirlz]

Aug 15, 2019 12:13:05 GMT -5 BlondeSpiders said:

As more states pass bills that ban protesting (peaceful or otherwise) I think we'll sadly see more of this.


This link shows the number of states that have enacted protest bans. Surprise, surprise, the most have been enacted in North Dakota.

I had no idea! How is that not in violation of free speech?

[BlondeSpiders]

Aug 15, 2019 12:35:30 GMT -5 goldengirlz said:

Aug 15, 2019 12:13:05 GMT -5 BlondeSpiders said:

As more states pass bills that ban protesting (peaceful or otherwise) I think we'll sadly see more of this.


This link shows the number of states that have enacted protest bans. Surprise, surprise, the most have been enacted in North Dakota.

I had no idea! How is that not in violation of free speech?

If you scroll down on that link, it shows individual bills that gradually scrape away at 1st amendment rights:


- Harsh penalties for protesters who conceal their identity

- Mandatory sanctions for campus protesters

- New penalties for protests near critical infrastructure

- Heightened penalties for protesting near a pipeline

- New penalties for protests that block roads (pending)

- Limiting public employees' ability to picket
(!!!!!!!!)

These are only the ones that have been enacted. There are many, many more that have either failed or expired.

[shauni27]

Aug 15, 2019 11:54:53 GMT -5 cattledogkisses said:

One of my best friends is protesting Trump today in NH and I’m so nervous. I hope everyone is safe.

This is somewhat local to me and they were talking about the rally on NPR today. I was hoping that people would protest. I am glad to hear there are plans for a protest.

[LoveTrains]

Also very local to me and I know many that were there. The governor is in touch with the state police. One of the lead protestors works in the PVD mayors office and is a former statehouse rep so I’m hopeful we will see some sort of penalty for the driver. Everyone was talking about this st work today and I bet more ppl will join the protestors next week.

[isabel]

It is absolutely mind blowing to me that we are discussing being “hopeful” that the driver will be charged. This country is a fucking shit show.

[seeyalater52]

First person account from my dear friend who was there and was hit by the driver: upriseri.com/2019-08-15-wyatt-jackie/

Published yesterday but as far as anyone can really tell at this point the state police have been very slow to start up an investigation (after local police essentially refused to investigate) and witnesses/victims haven’t been contacted for statements yet. I’m not feeling super optimistic but I’d love for things to turn around.

[seeyalater52]

And more the guard’s background here. Real winner this guy. heavy.com/news/2019/08/thomas-woodworth/

This article claims that people were asked to go to the Central Falls police station to make statements but there was a crowd of more than 100 people there yesterday and they wouldn’t take statements, only take down names and contact information and “they’ll be in touch if they need any other information.”

Sounds like the guard is on paid administrative leave currently.

[shauni27]

seeyalater52, I am so sorry for your friend. Glad they are ok!

[seeyalater52]

Woodworth resigned! It’s a start.

[LoveTrains]

Aug 16, 2019 16:21:09 GMT -5 seeyalater52 said:

Woodworth resigned! It’s a start.

It’s a start. I’m waiting for more from Raimondo and state policy. She did post on FB about it in English snd Spanish!

The video is terrifying.

[seeyalater52]

Aug 19, 2019 22:52:43 GMT -5 LoveTrains said:

Aug 16, 2019 16:21:09 GMT -5 seeyalater52 said:

Woodworth resigned! It’s a start.

It’s a start. I’m waiting for more from Raimondo and state policy. She did post on FB about it in English snd Spanish!

The video is terrifying.

I admit my expectations are severely tempered by what I’m hearing about the quality of the state investigation. I’m no Raimundo hater as a general rule, but as an outsider talking to people who are on the other side of it, it basically sounds like it is being mishandled on a number of levels.

[LoveTrains]

Aug 20, 2019 6:34:52 GMT -5 seeyalater52 said:

Aug 19, 2019 22:52:43 GMT -5 LoveTrains said:

It’s a start. I’m waiting for more from Raimondo and state policy. She did post on FB about it in English snd Spanish!

The video is terrifying.

I admit my expectations are severely tempered by what I’m hearing about the quality of the state investigation. I’m no Raimundo hater as a general rule, but as an outsider talking to people who are on the other side of it, it basically sounds like it is being mishandled on a number of levels.

That’s unfortunate. Mayor elorza came out asking them to close the facility and the most recent report I heard was that they are actively seeking witnesses and videos. I have so little faith in the government of this state that it would not surprise me that this is what they ask for publicly but behind closed doors/ in the back it’s being grossly mishandled. Which is a damn shame.

[seeyalater52]

Aug 23, 2019 9:39:36 GMT -5 LoveTrains said:

Aug 20, 2019 6:34:52 GMT -5 seeyalater52 said:

I admit my expectations are severely tempered by what I’m hearing about the quality of the state investigation. I’m no Raimundo hater as a general rule, but as an outsider talking to people who are on the other side of it, it basically sounds like it is being mishandled on a number of levels.

That’s unfortunate. Mayor elorza came out asking them to close the facility and the most recent report I heard was that they are actively seeking witnesses and videos. I have so little faith in the government of this state that it would not surprise me that this is what they ask for publicly but behind closed doors/ in the back it’s being grossly mishandled. Which is a damn shame.

The Providence Mayor's office has been great, but I'm biased because my wife works there and was part of the team working on their position on this (unsurprisingly Central Falls is ... less great.) 

But it definitely feels like the initial response from people who can actually do something about any of this (specifically the CF folks, Governor's office, state folks) was louder than the actual response. Or maybe it's just that they're trying to do everything by the book and keep it under wraps until it's time to be public, but now that the fuss is dying down I fear we won't hear anything about it ever again and the whole thing will just disappear. 

[seeyalater52]

No charges will be brought: www.providencejournal.com/news/20191023/ri-attorney-general-no-charges-will-result-from-august-confrontation-at-wyatt

Wish I could say I was surprised.

[downtoearth]

Oct 23, 2019 12:54:31 GMT -5 seeyalater52 said:

No charges will be brought: www.providencejournal.com/news/20191023/ri-attorney-general-no-charges-will-result-from-august-confrontation-at-wyatt

Wish I could say I was surprised.

This part is crazy...

"When I see the video, there are a couple of people that look like they’re falling down. But there isn’t a situation where the truck is actually making contact with them,” Pelletier said. “I think they were trying to get out of the way, and backed into somebody.”
(Said by Woodworth's defense attorney)


Woodworth, Pelletier said, was trying to drive into work, and believed that the protesters were moving out of the way when he started to pull in. Woodworth didn’t have the intent to harm or strike anyone, Pelletier said. In fact, Pelletier said, he did not.



“Things weren’t necessarily as they appeared,” Pelletier said.

And now he might try to get his job back? What a terrible person...

[aliciabella]

I have a question, the protesters were sitting in the road that lead to the business? We're they blocking off the access point?

[seeyalater52]

Oct 23, 2019 13:41:53 GMT -5 aliciabella said:

I have a question, the protesters were sitting in the road that lead to the business? We're they blocking off the access point?

Yes, they were blocking the access point (most weren't sitting.) Many dozens of people were arrested during that protest for doing so. But it's still against RI state law to accelerate a truck into a crowd of people, even if they are blocking the road. 

I wasn't there, but I have multiple close friends who were and they clearly saw the driver rev up his engine several times and then go from stopped to moving very quickly forward into the crowd (and I've seen video footage that shows this clearly.) One person I know personally had to go to the ER due to injuries sustained when his truck hit her. Regardless of whether the protesters were justified in blocking access to the detention center right before a shit change, it seems to me like it would be reasonable for there to be charges and an opportunity for a full trial rather than just dismissing it outright. 

[thejackpot]

It is disgusting that there won't be charges and for him to get his job back is insane.