Providence

A social justice take on Western railroad construction

Millions of dollars (mostly federal) are going to CRT in Providence.

By Justin Katz | August 13, 2021 |

My latest article for Accuracy in Media does some digging into what’s going on with critical race theory (CRT)–style curricula and teacher training in Providence schools: Congressional Republicans scored a victory for racial harmony in the American classroom with the passage of Senator Tom Cotton’s “Stop CRT Act“.  Whether the legislation will actually halt the promotion of critical race theory…

A locked luggage box

Politics This Week with John DePetro: Boxed in by the Past

By Justin Katz | August 9, 2021 |

John DePetro and Justin Katz take on unprecedented developments in RI government and politics.

The Providence teacher contract estimate should be 144% higher than stated.

By Justin Katz | August 4, 2021 |

It’s a positive thing that state law requires municipalities and school districts to provide cost estimates for the contracts they’re about to approve (even if they tend to issue them when it’s pretty much a done deal), and it’s good that the state hasn’t tried to slip through a transparency loophole in negotiating its contract…

A blurry streetscape

Politics This Week with John DePetro: Incompetent Optics

By Justin Katz | August 2, 2021 |

John and Justin talk about several ways in which Rhode Island’s political elite is trying to control how things appear (and what sort of politics the people are permitted to have).

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We have to be aware of the narrative involved in the Providence car chase controversy.

By Justin Katz | July 27, 2021 |

John DePetro has some details about the Providence police’s car chase of a BMW with three teens shooting BB guns out the windows: Following this incident, the Providence Police began reviewing the circumstances of the arrest of one of the vehicle’s occupants, including any injuries sustained and the use of force involved. Late last week,…

A dog in the circus

Politics This Week with John DePetro: The Governing Circus

By Justin Katz | July 26, 2021 |

John DePetro and Justin Katz talk about the politics of the day, with things that should be easy proving difficult and things that would have to be difficult being passed off as easy.

Policeman

Elorza and Paré don’t seem to see the cliff they’re walking along.

By Justin Katz | July 26, 2021 |

Having not seen video of the incident, nobody should be assuming that Providence Mayor Jorge Elorza and his public safety commissioner, Steven Paré, are exaggerating when they say, as Steph Machado reports for WPRI, that these officers used excessive force: The arrests of the two 15-year-olds and one 16-year-old took place in the early hours…

Racial conflict fist as a green light

Politics This Week with John DePetro: Municipal and School Officials Build Toward Race War

By Justin Katz | July 20, 2021 |

Critical race theory is all the rage, and John DePetro and Justin Katz worry about RI government efforts to stoke it into conflict.

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Politics This Week with John DePetro: Politics Becomes All

By Justin Katz | July 13, 2021 |

John DePetro and Justin Katz discuss how everything is becoming political narrative, not serving and protecting the people, in Rhode Island.

A medical mask on the sidewalk

The governor keeps the pandemic going.

By Justin Katz | July 8, 2021 |

As Ian Donnis tweeted earlier, I was in Providence this afternoon at the Public’s Radio studio for an all-too-brief conversation with National Education Association of Rhode Island director Bob Walsh about the obstacles to improvement of Rhode Island’s education system. Arriving a bit early, I walked around the area, and it struck me that the…