Why Rhode Islanders Say They Want Goverment to Pay When it Violates Our Rights
With over 100 early petition signers – calling for passage of legislation (S2607 and H7352) that would make government pay when it violates our state constitutional rights – below are some of the comments from Rhode Islanders who submitted their reasons for signing.
| COMMENT | Petitioner | City |
| without this bill, officials face zero consequences for misconduct while Rhode Islanders bear the harm, so please restore real accountability and deterrence by making government pay when it violates our rights | Larry | Cranston |
| We Rhode Islanders absolutely need and want our state Constitution’s Declaration of Rights enforceable. They shouldn’t be just words but rather should have meaning so that we have remedies should our state Constitutional rights be violated. What’s the point if there is no accountability!! | Mary | |
| we need to restore accountability | Ronald | foster |
| We need to hold our state responsible for its actions | Dale | Foster |
| We need the general assembly to authorize enforcement of our constitutional rights | Robert | |
| We have rights that are guaranteed in the Constitution and they must be respected and government should pay a penalty for violation of those rights. | Marce | Cumberland |
| Warwick | Angela | Warwick |
| To preserve Constitutional rights. | Norman | Smithfield |
| This will ensure that our elected representatives have real world consequences when they pass laws that clearly violate our constitutional rights. What happens now is laws are passed to gain political advantage with absolutely no downside for the law makers and the State. | Michael | East Greenwich |
| This state is CORRUPT! | Donna | Bradford |
| The provisions of these pieces of legislation seem appropriate to check governmental abuse of Constitutional protections, with actual processes to remedy. Barring an unforeseen example of why these are not good, I would ask for your consideration. | Ross | North Providence |
| The government needs to be accountable to the people for their actions. | David | |
| The government has a duty to the people to both protect and govern them, therefore that same government is charged with making those people whole when incidental harm is done upon them. | Alexander | |
| The government answers to its constituents. I know you all love the power, but you work for US! When you violate our rights, you also must be held accountable. If you believe you are above the law, you are NOT. You should lead by example! If you do NOT APPROVE S2607 or H7352, you are showing EVERY RHODE ISLANDER that you have something to hide, that you are a hypocrite, and that you do NOT deserve to remain in your political seat. | Nicole | Coventry |
| The General Assembly members do not have much/any accountability for their actions and few have the RI citizens best interest at heart. | Barbara | |
| Lawrence | ||
| Rhode Island is in all pertinent respects a one-party polis, yet there is a significant plurality of voters, Republicans, with no effective voice in the state’s affairs. This because of almost 100 years of gerrymandering abuse other corrupt political machinations to shut off any means of voicing opposition to Demorat rule. This must change, and will. Our independence is sacred. The leeches will be purged from our political body one way or another | Irving | Saunderstown |
| Rhode Islanders deserve their rights to be free | Geeta | East Greenwich |
| Rhode Island needs to fix thing for its residents and not just cater to buzz words. | Anthony | Cranston |
| Restore real accountability & State Constitutional protections: Support S2607 & H7352 | Jas | Warwick |
| Representatives Protect our State Constitutional rights by holding government accountable. Thank you Keith Brynes |
Keith | Warwick |
| Reform is necessary as the RI state legislator and others within office past and present have already done way too much overreach with citizens’ rights. | Sheila | North Smithfield |
| Protection against over-eager bureaucrats | Howard | North Kingstown |
| Protecting what matters most, i.e., free speech, freedom from unlawful searches, due process, and other core liberties … even against federal overreach. | Steve | Narragansett |
| Protect our constitutional rights by holding our government accountable!!! | Debra | Cranston |
| Our RI legislators are constantly trying to take away OUR Second Amendment freedoms, year after year and it needs to STOP ? !! We know it’s Unconstitutional, They know it’s Unconstitutional, Our Judicial System knows it’s Unconstitutional and yet EVER year they chip away at OUR RIGHTS ! WE can’t stop the Legislation and OUR Courts DO NOTHING TO STOP THE INJUSTICE !! That’s why I’m backing this legislation and ASKING YOU to also !!!! | Gregory | LINCOLN |
| Our one-party General Assembly, so formed for the past 90 years, can’t be trusted with the State Constitution. I thought our state had 3 co-equal branches of government? We don’t want that? | Thomas | Cumberland |
| My own Civil Rights were violated by representatives of the State of RI during a trial on an assailant. | Cheryl | |
| Lincoln | Evan | Lincoln |
| It’s so bad here all my kids moved FAR,FAR away & rarely visit. If its not being taxed to death,it’s the constant erosion of our God-given Rights & Freedoms. | Eric | Exeter |
| It is time to uphold RI’s constitution and it’s time to hold elected officials accountable for their actions and or inactions regarding their constituents | Andrew | Cranston |
| It is important that when mistakes are made by the government on people that those people can seek compensation. | Paul | Woonsocket |
| It is always important that citizens maintain their rights and the government be held accountable. | Brian | |
| If there are no consequences to actions then what is the motivation to follow the rules by individuals and what is the motivation by the munitipalities to enforce the rules with their employees, contractors, ect…? No consequences means those civil rights are nothing more then nice words on a piece of paper – they are meaningless and consequences for violating them only apply to the rest of us who are not protected by a “government entity”. | Joseph | Cranston |
| I’m a civil rights attorney in Rhode Island and the federal court has shot down every single claim (a least a dozen) we have brought on state constitutional grounds, based on the RI Supreme Court’s decisions holding that RI’s State Constitutional provisions are not actionable. As a person who cares deeply about civil rights, I find it appalling that we have no actionable state constitutional rights. The Rhode Island Civil Rights Enforcement Act is critically needed to protect constitutional rights in this country. This bill would also ensure that civilians who have had their rights violated are actually compensated for their harms, because it requires municipalities to be liable even when officers are granted qualified immunity. It is absolutely unfair for officers and towns to get off the hook for actual violations of rights, leaving the injured person without any recourse. It is not right to allow government officials to be immune for harming Rhode Islanders. Our State Legislatures are supposed to be working for the people, and right now it seems like they are protecting the government at the expense of the people. | Chloe | |
| I support the passage of H7352 and S2607 to restore the ability to seek a remedy for violations of rights protected under the Rhode Island Constitution. | Tyler | |
| I support the passage of H7352 and S2607 by the General Assembly to restore my right to obtain a remedy in court for any harm caused due to a violation of my state Constitutional Rights. | Pamela | |
| I am concerned that the RI general assembly has repeatedly passed legislation that is in direct conflict with the US constitution. | Ron | North Scituate |
| I am a senior living on SS. My right to privacy is very important as well as being a natural born American/USA citizen & my rights are first before any illegal as all the taxes I have paid are for my benefits as a rightful citizen. | Margarita | Warwick |
| Having state constitutional rights that cannot be enforced is nonsensical. When there is a right passed by the people, their must be a remedy, otherwise what is the point. | Danilo | |
| Government is meant to serve and protect citizens by adhering to the tenets of our Constitution. | Cynthia | |
| Government is getting way too big and brash … | Mike | Cranston |
| Government has gotten too big. Especially the socialist/democrats who want government to protect them from everything. | Jennifer | Coventry |
| Government has become cavalier in its persistent infringement on our rights … with no meaningful consequence. This legislation will serve as a deterrent. | Mike | Cranston |
| Enforce government limitations that protect our rights | Heather | |
| Consequences for those in power are the only way to ensure that they don’t abuse it. | Evan | Cumberland |
| Civil rights are the only reason for government. | Roy | Providence |
| Because our politicians have to much power, they need to be checked, on both sides of the isle. We really need term limits. | Brian | Cranston |
| Asking to pass these house bills in order to protect Rhode Island constituents from government overreach. | Douglas | Westerly |
| A sleeping giant has awaken. We the people want our state and country back. Choose a side. For us or don’t let the screen door hit you on the way out. You serve at the pleasure of the good people of Rhode Island. Do you duty you took a oath to do. | Roberta | Westerly |
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