Rhode Island

Providence city councilor sues McKee for firing him over pro-Palestine stance • Rhode Island Current

Published

2 years ago

August 14, 2024

Providence city councilor sues McKee for firing him over pro-Palestine stance • Rhode Island Current

Providence City Councilor Miguel Sanchez maintained he had no regrets for the pro-Palestine activism that led to his firing from Gov. Dan McKee’s office in October.

Now, he wants his job back, along with back pay and damages for the “mental anguish” and free speech violations from his firing, according to a lawsuit filed in federal court on Monday.

The 15-page complaint against McKee and two of his top advisors, Joseph Almond and Antonio Afonso, alleges the state administrators violated free speech protections under the First and 14th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution by firing Sanchez over his social media posts and participation in a pro-Palestine rally in October.

“The First Amendment does not allow government employers to ‘silence discourse, not because it hampers public functions but simply because superiors disagree with the content of employees’ speech,” the complaint states, referring to a 1987 U.S. Supreme Court ruling protecting a Texas county constable’s clerical employee who was fired over a private comment she made about then-President Ronald Regan.

The complaint also describes Sanchez’ firing as “viewpoint discrimination.”

Sanchez was hired by the governor’s office in 2021 to work in the governor’s Constituent Services Office, earning $50,000 a year for an administrative position answering phone calls that was likened to “tech support” in the complaint. The position was not political, and the governor’s office had never taken issue with Sanchez’ personal politics previously, even after he was elected to the Providence City Council in 2022.

After the Israel-Hamas war began on Oct. 7, Sanchez made a series of social media posts condemning violence and called for a cease-fire. He also shared a video from a pro-Palestine rally held outside the Rhode Island State House on Oct. 21. While the rally was reported to have included antisemitic chants, Sanchez “did not engage or advocate for any violence, intimidation, harassment, or anything other than peaceful marching,” the complaint stated.

Two days after the rally, McKee’s legislative director, Rico Vota, brought in Sanchez for questioning. Rota told Sanchez it was “inappropriate” to publicly state an opinion at odds with McKee, and to refrain from additional social media posts. Vota also told Sanchez his behavior could “complicate” Sanchez’s pending application to transfer to a job with the Rhode Island Department of Labor and Training.

Sanchez complied, refraining from social media posts and forwarding press inquiries to McKee’s advisors, according to the complaint. After a story highlighting his previous, social media posts, including from the rally, was published in the Providence Journal, Sanchez was again called in by McKee’s advisors, and fired.

During that final meeting, Sanchez alleges he was denied the opportunity to speak to human resources or a legal advisor. The complaint also states he was asked if he took down his prior social media posts, even though he was never asked to previously.

His firing, with a week of severance, was confirmed by McKee’s administration on Nov. 1.

The complaint asks the court to award back pay and compensation for Sanchez’s subsequent job search and force McKee’s office to reinstate Sanchez.

Sanchez now works as a case manager for Better Lives Rhode Island, a Providence social services agency. He declined to comment on the lawsuit on Wednesday.

McKee’s office did not immediately return inquiries for comment. The defendants had not filed a response in court as of Wednesday morning.

GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX

Source link

Click to comment

Rhode Island

Star-studded cast of ‘My Boyfriend is a Demon,’ filming in RI, released

Published

12 hours ago

May 14, 2026

Press Room

Star-studded cast of ‘My Boyfriend is a Demon,’ filming in RI, released

A new horror movie titled “My Boyfriend is a Demon” is currently filming in Rhode Island.
The film follows a lonely girl whose fake Instagram boyfriend materializes in real life.
The cast includes children of famous actors, such as Mattias Ferrell and Coco Arquette.
Veteran actors David Arquette and Rosanna Arquette are also part of the ensemble cast.

Verdi Productions’ secret horror movie, “My Boyfriend is a Demon,” now filming in Rhode Island, is no longer a secret as Chad A. Verdi, the East Greenwich production company’s president, has announced the cast and given an outline of the movie’s plot.

The ensemble cast comprises veteran actors and rising young talents. The story follows Mary, a lonely, small-town girl who creates a fake Instagram account that pretends to be boyfriend, a guy too perfect to be real. Mary puts so much effort into making him “real” that he shows up at her door one day.

The cast includes:

Mattias Ferrell, son of comic actor Will Ferrell and known for “A Very Jonas Christmas Movie” and “Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues.”
Coco Arquette, daughter of Courteney Cox and David Arquette and known for “Cougar Town.”
David Arquette, known for his work in the “Scream” film franchise.
Rosanna Arquette, David’s sister and Coco’s aunt, known for “The Moment.”
Bailey Sloan, known for “Ragamuffin.”
Jack Champion, known for “Avatar.”
Ever Anderson, known for “Peter Pan & Wendy.”
Vinnie Hacker, known for “Euphoria.”
Josephine Reitman, known for “Juno.”
Savannah Lee Smith, kown for “Tunsel Town.”
Lisa Yamada, known for “Elle.”
Ty Law, known for “Friday Night Lights.”

“My Boyfriend is a Demon” is written and directed by first-time director mishka.

“My Boyfriend is a Demon” is filming in Providence

The movie began filming in Rhode Island in April and has rented Providence’s Cranston Street Armory for the month of May to use as a studio.

The producing team for Verdi Productions includes Chad A. Verdi, Chad Verdi Jr., Paul Luba, Michelle Verdi and Sera Verdi. Executive producers include Ketchup Entertainment and Kinolime.

Source link

Rhode Island

Weather Now: Showers, T’storm Today

Published

24 hours ago

May 14, 2026

Press Room

Good morning! Happy Thursday! Today will be pretty unsettled with the chance for showers and t’storms. Friday will still be damp with showers and drizzle, but the weekend still looks amazing!

The one good thing with the rain, for allergy sufferers at least, the pollen levels will be lower. In fact, both today and tomorrow, the tree pollen counts will be low locally. Do expect a spike in the pollen count for Saturday and Sunday with the dry weather.

INTERACTIVE RADAR: Live Pinpoint Weather 12 Radar »

“https://www.wpri.com/weather-now/weather-now-for-thu-5-14-26/” FLIGHT TRACKER

“https://www.wpri.com/weather-now/weather-now-for-thu-5-14-26/” POWER OUTAGES

TODAY

Hour-by-hour forecast for today…

Hour by Hour // A close look at the upcoming conditions »

We’ll have some showers around during the morning commute today, but the greatest chance for showers and t’storms will be after 9AM and before 5PM.

Showers and thunderstorms could slow travel around mid-day. Rain could fall heavily at times.

A line of showers and t’storms will be sweeping across the area through the afternoon as a slow-moving weather systems moves through the region.

Highs today will be in the upper 50s to lower 60s with southeast to east winds of 5-15mph.

“https://www.wpri.com/weather-now/weather-now-for-thu-5-14-26/” BEACH AND BOATING FORECASTS

TONIGHT

Showers are still possible this evening; although they won’t be as numerous.

TOMORROW

That low center will be nearby Friday morning, and we’ll be stuck with a damp, cool windflow. Expect drizzle and showers in the morning and possibly some lingering showers in the afternoon.

Highs Friday will only be in the 50s. The average high this time of year is in the upper 60s.

LOOKING AHEAD

Then…there’s the weekend. Saturday looks amazing with lots of sunshine and dry weather. It’ll be warmer, too, with highs in the 70s.

-Meteorologist T.J. Del Santo

T.J. Del Santo (tdelsanto@wpri.com) is the weekday morning and noon meteorologist for 12 News. Connect with him on Facebook and Twitter and Instagram and Threads and BlueSky.

______________________________________________________________________________________________________

Source link