"We believe the threats are credible and pose too great a risk to proceed”
By Christopher Shea, Rhode Island Current
A joint statement from the Rhode Island Nurses Association and SEIU 1199 New England issued at 3 p.m. claimed a Middletown resident allegedly posted threats raising the possibility of weapons being present at the vigil planned for 6 p.m.
“Our mission is to protect and advocate for nurses across the state, and with guidance from the Pawtucket and Middletown Police Departments, we believe the threats are credible and pose too great a risk to proceed,” the Rhode Island Nurses Association and SEIU 1199 New England said in a joint statement.
Chris Hunter, a spokesperson for the city of Pawtucket, confirmed the online threats. He said police in Middletown conducted a wellness check and found the man had weapons at his residence.
Hunter referred additional question to the Middletown Police department, whose chief did not respond to request for comment.
The candlelight vigil to honor Alex Pretti, who died in an encounter with Border Patrol agents, was scheduled to take place at Jordan’s Jungle, an LGBTQ+-owned plant shop near the Providence line.
Nurses had planned to use the event to both honor Pretti, a VA nurse, and his contribution to their profession, along with calling on Rhode Island’s congressional delegation to designate health care facilities as safe spaces protected from the intrusion of federal immigration enforcement operations.
The demands echo those of the American Nurses Association, which has called on the federal government to launch an independent, transparent investigation into Pretti’s death, reform immigration enforcement practices, and halt actions that undermine workplace safety and violate health privacy laws.
A representative from U.S. Rep. Gabe Amo’s office was scheduled to appear in support of the vigil. Hayley Gray-Hoehn, a spokesperson for Amo’s office, said the congressman stands in solidarity with those being “terrorized” by masked federal agents and Rhode Islanders “standing up to this cruelty and chaos.”
“Congressman Amo has voted against giving additional funding to Trump’s ICE twice and led an effort to repeal the $75 billion slush fund in the Republicans’ Big, Ugly Law. He is a co-sponsor of the Protecting Sensitive Locations Act which would prevent ICE from operating within 1,000 feet of sensitive locations, like schools, houses of worship, and health care facilities,” Gray-Hoehn said in an emailed statement to Rhode Island Current.
Sen. Pamela Lauria, a Barrington Democrat who works as a nurse practitioner, and Lt. Gov. Sabina Matos were also scheduled to join the vigil. Lauria did not respond to a request for comment.
Matos said she was outraged that the groups’ right to assembly was “essentially stolen” by someone threatening to harm them.
“But while I am saddened that tonight’s vigil was cancelled, the spirit of solidarity carries on even when we cannot be together in person,” she said in a statement.
“This is exactly why I have been so outspoken about what is happening in Minnesota and other communities, because this is the inevitable result of that unchecked violence: when protestors, observers, and everyday citizens are attacked and killed with no consequences in other cities, it emboldens people with hate in their hearts,” Matos continued. “We must stand united against violence anywhere and everywhere.”
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Rhode Island Current is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Rhode Island Current maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Janine L. Weisman for questions: info@rhodeislandcurrent.com.
