Fitz's Hits: Lift gag order on pension settlement; racism allegations in Pawtucket PD

Absolutely!

The Rhode Island Press Association is calling for Superior Court Judge Sarah Taft-Carter to lift her gag order on the proposed pension settlement. “This is a complicated case with huge ramifications for taxpayers and those who receive pensions,” it said. “It is wrong to deny them any information that they need to understand the settlement proposal and the voting process." Erwin Chemerinsky, a First Amendment law professor and dean of the University of California-Irvine Law School, wrote a law review article about “why gag orders on trial participants are almost always unconstitutional,” and he said he’s “enormously troubled” by the Rhode Island gag order. When it comes to “such an important issue,” he said, “we shouldn't lessen the ability of people to find out about it.” It’s time to end the secrecy.

YouGottaBeKiddingMe

Minority officers have told The Valley Breeze’s Ethan Shorey that racism is prevalent in the Pawtucket Police Department. One officer, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said he has heard white officers use the “N word” when talking about black suspects and even in reference to black officers. He questioned how a department that serves such an ethnically diverse city could continue to be dominated by white officers. Pawtucket administration director Tony Pires told Shorey the city takes the allegations seriously and will conduct an internal investigation. The report follows a study by the National Association of Black Law Enforcement Officers, which found that blacks and Hispanics are underrepresented in Rhode Island police departments and that whites hold 95 percent of positions above patrol officer.