Six students charged with disorderly conduct in early December for blocking a bridge in a protest against the treatment of janitors in an office building in downtown Providence will continue their involvement in the movement to support janitors' rights, but must avoid getting arrested again.
Charges against the students have been dropped, provided they do not get arrested again within a year.
Alicia Pantoja '06, Lincoln Restler '06.5, Julian Drix '06.5, Nureen Ghuznavi '08, Sharon Mulligan '06 and Jonna Iacono GS were arrested along with eight other protestors after they refused to move from the street to allow traffic to pass. The alleged mistreatment of a janitor employed by non-union contractor Martins Maintenance at the Turks Head building sparked the protest. The janitor was reportedly threatened, assaulted and then fired by his supervisor for talking to union representatives in late November.
The city council passed a resolution in support of the protesters, which influenced the police department's decision to release them several hours after they were arrested.
"What's important is that we're trying to make Brown more accountable for what happens in Providence and more aware about the plight of janitors in Providence - it's not just about the arrests," Drix said. He plans to stay as involved in supporting workers' rights, but to avoid situations where he might get arrested again.
Ghuznavi echoed this sentiment. "I'm still going to attend protests but will avoid getting arrested."
"Certainly after the year passes, I will get more involved," she added.
In late October, four janitors and others, including three Brown students, fasted for five days in front of the Turks Head building to protest the meager compensation janitors received for their work there.
Restler was one of the students who fasted with the janitors. "From my own personal interactions with the (building) owner (Lloyd Granoff), I would be surprised to see Martins Maintenance fired in the very near future," Restler said. "I wrote a letter to Granoff with the janitors I was fasting with in late October and he was very bullish and felt very much personally attacked."
