Fighting Institutional Violence
Wed, 25 Aug 2010 18:10:56 +0000
This article was written by Geoff Schoos, President and Founder of RICLAPP.  It appeared on August 19, 2010 in his column in the Cranston Herald. Open Letter to William J. Clegg III, Elizabeth Dennigan, Michael J. Gardiner, Ernest A. Greco, James R. Langevin, Donald F. Robbio, and Mark S. Zaccaria. Two weeks ago, I wrote a column [...]

Do Not Get Fooled Again
Wed, 25 Aug 2010 16:35:29 +0000
This article was written by Geoff Schoos, President and Founder of RICLAPP.  It appeared on July 29, 2010 in his column in the Cranston Herald. “Meet the new boss, same as the old boss.” - Won’t Get Fooled Again by The Who.   For those of us who like geezer rock (and let’s be honest: who doesn’t?) [...]

Federal Judge Rules California Same-Sex Marriage Ban Unconstitutional
Fri, 13 Aug 2010 19:58:17 +0000
This post was researched and written by Karen Taylor, Volunteer Paralegal  On August 4, 2010, Chief U.S District Judge Vaughn Walker issued a ruling in federal court that California’s Proposition 8 is unconstitutional.  Proposition 8 is the voter-approved ban on same-sex marriage.  The case is expected to be appealed to the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of [...]

Dear Geoff:

It gives me great pleasure to write this letter of support on behalf of the incredible work that the Rhode Island Center for Law and Public Policy (RICLAPP) and their partners do for the State of Rhode Island.

I support RICLAPP's commitment to ensuring that all Rhode Islanders, regardless of their income, have the opportunity to access needed legal services.  Your Center provides stable and accessible legal resources to entrepreneurs establishing small businesses in addition to individuals and families regardless of their economic contraints.  I support your Center's commitment to helping all Rhode Islanders acquire proper legal services in a variety of issues including housing, employment, ex-offender reentry issues, and elder law.

I understand that RICLAPP has opened legal clinics for the elderly in the Cranston Senior Center, The East Greenwich Senior Center, and the Westminster Senior Center.  Moreover, I understand that new clinics will be established in senior centers in Warwick and Woonsocket in the near future.  The purpose of the collaboration between RICLAPP and these senior centers is to better serve the elder population with their pressing legal needs such as end-of-life planning, various powers of attorney, Medicare/Medicaid issues, and housing issues.

I support RICLAPP's plan to establish a statewide legal assistance program for elders.  Such a program will ensure that one of our most vulnerable and an underserved population receives the legal assistance they need, but would not otherwise receive.  On behalf of the Urban League of Rhode Island, I look forward to collaborating with RICLAPP as a sustainable partner.

Sincerely,

Dennis B. Langely