Column: Right call on Narragansett testimony

Thursday, August 9, 2007  

"Kudos to Judge Susan McGuirl for ruling that Governor Carcieri must testify in the coming Superior Court trial of seven Narragansett Indians arrested in the 2003 smoke shop raid.

In the aftermath of the raid, Carcieri said he had ordered Steven Pare, then-superintendent of the state police, to withdraw troopers if they met resistance. Back then, Pare confirmed to me that Carcieri had said that, but Pare recently testified at a hearing before McGuirl that the governor had not said it.

I don’t know who’s right, any more than I know whether the Indians facing trial are or are not guilty of resisting arrest, disorderly conduct, or of the other charges against them.

But I do know that if Carcieri appeals McGuirl’s ruling and continues to try to avoid testifying, it will seem to the average Rhode Islander that he wants to hide something, or evade a resolution of the contradiction between his and Pare’s accounts.

The last thing Rhode Island needs is to give the tribe any further cause to claim that its rights have been trampled on. The Narragansetts repeatedly sound this theme in their quest for a casino."

Get the Story:
M. Charles Bakst: Judge makes right call on smoke shop (The Providence Journal 8/9)
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Relevant Links:
Narragansett Tribe - http://www.narragansett-tribe.org

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Rhode Island governor contradicted on raid (8/1)
Narragansett smokeshop defendants head to trial (7/31)
Race, history at issue in Narragansett case (07/12)
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