Kat Kerwin
Former member of the Providence City Council
from Ward 12
Assumed office
2019
Preceded byTerrence Hassett
Succeeded byAlthea A. Graves
In office
2019 – January 2, 2023
Personal details
Born
Katherine Kerwin

(1997-04-09) April 9, 1997
Providence, Rhode Island
NationalityAmerican
Political partyDemocratic
ResidenceProvidence, Rhode Island
EducationRoger Williams University School of Law
Alma materUniversity of Wisconsin-Madison
ProfessionAttorney

Katherine Kerwin (born April 9, 1997) is a lawyer and former politician who served as the youngest member of the Providence City Council from 2019 until 2023, representing Ward 12.[1]

Education

Kerwin earned her BA in Political Science and Geography from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 2019.[2] In 2016, Kerwin appeared in local and national news for leading UW–Madison's Cocks Not Glocks campaign,[3][4] which was based on a campaign organized by Jessica Jin at the University of Texas-Austin that called for people to display sex toys on their backpacks.[5][6]

In 2023, Kerwin received a JD from Roger Williams University School of Law.[1]

Career

Providence City Hall in Rhode Island

Kerwin's first job involved working at Providence City Hall when she was 13.[7]

In 2018, Kerwin ran against incumbent Terrence Hassett, who was first elected to the city council in 1997, the year Kerwin was born. Hassett did not submit enough signatures to get his name on the ballot in the 2018 City Council race, leading to an unopposed victory for Kerwin.[8]

Kerwin ran for office with the stated goal of demonstrating Providence had the potential to be a national example of effective progressive policy-making.[7] During her campaign and while in office, Kerwin said she experienced inappropriate comments from colleagues, due to her age.[9]

In November 2018, Kerwin was elected, at 20 years old,[10] into the first Providence City Council to have a female majority.[11] On January 7, 2019, she was inaugurated.[12] Kerwin was a part of the City Council's Ordinance Committee.[13]

Kerwin served on Providence City Council until January 2, 2023. She did not seek a second term.[1]

Kerwin is a 2023–2024 Justice Catalyst Fellow with Local Progress.[10]

Policy positions

In December 2018, Kerwin expressed concern over 200 employees who lost their jobs due to the closing of a local strip club after prostitution arrests. Kerwin supports decriminalization of sex work.[14]

In October 2019, Kerwin voiced support for vandalism of a local Christopher Columbus statue, stating that civil disobedience is healthy and the statue should be removed for celebrating colonization.[15][16][17]

Christopher Columbus Statue Torn Down at Minnesota State Capitol on June 10, 2020

In November 2019, Kerwin co-wrote a letter in support of six homeless families relocated from New York City to Rhode Island, as part of New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio’s "Special One-Time Assistance Program."[18] The letter was in response to public opposition of the program from Providence Mayor Jorge Elorza, Pawtucket Mayor Donald Grebien, and Woonsocket Mayor Lisa Baldelli-Hunt.[19]

In December 2019, Kerwin voted against granting a 20-year, multi-million-dollar tax break to Jim Abdo to build Hotel Hive, a project located at 203 Westminster Street.[20]

In December 2019, Kerwin supported Providence's Climate Justice Plan and co-sponsored a letter opposing any proposed facilities on Allens Avenue likely to worsen pollution and asthma rates.[21]

In February 2020, Councilwoman Nirva LaFortune and Kerwin introduced a resolution calling on the Rhode Island Department of Education (RIDE) to increase funding for social and emotional learning and support services.[22] The resolution called for RIDE to eliminate school-based School Resource Officers (SROs) in Providence's school district.[23] Kerwin credited Providence youth organizers with advocating for a school district that no longer accepts the school to prison pipeline as the norm.[22]

Map from 2018 of which U.S. states required School Resource Officer (SRO) training

In May 2020, Kerwin expressed disappointment towards Providence College administrators and students for hosting a superspreader block party, three months into the COVID-19 pandemic, in a neighborhood with majority Black and brown residents.[24][25]

In July 2020, Kerwin intervened in a conflict between police and workers at a local bar. Workers stated they'd experienced multiple instances of police harassment and police stated they were present to respond to a noise complaint at the establishment. Providence police released body camera footage of the interaction, which included Kerwin using a swear word, to the press.[26][27]

In October 2020, Kerwin co-sponsored a resolution opposing the Rhode Island Department of Transportation (RIDOT) Multi-Hub Bus System plan.[28]

In October 2020, Kerwin facilitated a march for peace on Smith Hill, following escalating gun violence in the neighborhood.[29][30] Kerwin spoke on the issue of local gun violence at Lock Arms for Peace's monthly gathering.[31] Kerwin endorsed a ban on assault weapons; a ban on high capacity magazines; and the Safe Schools Act.[32]

In January 2021, Kerwin joined other councilmembers in calling for State Representative Justin Price to resign following his support for and participation in the white supremacist insurrection on the Capitol.[33][34]

In January 2021, Kerwin participated in a Dance Parade, held outside Providence City Hall, to call attention to the eviction crisis and to demand protections for renters and homeowners throughout Rhode Island.[35]

In August 2021, Kerwin opposed political figures' comments about crime in Providence as a means to support investment in police during an emergency meeting of the Providence City Council. Kerwin cited lack of investment in low-income residents and young people as a reason for local crime.[36]

References

  1. 1 2 3 McGowan, Dan (2022). "Kat Kerwin isn't seeking reelection in Providence, but she has no regrets". The Boston Globe. Archived from the original on July 23, 2023. Retrieved February 26, 2023.
  2. ↑ McGowan, Dan. "Who is Kat Kerwin? Providence's most outspoken politician revels in ruffling feathers". The Boston Globe. Archived from the original on July 23, 2023. Retrieved February 26, 2023.
  3. ↑ "Student leaders prepare to fight campus carry legislation". The Daily Cardinal. Archived from the original on July 23, 2023. Retrieved February 26, 2023.
  4. ↑ "Wisconsin Students Will Carry Dildos to Protest a Campus Carry Law". Cosmopolitan. December 14, 2016. Archived from the original on July 23, 2023. Retrieved February 26, 2023.
  5. ↑ McGaughy, Lauren (October 11, 2015). "'People want me dead for a dildo:' UT alumna behind 'Cocks not Glocks' protest". Chron. Archived from the original on July 23, 2023. Retrieved February 26, 2023.
  6. ↑ Dart, Tom (August 25, 2016). "Cocks Not Glocks: Texas students carry dildos on campus to protest gun law". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Archived from the original on July 23, 2023. Retrieved February 26, 2023.
  7. 1 2 Herman, Lily (May 31, 2018). "These 3 Young People Are Fed Up With the Status Quo — So They're Running for Office Themselves". Teen Vogue. Archived from the original on July 23, 2023. Retrieved February 26, 2023.
  8. ↑ List, Madeleine. "Longtime Providence Councilman Hassett doesn't have enough signatures to make the ballot". The Providence Journal. Archived from the original on July 23, 2023. Retrieved February 26, 2023.
  9. ↑ "She's learned how to stand up for herself", CNN Politics, October 29, 2018, archived from the original on July 23, 2023, retrieved February 26, 2023
  10. 1 2 "Kat Kerwin". Catalyst Fellowships. July 18, 2023. Archived from the original on July 23, 2023. Retrieved July 23, 2023.
  11. ↑ Schmit, Megan (October 24, 2018). "The New Face of Politics: A new female majority signals a big change for the Providence City Council". Providence Media. Archived from the original on July 23, 2023. Retrieved February 26, 2023.
  12. ↑ Ahlquist, Steve. "Providence City Council inauguration a day of firsts and political fault lines". Uprise RI. Retrieved February 26, 2023.
  13. ↑ "Providence City Council committee hears legislation to stop source of income discrimination in housing". Uprise RI. Archived from the original on July 23, 2023. Retrieved February 26, 2023.
  14. ↑ Amaral, Brian. "Kerwin comes to the defense of Foxy Lady". The Providence Journal. Archived from the original on July 23, 2023. Retrieved February 26, 2023.
  15. ↑ "'I stand with them': Providence councilwoman voices support for Columbus statue vandals". WPRI.com. October 16, 2019. Archived from the original on July 23, 2023. Retrieved February 26, 2023.
  16. ↑ NEWS, NBC 10 (October 16, 2019). "Providence councilwoman sides with vandals; Mayor open to moving statue". WJAR. Archived from the original on July 23, 2023. Retrieved February 26, 2023.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  17. ↑ Nagle, Kate. "Providence Council Member Defends Columbus Statue Vandalism". GoLocalProv. Archived from the original on July 23, 2023. Retrieved February 26, 2023.
  18. ↑ "City councilors urge empathy and community solidarity for relocated NYC families experiencing homelessness". Uprise RI. Archived from the original on July 23, 2023. Retrieved February 26, 2023.
  19. ↑ Anderson, Patrick. "R.I. mayors object to program that helped homeless New York families move here". The Providence Journal. Archived from the original on July 23, 2023. Retrieved February 26, 2023.
  20. ↑ "At a raucous meeting, Providence City Council approves the Hive Hotel TSA". Uprise RI. Archived from the original on July 23, 2023. Retrieved February 26, 2023.
  21. ↑ "Neighborhood groups and politicians strongly support Providence's Climate Justice Plan – Uprise RI". Providence Coalition of Neighborhood Associations. Archived from the original on July 23, 2023. Retrieved February 26, 2023.
  22. 1 2 "Providence City Councilors seek to eliminate SROs, bring more social services to students". Uprise RI. Archived from the original on July 23, 2023. Retrieved February 26, 2023.
  23. ↑ "City Councilors Introduce Series of Resolutions Calling on RIDE and the Providence Public School District to Rethink How We Use Student Resource Officers in City Schools". Providence Government.
  24. ↑ "Statement from Councilwoman Kat Kerwin Regarding College Students Lack of Respect for their Community". Providence City Council. May 17, 2020. Archived from the original on July 23, 2023. Retrieved February 26, 2023.
  25. ↑ "Providence College administrators owe the community an apology and a plan for systemic change". Uprise RI. Archived from the original on July 23, 2023. Retrieved February 26, 2023.
  26. ↑ Amaral, Brian. "Body-camera video shows Providence councilwoman, police in heated discussion". The Providence Journal. Archived from the original on July 23, 2023. Retrieved February 26, 2023.
  27. ↑ NEWS, BRIAN CRANDALL, NBC 10 (August 3, 2020). "Providence police release body camera video of officer confrontation with councilwoman". WJAR. Archived from the original on July 23, 2023. Retrieved February 26, 2023.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  28. ↑ "Tech and procedural problems plague PVD City Council hearing on multi-hub resolution". Uprise RI. Archived from the original on July 23, 2023. Retrieved February 26, 2023.
  29. ↑ "Smith Hill community holds peace march after violence". ABC6. October 5, 2020. Archived from the original on July 23, 2023. Retrieved February 26, 2023.
  30. ↑ Alquist, Steve (2020). "In the wake of gun violence, a march for peace on Smith Hill". Uprise RI. Archived from the original on July 23, 2023. Retrieved February 26, 2023.
  31. ↑ "Lock Arms for Peace on Smith Hill: We're burying our children". Uprise RI. Archived from the original on July 23, 2023. Retrieved February 26, 2023.
  32. ↑ Smolcic Larson, Lucas (2018). "Missing the Mark: The reality of the gun control debate in Rhode Island". The Indy. Archived from the original on July 23, 2023. Retrieved April 22, 2023.
  33. ↑ "College Democrats of RI organize dozens of elected leaders to call for Rep Justin Price to resign". Uprise RI. Archived from the original on July 23, 2023. Retrieved February 26, 2023.
  34. ↑ "R.I. state Representative Justin Price, who attended Jan. 6 insurrection, expected to request a recount". The Boston Globe. Archived from the original on July 23, 2023. Retrieved February 26, 2023.
  35. ↑ "The Stop Evictions, Save Lives Dance Parade in Providence – Uprise RI". Archived from the original on July 23, 2023. Retrieved February 26, 2023.
  36. ↑ "PVD City Council battles the self-created perception that the City isn't safe – Uprise RI". Archived from the original on July 23, 2023. Retrieved February 26, 2023.
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