Rhode Island traffic officer's holiday dance ends after race protests
By John Larrabee
PROVIDENCE (Reuters) - A former Rhode Island traffic officer's 30-year tradition of dancing while directing holiday shopping season traffic came to an end on Tuesday when East Providence officials decided against hiring him, after he orchestrated protests against civil rights activists.
The East Providence city council on Tuesday canceled a planned evening vote on whether to employ Tony Lepore, who for three decades entertained drivers in downtown Providence but became the subject of controversy after he organized October protests outside a Dunkin' Donuts where an employee wrote 'Black Lives Matter' on a coffee cup before handing it to an officer. Lepore called for the employee to be fired.
A week earlier, he had been turned down for the job by the Providence police department. That city's police commissioner, Steven Pare, said Lepore gave an inaccurate impression that his position on the incident represented that of the city's police.
"With the controversy, it was decided this would not be beneficial to anyone," said Timothy Conley, one of East Providence's five council members, on Tuesday.
The Black Lives Matter movement, which has revived a heated debate on race and justice in the United States, grew out of protests that followed the police killings of black men in cities including Ferguson, Missouri, New York and Baltimore over the past year and a half.
East Providence officials began to back away from a plan to take Lepore on after a group of protesters supporting Black Lives Matter rallied outside the city's Christmas tree lighting ceremony Sunday night.
"He's no longer about dancing," said Onna Moniz-John, one of the protest organizers. "He's become too associated with negativity and controversy. He's almost a poster child."
Lepore posted a message on his Facebook page indicating he believed the seasonal tradition may have come to an end. "You all know the issues that I have been involved in the last few weeks," he wrote. "Whatever happens during the holidays, I want to thank you for your support, friendship & the fun."
He did not respond to a request for comment.
(Editing by Scott Malone, Bill Rigby and Steve Orlofsky)
