Providence NAACP president's new assault charge violates bail in campaign finance case
Providence NAACP President Gerard Catala was charged with assault earlier this month, marking the latest episode in his personal and political troubles.
A Providence police report and a criminal complaint, both obtained by The Providence Journal, state that Catala is accused of assaulting a Providence man on the night of Aug. 16, resulting in a misdemeanor charge.
According to the report, police responded to Rodman Street around 10 p.m. for an assault and found a man "bleeding from his nose" and whose "face was covered in blood and had blood on his hands." The man told police Catala punched him in the face multiple times, knocking him to the ground, and then continued the beating.
According to the report, Catala, who court records indicate lives at 27 Rodman St., told police he didn't assault the man and instead "believed he may have fallen" but did not see him fall.
Police said that when they asked to view footage from nearby cameras, including a Ring security camera, Catala told them, "You are not seeing my cameras ... under no circumstances."
Catala was placed in handcuffs and charged with simple assault.
Catala did not immediately reply to The Journal's request for comment.
In a statement, Harrison Tuttle, head of the Black Lives Matter Rhode Island Political Action Committee, called the allegations against Catala "deeply disappointing."
"Such incidents greatly impact the reputation of the NAACP and its legacy of fighting for racial justice," Tuttle said. "It's important to hold leaders accountable to maintain the integrity of the causes they represent."
More: AG's office nixes $40,000 in funding as NAACP president faces campaign-finance charges
Catala also faces charges related to campaign-finance violations
In January of this year, Catala was charged with two misdemeanor counts of failing to file the required campaign finance paperwork from his unsuccessful run for Providence City Council in 2022. Court records indicate those cases are still open.
At the same time, the state Attorney General's office nixed its plan to give $40,000 to the Providence NAACP branch.
And because of the recent assault charge, Catala has been accused of violating the terms of his bail in the campaign-finance case.
Catala's election to head of NAACP, run for City Council also drew scrutiny
During his previous council run in the 2018 election cycle, questions emerged over the home address Catala had given to the Board of Canvassers. He had registered to vote using the address of a home that had been boarded up. Catala insisted he lived there, contradicting a previous statement in which he said he did not.
More: Members are raising questions about the Providence NAACP leadership election. Here's why
Months ago, Catala also faced questions over his election as the NAACP branch president. Members of the local branch – including some who said they'd never met Catala – said they were concerned by emails he sent to them the day of the election and wondered if he had unfairly obtained a copy of the branch's membership roster.
One of the emails showed the candidates for whom Catala had voted and offered members help in casting their online ballots.
The election unseated longtime president Jim Vincent.
Catala would not comment to The Journal on the election.
This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: Gerard Catala, head of Providence NAACP branch, charged with assault
