NEW: “F—K Trump" Sign Removed From AS220 After Complaint from Providence Charter School

NEW: “F—K Trump" Sign Removed From AS220 After Complaint from Providence Charter School

A school official at Rhode Island Nurses Institute (RINI) Middle College on Washington Street in Providence posted an appeal Monday on Facebook to ask people to contact AS220 to get a “F—K Trump” sign removed from one of their windows. 

Keith Oliveira, the former Chair of the Providence School Board and now the Director of Admissions and Chief Operating Officer at RINI, took to Facebook shortly after noon on Monday to make an appeal for people to contact AS220 to have the sign taken down. (The Washington Street building is mixed-use space under AS220, with residential and artist tenants, as well as AS220 programming).

Oliveira's Post

GET THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS HERE -- SIGN UP FOR GOLOCAL FREE DAILY EBLAST

Oliveira posted the following to Facebook on Monday:

So FB friends, across the street from my school is the AS220 studio/apartments. Apparently one of their residents has decided to express their views regarding Trump. 

While I don't have a problem with folks freely expressing their views, I do have have a problem with the appropriateness of expressing them in a way that the kids in our building (some as young as 13 years old) have to see this as they look out their classroom window. When I contacted AS220 to ask that it be taken down their response was that they stand by the principle of self expression and will not ask the tenant to remove the sign. 

Again, I am not one to censor someone's freedom of expression but I do think that such expression be mindful of who it targets (in this case primarily our students). Your thoughts? If you think this free expression is inappropriate given its location please share and contact AS220 (401-831-9327 x102) to let them know. I appreciate your support.

"I just thought it was inappropriate for kids to have to look at that," said Oliveira. "I guess they got the message, because it's now down."

AS220 Communications Director Dave Dvorchak confirmed at 4 p.m. that the sign was down, but that the AS220 organization was not responsible.

"AS220 did not ask the tenant to take it down, they must have done it on their own," said Dvorchak. "We're just the landlord."

SLIDES: Trump Student Walkout - January 20, 2017