22 to Watch in Rhode Island in 2022: Harrison Tuttle
GoLocalProv Political Team
22 to Watch in Rhode Island in 2022: Harrison Tuttle
Tuttle is a Cranston guy, who played football and wrestled at Bishop Hendricken. Young, smart, and outspoken - Tuttle will be a factor in RI for decades to come.
Tuttle has been vocal in decrying U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse’s membership in private elitist clubs.
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After Whitehouse came under fire from BLM leaders in the state for his ties to the historically white Bailey’s beach club in Newport, Cicilline Tweeted the following:
“Sheldon Whitehouse has been a fighter for racial and economic justice his whole life. Full stop,” Cicilline Tweeted.
Tuttle — who had already called out Whitehouse earlier that day — doubled down.
“If this is true, then why isn’t Sen. Whitehouse practicing in private what he preaches in public? Public rhetoric is one thing, but doing the right thing when no one is watching is the real measure of commitment to your values,” said Tuttle.
In a follow-up statement to GoLocal, Tuttle said, "Private clubs and organizations like Bailey’s Beach Club have long been a tool of wealthy white people to maintain their power. The members of these clubs get special access to a U.S. Senator by virtue of their wealth, while the average Rhode Islander has to wait in lines, attend town hall meetings, or send emails, after any of which they may never really be heard."
"Sen. Whitehouse has the power to make change just by using his platform, but has chosen instead to be passive, pretending as though he has no power to change anything. Senator: if you don’t have the courage to either improve or leave a beach club, why should we trust you with the responsibility of bettering the lives of Rhode Islanders?" said Tuttle.
On Memorial Day Tuttle criticized what he said is "patriotic white supremacy" in the United States military -- and told GoLocal he believes the U.S. has a "military problem."
"On today's Memorial Day, my thoughts are with the kids preyed on and placed in the military because the government refuses to still provide jobs," said Tuttle. "Thinking about the people still here who lost themselves fighting wars they had no interest in. Or the innocent people on the other side of these fights.
"Patriotic white supremacists knowingly, happily, and willingly terrorizing domestically and globally oppressed people will never get love from me," he added.
Tuttle spoke with GoLocalProv about his views on the matter.
"The U.S. has a military problem — this is something the U.S. always had a problem with [in terms of] imperialism and conquest," said Tuttle. "This is something in our history books, as we look at our ed curriculum — a lot of it is whitewashed, whether it be genocide or stealing land as the origins of this country that is settler colonialism."