Charlestown State Senator Elaine Morgan’s racism continues to embarrass

Morgan is a disgrace

By Will Collette

Since her election in 2014, state Senator Elaine Morgan (R-MAGA) seems to aspire to new heights of stupidity and bigotry with every passing year. Morgan represents the northern half of Charlestown.

Morgan is crass, racist, ignorant and totally ineffective in representing her constituents. The contrast with her Senate colleague Victoria Gu who represents the southern half of Charlestown couldn’t be starker. Victoria is smart, classy and thoughtful, plus she delivers real results especially when it comes to coastal protection.

Yes, those are generalities, so let’s get to the most recent specific. WJAR reports that Morgan staged a late night, self-described DOGE-like raid on the newly opened ECHO Village Pallet shelters in Providence featuring new pre-fab one-room shelters. Apparently, this area became a new part of Morgan’s district.

Her Dogey fact-finding mission failed when her unannounced nighttime visit was turned away by security guards responsible for the safety and privacy of the site’s homeless residents.

How dare they!!!

So Morgan went to Facebook and posted this:

"I was not welcome [. – SIC] I was told by a Big Rolly Poly [SIC] Dark skinned man with a lanyard around his neck."

Apropos of nothing, she added:

"REALLY!! Guess I’ll be checking more into this HEAVILY FENCED GATED COMMUNITY [WTF?]. Where the smell of cannabis was overwhelming [SIC].”

According to WJAR, she changed the post several times and landed on this version:

"I was told by a Large Dark skinned [SIC] man with a lanyard around his neck. [SIC]'I was not welcome there [SIC] this is private property.'"

House of Hope photo

Laura Jaworski, director of the non-profit House of Hope that operates the facility gave this statement to WJAR:

"The state senator’s remarks are both uninformed and offensive. The language used to describe one of our staff members is unacceptable, and we will not tolerate the disparagement of our residents or our dedicated team…Furthermore, pulling up unannounced at night and demanding a tour of ECHO Village is entirely inappropriate. Our policies are in place to protect the safety, privacy, and dignity of the individuals we serve, many of whom have experienced significant trauma… At House of Hope, the safety and well-being of our residents and staff at ECHO Village are our top priorities. Our team works hard to create a compassionate environment where residents are connected with essential resources like case management and permanent housing supports."

Funding and Jurisdiction

Elaine Morgan conducted her raid without any authorization from the General Assembly or any other authority, despite her Facebook posting's claim that she is "with Fox News and Doge [SIC]." Did Elon Musk give her a badge or a subpoena? 

The project is well outside her district. The project was also funded by federal funds passed through the state and the City of Providence. As Senator Jack Reed pointed out:

“This project [Echo Village] is paid for entirely with over $4.5 million in federal funds that I helped deliver to enable the state to expand and improve its homelessness prevention services.  We need a comprehensive, coordinated strategy to ensure that no Rhode Islander experiencing homelessness is without access to safe, warm housing that protects them from the elements.”

The Preserve Residences, from their website.

Morgan whines about fencing and security. In fact, that fencing and security not only is designed to protect residents but also to accommodate the site’s neighbors. 

Echo Village is not, as Morgan claims, a “gated community.” No one but a fool would confuse the one-room pallet houses at Echo Village with, for example, the controversial Preserve Residences (see photo at right) in Morgan’s district which describes itself as “Your Own Private Luxury Retreat.”

This is not the first time Elaine Morgan abused her office to conduct her own private crusade. In 2015, I reported on a complaint filed against Morgan for using her then office as Hopkinton Town Sergeant to interfere in a complicated domestic dispute. The town sergeant does not have police power. 

Hopkinton Police took no action against Morgan on this complaint nor on another complaint filed against her. The Hopkinton Town Solicitor refused to release any details about either of these cases other than to acknowledge their existence citing Morgan’s privacy rights, a novel defense of a public official who allegedly broke the law. Find more detail and documentation HERE.

What can we do about Morgan?

Being an ignorant racist has never seemed to bother her constituents enough to dump her. Further, being such a jerk has earned Morgan some national prominence as in 2015 when she called for Syrian refugees to be imprisoned in camps because of their religion.

She even made the renowned FRED list (Fanatical Republican of the Day) list a record 9 times for her far-right nuttiness.

She even got through the 2024 election unscathed despite her 22 year old son Ian’s no contest plea to Westerly Police charges of third-degree sexual assault of a 14-year-old girl he had met online. His plea came in September shortly before the election.

What makes Ian’s misdeeds relevant is Morgan’s long record of promoting legislation to crack down on sex offenses including third-degree sexual assault. But of course she also supports a sex offender in the White House.

In 2022, Morgan was busted by the state Board of Election for illegally looting her campaign accounts to go on personal spending sprees (ever classy, she laid the blame on her deceased husband while making the contradictory claim that she "takes full responsibility"). MAGA-leaning voters in Richmond, Hopkinton and Exeter stuck with her. With some pride, voters in northern Charlestown usually support Morgan’s opponents by wide margins.

Since her MAGA-leaning constituents seem to like her racism, corruption and ineffectiveness, what can be done?

The RI Constitution does not allow for recall elections against state legislators. Some towns allow for recall elections of local elected officials. Example: the Gun Lobby’s unsuccessful effort to oust the entire Exeter Town Council by recall election in 2013. But municipal recall ordinances don’t apply to state legislators.

However, I suggest exploring whether her conduct, especially her abuse of power and racist verbiage, warrants a complaint to the RI Ethics Commission. Using her position as a state Senator to stage an unauthorized raid on a non-profit public service outside of her jurisdiction seems ripe for a sustainable ethics complaint, but I’m not a lawyer. I would invite those who ARE to weigh in on this subject.

I blame King Donald

The new regime of King Donald and President Musk has given license to people like Morgan to feel emboldened to say and do some truly terrible things.

All over the country, racists, white nationalists and Nazis have been liberated to run amok.

Triggered by Trump’s implied blessing, Morgan deputized herself as a one-woman posse and set out to bust those alleged pot-smoking homeless people in Providence who were trying to get a night’s sleep without being rousted by some Hopkinton fruitcake.